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DISTANT
i YET uliY"a'
VERY
CLOSE

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VILNIUS
I9E9
MINTIS PUBLISHERS
Translat€dlrom the Lithu.trian by DALIJA TEKORIENE

N 4?02390204-340
r, ,, 89
"^ O Min-isPubiishers,
1989
mffitl-
ISBN 5.417-002t4
 When you look at the ancientcities and buildingsol
India, its temples,sPacioushalls and giant sculptures
carvedoi solid stone,at the ten'century_old Ajanta ires'
coes inlerior lo none of the best specimcns oi medicval
art in Europe, you become aware vhy the East is consi'
deredto be the cradleot civilizationAs the West took
a turn for the victory of mind over matief, lhe de-
veloDment oi scienceand the creationof materialvalues,
it bicamedominatedby practicalactiviliesand rational
ihinking.The Easi,on ihe conirary,has beenconccntral'
ing on man's psychologyand spiritual values lfom ihe
\'ery beginning.Throughoutthe long centuriesall thesc
dilierences found expression in art, literatureand philo'
soPhY.
TheEast and the West,the two polesol a magnct,each
trying to influencethe other. The walls which used to
separatepeoplein the past have long crumblcddown.
We liYe in the agc of extensivelravel, communicalion,
exchangeof knovledgeand iniormation.Whateverbar'
rier thereis it is confinedto the invisibleworldoi thought
and ideas.
In the West peoplebeganto take seriousinterestin
the East severalcenturiesago.This interestgavebirth 10
a new branchoi science, the Orientalsiudies,and brought
the arts of Europe- painting, literature and music_
unde. a considerable influenceoi the East. Rembrandt
copiedOrientalminiatlres,Matisseand Van Gogh prac-
ticed the Orientalmanneroi painting,the two geniuses
oi literature- Goetheand Tolstoy- studiedlhe wriiten
sourcesof the Orient,HermanHesseatternpled to recon-
cile the philosophicand aesthetic principles of the East
 and the West, which was also the aim oi the famous
composer5 Beelhoven, Mahlerand Messiaen,
But the inlluenceof the East has always been the
greatestin philosophy. A lot ol analogiescan-belound in
the philosophical ideas of the ancientGreeksSocrates,
Plato,Aristotle,and the ancientHindu books.
Alberr Schwei!zer,a Swiss philosopherof the 20rh
cenlurywhoseconlributionlo the development oi WesLern
I'hilo:ophyis very great indeed,was guidea by ancienr.
ntndu pntlosor'hy both in his work and his personallife.
H e - \ \ . r . . . l uonrdr e p e a r i ntgl r e m a x i m. i B ey o u ro w n
lanrefn".He betieved " n c i e n t
thal a loving man possessas all lhe
world in himselfand this Ieadsto perlection.Isn r it a
reilectionol universallove advocatedby Hindu philo_
sophers?
^ The East is a poweriulattractionto the contemporary
Sovietartists,_writers and philosophers as well (il'would
nol be possibleto narnethern all), who try lo assess
l l r e , i n \ r l u a . b lhee r i t a g eo f I n d i r ' r p r . t i n r ] r c t i g h t o f
Inodernachievements.
The ancient fiaxifi Et otiente la, has stood the test
of lime..Light-means wisdom.AllhoughI ieel inclinedro
s e e . l l r s l o l a l t . c o m i n gf f o m l n d i a ,i t w o u l d n o l b e
right 10 negleclthe other Orientalcountries,for the civi_
lizationo[ the world wouldhavebeenmuchpoorerwithoul
Inem.
India is our cradle,a uniquecounlry,which,unlike a
numberoi otherold civilizations, haspreserved its ancient
culture and never grudgedto share it with the neigh-
bouringpeoples.
We identityIndia with the old majesticbuildings,the
Ajanta kescocs, Asoka'spillars,Taj Mahal,Akbar'stomb.
We ideniily India with the Vedas,the Uponishadsand
th€ two greatest books in the world, lhe Mahobharcto
and the Ramagana,
We identityIndia with the Bhagauod-Gita, a collection
of eighteenhymns glorilying man, his greatnessand
power.
4
 We identiiy India with the nameso[ Tiruvaluvar,Ka-
bir, Tagore,Ramakrishna, Vivekanarda,Gandhi,Radha-
krishnan,Nehru,Indira Gandhi.
We identifyIndia with its reverberatingvoiceof uni-
versal peacereachingus irom down the centufies,with
the Delhi Declarationon the new world, a world without
nuclearweapons,a world which has done away with
violenceand hatred,fear and suspicion.
We ideniify India with the white summitsof the Hi-
malayas,the sacredGangesbringing Iife to the thirsty
land and the humanheart.
We see India in the open eyesoi every Indian who
throughoutthe long centurieshas been taught by the
sagesto love his fellowbeing.
It is not easy to know India. But this knowledge
broadensouf horizons,takesus into the inner depthsof
ourselvesand leads us up and up into the mysteryoi
the universe.

A vefy nicesmell--. It is not easyto understand

where
it is coming from. The trees,the shrubs,the grass or
the earih, which is so red and so un'Lithuanian?The
sun is boiling hol, it seemsto be sitting right on my
head.I can't escapeit, I can't protectmyself againstit.
Alter a shortwhile I'll havelo leavethe shadeand walk
on togetherwith the sun. I have to walk the streetsof
thc city, I have to see everythingwith my own eyes.
Thai is why I havecomehere.It sometimes seemsto me
that I cameto India on a wonderlulcarpet.Overtaking
tinle, I emergedon the olher side ol the real vorld-
Someonefrom the waiting crowd piaced a wreath of
llowers round my shollders,put his hands togetherat
'Namaste!" 'lhis
the breast, bowed his head and said:
was surelya greetingbut I did not knowwhat to answer
and I said: "Atit! "fhank youl"' The Indian lookedat
me onceagain and sait'Namaste". I took courageand
said €ven louder:"Aiin, atia!" And suddenlyI remem-
beredthat the Sanskritword lor it was very similar.. -
The invisiblewall which had dividedus crumbleddown.
India.. . This name occursin the earliestwritten re-
cordsoi mankind.At the loot ol lhe Himalayas,on the
territoryoi the presentIndia,archaeologists find evidence
oi human habitationdaling back half a miliion years.
Threebiggestrivers oi India, the Ganges,the Brahma-
putra and the Indus,rise in the Himalayas.The valleys
of the live tributariesol the Indus river were the home
ot oneol the greatestancientcivilizations. The veil hang-
ing over this civilizationhas beenraisedby the excava-
tionsin Harappaand MohenjoDaro.
M o h e n j oD a r o m e a n s ' t h em o u n do i t h e d e a d ' a n di t
is the nameusedby the local peopleto fefer 1o ihe city.
But what is ils real name?Five thousandyearsintervene
beiween!s and one of the oldestcitiesoi our planet.
If is believedthat the peopleoi the Indusvalleylearnt
to write a littie later than the Sum€rians and usedietters
somewhatsimilarlo thoseon lhe Easterlsland the stone
iacesoi which slill hold many secrets.Seriousattempts
have beenmade to iind the continentol Lemuria,men-
tion€d in Hindu legends.The number of secretsheld in
the ancientbooksis very greatindeed!

Peopletl'ho lived along the Indus river called their

countrySindhu,but the lirst soundof this word was loo.
dilficuli ior their neighbours,the Persians,to pronounce
and they changedit into H. Thus Hindu and Hindustan
appeared.In this form the word reachedancientGreece
and all ihe adjace[t countries.
India was also known by someother ancientnames
such as Jambudvipa'the land of the sacredtree Jambu',
and Braltmavartha 'the countryoi Brahma'.For us Lith-
uani6ns.there is a clear association betweenudrrftaand
the Lithuanianword,oadai'gaie', so lhat the translation
of Brahmavartha seemsto be'the gate to the countryot
Brahma'.

6
 Threeand a hali thousandyearsago ihe peoplewho
cameto lhe iertilevalleyol the Gangescalledthemselves
Arvansor perhapsthal wa: how theywerecalledby others
Thev selilia dorvnthere and called their new homel2nd
'the countryof the Aryans'.Their lirst great
Aryinvartha
king was Bharat.Thereare many songsabouiihe exPloits
ol ahi. Iegendaryhero.The erploitsoi Bharat{ sonsare
recounted in one o[ the greaLbooksof ancientIndia the
Mahabharcta. SometimJago lhe lndian golernmentolii'
cially conlirmedthe secondname of ihe state, Bharai,
after the lamousking.
No matierhow hard ihe scholarshavetried,ihey have
not beenablelo give a convincinganswerto ihe question
who the Aryanswere and wherefromthey cameto India
There have been many diiferenttheoriesabout it. The
Englishwereinclinedto provethat the Aryanshad brought
10the lndian tfibesa superiorculturewhichbecame known
as Indian cullure,similar to that which developed later
in Cfeece,Italy and, naturally,England.For centuries,
the lollowing assertionhad beentaken lor granted:had
it noi beenfor ihe Aryans,the world would not havehad
what is known as the phenomenon ol Indian culture.
But the excavaiions in Mohenjo Daro and Harappa
knocked the bottom out of ihis theory: they provedthat
lndia had possessed advancedculture long beiorethe
arrivalof the Aryans.
The meaningof the Sanskritword oryd is not quite
clear. Some scholarssay it is derivedlrom orl which
means'a stranger'but in the yedas it also means iree-
born. noble'.The local peoplemet the newcomers wiihout
hosiility so long as they settleddown peacelullyon the
lree lands, but the feud, naturally, eruptedwhen the
newcomers beganlo appropriate their land.
The Mahabharuta containsdescriptions of a northern
country,long nights and long days. This points to the
conclusion thal lhe Afyanscamefrom the north.This alsc
servesas the basisfor the theoryol someIndianscholars
ol the Arctic origin ol the Aryansof India.
The LithuanianscholarAntanasPoskahas written a
study, unpublishedas yet, in which he uses numerous

i
I
 facts and excerptsftom the Veda, to prove that the word
o,'ya is derived from the same root as the Lithuanian
.i'-otdatejaa 'a plougher'. The author is absolutely sure
of his theory."Therecan be no doubtaboutit,.. hi savs
poinLingro his {hick manuscriprThe HistotAol Agrkif
lure. One can listen to his argurnents ioi houri and
hours,
In thoseancienttimesthe vast thicklywoodedexpanses
irom the Baltic to the CaspianSea were sparselyinha_
bited by semi-nomadic tribes.The tall fair,hiaded'oeoole
wilh elongatedIaceshad dome,ricaLed lhe horseand used
wheel.wilh spikes.Someol lhem slayedon Lheland lhey
l i l i e d .r e a r i n gz n i m a l :a n d w o f s h i p p i nrgh es u n ,i i r e a n ;
narurde l l e m e n t sO. l h e r s a
. r m e dw i L h l i g h i b u Ld u r a b l e
arms, movedin all directionsreachingthe Middle East
dnd WeslefnEurope.They bccamelhe anceslorsoi the
Greeks.Latinc.CelLs.TeuLone<, Balls, Slavs.In ancjenl
Syria. too, there lived a peoplethe namesof whose gods
wefe \ery cimilar ro lhoserhe Aryans broughtto ln-dra:
lndaru - Indta. Utuaona-Varuna, Miltu_Mitta.
In shorl,lhere is no knowingwhy and wherehomihe
^
Aryans overran Indra and mixed wilh rhe dark.skinned
locals.Alter sometime iree fertjle landswere alreadyin
siort _supplybut the numberol the arriving Aryanscon-
tinued lo grow. With sword and shieldthiy pushedthe
local peopledown Lhe Gangesand yamuna rivers, the
I a l l e fh e c o m i nlgh e J u m n a .T h e s ec o n t l i c l 5 t o u n da \ i v i d
relleclionin lhe Mahobharataand Romayona,.theycoi
t i n u el o _ b el e l Ln o w a d a l si n L h ea r r o g a nar t r i L u doei a n
t n d r a nl r o m t h e n o r t h l o a D r a \ i d i a n ,a d a r k - s k r n n e d
Indiantrom the south.
With the arrival oi the Aryans India developed slave_
ry, castesand rudimentsoi a state.The oldestword for
a sla\'eis dasrc. The Aryansusedthis word also for the
local dafk-skinned peoplewhom they lorcedto work lor
themselves. At first, only prisonersof war were made
slales but with time anybodycould becomea slave.L
the MahobharulaKing. Yudhisthir becomesa slave when
he losesall his possessions, servants,wife and himseli
in a gambling game.Another kind oi ancientbooks_
Puranas-- fi,enlion the sage Vishvamitra who sold his
son to slaveryior a hundredcows.
The ancienl written records give liltle inlormation
about the newcomers. Some scholarsmaintain that lhe
earliest part ot the yedas - the Rig-yedd,which is a
collection of hymns to gods, was createdeight thousand
ve-r)aso Althoueh l h e I n d i a n sl e a r n tl o w r i t ee a r l y .l h e
hig.V"a-, Ilylnn" were not "ommrltedto wriling lor a
long time. It was believedthat the sacredword must be
pas.edon lrom moulh lo mouth because lhe gods lhem-
' " t t " r l u a w h i s n e r eidt l o l h e r i 5 h i ' d i r e c l l yi n L ol h e i r
ears. In early times when the Earth was still cleanand
the peoplehonest,the sagespossessed the powerof seeing
the hymns which like Iiving beings were presentedto
them by gods becauseit was easier lo .emember and
reproducewhat the eye had seen.From generationto
g e n e f a t i olnh e c a g e sp a : ) e dd o w nt h e t e x l , o l l h e h y m n s
t o t h e i fp u p i l . l o g p L h ewr i l h l h e f a i l h i n i h e h o l i n e sosI
lhe wonderiulwotds. From all parts oi India the pupils
used to be called togelhe.for a strict testing it they
knew lhe hymnsword for word and il they could recite
them in the right intonation.That is how the Rig'Veda
hymnshavereachedus intact as the godspresented them
to the Maharishi,i. e. seniorrishi-
The Himalayanmountainsare relerredlo in the yedds
aq a citadelol thoughtand the habitationol godsand men
who had attainedthe statureol gods.They sendwisdom
to mankind and cool rivers to the earlh. The Ganges
descended from lhe sky down the hair, shouldersand
arms oi Shiva sitting on the highestsummit ol the Hi.
malayas.

Ffom the cool refreshingroomsof the museumI step

olt inlo the street under the beating sun. Sculplures,
fragmenisand piecesoi brokenobjectsoi art dancebe-
lofe my eyes,their namesand dateswhi.l in my head
How can I rememberall I have seen,heard and read?
It was goodfor ihe rishi who couidseesoundsas living
 beings,but we, simplemortals,are doomedto Jorgetiul-
ne!s. Maybe.afler a long lime all thar I havesee-nwill
tise, to the.surface from the deep layers ol my memory?
I lace the bustleand rush of the capital.Cyclists,vi_
lorickshaws, molor-cyclists, pedestrians, trishawsand cars
go diving in and out the trafiic. lt seemsthat the next
momenLsomebody must go crashinginto sotnibody,rhe
0rafieswlll screech, the tyreswill cuLinlo tllc soll asphall.
But nothingof the kind happens - the tralfic mov;s on
as belore.It all lookslike a miracle!I was told that in
Calcutta,a city evenmore denselypopulatedthan Delhi,
there were praclicallyno traflic accidents.Brt I saw
more than once myself that scoresand cven hundrcds
of accidenrscould-havehafpenedrighl bcforcrny eye.l
D u ro n r yo n c eo l d I s e ea m a n k n o c k eddo w no n t h er o a d ,
and I was nol surewhosefault it had been.
The streetllows like the greenSantanariver,thc fiver
ol liie. We sil downon a small bench.Ramachandra puts
h i s , d a r k - - q k i Dhnac nd d so n h i s k n c e ss, t f a i g h l c nusp h i s
oack and sluts his eyes. I don\ know what il is_
self.discipline, relaxationof meditation,but in a lew mi-
nutcshe will open his eyes,and smile,restedand refre_
:Icd. He doesLhissimply and nalurally.I hdrc noriced
tlat almosphcrc in an Indian jtrcct is conducivc lo opcn.
ness..Peoplesirnply li\'c in thc street but nobodycn_
croaches. ori the thoughls of othcrs, evcryonehas got
enoughthouglltsol his own.
We continueour conversation.
" D o y o u r e a l i z eR, a m a . .I . s a y , ' . h o w
r i c h y o u a r ew i t h
,,
Jll lnesc possessions your nation?youf cuunlry is a
vcritablemuseumin the open.'. _of

_ "Our art possessions used to be much greaterthan

.What numbers
that," sighs Ramachandra. ol them wer"
lakenawayby the English!Themuseumsoi Londonover_
IIow with our treasures. They plunderedour couniryand
took away the besi. You askedme why lhere weie so
many headlessstatuesoutsidethe temDles.The reason
is simple.The Engli5h,who are so proudol rheirsuperior
civilization,knockedofi those headswhich they could
reachand took them away to their own kingdom.There
l0
is an international agreement whichprovides for thereturn
ol .rrt objeclsacquiredby unldwiulmean' But ihereafe
so many good igreementslhese days and who heeds
them?\ie ian only hoPethat some day some part oi the
stolenlreasureswill comeback to India, after all. Let's
go now and sit on the stepsover there and I'll ieach
iou horvto tell the differentIndiant,vpes by their clothing,
iewelrvand lacial ieatures, a Bengal,a Sikh, a Tamil,an
briva.'a Maratha, a Parsi,a Brahman, a Sudra. ."
iVe make ourselves comlortable in the shade. A gust
ol wind sometimes touches our backs and we watch th€
endless flow of peopleand cars
SuddenlyRama waves to somebodyand disappears
in the crowd.He comesbackwith a girl wearinga light
biue sari.
"This is my distantrelative,"he says,"a siudentol
our uni\rersity. Her nameis Kamala.Sheis a one-h!ndred'
perceniAryan. Have a good look at her so that I don'i
have to point out Aryanslor you any more.Pleasestay
with us a while,KamalaDevi.*
Orienial wisdomteaches:ii you want to be healthy,
Iook at the llowing water, Ilowersand beautifulwomen
I had seen beautifulfacesbelorebut not ol this kind.
Poetssay "almondeyes".Thesewords had beenmean-
inglessto me but at that momentthey struck me like
lightningand became real.Neiihertoo dark,nor too light,
just like two almonds,her eyeslookedat me and carried
me away.Her regal stancemadeher standout amongthe
crowd.Was she a goddessdescended on the earth?Shed
soondisappearbut her imagewould long stay beloremy
eyes.And everytime I heardthe phrase"almondeyes"
it wol1ldbrins me backto that moment.
Thank you, India. Only a good and clean land can
Droducesu;h a perlectcreatureMay you be happy,Ka'
mala Devi. on the blessedland,may you give joy to the
DeoDle, Evervman or womanto whom you hold out your
irrnd f""l th"."-e blissas t did.
"ill

ll
 We have a lot ot time beiorethe cool of the night
descendrupon the eanh. I am going to lell my frie_nd
K a m a c n a n d raab o u tL i t h u a n i aa, b o u tr h e l i m e w h e n i l
did not exist as a state.The past is coveredwith a thick
layerof dlrstand ii is nol easyto seewhat lies beneath it.
In the 5ih centuryB. C. Herodotus, the recognized Ia_
..
lher oI scjenceol histofy in rhe West, mentioned{he
Neuranand Budin tribes which Iived norrh o[ the Scy-
l h i a n s .T h e i d e n t i l yo f l h e s el r i b e sa r o ! . e da l l m a n n i r
ol speculallon l i sl l a l l a s l r h e s c h o l a r as g f e e dr h a t l h e y
wefe the Balts.Therewereevenartemptslo associate lh;
n€rneof lhe Neuranswith the Nefl:. a lribulary of the
Nemunasriver.
Today there are only two Baltic nations, thc Lith-
uanians and the Latvians.Sevcralcenturicsago therc
were m^orcBallic tribes: prussians.yolvingian; Curo.
nrans,-se ontans.Semigallidnc.Ihcy lived on tltr coa:l
ot the ball'c seaand thal wa: why theycanreto bc known
as tne 6alts. In his bookGetmania.whichhc wroLcin rhe
lst century A. D., CorneliusTacllus used rhc name of
li.<ti.ans. Aestiorumgpnles {which was pronouncedas
A,sliotum).This was how he called the Frussians.His
contemporary Pliny said in his Naturul liistot!! lhat lhe
Dnicfef river ro5c in lhc country o, rc Ncuians.Thc
Urcekgeographer Ptolomywroteaboulrwo Aisrianlribes,
l n e G a l r n d i a nasn d S u d o v i a n s .
. Laler. more and more hagmentediniormallonaboul
tne pcopiewho lived on thc Ballic coastoccufrcdin the
books.In lhc 7th cenruryrhc Swede:wfotc about lhc
Luronians,Iater Scandinavian hi5roricalbook. conlcined
informationabout the Semigallians sublugatedby the
The nameof Lithuaniawas firsi mentioned in German
annalsnearlya thousandyearsago.Sincethenit hasbeen
repeatedin all the chronicles and hisloricalbooks.
T l ' e L i t l r u a , i i a ncso n s l i t u r eodn t y o n e o i t ( B a l t t c
Lfibes,but lhey becamerhe core in the lormalionoi lh€
Lithuanianstate-
12
 Lithuania.as the rest of norlhernEurope,was covered
bv the ice caps that flowed from the north When ihe
ice retreated, ii lett a greatnumberol high-banked rivers,
hills and Iakes.Archaeologists haveestablished that people
liled thereas many as 12thousandyearsago Wherethey
had comelrom is not known.Only one thing is clear-
thev wer€ the ancestofsof the Balts. The boundariesof
their landswefe reconstructed on the basisoi toponymy,
of Place-names.
Scholarswefe surprisedto find place-names of Baltic
origin lar away from the presentterritory of Lithuania:
on the other side ol Berlin in the west,aroundMoscow
and Kursk in the east, around Kiev in the south.The
!alleys ol lhe EIbe,Oder, Vistula, Nemunas,Daugava,
Dnieperand upperOka rivers were all at one time inha-
bitedby the Balts.
Thosewere marshy,woodedlands.To make ihe land
arablepeoplehad lirst to clear and burn the woods.Cul-
tivated land becamethe most valuableloot which made
lhe strongertribesattackthe weakerones.The Balts were
pressedon all sides and they retreatedto the Baltic
coast.This retreatcontinuedfor a long iime, up until the
' glh century.
There are all sorts of speculations about the origin
of the Balts.Therehave beenattemptsto provethat the
Lilhuaniansare descended lrom the RomansAn old Lith-
uanianannal wrote that fleeingfrom Nero'sattrocities,
a group oi Romanshad reachedLithuania.Their chief,
relatedto Nero himseli,was a Romanduke,Palemonas,
who penetraied by ship from the Ballic sea alongthe Ne_
munasriver into an unknowncountrytogeiherwith his
wile. childfen.servantsand other nobles.He liked the
counlry a lot, the sleepbanksof its rivers teemingwiih
i iish, ils hills and plains,and its forestslul! of game He
I
decidedto settledownthere.His thre€sonsbuili the iirst
I ihree citieson the Nemunasriver. One of the suburbsof
Kaunas,secondlargestcity in Lithuania,still bearsthe
nameof Palemonas,
Kefnius,Palemonas' grandson,foundedthe firsi capi'
lal oi Lilhuania,Kernav6.After his iather'sdeathhe con'
t3
 quereda lot ol lands all ol which he calted by the
L i L h u a n i awn o r d / i r r s . a n d t n e r r u m p e l s$ h i c . t p . o p . e
playedthere he .alled tuba. As the local peopledid not
understandthesewords, they joined them togetherand
pronounced lilrsfrro. With time the soundB bccaneV and
that was how the word Lietuaa'Lithuania'aDoeared.
The hilllortsof Kernareare still rhcre.Tircvcommand
a w o n d e r i uvl i e w o I r h e N e r i sr i v e f v a l l e y ; h i c l r b e a r ,
the nameol Kernius'sdaughterPajauta.The story ol the
lirst Lithuaniancapitalis told by the exhibitsol the local
museumand the remainsoi the recentlvunco!.ered citv.
Even ihe descentof hisloricalpeopie-Dukes Mi;-
daugas,Vytenis,Gediminas-was tracedto Palemonas.
The legendpersistedthroughseveralagesand it existed
in severalversionsfor the wish 10 provea fomanlicand
nobleorigin of Lithuaniawas very great indeed.
A Flemishmathematician, geographef and cartograph,
er who lived in the l6ih centurymade a map of Lithua,
nia and wrote under it: "Lithuania'sname deriveslrom
,/l&o 'a hunte.'shorn', because peoplehunt a lot in this
country.This derivationis deniedby anotherhislorian
who gives his own etymologyol Lithuania'sname.He
says thal severalltalians, who had leit Italy because
o[ the internal Roman discord,came to Lilhuania and
called the peoplewho lived there and their country bv
lheir own name,ltalia, ltolians.The locallrerdsmen rdde;
one more letter and beganto refer to their country as
Litalia, while their neighbours, the Rutheniansand ihe
Poles,changedthe word evenmore and to this dav thev
call lhe counlryLilhuaniaand iis peopleLirlironos.-
A Polishchroniclersaysthat lhe Romanchiei'sname
was not Palemonasbut Libonaswho hatedCaesar'sty-
ranny and broughthis peopleto a countryin fhe north
easl.His name gave rise to Livonia and this was how
the Prussiansand the Lithuaniansappeared.
Thereis anotherstory which saysthat simpleLithua-
nian peoplewere descended irom the Goths while the
Lithuaniannobilitycamedown from the Romans.It could
not havebeenotherwise: nobililyalwayscomesdownfrom
nobility. A Lilhuanianproverb says: "A man is poor
becausehe is stupid, and he is stupid becausehe is
D
' OOr,'
Thereare alsoseveralmyihologicallegendsexplaining
the orisin ol Lithuanians. A manuscriptloundin a cerlain
castlet-ellsabout a mythical semi-divine Lithuanianhero'
Celonas.born ol a mortal vestal tending the sacfedfire
bv - a father who was a Lithuanian god.
Long long ago the Lilhuanianswefe atlackedhom
lhe south and Lhewest by horribleanthropophagiman_
eaters.Theycaughtmen and women,carriedthem to the
torestand therethey atethem.Fromihe bonesof the dead
peoplethey built pyramidsto their own gods.The pyra-
mids came to be known as the landmarksmarking the
boundaries ol the Iand inhabitedby the Lithuanians. The
mighty Gelonasbegana desperate war againstthe mon-
stcis, he slayedand dest.oyedthem in all possiblevays
till al last he killed them all. Altcr that the Lithuanians
lived peac€fully, alwayspayinghomageio ihe hero who
set lhem free.Gelonas'descendants were also very just
and succcsslul tulels.
What curious fantasiesihe unrcstrictedimagination
oI thc early annalisisproducedabout the rarely visited
countrics!The Baltic countrieswere no exception. There
could have becn a grain ol truth in thesestories,too.
HistoryhasprescrvedKing Theodoric's of the Oslrogolhs
lctter wrilien to the Balts in the 6th ceniury:"From your
envoyscominghereand backwe have learnt aboutyour
greai wish to know us so that there at the edgeof the
oceanyou could be linked wiih our way of thinking..
We send you our sincercgreelingsand thanks for the
amberwe got courtesyof the collectorsof thesecities .
Pleasecometo see us more oflen along the ways your
love has opened,Ior it is alwaysusefll to seekconcord
with rich kings who are appeasedby small gifts and
laler reward lor them amply.We have also given your
envoyssomeoral messagesin which we try to convey
to you somethingthat must be pleasantfor you to hear."
Nobodywill ever know why the Balts choseto send
a rich gili to the king of a dislant lofeignland who was
loo Iar awaylo be of any praciicalhelp.
 From the Nemunasand Daugavarivers,thendownlhe
Dnieperand Danube,the great amber way linked the
Baltic Seawith the BlackSea.
. ..A"s €a.ly as the Neolithicperiodthe Baltswefealready
skillful cratismenin amber,which the sLorrnyano unpre-
dictableBaitic Sea threw out in large amounts.Amber
jewelry, amulets and all kinds ol figurines spread in
the neighbouringcountries reaching as far ;s Rome,
Greece,Byzantium,Scandinavia, Asi; Minor, the Cauca-
sus, Egypt. From there Lithuanianamber could easily
reachIndia.
. Money in the lorm oi Romantype coin. appearedin
Lrlhuaniafather late. The earliesimoneyknown in rhrs
countrywas in the form ol small silverbarswiih notches.
The numberoi the notchesindicatedthe dominationvalue
ol the silverbar. Woodenbarswereneverllsedasmoney,
lhey were usedonly for counringpurpo.e..The numbir
o r r u r s k r n s t, o r e x a m p t ew, o u l db e i n d i c a l e db y n o L c h e .
o n a w o o d e nb a r .t h e n t h e b a r \ r a s s p l i t i n L oL w od o w n
r h em i d d l eo f i h e n o L c h es :o l h a l b y p u L r i n rgh et * o h a l r e s
rogetnefLhenotchescoincided.
In thoseearly timesthe Balls barteredfurs, beewax,
oak timber and ash lor sa1t,fabrics,iron and bronze
articles.But the merchants ol the ioreigncountriesvalued
ambermostof a11.
Hi.roricalrecordsconLain a storyaboula Romanenvo!
,
w l r o$ a s s e n lo n h o r 5 e b a ct o k l h e B a l r i cc o a ( tr o b r i n g
ambef to Nero'scourt. The envoyvisited all the marke_i
placesthereand broughrbackenoughanbef ro decorale
b o l h t h c a m l h i t h e a l raen d l h e c l o L h eosf t h e g l a d i a t o f q .
In their turn, the Balts sent their own enloysIo the Ro-
man Empireand that is how archaeologrsrs excavarea
l o ' o i R o m a nL h l n g ss,u c ha : c o i n sl.e w e l r ya. r m . a n d m e .
d a l l j o n so,n l h e{ e r r j l o r o
yf Lithuanii.
The Romaninlluenceon ihf spjritualBaltic cultureis
obvious.It has beenestablished, ior example,that the
ancientEuropeancustomol putting somc coins in the
mouth o[ a dead personso that he could buy himsella
betterplace in heaven came to Europe lrom Rome.
LithuanianbarrowshaYerelealedthe evidence ol a simil_
t6
 ar customwhichconsisted in placing,amongotherthings,
a clay pot or a birch bark box with moneyat the headoi
the deadman.
Ancieni Lithuanianburial placescontaineven silver
figufinesfrom Egypt. Someol them depicta youngman
wearinga hornedmitre and holdinga soft of whip and
a sceptrein his handscrossedon his chest.It is Osiris.
Anubis is depictedas a man wearing a squaremitre on
his head,while the woman weafing a hornedmitre is
Isis.Sheis sittingand sucklingHorus.
So very distant and dilferent worlds! Yet they are
unitedby the sameideaswhich penetrated denseNoods
and crossedbridgeless rivers.
You ask, Rama,what kind oi peoplethe Balts were,
ihose tribes of obscureorigin who Iived on the coast
oi lhe Baltic Sea and a little larther away from it. Ar-
I chaeological excavationsand hisloricalresearchpermit
us to reconstructa fairly fnll picture of lheir spiritual
culture and way of iife. Naturally,there are gaps that
can be iilled only with guesses. But it has beenlirmly
established that in the Stone,Bronzeand Iron Ages their
culturewas in no way inleriorto that of the neighbouring
peoples.
i Our ancesiors cultivatedland.Theygrew ba.ley,wheat,
millet, rye, oats, ilax and hemp. The same crops have
beencultivatedin Lithuaniato this day.
In his book aboutthe Germanictribes CorneliusTa,
citus notedthat lhe Balts gatheredamberon the seacoast
and tendedtheir fields much beiter than the Germanic
peopledid.
TheBaltswe.ecattlebreeders aswell,theykepthorses,
cows,goats,sheep,pigs and dogs. The word a!'is both
in Sanskritand Lithuanianhas the same meaning.'a
sheep.The Sanskrit,agas and lhe Lithuanian .ia;gar
'yoke'a!socoincide
in meaning.Couldn'tthe latter fact
be taken as evidencethat sofie domeslicanimalswere
usedfor pulling loads?
The Balls also knew how to use ihe plentilul gifts
ol the wood, they were huntersand bee keepers.They
lived in large village communities. Their houseswere
t7
 square,madeoi logs,with doorsand a roof but no ceiling
or windows.Thefewas usuallyno fufniture,and peopla
slept on lur skins spreadon the floor. In the middle oi
the housethere was always a fire to cook tood on and
keepthe peoplewarm. Housesol this kind were still to
be iound in oufolihe-way Lithuanianvillagesas late as
the end of lhe 2nd World War. One of them,which must
have beenthe last one,hasbeenmovedto the Lithuanian
Country Liie Museumin Rumsiskdsand now it is con-
sideredto be one of lhe mostyaluableexhibitsol the mu,
seum.
Thevisitorscan seefor themselves how the Lithuanians
liveda hundredand evena thousandyearsago.
At first, as the historiansmaintain,the rural commu-
nitiesconsisted o[ severalgenerations which belongedto
the same tamily. Therea.e such iamily communiliesin
Indianvillageseventoday.The fieldsoi the clearedland,
the pastures,meadowsand the cattle- everythingwas
commonproperty so that villages were, in lact, Iarge
communes. Thereafe peoplewho visualizethis pefiodas
a goidenag€: therewas no money,no inequality,people
were relatedby bloodand they all workedfor theii own
commongood,
But there is nothingeternalin this world. The prim-
iti!e communalsocieliesdisinlegraledand, as family
reralron\becamemore and more complicaled,Iarge fa-
Iniliesbrokedown allogerher. Personalpropertyapplared
and with this somepeoplebecamerich and oiheis poor.
This entailed the emergenceoi social classes,ai ior
example, lhe caslesystemin India.
As villageswere olten lhreatenedby invadefsfrom
Ioreigncountries,they had to be protectedby a mound,
a pallisade o r a m o a rs o r h a l l h e y c o u l d b a f l h e w a y
Ior lhe enemy.In Lilhuania a forLiliedsetllementwas
calledpilis, in Sanskritil was pur. Laler the word pills
cameto designate the centraland mosi importantfortified
building erected from wood and stones.Lilhuania is
spottedby thousandsot hillforts which used to be sur-
roundedby homesteads. At the soundof the horn or at
the sight ot the smokeol a big bonfireat someagreed-on
t8
places,which inlormed lhe inhabitanisof the coming
uanger.peoplegrabbedwhaleverweaponsor lood sup_
pliea they had and sought reluge in rhe iori. The torts
lad secretpassages,sometimeseven under the water.
When the peoplesav/ that there was no hope ior ihem to
repel the aitackingenemy,ihey would escapeat night
acrossthe surroundingswampsand densewoods to a
salerlort.
Bronzeand iron cameto Lithuaniarather Iate, alter
the celebrated Iron Columnhad stoodin Delhi for more
than a few centuries.But the Lithuanianswere quick to
crackihe secretsinvolvedin iron processingand in the
productionof Damascus steelbecause they knewwell that
only a spearhead or a sword made ol lhe hafdeststeel
could piercethe shield and armour of a Teutonicknight
As far as we can judge by the writien records,the
Balts were sedentiary, friendly and hospitable peoplebul
at the same time they were iirm and independent This is
what the Germans wrote in the preiace to the Lithuanian_
Germanand German-Liihuanian diciionary,publishedin
1800:
"On the whole, a PrussianLithuanianis hospitable,
noble,friendlyand ralher brave.This iinds expression in
his generalsatisfaction with ihe existingstaleol aifairs:
he is sedentiary,avoids large gatheringsand has no
inclinationlor any particularalfiliaiions.He believes what
he can proveby experience, taking actionin a smallcircle
ol reliablelriends.
He holdshis parents'religion in high esteembut seems
to be not quitelree from paganism,alihoughhis progress
throughsell-education cannolbe denied.In spite of the
cripplingefiectof numerouswars,he is strongand lough
ol body.
,{ Lithuanianis kind and obligingby natur€,he hates
qfeedand is eagerto help wiihoutremuneration. But he
is proud and by no means gullible, he settles lvith his
outragersthere_and then but very soon he is able to
containhis anger.
The Lilhuanianshavedeeprespectlor their king They
take olf their hats to him, and say sincerewords of kind-
l9
 nessrelerringto his graceand selldependence. Another
iypicalieaturewhich distinguishes all Lithuaniansis love
ior their homeland. Theyare very attachedto the land ol
lheir ancestors and are loalh to leavetheir homesior new
places.Oilering condolences to the family of their dead
neighbourthey always add: 'You will not lorsakeyour
patrimonialhome.'Thesefeaturesmake ihe Lithuanians
loyalcilizen.,and soldiersol lheir srale-
Pefhapsit is true,Rama,that as long asyou haveyour
land, you have work and bread.But when your native
land iails to sustain you. you are forced to leave i1.
Hundredsof thousandsol Lithuaniansleit their country
whenit was fuled by the R ssianTsar and,later,by lheir
own bou.geoisie. Theyscattered iar and widein the United
Stales,Brazil, Argentine,Canada and Australia.Some
ol them came back, but many becameestablishedin
ioreign countriesso that at presentthe numberof Lifll-
uaniansliving abroadreachesalmosta million whereas
the numberof thosewho live in their own homelandis
ihreemillion.
The first recordsoI LithuanianIolkloredate back to
the lgih centtlry.Up until then iolk tales,songs,proverbs,
bywords, incaniations,charms were passed on Irom
g e n e r a l i ol no g e n e r a l i oenx c l u < i \ e lbyy $ o f d o f m o u t h _
E v e nn o w i n L i t h u a n i a rni l l a g e ,r h e r ea r e p e o p l e
w\o
know hundredsol tales.The collectionol folktalesavai-
lable at the Institute oi the LithuanianLanguageand
Literatureol the Academyol Sciences oi the Lithuanian
SSR includesover 50,000ilems. The oldest ol them-
iairv tales- reileci the world oullook ot the primitive
mani the!.tell of personified celestialbodies,suparnatural
beings,kingsoi the animalsand birds,unusualmarriages
and naiural spirits.In Lithuanianiolktaleswe can flnd
customsand elements whichafe relaiedto Hindu spiritual
culture.
Let's tale, for example,the fale Slga/i wh€re an
o f p h a ng i r l i . a b u s e db y h e r e t i l . r e p m o l h eTr .h e g i r l ,
r r g u r e ,g e l s . y m p a l h ya n d h e l p k o m a c o w . T h e c o w
helpshef spin the low and gi\es her u:eful advi.e.Where
does this close lie betweenman and cow come lrom?

20
Isn't it from India wherethe cow is considered to be a
sacredanimal?
When Sigut€ is burni and her ashes are scattered,
the good cow recognizesthem lronr their smell. It licks
the ashesand a duckilies up into the air to tell Siguid's
wrongs io her brother who is riding home from war
throughihe foresi.The burning oi the orphangirl, th€
scatteringol her ashes,the iouchol the cow'slife-giving
salivaon lhe ashes,the lransformation ol a humanbeing
into a bird-ail this is cioselyr€laledio Hindu views
aflo cusloms.
The charactersol anolher Lithuanian lolk Iale, T,.oehe
Ra|)enBrothers,afe hermitsvho live in the forest.This
kind oi characters appeafonly in the most ancienttales.
In the tales which belongto th€ nroferecenttimes they
are no longerto be found.Doesnt the sisterwho is tied
lo the stakelo be burnt lo deathremindus ol the Indian
widowsw!)o,just a short iime ago,usedto be burnt alter
theif husband's death?
'lhe
lale Egli, Queen of Gruss-snahespoeticizes a
Nile's love for her husbandand conveysihe idea ol rein-
carnation.It is one oi the saddestand most beautitul
Lithuanianlolktales.

EG!-E(SPRUCE),QUEENOF CR,4SS-SN/(ES

Lo g long ago, in tirnes gone bA, therc lil)ed an old

man anl an old u)oma . TheAhad llaeloe sonsand lhtee
datlgh.tetslhe goungestof @hafi 'Jas called Egrc.
Oke summereaeningthe thtee sislets u)entlor a bathe
in the nearbg ld.he.Theg s@amand spl.ashedabout, and,
haling had theb IiU of it, clinbed out on shorc and
teachedfot their .lothes. Egb looked,and. thete, coiled
up in lhe sleeaeof her shift, she sa&)a grass"snake!Her
older sklets snatchedup a stake in oder lo chaseit out
bul llle gruss-snakelut'Ied lo Egk and saii! in a human
''Egli, mg dear! P!,omiselo mafia me and then I'll
cra@lout mlseli.
 Noto, this ottltt made ihe tears @ell up itu Egte's eues,
iot hoto could she ma g d grass-snahe.So she cried
angrilg:
'Give
bath mg shift ond go to u)he.eo il is lou

But the gtass-snaheslageil .ahere he :Casand soid

"Prcmise to marr! me and.I'll cnlo! out."

Nol knaloing,ahatto do, Egk said rat she @ould.
8efore]hrec dayshad patsedhet pore,ttssolJa gt?ol
numoerol gross-snakcs cratllitLginlo thei [rcnt gatd.
tighteniag euetgone hatf out ol tiei aits. Thig swaimed
in wiggling and ltlisling, lhe nntch makerslotcing lheir
tuag.inl.othe hu! Iot a talh @ith Egli and her parints.
A! first the lao old pcople&c;c angercdand &.outd
not eoenhear of suclr a thing but in the face ol lhe uast
nunbet of {&)isling arigglerc, lhere @asliftle lheA could
do about it. lvhelher tlrcg rranted it ot not, thei dAughtet
aould be marryinga grass-snohe.
Obtainingthei btide, lhe grcss.snaies s@ormedoul
of lhe gad. I]er familg toept oret Egla and that @as

Meanahile Egli and het escotls came lo the shore

ol th. sea..Thetea handsome qoutttt,ostsaitinglot lhem.
ne sard he @as the verg sane grass-snake lhat had
cratele^dinlo the sleeoeol her shil!. Theg nade oll at
once lat lhe nearestisland and desccndedlo the bouom
nJ lh( sea tshetestood a tich pala(e. ThctetneAecte mar-
ried and held thei @edding.The! dtunh and feasted
for
three tthole @eehs.
polare @aslilled rlilh mang louelq !hings and
_ fhe
Egle lclt Jreaand happg thete.A pca.e dcs.ended-onIrcr
hearl as the da|s @eat bg. She Ioryot lrct patenls and

Nine gears passed, Egti had ttuee sons, ,4Luo[as

(Odk), Uosis (Ash), and Bedas (Birch), aniLd daughtet,
the Aoungestof the forr, rphom she nomed Dreblleld
(Liltle Aspen).
One dag Egle's olilest son, s)ho ttas rcmping about
ond pliging prunks,ashedhis molher:
22
 "Mother, @hetedo goo patents lioe? Let's go and pag
them a o,'sit."
So Egld rcmemberedher fathet and mother and her
@hole lamilg and set to rpondering ho1lt the! @erc,
Ilhether theA @etesate and.soundor maAbesomeof them
dead. She @asfiled @ith deep longing to see them and
lold her husbandso.
At tirst Grass-snake@ouldnot hear ol it but lhen he
said: "All right, onlg gou must spit this silk tola Jitst."
And he pointed to a spinning-toheel.
Grass-snahe's @ileset to rtotk, she spun daa and night
bul the tou] grc1ono smaller. Thenshe understoodthat het
husband @astrging to trick het: that @asa magic totv
and she could ne,rertinish spirning it no matter ho@haftl
she tried.
So ofl Egli aent to see an old tpoman,a sotceress,
t)ho liped close bg and asked her in pleading tones:
"Please, mother, please,fi! dear, sha@me ho@ lo spin
this tot!.'
The old &)omanlost no time in telling Egle e)hat she
shaulddo.

i "Thro@ it," she said, 'into the Iire, otherreiseAou'll

neaetbe able lo do angthing e)ith it."
Egle came home and 1lhen she lit the slore lo bake
sanlebfead,she threl! the lout into lhe tire. The silh lLared
up and Egb saa a toad lhe size of a large laundra beetLe
a thing in the Jlames.She undetstoodthal the toad had
been prollucing nele and nerDatuountsof silh lshile she
'oasttging ta spin it inta garn.
Having finished to spin lhe toa in this rsag, Egle
approachedhet husband.again to let her oisit het parcnts'
hameIot a te@dags. This time Gross-snohe pulled a pair
ol iron shoestrcm undet a benchand said: "you mag go
os soonas gou @earlheseout."
Egli put on the shoesand.began1ltalhingand stamping
about in them, eren g nding them or sharp stones,but
the shoes utere thich and strcng ond tr, es she @ould
she could not @eat them out, She sa@ theg @oul.d. Last
her all her lite long.
 So ofl Egli u)ent to ash the old sorcetessfor counsel
again. The old. s)omatl adoised her to tahe the shoesto
a blachsmithand ask hitn to heat them 1lelLin lhe lorge.
Egla did as she @)asddtised, and once the shoei aire
burnt through, she @orethem out in three dags. Agoin
she pleoded @ith her husbond to let het go to see her

"Ver! @ell,' said he, "but Aou must bahea pie belorc
lou go. Else you'll haoe no presentlo giae gour nepheas

. But he hod all the dishes,pots and pans put awa! so

lhat_none @ete lell tor Egb lo mix the dough in.
. Egli tochedher bruins for a tong time lrging lo thtnh
holo she coulcl bing @atet Ircn a aell etithoul a pail
and mix the dough @ithout a trcugh, bu! as thete ll os
nolhing she could thinh of she u)entlo seelhe okl @omon
agatn.
The old @omansaid: "Tohe a sieue,slop up ils holes
ttilh leattenand use il to b ng lhe aotet and nix lhe
dough."
Egli.did.as she @oslold. She slopped the holesof a
.
sieue @ith leauen, btought some @oter in it, tuixed the
dough and bakedhet pies.
NolD she sald good-bAeto Grass-snaheand alt his
householdand laking her children sel out tor het parcnts'
home. Her husband sou) them oll himsell, put them on
lhe shorc and said in patling:
"Don't spend mote than nine dags at gow patents,
house,Thengo sttoight home,olone u)ilh tlre childten and.
don't let ongonesee gou to lhe sea shorc. rX/hengou all
cometo lhe sea,call out to me thus:
2ik)ine,Zilvinil!
Il alive gou are, milh t1)hiteis the sur|l
It 'tis dead.gou arc, bloodrcd is the sutl!
"lf the sea cones surging @ith the toaft as @hiteas
mith, gou @ill hno@that I am alkte, but il the foam is
red at btood, then I om no mote. As for gou, children,
mind gou dor't tell angone ho@ mother is to call out
 Hauing said,this, he bode then good-bgeand @ished
them a happgreturn.
There rA)asno end of rcjoicing @henEgIe appeared
itu her parents'house.AU her kith and kin and her neigh-
bouts, too, came lo haoe a looh ot het and eaetgone
u)antedto knolt @hathet liJe &tith grass-snahes a)aslihe.
Thegspohehindlg to her and hept het talking and talking
about her tite and treated het to the best lhea had.itNthe
'aoAol
Iood ond drinh.
Egle did not notice hou) the nine dags e1! b!!
In lhe meantime,her patents and het btothers and
sisterse)ereracking their btains for the u)a! ho1-oto heep
Egli Taiththem and not let het go back to Gross-snake.
At last theg decidedto Ilorm out ol het children her hus-
band's name and hora)she toos lo call him out Irom the
bottomol the sea.
"Vhen @ehnor.git, @e'll go to lhe sea shore,call him
out and kill him," the| said.
on the lirst dag the! tooh A|uolas, EglEs oLdestson,
to the totest, stood round him in a closeckcle and.started
questioning him, But the bog Wetended that he hner!,
nothing.
"l don't kno@," @as the onlg anstoet theA got Ircm

TheA elten bitched him but for aII thek threa.tstheg

could get nothing mote. tyhen theAlet him go, the! sa)ore
him nol lo sag a @ordto his mothet aboutil.
OtLthe ne) dag theg took Uosis out lo the forest,then
Bet,as but couw karn nothing Jrom either ol them.
At last theg lurcd the goungest of Egli's childtet,
Dtebukk out lo the lorest. At fitst she, too, said that
she hnel! nothing but as soon as she saur the bir.hes,
she blutled out the secret.
lmmediatelg Egl6's leteloe btothers tooh their sharp
scllhes and set out tor the sea shore, Reachingthe sea,
theg stoodon the shoreand.calLedout:
zuotne,zuttnel
ll alioe lou are, milb tt)hiteis the stf!
II 'tis deadgou ate, blood red is the suil
 As soon as Grass-snahes1lam up trcm the sea, the
l@eloemen fell on hin and slasheil him to death @ith
thefu scllhes. Coming home,lhe! did not saA a @ordIo
Egle about lhetufoul deed.
. The nine dags passed.Egta bode good.bg?to att her
R h and Rin, and (oming lo th? spa, coll?d out to hel
husband:
Zillrine,Ziluiftl!
Il alioe Aouate, milh tehiteis the sutl
IJ 'tis deodAouarc, bloodrcd k the sutl!
At this, the sea spaftled and surged up frcm the bo,
ton. and Egle sau) lhe btood rctl [o;m ding ouer thp
..rest ol,lh? @aues.Suddcnly she heod the ioice o[ her
'yoo
t@eloebrctherc slashedne to death @ith theit
scAthesand it @asDrcbuleli, ou belatleddaughter, @ho
had betraAedfie."
Teats rcl.ledlrcm Egle's eAesand tutning to het chi!-
,

Youshall turn into on aspen,

Ttemblingal@ogs,dag ond night.
P-outingrain sholl aash AourJace.
U-uslg@indsshall btushyow btatds...
fou, mg sons,sltong trcesshall be,
I, gour mum, a spruceshall be.. .
And as shesaiil, so it !)as.
The oak, ash, and birch are aw mightiest ttees,but lhe
aspen to this tetg dag heepstrcmbling at the touch of
the slighlest breeze.
 when {he omnipotentShivadances,the worlds shake,
when he sits deep in thought on the throne ol lotus
flowers,there is peaceon the earlh like ionight on the
coast o[ the Indian Ocean.In the south, night falls
suddenlyand imperceplibly, the coloursiade, the walls
ol the nearbybuildingsdisappear, and the earth,ihirsty
for the cool of the night, becomesabsolulely black. One
more day iull ol indellibleimpressions has passed...I
lake a deepbrealhof freshair, expectant o[ a new sensa-
tion. Wheredoesthis wonderlularomaoi the nighi come
irom?Night.. .
The preciousstones,small and large,embedded by the
soft handsol goddesses in the vaultsol the earih which
restson the backsof lour elephants, lit up suddenlyand
brightly. In the shimmeringband ol the Milky Way
extendingover the black abyssI seeihe sacredGanges
flowing in the sky. Urca Moior hangs slrangclyaskew,
qlite unlike in Lithuania.Except,it is not Utsa Majol
at all, it is sevenHindu sages,the sonsoi Brahma,the
creatorof the universe. Bright in lhe TaMusconstellation,
at the very edgeol the sky, sparklesthe rosy Rohini,the
Moon'slovedone.Drugva- lhe North siar - is a symbol
oi justice,iortitudeand fidelity.God Vishnu took her to
the sky and seatedher lhere in the very centre to guide
and attractall the otherstars.
A w a r ma n dq u i e ln i g h to f t h es o u l h . . .
Just listen to iis sounds,the messengers of the dark-
ness:they do not lrightenyoll and do not interferewith
the silenceof the night. Forget lor a momentwho and
where you are, who is silting besideyou. Forget your
journeyto this far.awayland, India, which extendsnow

27
all around you, under your dusty feet. At the moment it
embraces you like one ol its own sonsand lets the dark-
nessfall uponyour bare shoulderslike a soit scari.
Time disappears. Thereis no yestelday,no lomorrow.
You have always been,and you will always be, just as
the earth,the stars or the ocean.Such is the night.

My good lriend Ramachandra, an lndian student,is

sitting besideme. "Take ofi your sandalsand let's go,"
he says almostin a whisper,for peopledo not speakin
a ioudvoiceon an early night.
I follow him in the directionof the oceanacrosstne
r^'armand soit grass. The velvet carpet ends and we
cometo sparseand pricklyshrubs.Ou. leet feel sand,the
roughcoastalsand,whichis no longerhot. Ramachandra
sits down tucking his leet under him and looks at the
vast expanseoi the sky and the oceanwherethe moon
is soon to appear.Thereis so much darkness,so much
quielude.
The Milky Way is becomingwhiter and brighter till at
last it turns into a river of milk, its wavesrolling towards
the almostinvisiblebanks.
"The evil dragonRahu is slill asleep,"Qamachandra
explains,"but Soma,the moon god, will soonlook down
upon the earth. He servesSurya, the god of the sun,
lighl and truth, and lells him what happenson the earth
at night,how peoplebehave."
A round moonrisesollt ol the water.It risesslowly,
becomingbrighter and brighter,full oi the intoxicating
somo,the holy drink ol the chosen, godsand soulsguarded
by Yama in the underground kingdom.Whenthey all fall
upon the moon to drink and suck the soma,the moon
w a n e sa n dw i i h e r s . . .
The shore becomesmore and more visible, the Milky
Way blurs and the slars fade.This suddenchangein lhe
view makesme catch my breath,I teel weighilessas if
m y b o d yw e r ed i s s o l v i ni gn i o l h e t h i na i r .

28
 We becamefriendswith Ramachandra the minutewe
met. His openand serenelook caughtmy eye the minule
I steppedon the Indian soil. I feli lhat ol all thosewho
had cometo meetus this man was going to be my friend.
He had evenhearda little aboutLilhuaniaand knewlhat
Lithuania'scapitalwas Vilnius.Besides, he was leafning
Russian.He was a typical studentand shareda common
worry wiih every studentin the wofld- how to use his
lree time to replenishhis purse.That was why he took a
job with a lirm cateringfor ioreign tourists.He had a
good knowledgeoi Indian history,knew people'spsycho-
logy ratherwell,wasfondoi travellinghimselfand dreamt
that some day when he had a good permanentjob, he
would be ableto go to the SovietUnion to seelor himself
how the ideaso! equalityand a classlesssocietypfopa-
gated by Indian sagesmore than a thousandycars ago
rr'erebeingtranslatedinto lile. He seizedeveryopportunity
10showerme wilh questions aboutLithuania.I tried to do
the same,exceptmy querieswere aboutIndia. And so it
wenl on and on in rounds,usuallyunderthe moonlitsky,
ior our days were too busy to give us time for that.
A bluishgoldenlight envelops ihe earth.It coloursihe
sand and the palm grove and its reflectionsburn in the
windowsof the iishing village.
"I wonder,Rama,how wavesappearin this calmness."
"How did the ocean,the earlh and the peopleappear?
When and how did the sky, the moon and the stars
appear?The rishis, ancientHindu sages,used to know
a lot and they usedto teachpeople.They haven'tdisap-
peared,they still know a loi and lry to teachpeople,but
the great sages- maharishis - the wisestof them all,
dI2ril lha drari <p^rpic "
Hindu sageshavetheir own symbolicand poeticinter,
prelationol the lormationoi the univetse...
Long long ago therewas absolutely nothing,no earth,
no sky. Neitheranylhingvisible,nor invisible.Only pri-
mordial chaoslurked in the darkness.It was stirred up
by the breathof Prajapati,the Creator.Fifst appeared the
water, the sourceof all lite- It began to nove, got very
hot and that was how iir€ and heat cameinlo beine.

29
 "What did you say,Rama?Ptuiapati?Vishaapati? Btll
theseare Lithuanian wordsl"
So, alier a long long time a kind oi goldenegg ap-
p€ared.lt tloatedin the boundless$/aterstill at last it
lracked and that was how Brahma,the prime origin of
evervthins.!\as born. The upper pafl o: the egg shell
iormedttie :ky, the lowef was the earlh Brahmafilled
the spacebelweenthemwith air.
The powerof Brahma'screativethoughtwas inconcei'
r a b l v g i e a t .H e s p l i l h i m . e l fi n t ol w o p a r l s .l h e m a l ea n d
iemjlioart. He cieatedlhe y€das.planeLs. mountainsri'
vers,seas,)anguage, joy, anger.. But he couldnot cope
with everythingalone,and thus he gave birth to six sons
who inheritedtheir father'screativepowers The three
worlds-those of the heaven,the earth and the under-
sround- $ere filled w;th gods. people animals and
iemonsknown a. asaras.The lalter wefe terriblyjealous
ol the godsand couldnot live in peacewith lhem'
Thirtv three is a peculiarnumberin lndia in that it
stands for the numbir oi the greatestgods, elevenin
eachof the ihree worlds.Later, the numberot the gods
reachedlnirtv three hundred,lhen lhirty lhfee thousand'
t i l l a i l a 5 l n ; b o d y$ a s a b l et o ' a ] , h o w m a n yg o d sl h e f e
werein all.
The assembly of thirty th.eegods agreedio recognize
lndra qod oi the lirst rank and lhus he becamethe lord
oi the gods. But even the powerof the gods has its end'
The rule is universal: once you havedoneyour duty,you
haveto makeway lor another'And so ii was that Vishnu,
who was the youngestgod,succeeded Indra on the lhrone.
Therewere all sorisol peoplethen as well. The clever
onesmanagedto learn a lot of secretslrom the godsdur-
ing the irequentvisits ot the latter on the earlh and they
recordedthosesecretsin books.
When he saw that evil was taking root on the earth,
and the world he had creaiedwas going astray,ihe gfeat
Brahma was inluriaiedto such an extent that his lury
gave birth to god Rudra known by the nameol Shiva.

30
 "Oh, will you stop, pleaselYou have mentionedso
many godsthat I'm afraid I will not be able to remem-
ber them all i[ you go on bringingup mofe names."
"l am only lelliflg you one of the many version.,
and the simplestone to that- That was how the brahmans
usedto explainto the simplepeoplelhe creationof the
world and the appearance oi godsand evil forces.Ancient
bookscontaina lot ol other versions.Thereare a lot o!
contradictions, too, with one and the samegod proclaim-
ing diflerentlhings in dilferentbooks.The bookswere
written by people,not by gods.Differentpeoplein diiier"
ent places.If you don't gfaspthe threadoi the main story
at the beginning,you'll get boggeddown in the multitude
ol namesand categori€s, and the real world will get mixed
w i t h t h ei m a g i n a royn e . . .

Stars... Myriadsol shining,flickeringstafs.Blue,red

and yellow.Black and extinct.Beyondour own galaxy,
thousands oi other galaxieswhich appearto our eyesas
tiny specks.Where is the beginningor the end ol the
iniinite expanse? Whefewill the humanthoughtfind its
support?
The Hinduswefethe lifst to understand that the earth
did not standstill. Althoughthe structureol the universe
which is depictedin ancientHindu books bears little
semblanceto our own conceptions,the sages v/ho wrote
thesebooksknewthe distancebetweenthe earth and the
sun,the Mars and the Venus.They knew how lar it was
from the Saturnto the World of the SevenSages,Ursa
Majot, or lo Drugva, the Nofth Star. They knew how iar
beyondMaharloka,wherethe sainlslived,were the other
woflds- Janarloka,the habiiationol Brahma'ssons,and
Satyaloka, the world oi ihe eternaltruth. By ihe way, the
word lota is also very similar to the Lithuanianlolr&as
'lield'.
11is a mysteryto us how the ancientHindus calcu-
latedthe cosmicdistances,
but lhereare many moremys-

3l
 teries abourthe knovledgethey possessed. We can only
makeguesses aboutit.
Norhing_canapp€arfrom nolhing, and nolhing can
..
disapp€ar-Ir difficulLto comprehend the beginning.
lne aD:otute.is Degrnnlngor even the continuationoi the
beginning.We may as well acceplthar ir wis Brahma's
breath.fhou)andsol million yearsago lhe universewas
concentfaled. in a singlepoinL.Wherewas lhe bcginning
o r t h ee n do l t h a t p o i n l ?
Thecosmiciire compressed and expanded lhe universe.
The great fiery explosion.A lirrle Ilame gafe birth to
thousandsoi new flames.Our earth is ont-ya speckin
the universe,a single atom. The rnicrowbrldind the
macroworld.The one that is immediatelyaroundus, and
t h eo n el h a t w e a r eu n a b l e1 oc o m p r e h c n d .
. ..B.utt!" humanthoughtreachisorlrerptanet.and the
I n r n t r y .e r e a r' . t h ep o w e ro i t h eh u m a nl h o u g h tC. o s m i c
power.The though{doesnot disappearin spice without
i lrace,tt etlhercrealesor destroy. A, lhe presenltime,
n o r n o r ea n d m a d .j t h o v e r so v e rr h ee a n h p r a g n a nwr i t h
the ultimatethreat- a new world war. Will th"eearth be
ableto withstandthis last insanitvol man?
*11 i d e a .a n d r h o u g h l iss r a g i n gi n r h Fh u m a n
.{
m r n 0 s t, r k"elI n l h e t i e t d so I K u r u k s h e r rTah ec r u c i a m l o.
ment ol the iinai decisionhas come:wheredo we stand,
with thosewho createor thosewho deslrov?
A bluishwarm til e ba adornedwill; whire featherv
c l o u d 5P. u r ea n d c l e a r .r a d i a l i n gl i g h t f r o m w l l h i n .I l i ' s
o u r t a r l l r i n a p i c l u r et a k e nf r o m r h e o u r e rs l a c e .T h e
pl€netof iiie, our home.What would il be wilhoutwater,
without a single iiower, tree or bird? Withoutman?
0"99t"compareou-fptanerlo a spacecrafL flling
I n -1o1"
t n e o o u n d t e se<x p a n s oe f t h e u n i v e r { e w h e r el h c r ea r i
n o t : o m u c l lo x ) g e n t. o o do r [ u c l ,a l t e ra l l . z n d f i r e t h o u -
< a n 0t n r l l r o n
p a 5 s e n g ewr -h o b e h z r pl i L en a u g h r cy h i l d r e n
trying to drill throughthe side ol the spacecralt.
There have been many changesin tne crust ol lhe
e a r t n t, h eu o r l d o [ p l a n t sa n d a n i m a l sl.h e : ec h a n s erse -
mained on lhe olher side oI hi5lory. Man aloni_ the
enigma oi the universe-ieels that he is elernal,that
32
 he has alwaysbeenand will alwaysbe.He feelshe is om-
nipotent,capableol everything,even oi the destruction
ol himseli.But what ii Iife, once it is destroyed on ihe
earth,is unwilling to be born again and moves10other,
cleaner planets which have not been defiled by evil
lhoughtsand ideas?
What are the motivationsof this man?What emotions
do his eyeshold when they look at the sky?What noise
doeshe use io silencethe voiceof his conscience when
he cfeatesthe horribledeadlyweapon?How salutafyit
would be for him to sit quietlyin the evening,alonewith
himseli, away lrom the bustle and rush of the world!
He would lind somethingin himselithat would destroy
his wish to kill lor ever...
Now, as never befofe,it has becomeabsolulelyclear
who standsior darknessand who fights againstit. Wa.
or peace?The continuationoi the road or a precipice. ..
Has thereever beenso much anxiety.so much insecufiiy
in the world? The battle started by the Kauravasand
Pandavasis still continuing.Exceptthat now the lield
oi the battle is the human heart. The evil fofces are
determined 10standtheir ground,readyto light toothand
nail. PoorDharmi,the sacredcow! In Salyarrgasheslood
on iour legs,how dilficult it must be for her to standon
oneleg in KaligugalBut shemusl hold out till at the mosf
diflicultmomentol the dark ageVishnu'stenthincarnation
appearson a white stud and stafts a nev and betterera.
In the Himalayashe is calledMaitreya.
Whenin lhe summerol 1987the headol the Philippine
CatholicChurch,CardinalHaimeL. Sin ,iisitedLithuania,
he expressed these ideas quite explicitly: "Both in the
West and in the East peoplemust realize thal outer
peacecan be attainedonly throughman's inner world."

The Balts,very muchlik€ the Hindus,deifiedthe world

which they inhabited.They worshippedthe sun, moon,
stars,thunder,birds and all kindsof iourleggedanimals.
This seemedan outrageto the iirst missionaries
who came
33

\
io the Prussian,Lithuanianand Latvianlands.Theycould
noi understandthe heathencustomsand rites, such as,
for example, the treecult... The Lithuaniansfelt a special
alfinity to trees since theif entife land was coveredby
forests.The forestprovidedthemwith toodand gavethem
shelterfrom loes.Treeswere for them living beingswho
could ieel pain and cfy. The iree which gods had chosen
ior their habitationwas a sacfedtfee. It was a sacrilege
to breakits branchesor collectits lruit. Most often the
Lithuaniansworshippedold oaks,rowan trees,ash-lrees
and blackthorns. Treeswith 1wo or more slemsand also
with unusually shapedbrancheswere held in special
esteem.Peoplelirmly believedthat the childrenoi a man
who cut a lwo-stemmed treewould be born deal.
Only the elderscould go to the forest in questol a
sacredtree and ialk to it. When they iound one, lhey
fastedand prayedfor three days enlreaiingthe gods to
stay in the tree and help thosewho would cometo ask
Ior help.Ii the godsagreed,the tfee answered by rustling
its leaves; if they did not, the man continued his prayers
and entfeaties. Ii the tree did not answerat all, the man
would tear his bfeast and smeaf the frunk oi the tree
with his blood-The response of the tree to the p.ayersor
the appearance of the god himseltwas a suresign ihat it
was a sacredlree and only then did peoplestart coming
to it with olleringsto the gods.
In Lithuanianmythologytreesare associated with the
ideaoi reincafnalion. A deadman doesnot disappear be"
causehis soul entersanotherbody,it may be that of a
newly-bornbabyor a tree.Reincarnation in lrecsis typi-
cal of peoplewho have died an unnatural death, by
drowning,lor example,also the viclims murderedin a
rage or out ol jealousy,or thosewho have beencursed
by otbers.
The oak was not the only lree leneratedby the Balis.
They also worshippedlirs and pines under which they
usedto pray and seekshelterkom the tage ol PerhLnQs
(thunder) becauseior somereasonit is noi very olten
that a lighining strikesa lir tree.Fir treeswere usedto
adornthe gatesand chambers of lhe housewherea wed-
34
ding was taking place,palhs leading10 the housewere
strewnwith iir twigs.This cuslomhassurvivedin [unefals
10 this day. Firs are usednowadaysto adornthe ioneral
cartsand to makefuneralwreaths.
One of the oldestoaks in Europeslill grows in Siel-
muZC,the easternLithuaniandistrict ol Zarasai.It was
plantedor perhapsit sproutedlrom a seedat lhe time
when the great Indian astronomer Aryabhatawas born.
It is so big thal it takessevenmen to embraceil.

ln the 1sftaUpanishadtherc are wonderlullines de-

votedto the Sun, the li[c-giverto our Earth: ',Oh. Sun,
the lonely warmhearted wayfarer,you are thc lord and
guardianol everythinglDaughlcf of Prajapati,pull in
your rays,extinguishthe light! Now I can sceyour perfect
semblancel I am rcally the crcalufcwho livcs thercl.,
The ancient Lithuaniansworshippedthc sun in the
mosl bcautilulwords.We, Lithlanians,do not haveloo
m u c hs u n l i g h l I f r h c r ei s a r c a l l y h o t s p c l lo n c c i n a
whilc. it usually does not last Iong. soun ctoudscover
the sky and rain beginsto soak the earlh, which is so
l o n g i n gt o r t h e s u n . . , P o e t sd c r i v et h c n a m eo i L i t h u a n i a
'llcre js Lithuania,
\Lith. Lietuoa)ltom lielus'rain'. here
rains are lrequent,"wrote our poet EduardasMiezelaitis.
The sun,lhe nroonand the starsweregodsto thc an-
cientLithuanians. Originally,the worddieuas(nowmean.
ing 'god'), just as the Sanskritdeual2,meantboth light
and the objectthat shone,sparkled.So it was naturalthat
the sun shouldbecomethe supremevisible divine lord.
But as the Lithuanianword sa,ld is ol the temininegender,
the sun was lookedupon as lhe heavenlyqueen.The
earliestimagesol ihe sun were made o[ amber,stone
or wood and they come from the Neolithicperiod.The
anihropomorphic symboloi the sun used to be carried
round the fields in the hopeol a good harvest.We can
also find a pictureof the Sun'scart pulled by the twin
steedson a iunerealurn from the 6th century.Gablepoles
35
were olt€n carved ilt th€ iorm oi two horses,with a sun
in the middle.
The sun frequentlyappearsin folk artifactsand cros-
ses.Whenthe serpentsbeginto suck at the sun, it dims
and coversitself with clouds.Particularlytiring is its
grapplewith the Big Serpentwhich has severalheads.
To help the sun peopleused to burn snakesand their
symbolssuchas sticksand poles.
Anci€nt Lithuanianswere familiar with the signs oi
the Zodiac and believedthat they exeriediniluenceon
people'slives and everythingthat happened on the earth.
Dukes and noblesused to have their ovn aslronomefs
and astrologers. In moreremoietimespaganpriestsused
to prophesyfrom the positionot the slars in the sky and
thereforethey vere relerredlo as,oaigzdongs,2L,aigz"
dininkai'sI^rt eaders'.
The Balts saw the signsot the Zodiacas li\ringbeings.
Foreignerswho visited our country iive hundredyears
ago wrotethat Lithuaniansworshipped a huge iron ham-
mer with the Zodiacsignsuscdto smashthc towcr'lvhcrc
the sun was imprisoned.The largestpagan tcmplewas
locatedin Vilnius. There wete twelve steps leading to
it, with an altar on eachstep.On the day when the sun
enteredone or anothersign of the Zodiac,a sacredfire
was burnt on ihe respectiv€altar and appropfiaterites
were pcrlormed.ln a very large area inhabitedby the
Indo-Eufopeans, the Balis are the only peoplewho havc
preservedthe old namesof the planetsand stars. This
showslhat they were well familiar with the lile ol the
heavenlyluminaries.The moon,referredlo by words oi
the masculinegender,was regardedas the divine lord
ot the night, guardianof time, plants and animals.The
new moonwas alwaysgreetedwith prayers,men took otf
their hatsto him and bowed.
New and lull moonwereregardedas the most imporl
ant lunar phases.The majorily ol the Baltic leslivals
includingthe New Year usuallystariedat full moon.On
the basisoi their experience peoplebelievedthat it was
best to plant vegetables and corn.,Mhenthe moon was
three quart€rslull, whereasthe wane was the besttime
36
ior sowingpeas,rye and wheat,because lhen thesecrops
couldproleclihemselves betteragainstall sortsoi pests.
Even nowadaysevery farmer knowswhen it is bestio sow
corn,plant potatoes, turnipsor cucumbers, whenit is best
to kill a pig il you want to have really tendermeat.
Full moon is more favourableto the beingsof the
astralworld.AII kindsoi probableand improbable things
can happenthen.Molhersare convincedthat the light ol
a full moonis bad for their babiesbecause it makesthem
proneto sickness. To prolectthem from lhe harmfulrays
of ihe moonlightmothersusedto placea rag doll or a
dish oi water on the window sill. The lighi of the iull
moon was believedto be harmlul 1o the grown-upsas
well. Thereare severalLithuanianpopularsayingswhich
meniion the daughtersof the sun and the moon,e. g.
As beautilu! as the daughler of the sun; A daughter ol
the sun @ouldn'tbe able to pleaseftia. Thesemelaphori-
cal namesreferto the stars.The anlhropomorphic ieatures
ascribedto the Iuminariesbetokenihe influencetheywere
believedto exerl on people'sIives.Early vritten records
]ntenlion Zaaigidihis,a star-god,who is usuallydepicted
on horseback.One oi the legends says that ZtaigZdikis
\r,antedto presefvea "clean"placeon the earth and that
$,aswhy he neverallowedto erect a Chrisliancrosson
a certainhill in the dislrict of Varena.As soon as the
followersof the new laith built a cfoss there,it would
be struckdown by lightning.Thereare legendsaboutthe
sunkenshrineol Zuaigidihis,his wonderfulsword that
coulddeieatall his ioesbeiofeit was stolenlrom him by
an evil witch.
Thereare a lot of legendsaboutthe Milky Way. In
Lithuanianit is knownas the Path of the Bifds,the Path
of lhe Souls.the Path ol the Cranesor Heronsbecause
it pointsin the directionin whichthe birds fly awayfrom
Lithuaniato the warmer countriesin the auiumn.It is
signiiicantthat both the Lithuaniansand the Hindusbe-
lievethat humansoulsare also orientedby this band oi
faint light whenthey l1y awaylfom the earth.
Oi all the stars, the Morning Star was held in the
greatestesteem.Ii was deifiedjust as the Dawn. The
37
Morning Staf was visualizedas a queenol divinebeauly
wearinga cloakstuddedwith stars,claspedon the shoul_
der wilh the moon.Her headwas adornedwith the sun,
and her smile was the signal for the Morning Dawn to
arise.When it rainedwhile the sun was shining,people
used to say that the Queenwas crying. The Sun and
Morning Staf were in conslantrivalry over the moon
and couldneveragreewhichol them was more bealtiful.
There is a legendabout a girl wilh golden hair who
clnergestronr the sca on a gold lhronewhile the sun is
setting.It is actuallythc Morning Star but the sun does
not want to meether and peoplecall hcr then by another
name- lhc EveningStar.
The year whenihe Morning Star was well visiblewas
believed10 be a lucky year. Peopleuscd to pray to thc
Morning Star becauseits lighl was considered to have
nragicpower.On seeingit in the sky it was advisableto
say the lollowing prayer {hfee timesi "Little Morning
Star, you arc thc light delayedfor dealh".It was consid-
ercdto be a sufc saleguardagainsllife, watcr or suddcn
death.
The Mofning Star had a lot oi brolhefs,sistcrsand
kiends./ril,eilis, a Lithuaniangod, and ,4asefrlls,a Lat-
vian god, must havc beenthc Morning Star's brothers.
They could transformlhemselves into a bull or evcn a
man,
It is believedthat the Ausra Cate on the easlernsidc
of the ancientlown wall of Vilnius werc iormcrlya place
of worshipwherethe Lithuanianspaid homageto A!Jr.o,
or AuSlrc (dawn),and the Morning Star.Aiter lhe intro-
ductionof Christianitya chapelwaserectedover the gate,
and now thereis an old and beautifulpictureof St. Mary
hangingover its altar. lt is framedin a wreathoi stars
pressedin gold and is said to havemagic powerin that
it alwaysanswefspeople's prayers.The iameoi the Ausra
Gate chapelhas spread iar and wide in the westerncount.
ries. Now, just as in the ancienitimes, Vilnius begins
with the AuSraGate. They lead into a ringing bright-
colouredmoderncity. But ils storywill be comingIater...
38
 The Lithuanians, Prussiansand Latvianshavecreated
a lot of legends- to tell them all here.But
It is impossible
you see, Ramachandra, they contain similaritieswith
Hindu mythology. AuSra and Usha, the Airiie4iai twins
and ,4srirs, the Morning Star's brothef and the bull
Nandi, the Daughtersol the Sun... You dont hav€ to
be a great scholarto seea similaritybetweenthesemy-
thologicalbeings.Beforethe divine moon sets,we have
sometime and I am going to tell you aboutsomeoiher
Baltic godsthe numberol whichjust like that oi the Hin'
du godsseemsto havebeencolossal...

At the beginningol the l9th centuryF. M. Miiller, a

GermanOrienlalist,madea comparison betweenthe Hindu
godsand thoseol someolher nations.Accordingto him,
there is an obviousparallelismbetweenlhe trinity of
Brahma_ Vishnuand Shivaand threeancientBaltic gods,
Peftan;, Patrirnpasarld Pikulas.Per&r:n.6,like the H-indu
crealorol the universeBrahma,is a powerlulgod, the
prime moverand fatherol everything.Paltimpasis sim-
ilar to Visbnu.He is a cheerfulguardianof life. adorned
with fruit, alwaysactiveand full of goodspirits,a symbol
ol the continuous renewaloi life. Pikulasis a pale,angry
deslroyerand killer, resemblingShiva to some extent.
His wife Gilrini (death)has a servantcalledDrertalis-
Milller pointsto the similaritybetweenGilrial and Kali,
oneof Shiva'swives,who is alsoa killer and bloodsucker.
Similarly,there is a good deal o[ discordbetweenPd-
ltimpas and Pikulas,on lhe one hand, and Vishnu and
Shiva,on ihe other.
Many nationsconceiveof deity as a trinity, a unity
ol three parls ol one god or lhree separategods. The
trinity of Bfahma,Vishnuand Shiva,the supremedeiiies
of Hinduism,correspond to threecolours- yellow,green
and red, which stand for cosmicpowers.The supreme
deitieshave wives: Bfahma's wiie is Sarasvati,Vishnu's
wife is called Lakshme, Shiva's wile is Pafvati This is
an expression ol the unity oi the male and the female,
39
the activeand the passive,the unity oi spirii and matler.
Just as a man is not capableoi creatinglife without a
woman,so spirit can have no expression wiihout matler.
In other words,matteris lhe materialized spirit.
DifferentBaltic iribeshad a numberof godsand god-
desseswhich were commonto all of them,such as Pel-
hrnos,ZemAna,ddd. By touchinglhe cloudsthe hooves
ol Perhinas'steedssent tlashesol lightningto lhe earth.
Thereis a good deal ol similaritybelweenPethinas and
the Hindu gods Indra and r\gni. Severalhisiorianshave
leit descriptionsof ancient Lithuanianand Prussian
shrincswhichthey had secnthemselves or had happ.ned
to hear oi. One such shrinc .,vas
located.ior examDle. in
the trunk ol a big oak underils threebranches. It contain'
ed three statues,lhat ol Petkinas, Patrimpasand Pihulas.
'fhc
imagesof lhesethree godswcre also paintedon lhe
Prussianilag. Severalsuch statuesof Pe,'trnos have
reachedus irom the tast ccnturies. In anothcrshrine,Per.
Arinaswas holdinga hugetlint whichthc priestsusedlor
s l r i k i n gl i r e .
In iront o[ the stalueof Petkunasin Vilnius.nriests
and !cstalskcpt thc sacredlirc alwaysburningby contin-
ually lccdingit Nith oak logs.Il thc iire diedout through
somcbody s fault, the priestsbroughta new flame struck
Itoln Perktnas'hand and aDDroached the altar on thcir
knees.To placatethe powerfulgod thcy burnt the priest
who had let the iire die. But if the sacredlire was put out
by rain or storm it was interpretedas PukAnas' angty
dissatisiaction with people'sprayersand offerings.
The ashesof the sacredlire were believedto bc a po.
tent remedybut even more potentwerc the ashesof the
oak struck by lightning. For many long centuriesfire
was considered to be sacredin every Lithuanianhome.
It was kept always burning and it was a bad omen ii
it wentout-Thenthe tamily askedthe iire lof forgiveness
and went 10 their relativesto fetchnew embers.A bride
alwaystook somefire from her parents'hearthto bring
it to her new home.
GoddessZemgnawas the guardian ol the earth, while
her husband(or her brother)Zemipaliswas the master
40
 ol the earth.ZemAnawas held in great esteem:she was
the first to be remembered at everyiestival,she\xasgiven
olferingsof iood and her help was sought,togetherwiih
that ol the moonand the sun, when somebody was bitten
by a snake.Everyeveningbeloregoingto bedthe Lithua-
nianswould kiss the earlh and say the tollowingprayer:
"My motherEarth, I was born trom you, you led me and
alier my deaihyou will lake me."
Laimi, lhe goddessoi fate and success,was no less
importantto the Lithuaniansbecauseshe accompanied
everyman fhroughlife irom his birth.Lain' had a daugh-
ler by God Pruho mas. Her daughter'snamewasAu|rina
and shewas queenof the newlycrealedworld: beforethis
world the earth was inhabitedby giants.Peopleappeared
only atler the watershad subsided.
. . . And againwe haveparallelismst Laimi * Lahshmi,
Zemgna-Jama..,
Thereare a lot of analogiesin Hindu and Lithuanian
legendsas well. The numbers3, 7, I and 12,whichoccur
very otten in our ioik songsand lolktales,are still con.
sideredto be numbersol specialmeaningand powerin
India.
Ramachandra keepssilent.What is he ihinking about?
The dancingShivawhom we saw in ihe museuma shori
while ago?Bul it is a treeot liie, a treeof universe.The
eternal circle ol life... If peopledo not come to their
seosesin time, ii they stray irrevocablyfrom the path
oi truth, ii darknessprevails,Shiva vr'ill no longer help
t h e w o r l d a n d w i l l s t a r t h i s ' T a n d a v a ' d a n cO e .u r l i t e
globewill shake,cilieswill be drownedin a seaoi angry
i l a m e sW . h e nt h e ' T a n d a v a ' i o s v e r ,o u r e a r i hw i l l d i s a p -
I pearin the inlinity.
Alter a good rest Shiva will start anotherdanceand
then a ne$' and betterworld will comeinto being.But
when peoplecone back, they will have to learn anew
how to live and lind the trulh.
Whenwe cameto the touristcampwhichwas located
on the coastoi the oceannearMadrasand borethe name
ol The GoLdenSun, we really lot|nd ourselvesoverpowered
by lhe hot golden sun. As soon as we got up in the
4l
morning,we beganto wait impatientlyfor the sun to set
and take awayall its gold.
The windowsol the thatchedcottagesbuilt on piles
come o!t to the infinite expanseol the oceanwhich is
shimmeringand moving all the time. If you look at it
ior sometime,it appearsto lie higherthan the coastand
the opticalillusionmakesyou think that the gfey masses
of water will comedown tumblingon everyihing.In the
oppositedirectionlies a gloomyslretchof scorchedred
Iields spottedhere and thefe with a desolateIigure ol
a man. Far aheadalong the coastline, on a promontory,
loomthe mysterious outlinesoi a templc.
I could not miss the opportuniiyof walking the path
oncewalked by the ancientDravidianpoct Tiruvaluvar,
and I askedto be awakened beforesunriseso lhat I could
reachMahabalipuram. It seemed to me the tclephone rang
at my head as soon as I pul my head on my pillow.
But the clocksaid it was half past iour. A warm iriendly
voicesaid: "Good morning!" and wishedme a pleasani
journey.
It is pitch dark. I gropc my way down thc stepsand
turn in thc directionwhich I establishcd on thc previous
day. I walk over the cracklinggrass and dry Ieavesto-
wards lhe water. I try nol 10 think of snakesand olher
sharp-toothed crcatures. I haveseenwomenwalliing herc
barcfoot,haven'tI?
I1 is tantasiicwalkinglike this at night undera bright
moon.AII alone.Crabsare scampering underrny leet and
I have the impressionthat they are lrying to provoke
me to chasethem.The templcgrows biggeras I walk on.
ln the iishing village I pass by, men are messingabout
with their boats,if two sharp-pointed logs tied together
can be calledthat. But they can be usedfor fishingpuf-
posesquite successfully and I have seen lhat with my

Suddenlyit is dawn.I passa youngTamil,mostlikely

a Brahman,recitinga passagelrom lhe sacfedwritings
out loud. He is obliviousof what is going on around
him - soonthe goldendisc will rise ffom the ocean.

42
 That morning I was not fated to see the wonderful
sunrise.The sky becamesuddenlyovercastand only a
greenishlight filtered thtorgh the clouds.I must have
been unworthyto see the sunriseat a place like that.
The old ueather-beaien templewas built o[ solid stone.
How great the buildersof India werein the 6th century!
How couldihey lift slabsof stoneweighinghundredsof
tons to the top ol the tower?Two gods sharethe temple
peacefully:Shiva sitiing in the rays ol the sun rising
Irom the sea,and Vishnu whoselace is lit by lhe rays
oi the setting sun penetratingthrough a narrow slit.
E a s ta n d W e s t . . .
ThevigilantEasi.Its dllty is to seethat everymorning
the goldensun risesover the world clear and brighi.
The development oi the materialand spifitualculture
ot e\'ery nation is rellectedin its iolklore.Lilhuanian
folklofeis peculia.in that nature and things in it are
endowedwith humanleaturesand character.Incantations
.and heathenprayers,which are the oldestlofms ol folk-
lore,are woventogetherwith adviceoi lolk medicine. Ail-
ments and mislortuneswere believedto be the doings
ol the invisiblespirits. Someol the mysteriousnatural
lorcescould be won over but somewere implacableand
peoplehad 10 submitthemselves lo their will- Only pure
and absolutelyguilelesspeoplecouldcontacltheseiorces
and pass their advice to other people. 4/g-yedo and
Athata-Vedacontaina numberol incantations similar to
Lhoselo be iound in Lilhuanian[olklorl.
A greai amountol naturalwisdomis amassed in pro-
v e . b sa n ds a y i n g s . . .

P R O V E R BASN D S A Y I N G S

Fine leathers mahe Iine bids, gteat @isdommakesIine

Thehead bads the mon.

Ne@sis s@ilt,thoughtis srsitter.
To eachbird its orDnsong.
once a rooh, alu)ags a rook, once a peacock,al@aasa

Oke @ottlis enoughtor a good man, but not euena sticv

haspou)ettot a bad one.
you cannot1oash a bLachcroMshile.
He @hocomestrom the loood,ak!)agsloohs back at the

A frog reill leap ihlo a pond euentrcm the nicestmeodou).

Habit is sttunget lhan nature.
Looe cannot be gai ed b! lotce, ot the gruce ol God bg
reoenge.
Neitherlire, @aletnot lare can be concealed.
Age makes a hunchmanal lhe strong man and a babe

An ald man is the he! ol lhe home.

No need la ask about a man's heallh alter one look into

Agues comeon horseback,but go olea! on Ioot.

If lou are hungta, nobodAcan see it, il aou ate nahed,
it's oboiousto all.
Restfot the soul is good lor the bodg.
It's beltet to \oalh up the hill than to fall do@n.
Vlhat is put inlo the soul bg one man cannat be laken

Eren a saint bendshis tingers toaatds himself.

A roise man sees through lhe earth, a fooL cannot see
srhat lies tight under his Jeet.
Somepeoplegrol! inlo utisdom,someout of it.
A fool is recognizedb! his lauglter.
There's something lo be listened lo, but nothing to be
told.
lVhen God uants to punish a man, he depiaes him of

Speechis silLrer,silenceis goLden.

Thinh olet eoerAthinggou saa, but a{on'lsag etergthing
gou think.

4+
 It's good to hnout eoergthing,but not to sag eoer|thing.
A song mahesthe da| shotter and the @otk lighter.
To hiss lihe a glass-snahethat has not beea giuen its
mith.
Eaetr the Sun's daughter u)ould not be able lo please

Strcng is not he aho beats,but he @hoholds oul.

The tpotst @heelol the cart cteahsmost.
you aatnot ouercomeothers, belore gou o,Jercot\egour-
sell.
Listen lo aduice but dan't lose gout judgettent.
Cou)ads die mang times, lhe laliant onlg once.
It's ftom stenchand not Jear that ftom muck tolks steel
clear,
Don't driue Gad.into the @ood,you',Don'tbe able lo gel
. him oul, euen@ilh o pie.
As handsomeas the Sun'sdaughter.
DotN'tbe sottg Aougol up earl! or matried Aoung.
Deal is the Jarmhause@ithoutdogs, blind are the @in-
douts4)ithoutchildten.
The son'shonourtoearshis tather'scoat.
rvhen the son eats apples,his
lalher's teeth becomeblunt.
Bend.a ttee @hileit is supple,punish a child &)hileAou
still can.
A great lottune is a gteot utotrg.
The lean man u)ill die betote the fot man be.omeslean.
The teeth of time arc sharp but those of pooedg arc

Misfortune has no teeth get it can eat a mon up.

Eoen lhe best broom cannot s@eeptrcuble out of the

you'll die beforcall gour u)otk is d.one.

Somecall it God,someLord.
you mag pass
fortune bg and @alh straight itlto misfor-
Vhat's the useol gettiag up earla @henGod doesn'thelp

RIDDLES

The rool is lutl ol @indotts. Euetgbodg t es to laob

lhtough them but cannot see anlthing (The shg and the
slars)
A nast field, innumerabLe sheep,a hotned sheplrctd.(The
sk!, the stus and the moon)
A golden shroud @hi.h cooercthe lehole tsorld. (Light)
It buns aLt da! long but neaer burns itselt out. (The
sun)
A blue @arpand a bto@n@elt@hichare cut 1lilh a galdetu
hnife. (Da,.on)
A black cott lo@edand aLl the lencestell do1ln A &)hite
co@loteed.and.all lhe tencesslaod up. (Daa and night)
]t is bigEer than a man, but lighter than a leathet ll is
botn al suuise a\d. tlies al sunset (A shadote)
A grea buLl srhich loohs in through lhe @indola (The
4oon)
It hasno parcnts,il does not g/ot!), nar doesit die, but it
etisls. (A stone)
you maA cut it toith a knile, liou mag chop il tt)ith an axe,
but Aoucan neter cut il into t\lo. (lyatet)
It Ilies @ithoul @ings,it Ilades leithout legs. (A cloud)
tt's both long and thin, but ahen il crauchesin the grass,
gou cannotseeit. (Rain)
I can'l heat il,
'VhenI seeit,
lvhen
I heat it, I can't seeil. (Snou)and ruin)
ll can open lhe door Ilithout using its hands ot legs.
(The teind)
Horses utithout saddbs run among mountains,caressittg
the pebblesand inspectitg the edges.(A rioer)
It is a Iield utithout paths. ryhen gou cross it, Aou leaue
no lracks. (A Lake)

46
 The motning's daughler-in-la@is u)earing a oelnet bon.
net. (De1!)
The horse neighs far a@a!, but its hatnessiingles close
at hand. (The ThunderGod)
The bull rcams and rcats loudlA,cuttiag the shg @ith his
homs. (Thunderand.Iightning)
The Jatherhas not beenborn !et, but his son hasahead!
tutned greA.(Fie and smohe)
You, Fathet, staA here and rct, I'm going up the hill to
seeha@high the sun is. (A r|e shootand grain)
Il is grcen, but it's nol gtass,
It has a tail but il's nat a mouse.(Cucumbet)
A lodg arasleearing a ted Ircch. Vhile theg @eteundres-
sing her etetgbodgctied. (An onion)
lvhen I ,sas aliae, I Ied the Liuing.VlhenI die(I, t ca ied
lhe dead.(An oah ttee)
The molhet died last gear, the children @erc botn this

TtDarun, l1!o chase,troolook,troo listen,

Six hundtedcame@hisllingbehind.(A horce)
Peoplemag @ashthei lace l,ith somethingthat is neithel
tain nor snou),s)ipetheir face tu)ithsotuethingthat hasnol
beenspun or @oten.(Tears)
Its legs are of stone,its @aislis ol tDood,
its egesote oJ glass,its cap is of strcIj).(A house)
fhp beat kecpsrunning ond grc@lingand shohingi6
tbhite@hisherc. IMiIlslones)
Fiue ate tufting, ten are mouing, one is spitting. (Spin-
ning on a spinning @heel)
It keepsloohingat ils homeon its u.)agto the torest,
It heepsloohing at the lotest on its q)aghome. (An axe)
lJ it stood up, it tsouldrcoch the sku.
If it could speak,it luould haue ; Iot of totes to tell.
It it had haads,it @ouldcatcha thiet. (A rcad)

47
PAAAN PRAYERS,INCANTATIONSAND CHARMS

A prayer to the GoddessZemgra (lhe goddessof the

Earth):
Thick buslr,heau! deu)!Ripe corn, floe)ergZemgna!Keep
us in good heallh and in plenty! Bless eaerylhing that
can be eaten,drunh, soe)nand hatrcuredon this flollerg
Zemgnd.Sate us ttum hungtg beasls!
A prayersaid at the sightof the new moon:
Ne@moon,goung man, ptince ol healrenand earth! ^laA
you haae the goLdencircle, and maA I haue good heallh.
Yaw lot is to a)ane,mine is to ltue, mag gou hate lord-
ship, mag I be gtunled lhe heaaenlAhingdonL
A prayerat the sightof the MorningStar:
DaA is breahing,deutis in the shg.A gounglarl! is sitling
on a gouen chab ond teachingchildren@ords.
Fire must be put to bed lof the night in this way:
you musl s@eepthe embersinto a pile, co\)erthem @ilh
ash in the lorm of a cross,and make lhe sign of lhe crcss
ouptil u)hilpsaginglhe Iollo@ing prcgel
Sleep @ell, mA Jirc, sleep &ell, Gabieteli. tyhen I get
up, I 1lill Jind gou alipe.
Incanlations againstsnakebitei
Fiery hing, Lord af the snakes,cast a look [rcm under
gour cro@n.King of the gruss-snahes, lahe Aow face au)dy
from this poor man (Iloman) hete.
The iollowing incantationsmusi be said over a pieceo[
bread:
The stone is @ilhout roots, the lern is &)ithout blassom,
the bird is loithout milh. Blach, greg, sttiped, brolDn,red,
lighl blue (ot ana other colout) I curse lhee and 'sish
thou u)ent lor God's iudgement to drg @oodsand moot-
lands so that it @oaldnot hutt and it &)ouldnot stuell.

Then the pieceoJ bread must be eaten ba the man ot the

animal @hohas beetubitten b! a snake.
Lo@ea h, high heaten, our mother,gueenol anget! you
comeas an eail so go a@a! os an eoil.

48
 Thelalloain! in(onlotionmusl be said threelimes @ilh'
out ;ahinp a bteallt.The brcalhol lhP petsonsaqingthe
intantatiinmusl Iotlonla on a pic(eof bread
GoLdsiluer,gold silwt gold siloer' I .hawn t donean!'
tiiin-iia i'u.r, ! haoelnt done anathing bod lo gou' I
hauin'tdoneinuthing bad to Uou Youhaocnl doneona'
thinp bad ta mi, goi haten't done anylhing bad to tue'
uouTauen'tdoneanglhingbad lo me'
ifier the spelt has-beei put on the piece of bread' il
iust be eaien blt lhe man ot the animal sulle/ingItum
snahebite.
Incaniations said to stopbleedingl
iiera bloorl, fern blossom.The rhter has calmed dolon'
Mai this bloodsloq tlo@ing.
Thi sonof the god l]Jashetainga botn to put up a go,lden
,ai.it"t. t inou f,Io"" o gate thete to ptetent drcps
"opp",
'The lallinP thete.
lrcm
ionoalng ptoyet musl be said lhtee lim?s vrilhout
ioii"lg o ar"oin,fi" tun s milh a slones blood lhPPclips?
of the sun,the lassof blood.
At the wane ol the moon all warts must be countedand
^'.""p""tiu" numberof knols madeon a woolenthread
accompanied by the followingwords:
t am tttinpthislea ' I om l|i1g this@att
ri. eioti"a thrcadis buieA uidet lhe dtops lolling Ircn
the roof. The @atts @ilLdisappeat@henthe thtead rots'
when a child losesa tooih,he musl throw it on the stove
saving:
M"ousZ,mouse.take this bone tooth and gioe me an iron

To ensure a better growth of corri, the sower must keep

a pebblein his moith. When the sowing is iinished,he
sDitsout the Debbleand says:
fiia p"opt"'be carclul a6out trcading on corn as theg
ate caretulabout treading on stones'
 . The Indians have a deep respectior the past. They
know how to live with it and in it. Even an uneducated
Indian can talk ior hourson end abouthis nativevillaqe
or lown and lhen it is hard lo lell Iegendfrom realiiv
or iiclion invenledby hii imagination.
- New Delhi is the yourgestpart of the lndian capital.
Its modernstreetsare vide and cleanand therevou can
see specimens of new architccturewhich vou could n,rr
ha\e dreamedoI seeingso Iar lo Lhe cast. When lhc
streetlightsgo up at night,New Dclhi lookslike a typical
E u r o p e acni l y . S l o w l yR a m a c h a n dirnal e r p r e ttsh c n a m e s
oi the sireetslor me: Humayun,Akbar'sfather(the begin,
n i n g o t t h e M o g u l d y n a s t y )G l r e a tA k b a r ,t h e s l a i o f
t h c M o g u l d y n a s t y( r h c l 6 t h c e n t u r y )J; a h a n g i r S , hah
J a h a n ,A u r a n g z c b - a l l M o g u l s rR a j p u Lp r i l h v i R a l . r h e
emperorol Delhi; Asoka (the First EmpireB. C.); Firoz
S h a hT u g h l a kJ,a i S i n g h M , aralh...
"l think the entire historyol India is covcredbefore
one goesover all the streetsin Delhi,.,l said to Rama,
cnandra.
"Just listento me," he said."Someo[ the things I am
going to tell you, someof the things you afe going to
s e el o r y o u r s e l f . . . "
_ EverybodyknowsAlexanderthe Great,king oi Mace-
don, and many call him the first conqueroroi the world.
His army overcamethe small Indian pfincipalitiesone
a f l e ra n o l h e qr u i r ee a r i l y ,a l w a y sm o v i n gl u r i h e ri n l a n d ,
l e a v i n gb e h i n dr e l i a b l ev i c e r o y rn, e \ e f e v e nl a k i n g t h e
tfoubleto concealthat ihey had cometo plunder,enilave
and rule.

50
 But the invincibleAlexanderdid not conquerthe world'
He neversaw his thirty third birthdayand weni to his
qfavelar from his homewith a leelingthat he had not had
inoush ol his vicioriesand fame Alexanderthe Great
Ieft irore evil than good on the earth. The Hindu ma_
nuscriDtsdo not evenmentionhis name.It is impossible
1o recordeveryonewho has ever plunderedand tried to
deieatIndia. Iint the ambitionto conquetthe world did
not die with the greaf warrior' It is still lrying to iind
a placein human minds fanning up the hollow illusion'
Maga.
i b e k ; n g ro f M a u r y a nd l n a ' t y w e r el h p l l r s f l o u n i l e
t h el n d i a n; i b p . , p r i n c r p a l i l i a
ens da l m o sal l l r a j a s E v e r y
ruler deemshimselfto be the chosen of God Asokawas
no exceDtion and as soon as he ascended the throne be
announced that he was the darling ol gods and they had
'In him to become
helped king.
ihe olden times when a ruler accepted the c'own,
he alwavsswore 10 be just to his subjectsl "May I lose
the heaven, liie and my descendants il I do wrong unto
vou." Asoka tried to be a just king. And he has lived
in the memoryot his peopleas one ol the most gifted
and noble sovereigns in world history.Neverwas there
a kine in lndia,beforeor afterhim, who hasbuilt so many
-
road{ bridgesand wells.His imPerialroad- raipatha
is still meanderinglrom north to southacrossthe entire
counlfy. Asoka h;d the high\ra). lrned 'rr'rll'tree' and
i n n c t o g i v e . h a d ea n d r e . t l o l l d v e l l e r sH e b u i l t h o s p i _
tals wheie peoplecould get treatmentlree oi charge
We wouid not know much aboutAsokas deedsif it
were not lor his edicts carvedon stone pillars sei up
i n d l l D a r l -o l h i - \ r n g d o m I n h i : r o c ke d i c t cA s o k a5 e l
d o w n h i s p r i n c i p l e..r n dm o r a l i t )a n d h i - i m p e r i a w l ill
Thev are known as edicts ol Dhatma.
Ramachandrasaid Dhatma and I immediatelyasso_
ciatedit with the Lithuaniandermi, datna'harmony.con-
cord,
Asoka lried 10 live and rule by ihe principlesol
Dhatma, and he demandedthe same ffom his subjects
who wefe,in tact, inspiredby his personalexampleThe
 grand,ceremonies at lhe royal palaceand cos y hunts
were discontinued, animalswere no longersacriiicedto
gods and graduallymeat and wine disappeared irom the
tableat feasts.In additionto that,the king rnadeanother
daring step-.he publiclyproclaimedthai lhe pala and
lhe.mechanicalrepeLition of lhe manlrcs were poinrlesl
and absolutelyunneccessary. The priestsprickedup their
c a r s .W a s r h e k i n g q u e s t i o n i nt g h e i n t a l l r b l eV e d i s a n d
p r o c l a i m i nl g
h e e q u a j i r oy [ L h ec a : L e : W
? a s nr t h ed a r l i n q
o r t n e g o d s l a k i n g l o o m a n y l i b e r l i e \ ?B u t l h e p r i e s l i
oowedlheir headsbeforelhc king lvho boldlyprociaimed
r n e r d e at n s c f j b e od n a n o l d l e m p l eo n l h e b a n ko [ l h e
Uanges:"No religioncan pfe\'ailo\.erTrurh...
Let s not lofgel lhar ir was lhe 3rd cenrufyB. C.
_ Pecrliarwas the behaviouroi this extraordinary king:
h e c o u l dp u n i s ha n o f f c n d ecf r u e l l yb. u r l n e n e x tm i n u L e
h e , c o u l d , b ej o f f y f o r h a v i n gd o n es o . W h e n r h e c r o p s
I a r r e 0 - a npd e o p t es t a r v c d h, e g a ! c o r d e r sr o d i s l f i b u t c
r o o dl r o m t h e s t a l es t o r e h o u : eHs e . h a d h o s p i l a l sb u i l l
Ior animalsand beasls,and on the whole,it is only jusl
to.regard-hia ms r h c f r f s rk i n g i n r h c w o r l dw h o i ; s t i r u -
Icd laws tor the protection of nalure,
. . Sarnath... The ruins which have reachedus from Aso-
k a s t i m e s T h e f a m o u sD h a m c kS l u p a .T h e c o n l i n u o u s
r o w o l p r t g m s w h o r n o v cr o u n da n d r o u n dt h c s L u p a .
repeatingthe samewords:Om manipoamehum.
. . I n c c n s eb u r n j n go n t h c c a s t s r d e , , t t h e w a l l . I a l s o
J o r nt h e p j l g r i m sa n d l h i n k a b o u tt h e e t e r n a cl i r c l co i
lile and the irreversible flow ot timc.
We wander about the ruins admiring the flowering
shrubs jawns which glow in thi
.and the niccly tended
sun with a reddishsheen.Fromlime to lime wi passBud-
dhist rhonks.wearing orangerobes,ana toreign'pitgrim.
E \ e f y l o o l o [ l h e e a r l h ,e v e r yb r i c ka n d s L o n e x u d e st h e
! x c j t i n gs p i r i to f l h e l a s r a g e sw h i c hl h f i l l s e v e r v b o d v
as.soonas he setshis footon rhe ground.of theseancieni
rutns.
We read the words carvedon ihe stonetwenty four
centuriesago. Two Indians,husbandand wife, she"wear_
ing a bright greensari, approachthe pillar. The woman
52
 pushesher handihroughthe castiron f€ncein an attempt
to placesomeflowerson the brokencolumn.
In lhe museumat Sarnaththe visitorscan seethe ca_
pital oi an Asokapillar' Strong_maned lions squat,back
[o back, facing the lour cardinal points ol the earth
Thev svmbolize power and determination. Below them is
the ;ftabrd,the wheel
ol Dharma ('law'1,beautiiullycarved
on the shiny monolith.The lions, so linely carved and
burnished from greenish sandstone, hav€ been immorta-
Iizedin the coinsand banknotes and the naiionalemblem
of India, which also bearslhese Sanskritwords: "SA-
TyAM EVA tAyATI" "lttith alwaysprevails
The Etefnal Wheel has found ils way lo the Indian
flag.

India has been destinedto have all sorls ol rulets

In the l6th ceniuryboih Asia and Europewere flooded
wilh rumoursabouta rich countryand its kings of un-
surpassed wealth,the CreatMoguls.
Akbar was the greatestking oi the Mogul dynasty.
He ruled lndia ior half a century,taking care of the
people'snationalpride,their spiritual nobility and their
iove ior their country.It must have beenthe time when
ihe lndians beganto realizeihat all oi ihem, no matter
Nhat iheir birth, languageor creedwas, were unitedby
Mata Bharala,Moiher India.Althoughshecouldnot ieed
her childrenevery day, she could always comlort and
I soothethem for she was everywhere-in ihe stfeet,ihe
I ti"tas. ihe palacesol the rich and thc huts ol the poof
I -qtrhoughthe unificalionof Indra pfoceededby the
] .word, ir.- power conrinuedlo grow. The glory ol the
I .ounttt and Akbar's royal palace attractedcfowds of
I p e o p l e ' f r o aml l o v e rt h e w o r l d .T h e yc a m ew i t h d i f l e r e n t
I a i r n . i n r i e \ \ ' :: o m e c z m et o b u i l d 2 n d c r e a t eo t h e r sl o
I t " r t n o f I r a d e .s t i l l o t h e f st o i n g r a L i a lteh e m s e l v ewsi t h
I the emperoror to win supporttor a new iailh. But lhe
I cmperorsas endoweduilh great sagacity.The weakand
I guitLycoweredundef his shrewdlook sagesalonecould
I s t a n dj t w i t h o u It l i n c h i n g

ls:
I
I
I
 Disgusted by the squabbleand leud at the royal pa-
,
lace, Akbaf set everybodyto work at last - he hai them
b u i l d _ an e w c a p i r a la c c o r d i n gl o h i 5 d e c i g n .l l i < b e l i e v e d
t h a t A k b a f h i m s e l fc h o . e l h e . i r e i o r I h e n e w c a p i l a l a l
the loot of a big mouniain where he had lound the'biggest
fuby i.n lhe world which he \^ore day and night. An"oiher
slory ha: il that once Akbar wenr barefoolk;nr lhc Agra
p a l a c er o l h a r m o u n r a i nw h e r ez . a g e . t h e p e r . i a n S h e ; k h
r a l | m ( h r s r l l t . l r o p h e s i e d l h e b i r l h o f A k b a r . ss o n _
G-ralefulior ihe prophec). Akbar began the conslruction
o r 2 c r l y a l t h a t v e r ) p l z c e .w r t h t h e b l e s s l n gos l l h e g r e a t
sage.
Wh,ilelhe cily rva. rapidly going up, Akbaf compleLed
_,
lle s!DlugaLionoI all lhe fajas and becamerhe emperor
o r a l l , l n 0 r a .U o m r n gb a c k \ r i l h \ i c l o r y a n d r i c h e . ,A k b a r
s a w l h e r e d c i l y o l g l o r y l r o m a I a r , F a t e h p u rS i k r i . H e
m o v e d h j s c a p i l a l l h e r e a n d_ o h , j o y i rheholy man,s
propnecycame true-a son was born to him, the
hei. to
the.throne. He was given the name of Salim in honour
ol tlle great sage.
Fatehpur Sikri was a capilal only ior lilteen years. Its
,
glory came to an end so soon becauseit was diificult to
li-ve,lhereas there.wa" no \ ater. people left the cily.
A
o e a d c j l y a n a r c l j ; i e c i u r om l o n u r n e n ol f u n i q u e b e ; u l v .
Two
.cultures,two architectural styles, Hindu' ana Mo!-
t e m ,h a v er e m a i n e dn i c e l yb l e n d e dt h e r e
R a m a c h a n d raan d I g e r m i x e d w i l h t h e c r o w do , t o u r .
. .
lst5, schoolchjldrenand pilgrins wlto come here in bu\es.
go back to Agra. rne ciry i*ilenr again,
1-11 ln:y the sun.
:,::ll"q.',i and wairingeagertyfor anorheiday
1 . [ n r cw
h tll bring lhe js
r r c k e l o f h u r n a nv o i c e . .l t s;
c r e a r r oy b \ r o u 5 , h e tr he € ra c i l y w i l l l o u lp c o p l ei s n o
ciry
a l a r r h o w e \ ebr e a u t i f ui tl m i g h ib e .
.The tidy green iawns,shrubsand lrowersgrow here
only.becausethey are nourishedby water bro-ughtfrom
anotherplace.Two small brothersare standin! al the
gate,sellingwaieri "Buy it, .Mister.The waler is cold..,
Ramachandra lakesme irom buildingto building:here
is lhe site oi the throne,hereis the astrologer's c;ttage,
here is the palacefor Akbar'sHindu wiie,-hereior f,is
Moslemwiie and herefor his Christianwife. HereAkbar
usedto hail lhe rising and settingsun; hereis the place
wherehe usedto medilateand play chessFrom the deck
on the roof of the palacewe can seethe red fields run_
nine irom under our feet into the misty distance,their
col;r blendinqwith that ot the city stones We are in
ihe citv but aathe sametime we are in the fields
"You know," Ramachandra, "Akbaf had a saying:A
crosseved man cannot see the middle. Messengers o[ var-
ious rilisions made ellorts to win Akbar over- But the
-guu"
-oeliere preference to llone The healhFn\" he u\ed
",|l0"ro,
to .av. in the good but lhi' is ju't what lhe
M o s l e m sa n d C h r i . r i a n .d o S o w h o s h a l l I j o i n ? T h e
emDeforlried Io cfeaiehis own feligion but il l-ad iew
Iolio$erw : h o d i : a p p e a f eadl l o g e l h earl i e r h r sd e a l h B u t
the idea ol uniting all the religionswas really greal it
has contribuleda lot io the rapprochemenl betweenHin_
dus,Moslemsand Parsees.'
The v"rd ol the mosqueof the gloriouscily ic lile a
6,s .qrir" .urrounded w i l h I i g h l o p e n _ w o rskl r u c l u r e s
an-dtoweri. AileI lhe dealh ol lhe Holy Dervi'h Sheil'h
Salim Chishti. Akbar had a white-marblemausoleum
erecledin the middle of the yard, very light and very
graceiul.He bore the body of the P.ophetin himsell in
iratitude tor his son,his success and the ciiy.
we comein. In the middle we seea stonelomb draped
with a cloih. It is believed that if a persongoestnree
timesroundthe tomb and pronounces his wish at eachof
the four corners, his wish is bound lo cometrue, for the
spiritual power oi the holy man was very greai indeed,
maichedonly by very lew chosen.
Ramachandra takesme roundthe tomb.loo l follow
him repeatingsilently: I'd like to come to India once
again, l'd li[e to see again lhe Himalayas,the sacred
m o u n t a i nosf t h e g o d s . . .
Whenwe wereaboutto leave,the sitentcity resounded
once aeain with the hubbuband laughterol a group o[
li{elv indian schoolchildren who had just disembarked
from a sun'bakedbus, their inquisitivebig eyesburning
with curiosity.What a varietyoi laces,what whiteness of
 their teeth!India's healthytuture.The inhabitantsoi the
new twenty-first century, reading the living textbook of
nlslory.
b a c kh o m ea l o n gl h e d u . l y r o a d .p a s s i n gb y
, ,r,r, rW
h \ .v: :a1l l. e" l sa n d g r o l e . .C o r nw a _r i p e n i n gi n l h e t i ; l d ; .
Il it had not been fof the peacocks or gieen and blue
parrotsllying from lree to 1ree,I would-havethought
i
wastravellingin Lithuaniaon a hot aiternoon.
The wind-ro_5eA grey wall gfew in lhe dr:lanceco_
! : r l n g a h a | l o t t h e r k y . . . A s d n d . l o r m . . . 5 a i tdh e v o i c e
ol Rama, Let-sclosethe \lindows"
. . , T h u . . .greu
lrerds. , r u n g " a. w e i n s p i r i n geqwiiched
l e m e n l se n v e l o p e d lhe
lt d"rrk.The dri\ers on thelr head_
l i g h t ' . C h i i d r e nw e r eq u i c L t yd r i v i n gl h e a n i m a t .h o m e .
r n e g u s L .o l w j n d c d r r i e dt h e w h i r l i n gs a n dw h i c hp e n e -
lrated-e\eryrhing and everFvhere in lhe mosi unexp;cled
w a y . L v e n t h e l i g h t l y , h u r w i n d o w so I L h eh o t e lc o u l d
nol heep it
rert,depre.sed .oi[.. Du5] coveredrhings and people.We
allhoughwe lnew thal lhe next day would
DeDrrghtand sunny.

r e .dSaink da w n d r ai 5. a s u b u r bo f A g r a . A k b a r . sm a u s o l e u m ,
h i t em a f b l e I. t c o r e r (r h e l e r r i l o f yo f a w h o l e
r l t y , q u a r t e rI t i s .a c r u r l l y, p a r k w i r a t o i o t i m p u d e n r
m o n h e y sl h . e r . r : i t oe
r n l e | cr h r o u g hr h e I i r , l g a l e .w h i c h
y* nade of sand-alwood, ascendsa ie; srepsand
:3t1,".,
lrnds hjm:elI in kont of lhe secondgare. It Iead: onlo
a green lawn with a lot of trees and a wall embedd€d
with colouriulslones Beyondlhp lhird gale lhe vjsilor
r r n d \ t h e t a f g e qa t r e a o f r h e p a r k w i t h [ o u n r a i n .sr n d
r r o w e f r nsgf r u b : . I n i h e m i d d l eo l i l . l a n d si h e m a u s o .
Ieum-a posh structure,half Indian, half p"..irn, *iif,
a mtnatetat eachol the foui cornersand an elongated
bell.
Outsidethe narrow entranceI take off my shoesand
enter the twilight oi the mausoleum. The stepslead me
down.The passagegels darkerand darker.It is all very
well ior the Indians,lhey are shorler,buL a jaller man
has lo bend his headand even his knees.Ai last I ree
a dim light. It is a candle.One or iwo srepsmore and
I straightenup with relief.I seetwo Indians.Theyaddress
me in a friendlytone.I think they ask why I havecome
alone.Turning back and bendingdown the visitor can
see the narrow,almosta mile-longpassagehe has just
passedand all the four gates.It seemsthat irom here
Akbar can seeand walch the peoplecomingto visit him.
Thewalls disappear high into completedarkness.They
are covetedwiih sacredwords."Twentyiive meters,"one
ol the lndiansexplainsto me in brokenEnglish.One ol
them utlers a soundin a bit louder voiceand th€ echo
repeatsit seventimes. Dolcfully and drearily.But the
guardsoi th€,nuseumsincerelyvish to tell and showthe
visitorcvcrylhing.As everyIndian,they afc proudol their
grealcmpcror.
While the bandsoi the persianshah Nadir werc ma-
raudingin India,they robbedthc emperor's tomb and took
away the sandalwoodgate. Luckily they did not know
aboutlhe diamondKohinoorhiddenin the wall. It was
discovcred later,whenlndia was a colonyol GrcatBritain,
by an lrish soldierwho scratchcdii out accidentally with
the bayonetol his rifle. Thererlust havebeena curseon
lhe diamond:it cost many peopletheir lives belore it
reachcdEngland.Thc tsnglishmen cut the diamondinto
two parts:on€ is the propertyo! the Bfitish Muscum,the
oihcr adornsthc quecn'scrown.But can a curscbc dividcd
and split into two parts?
Akbar,who was the richcstempcrorin the world, died
at the age ol 64. Somepeoplesay he \Jr'as poisonedby
his son Salim, given to hirn by thc saint. Princc Salim
mountedthe throneas EmperorJahangir,but he did not
evenapproachhis iather as a great ruler. He knew only
how to squandcrwealth.
I must be going,I've heardeverything.
No, it's nol everything.I musl walk round the tomb
threetimesto pay my respects lo the great emperorand
get his blessings. I walk round the tomb,and an Indian
guafd pins a ilower to my shirt. This is not his present,
this is a presentirom the great Akbar.How strangelThe
llowerdid not witherduringthat long day.
 1 am dazzledby the brightsun. I stopat the iirst gate
and turn round,perhapsI'll seethe tomboncemore.Only
the secondgate... The loud echoof farewellcoming,it
s e e m \i.r o mr h eo l d e nd a y sh. o m r h ep a . l .

I meet Ramachandra again in the evening.We use

all our fime togetherfor telling eachotheraboutour land
and its people.It is simplerfor him to do so lor he can
showme a lot. I havebroughtLithuaniaonly in my mind's
eye and I haveto make Ramachandra seeit as it is. But
the Lithuanianshavea long history.lts recordedsources
go back more than a thousandyears.What was before
that? It is impossible lo reconstructthe completepicture
lrom the bits and piecesthal have feachedus. It is im,
possibleto answerwhy the Lithuaniansalonelrom all ihe
neighbouring tribes were able to build a powerlulstate
extended from the Balticto the Black Sea.
The Balts were sur.oundedby hostile tribes on all
sides.In ordef to survive it was necessaryfor all the
Baltic tribesto unite underone king. In the gth to illh
centuriesthe BaltictribeswhichIivedon the coastalstrip
were attackedby the vikings, Iater by the Swedes.For
over a hundredyears,not far lrom the Klaip€daport,
therewas a disusedCermanlortresswith a moat,dfaw,
bridges and apeftures Iooking out on the Lithuanian
lands.It is still there bul now it housesa beautilulma,
.ifime museumwhere the visitor can see exhibiislrom
all the oceansof the world. Thereis also a beautilulcol-
lectionof shells and coralslrom the Bay of Bengal in
the IndianOcean.
There were strong states around Lithuania:Russia,
Poland.But the greatestlhreat cameirom the Gefmans.
Their methodwas alwaysthe same.First camethe mer-
chantsto lound coloniesand commerciaicenires.Then
the missionaries lollowedburningwith a desireto Chris-
tianizethe pagans.The merchantsand the monksneeded,
naturally,well,organized and well-armedprotection.Wasn't
it, Ramachandra, the samemethodihe British merchants
58
used till in the end, slowly and imperceptibly,they
managedto put the chainsol slaveryon the vast Indian
land?
At the beginningof the l3lh centlry on the land in-
habited by the northernBalts, the presentlerritory ot
Lat\'ia,the Germanknighis gol ihe Popes blessingsto
Iound a new order which came to be known in history
as the Order ol the Sword.The monkso[ the orderwor€
white cloakswith an embroidered cross and sword.
It was a GoldenAge ior all sorls ot adventurers and
evencriminalsexpelledfrom their own country.New and
new crusades were undertaken againstthe non-Christians
with Papalsanction.Whoeverwas strongenoughto hold
a s\\'ord could join one or anotherorder createdto
delendthe Christianiaith and lighl lhe pagans.Those
wcrethe ostensible aimsproclaimedbelorethe world and
designed to justily their predatorymoti!es.
ln the west lhe Balls were threatenedby anoiher
Germanorder,the Orderol the Cross,whoseknightsNore
a blackcrosson theircloaks.It was a very rich and ag-
gresstve order.
The first Germanmonkscame to the Prussianlands
localedbelweenthe Vistulaand Nemunasrivers as early
as the l0th cenlury.Oneof them was Adalbertwho came
there with two other monkslrom Poland.The Prussians
k n e u a l r e a d yw h a l l h e P o l i - \ a n d C e r m a nm i - ' i o n a r i e s
werelike.Adalbertand his companions musthaveslopped
to spenda night in a holy woodwhereno strangerswere
allowedto enter and this must havebeenihe reasonwhy
the Prussianskilled them.The Polesredeemed Adalbert's
body,the Popeimmediatelyproclaimedhim a saint and
a c r u s a dwe a : a n n o u n c eadg a i n sllh e P r u s s i a n s .
The rulers of many countriesraisedmoneyand senl
lheir knights to "set the uninviting country free". No
ChristianIand was supposed to have any trade relations
with the Prussians, to sell them arms or salt. The Order
ol the Crossencircledthe Prussianland with castlesbut
wereairaid to go lurtherinland.Thereis writtenevidence
lhat the Prussiansused to iill their lands closeto the
59
 outsidewalls of the casiles while the knights sitting
within the castle$/al1ssangsad religioushymns-
It is absolutelylrue, Ramachandra, that the Germans
would have neverconqueredPrussiaif it had not been
ior the assistance oi the Poles,Danesand Czechs.The
conquerorswere very cruel and demonicallyvengeiul.
This is howtheir bloodydeedsweredescribed by theirown
Cerman chronicler:"The savageexpeditionannihilating
everythingon its way crossedthe entire counlry.There
was no mercylor anybodyithe path ol ihe Christianarmy
was markedby the smokingruins of all the iormer set-
llements."
The Prussianshad a numberol heroic leaderswho
lought courageously lor their lreedom.Their nameshave
comedown in historyfor ever.The namcol HerkusMan-
tas, lor example,is known1o cvcrybodyin Lithuania.Ile
led the greatestPrussianuprising of 1260and fought
againstthe invadersior l4 ycars.
But the Prussianswere fighting againstgreat odds.
The Prussianpcopleand their languagedied in the lTth
century.This gfccn lcaiy branchof lhe Baltic trce disap-
l)earedalnlost without a trace. Thc Cefman colonizers
tnovedin and occupicdthe rich Iands, slill giving oft
i h e o d o u fo l t h e P r u s s i a h
n l o o ds p i l l c dt h c f c .l h c y k i l l c d
the,nen, destroyedlheir housesand lorccd the childrcn
io learn thc new language.Thc Gcrmanization of Prussia
Iastedsevcralhundredyears.ThewordsPrussiaand Prus-
sian acquileda new mcaningand cameto meanthe sane
as Cermanyand Cerman.
Severalccnlurieslaier, after thc 2nd World War, a
great numberol Gernranschangedtheir generalaititudc
toward thc word Prussianand themselvcs. Thosewho
werc born in East Prussia becameinierestedin their
rootsfor it was believedthat nearlya halt of thosepeople
who lived therewere descended lrom the Prussians.One
oi them,IleinrichGerlach,cstablished that he was actual-
ly a Prussianbecause his namewas mostprobablydefived
ffom Girlaukis and his anceslorscame lrom Lilhuania.
Aiter that he devotedhimseli io the colleciionoi infof-
mation and historicalmalerial aboutthe Prussians.His
60
work resultedin a book entitled OnlA the Nome has Sur'
uiued(Nw der Lame bliebri6lig.- Knaur. I978) Openly
,n.l \orrowlullvthe bookdescfibes how cruelly and cold_
bloodedlv l h e G e r m a n 'c x t e f m i n a t eldh e P r u s ' l a n s A
Iarse number of Germanc ol the Prus'ian ofigin joined
rlreSocieL\ o! rhe Pru<<ianFriends'Tolhemilaectabli:hed
-ihe
in 1980. aims ol the Societyincludethe exploration
of lhe cultural heritageoi theseextinguished people,the
collectionand study of {he remainingiacts of the Prus
sian language,bringing togetherpeoPleol the Prussian
o r i s i n .T h e S o c t e t ry' r a .t h e p r i m em o v e ri n l h e e f e c l i o n
o t i h e o n l v m o n u m e nl ot l h e P r u 5 ' i a n i' n D i e l 2 b u f gG e r
manv.lt is a monolith,as iall as a man, set on lhe Prus"
sian earth broughtlrom the townshipoi TolkemitaThe
words carved on the stone say Ptusse /283. This was
the year when the Order of the Crosscompleiedthe con'
oue; o[ Pru.:ia. A red ro\e bu.h grow' ar lhe ioot of
l h e m o n u m e nIl l. i - p l a n t e di n t h ee a r l hb f o u g h ft r o ma l !
lhe provrnceq ol Prusqia.ln I988 a club P/aso engaged
in the p r e s e r v a t i oann d e x p l o r a l i oonf c u l t u r a la n d l i n _
guistic heritageoi the ancientPrussianswas set up at
Vilnius University.
The well known SovieiRussianlinguist ToPorovhas
said that the disappearance ol the Prussianslfom world
historyis a greai loss to humaniiy.All nationshave a
righl io existcnce and we, the li!ing, are responsible lor
their sufvi!al.
In 1966a collectionof all the Prussianwtitten texts
exlanl were publishedin book form, entitled Prass14n
tvrittenRecotus.-Vilnius, 1966.In l98l it was re-edited,
updatedand enlarged.The scholarwho preparedthe col-
lectionfor lhe pressis the greatestauthofilyon the Prus-
sian languageVytaulas MaZiulis,a Vilnius University
proiessor. *lhe importance of lhe
This is what he wriies:
investigations of the Prussianlanguage to the Baltic and
Indo-European studiescan be described laconicallyin the
iollowing way: without the Lithuanian and Latvian
studiestherecan be no Prussiansludies,but withoutthe
Pfussianstudies there can be no Baltic studiesand
6l
 without the Baltic studiesno Slavic or Indo European
studiesare possible."
But the most invaluable cont.ibutionthe prussians
madeto historyis their bloodwhichthey spilledtor their
freedomand thus savedthe Lithuanianand Latvian na-
tionslrom exiinction.In 1230the Orderol the Crossstar-
ted the conquesto[ the Prussianswith a deliniieaim in
view: iirst, they plannedto enslavelhe prussiansand
then, togetherwith the Order of the Sword,foundedin
I202 in Riga,to occupythe Lithuanianlandsand in this
way acquirean unbrokcntcrritoryior thc Cefmanstate.
B]lt.lheseevil designswerecheckcdby thc hcroicqrruggle
o l t h c P r u . \ i a n sw h i c hh e l d b a c kr h e G e r r n a nusp ; n - l i l
I233. By the timc the cermans approached the Nemu-
nas river, the Liihuanianstate had becomestrong and
invincible.
Althoughthe Orderof the Swordhad enslavcdall lhc
Latvian tribes,they did not feel sa[e for they wFrc con-
slantly.attacked by Lithuanians. Sceingno otherway out.
the Order b€ggedthe Popeto announc;a crusadcagainst
Lithurnia.Knightsffom all ovcr EuropeIlockcdto-Riga.
A l a r g e a n d w c l l - a r m c da r m y i n v a d e dL i t h u a n j aa n d
l a i d i t w a s r cM . i n d a u g a so.n c o f l h c g r e a l c sLl i t h u a n i a n
r u l e r s c. o l l e c l e hd i s a r m y i n h a s r ca n d h l o c k c dt h e w a y
lor th0 relrealingenemy.Il is believedrhat lhe batlletook
placcin the vicinityo[ the presentcity of Siauliaiin 1236.
The Lithuanianswon. All the leadersand the masteroi
the Orderwerekilled.Thechronicles say that the Cerman
army was decimated.
At the pope'sordersthe Orderof thc Swordwas dis-
solvcdand unitedwith the Orderof lhe Crossas its auto"
nomousbranch.The new order was known as the Livo-
nian Orderand now the two ordersposeda constantthfeat
to Lithuaniaboth irom the north and the south.
In the l3th century Lithuaniawas alreadya strong
centralizedstate. But the Grand Duke Mindaugaswas
worriedaboutthe inlernal strife within his state.To end
the striie he neededthe supportof the orderwhichit was
willing to give on conditionthat Mindaugaswould agree
10 be baplized. Mindaugasagreedand thus he became the
62
crownedking ot Lithuania He iook this sfepin order1o
unite and Lithuaniaand make it one of the
"iiengtten
. i r o n g e ssLl a t e 5 i n E u r o p ea l t h a t t i m e l f a s i a t eh a d a
Chris.tian king, the Pope aouldno longergive his blessings
to a crusade against the state lt was a correctreasonlng
but the wheels"ol history sometimes iurn againstihe will
ol the kings. By his baptism King Mindaugasacqulred
enemiesirihis own statel his pagan subjeclsreiusedto
discontinue the veneration oi the god Perft'nas(thunder),
ihe sun.the dawn,the eternalfire, the grass-snake"They
relusedto recognize the ChrislianCod who allowedhis
"behave
worshiooers to so cruelly ln ten years aiter his
b a p r i . n r .M i n d a u g a '! v . s a 5 \ a ' 5 i n a l e dB u l L ' l l r u a n i a
which he had creired and made co :lrong did not iall
' o f and continued
aDart to live.
a l l t h e s r a n d d u k e so l L i t h u a n i aw h o l i v e d a n d
reignedaiter Mlndaugas, the wisestand mosttolerantwas
'\tar
ce;iminas (the l4th century).He felt aversionior
and alwaystried to get all his enemiessit down at the
nesotiationtable wheie,he knew,they could solvemore
' r o b l e mtsh a na n Yw a r c o u l d .
p
Grand Duke Gediminaswrote letterslo a large num_
ber of Europeanrolers in which he explainedthai tie
LivonianOrderwas concerned not so muchwith Christia-
niLv a - l h e e n s l a v e m eon It n e w p e o p l e as n d l a n d s .t h a l
t h J t i o l e n c ea n d t e f r o rt h e O r d e ru s e da g a i n s Ll i l h u a n i a
were,in tact,ihe greatestobstacles to the inirodlctionoi
Christianiivthere.He also wrote that he was willing to
be baptizedil only ihe Order agreedio stopall its hosii-
liii€s asainstLithuania Suchdeclaraiions undermined the
oower;f rhe Order. His peaceIuland irrendly policies
!nabledGediminasio add vasl lerritoriesof Ruc<iaand
ihe Ukraineto the Lithuanianstate.
Six ol the leiters Gediminaswrote to the Pope and
Iarious Europeancitieshavesurvivedto lhe presentday.
This is what one ol them says: "King Gediminaso[
Lithuaniahails all who will seeor hearthis letter,wish.
ing thempeaceand goodhealthin God We openup our
counttv,possessions and our entirekingdomto everyman
oi gooi will. To knights. ar,n_bearers, merchants, doctors,
63
 smiths, wheelwrights,shoe-makers,tanners, millefs,
shopkeepers and all otherkindsol craftsmen - lo all those
peopleenumerated herewe are willing to allot someland
accordingto their status.The farmerswho will comewill
be able to till their farms lor ten yearswithout having
to pay any tax. Let merchanlscome and leave freely
without leviesor customsduties,all without any obs-
tacles.
.-.What are you telling me about the Christians?
Where else, except among the Christians,can greater
injuslice,inequality,violence,butcheryand exploltation
be [ound? Where else, except among those who take
specialcare to appearvery pious, as for example,ihe
knightsof the Order oi the Cross?They do only evil...
Especiallylast year when they signeda peacelreaty in
the name oi all the Christiancountriesand reaflirmed
their commitmentswith oaths and kissesoI the cross.
But immediately after that they did not obseivean)thing
they had sealedwiih their oaths, for they killed my
envoyswhom I sent 10 sign the treaty as we had agreed,
and not them alone but many many otherswhom they
killed, kidnapped,chainedand starvedon hundredsof
occasions,-the.eforeI do not believetheir oathsat all...
It is not quite clear whetherGediminasopposedthe
new religion as such or whetherhe opposedonly those
who used pressureto make the Lithuaniansadopt the
new iaith.Nol a singletribeof the paganLithuanianstate
supportedthe king's idea of acceptingChristianity.They
threatenedto disobeyall Gediminas'orders,whil€ the
zemaitianssaid they were going to throw lheir lot with
the Order and annihilatethe Duke'skith and kin. When
the delegatesarrived Gediminasannouncedthat he no
longerwantedto be baplized,his only wish being peace
with the Chrisiians.
But therewas no peace,
The Orde. ol the Crossiortifieditseli on the Prussian
territoryand approached the banksof the Nemunasriver.
Gediminaswas iorcedto fight and delendhis country.
But the Order was atraid 10 meet his army in an open
battleiieldand preierredto send small bandsof knights
64
on Irequentaltackingraids They enjoyedthe'e expedi-
tions :ri muchas theyenjoyedroyal hunts lor everyhon-
ourableknight considered it to be his duty to wash his
swordwith lhe bloodof a pagan.If ihe raid was succes'
slul and the knightsreturnedwith a lot oi loot and cap'
tives. women and children,they held a big feast and
kniehtednew members of lhe Order'
it was difiiculi lor the Lithuaniansto defeata knight
who usedto be clad in armourlrom headto ioot. There'
iore they resortedio atl kinds of tricks such -as lor
exampledecoyingthe knights into a swamplandor a

When attacked,lhe Lithuaniansfought ior thei. iree-

dom to the last. as can be seenfrom the heroicdelence
oi the Pil€nai castlein 1336.When new contingentsof
knishts arrivedtrom Austria and France,the Masteroi
the LivonianOrder undertookanotherinroad into Lith_
uania and laid siegeto the castleof Pi1€naiwherethe
inhabitansof the neighbouring villageshad iaken refuge
from ihe advancingknights.For severaldaysand nights
the LithuanianleaderMargirisput up a beroicdefence
But the numberoi ihe knights exceeded that of the
castle defendersmany times. The knights succeeded in
d e < t r o v i nI hs ee a r t h w o rakn dr a m p a r to<f l h ec a ' t l e W h e n
lhere wai no more hope for lhe c.rslilliznsand their
numbersdiminisheddrastically.they buill a huge lire'
threw into it their more preciouspossessions and then
enteredthe fire themselves. Thecastillians - men, women
and childrenprelerreddeathin the fire to slavery. Except
for the bodiesoi their own knights killed in ihe battle
the invadersdid not find anything in the castle to take
away and thus they had to return without any loot The
chroniclers wrote thal the European knights, who had seen
a lot and had greal experience, werestunnedby the sell-
sacrilic€of the defenders oi the Pilenaicastle
Didn't the Rajputs,a proudand lreedom'loving Indian
people,do the same when, unableto resist the enemy
attackingtheir lortressChitor, they preferreddeath to
slavery?I havelearnttheir storyfrom you, Ramachandra.
'jauhar' rites, eight thousand
Remembering the ancient
65
 womenof Chitor partooko[ bire, put on red robesand
enteredthe fire. In the meantime,the men openedthe
gate and threw ihemselves at ihe enemyto meet death
in lheir last despefate eliort.
Gediminaswas killed on the bank of the Nemunas
r i v e r w h i i ed e i e n d i n g L i t h u a n i af r o m t h e k n i g h r so i r h e
Ofder ol lie Cross The cxacrplacewhererhi body$as
crematedis not known bur on a high hill on the bank
o r . r I e N e m u n a st h e r ei : h i 5 s y m b o l i cg r a \ e a n d i n r h e
valley belowihere is an old oak in thJ shadeoi which
Gediminas is said to haverested.
Lirhuaniahas n"vef had a Iong pefiodol peace.One
o r a n o t h eef n e m yR , a m a c h a n d fwao, u l da l w a y sc o m ea n d
trample its land. But the peoplemanagedto presefve
their ess€ntialcharacterand spirit which-is bestexpres_
sedin Lithuanianfolk songs.
. ; n g a n d c r e d t ei o n g s .T h eo l d e s l
. . . L i t h u a n i a nlso r e r 6
L l l n u a n r a lno l k s o n g \ f e a r h d o w n l o i m m e m o r i at li m e s
b u l t h e i r r e . o f d i n gr n d c o l l e . t i o ns r a f l e co n l y a s I a r ea .
rneI /th century.
_ SimonasDaukantas, SimonasStaneviaius, ihe brothers
Antanasand JonasJuska,LiudvikasR€zawere the lirst
Lithuanianscholarsand educationalists wno recorclecl and
p u b l i s h eLdi t h u a n i r nI o l k . o n g . b e c a u . reh e ) u n d e r s t o o d
I n a l t h t \ p r r c e l e .t{r e z s u r ceo u l dd i s a p p e a5fo o n .L i l i r a -
nian
.Fo.lkSongs,publishedby Liudiikas Raza in 182S,
r e v e a l e ido . l h e u o r l d t h e b e d u r ya n d o r i g i n a l i r o yf the
L r r n u a n t atna n g u a g el h. e u n i q u el y c i s ma n d m u s i c a l i t y
o l L r L h u a n j a' on n g . w h i c hr e i l e c L el d h e L i r h u a n i an j
iional character. cuslom5. old beliels.nofm( oi behaviour
a n d a t t i t u d et o n a t u r e
At the presenttime the files of the Instituteof the
LithuanianLanguageand Literatureoi the Academyoi
Sciencesof the Lilhuanian SSR contain more than a
quarterof a million oi Lithuanianfolk songs.A iot ol
folk songs have been collecledfor the iilis of other
institutes,librariesand their manuscriptdepartments.
This is what two decadesago the well-knownAmeri-
can novelist,poet and literary critic Robertpaynewrote
66
aboutLithuaniansongs:"One comeslo ihem almostun'
\ e l i e \ i n s .s u r p f i - e dl h a t . u c l - p e r i c c l' o n g - s h o u l db e
Dermrtle? to silr!ive.They havea beaulyand pure primi_
tive splendorabole anyihing I have known in western
literatureexceptthe early songsoi the Greekislanders.
They seemto have beenwrilten at the morning of the
w o r l d . . .T h ed e wi s s t i l l o n t h e m . "
Lithuanianfolk songsare classiliedinto mythological,
work, calendar,ritual, wedding,lamily and naturesongs.
The oldestol them are mythologicalsongs They b.ing
backto us the time when lhe Lithuaniansworshipped the
sun, thunder,iire, grass_snakes. Without losing any oi
their divine ieatures,the heavenlyIuminariesacquirehu-
man propertiesin thesesongsas well. They sing about
the worshipoi naturalforces,treesand stones,the sacti-
ficesto gods and the old rites. A more allentiveperson
will easily detectsome similaritiesbetweenthe Baltic
and Hindu mythologiesas reflectedin Lithuanianmy_
thologicalsongs.For example,the nameused lor God's
sonsand daughlersin thesesongsis very similar to the
Sanskrit word with the same meaning- detaduhtri.
Some songs sing aboul goddessZemgna and god Ze'
mipdtls, which brings us back to the times when the
Lithuanians worshipped theEarthand its divineguardians,
Zemgnaand Zemipatis.In the l6th centurythe lound-
ers ol the LithuanianleitersMarlynasMazvydasand Mi'
kalojusDauksareproached their countrymen lor their per-
sistence in worshipprng Zemgno allet so many year. since
lhe i n r r o d u c t i o
o n
l C h r i s l i a n i ti n
y L i t h u a n i a .
Calendarand festivalsongsremindus ol the old Lith'
uanian customs and rites. Each ol these songs used
to be performedal certainstaledtimes.Peopl€believed,
ior example.that the earth would yield a betterharvest,
if theywent roundthe lieldssinginga songin the spring.
Also, youngpeoplewere suPposed to swing and sing in
the swingsin ihe spring for ihis had a magic inlluence
on the harv€stand helpedthe earth to awakenlrom the
winter's sleep.Even to this day village peoplebelieve
that the best time lor picking medicinalherbs is the
67
Midsummer's day and eachherbshouldbe addressed wilh
someparticula.words.
The numberof Lithuanianweddingsongscollectedis
very great,ior Lithuanianweddingswereiull of diilerent
rites eachaccompanied by someparticularsong.Wedding
and naturesongsare lhe most poetic,because they sing
aboutihe subtlesthumanfeelings.
Folkloristsmaintain that folktalesand lesendsvrere
createdby men.but song: wefemo<llycreated-by women,
That is why songsare so tenderand evensad.
When Ramachandra comesto Lithuania,he will be
ableto hearour folk sonss...

LITHUANIANFOLK SONGS

Moon tooh to be his btide

Sun in lhe Ihst sping tide.
Vhen Sun u)oheup at daton,
Maon lrcm her side u)asgane.
Moon,as alone he rcued,
Auirini beheld. and.loued.
ThenPethunas.Lstoth,wiLh his blode
Cleft him in t@oand said:
"llhA did.stabond.onSun?
tYh!, AuS ne minion,
Bg night didst roaealone?"

Yesterdagat sundo@n
mg lamb trcm the sheeppen strcled.
Oh me, @ill no one aid
in finding mg one lamb?
I ltent and askedAuiri\i.
AuSi.noteplied:
"In the eatlg mornl|de
lhe Sun'sIire I must kindle.'
I @entand asked Vakarine.
Vohatini replied:
68
"The Sun'sbed at eaentide
I hoaeto makereadA.'
I u)entand ashedthe Moon.
The Moon rcplied:
"A s@otdhasclett mg sde,
sad is mg appearance."
I @entand askedthe Sun.
TheSun replied:
'Nine dagsI'll seatch
far and rbide,
on lhe tent I'll not set eoen.'

In lhe midst of seasand iuerc

High a mountainrises.
On the summit of the mounlain
Risesa grcet oahlrce.
TheteI s@amin desperation,
Fftmlg gtuspedthe oah-ttee:
Vill gou not be changed,ook-tree,
Changedinto mAtather?
And thesegreenlggtaleing branches
Turn lo arms of esh-lihe@hiteness?
And gout liltle leauesso green
Tun to loaing toords?"
Sorro@ingI @enta@a!
tYeepingbitterlg
For the oak has nol been.hanged!et,
Changedinto mg Iather,
And the btuncheshauenot tuned
Into atms of tlesh-lihe@hiteness
Nor lhe little leates sa grceft
Into loping @otds,

BelooedSun, God'sd.aughter,
Vhere so long tarriesl thou,
Vhete so long dlDellestthou,
Vhen from us temotst thg sell?
69
 Behindseas,behindmountains
I shelterhomeless@aifs,
I heepu)ormthe shepherds.
BelooedSun, God'sdaughter,
lvho ol a morning hindleth
thg tite? Vho at euening
ptepatethlhA bed.ding?
TheAuitini, the Vahaini.
TheAuiini hindks mg [ie,
The Vakarinapreparesma bedding.
ManAare mA hith and hin,
ManAare mg gills and boons.

Threelime ttees in a slaamp,

ALIgtolaing Ircm one stump.
AmongstlheseLimesbg the strcam
Threemaidens@anderingcame,
The boughst@osistersseized
And in bell!eenlhem squeezed.
But the last @asunableto
And let into lhe JIo's.
Her the currentcarried
To@atdslhe Nemunasu)ide.
Her the Nemunasdid not @ant
And to the Rusn, sent.
Het the Rusni dA not vtant
Atd to its esluarasent.
Her the estuatg@ouldnol heep
And bote oul to the deep.
Her lhe oceanreouldnot keep
Atd bachto lhe shoted.id.stpeep.
Thereinto a Limetree green
Shegrero@ilh btanchesnine.
Her btothet camea lLute
To cut Jroma litne shool.
Mg tlute plags beautifutg
Its aoicespeahsmounJullg.
But his mothersad b him:
'That loice
is not Ircm the lime -
70
 That'sthe spirit ol gour sislet
ttt**tnt upon the u)alet."
*

Auitin' held d rDeddingfeasl

Perkrnosgalloped.thtough the gate
And sttuck do@ka gteen oak-tree.
The bloodoJ the greenoah-treelrickled
And stainedmA garland.
The Sun'sdaughter@ept,
And lor three Aearcgathered
lYithercdIoliage.
And u)here,oh molhet mine,
Shall I @ashmg apparcl,
llhete @asha1laythe blood?
Oh daughtermine,so aouthf&|,
Go to the lake there gonder
whereate pourcdthe slteamsof n[nerioers.
And @here,oh fitothetmine,
Shall I tlry ma appotel,
lvhere in lhe sind shall I drA it?
Oh daughtermine,so gouthlul
In gondergatden gteen
Whereare floae ng nine rcses.
And a)hen,oh mothermike,
ShaUI put on mg appareL
Pul it on its l.Dhiteness?
Oh daughlet mine, so goulhlul,
On thal sane dag ol singing
Vhen lherc shall shinenine suns.
 India is boundles.It has neither the beginningnol
the end.Vast expanses of land filled with humanlives.lt
is difficultto iind a placein India wherea personcould
be alone.Bul it is not dillicult to havea talk with one's
own seli here. Ramachandra is always besideme. We
can be silenttogetherlor hourson end and ihat doesnot
botherus. But moslly we talk: he either tells me some-
thing or asks me to tell him aboutmy land. Here now,
we are sitting undera big tree,staringat the road,each
holding a bottle ol iced juice with an inserledstraw.
A car will soon come and take us acrossthe scorched
DeccanPlateau.The sun, so painfully hot, secmsto bc
jusi waiiing ior the momentwhen we emergetrom the
sna0e.
Ramachandra is a good lisiener... Nothing seemsto
be more inierestingto him at the momentthan the iight
of the Lilhuaniansagainstthe crusaders.

In the past Lithuaniahad a considerable numberoi

1^'iserulers bul lhe greatestof them wefe the Grand
Dukes Mindaugas,Gediminas,AIgirdas, Kestutis,Vy-
tautas.
AIgirdas,Cediminas'son, greatlyexpardedthe bor,
dersof the Lilhuanianstate.
Kgstutis,Algirdas'brother,came down in history as
a staunchdeienderoi the Lithuanianlands againstthe
crusaders. In one of the battlesthe Cermanknightssuc-
ceededin pulling him down irom his horseand took him
prisoner.The Order of the Crosscelebrated the occasion
72
bv a least and shut ihe LithuanianDuke in the cellar
oi the Marienburgcastle.Therehe was servedby a young
man who could speakLithlanian for as a child he had
beenbroughlforciblyto Germanylrom the Baltic lands.
His convefsations with the Grand Duke in his mother
tongueopenedhis eyesior him and he nderstood that he
waJnothingbut a slaveof the GermansKestutischanged
into the cl;thes broughtto him by the young man and
with the Iatter's help he managedto escapelrom the
castle.
Thereis also a beautiiullegendaboutKestutis'mar-
naqe,
bnce while visiting at the Palangacastleon the Bal-
lic coast.Kgstutissaw a vestalvirgin oi peerless beauty
She q.as tendingthe sacred lire in the temple on a hill
and DfavingIo PPrh nas and othef god. tor help lo the
Lilhuanianwarriors in their fighl again:L lhe enemy. The
Dukelell in lovewith the beautifulgirl, whosenamewas
Biruie, and in defianceol her vow ol chaslitygiven to
the gods,made her his wife. The will oi the sovereigns
was aboveeverythingthen.
i.lter their death,Algirdasand Kesluiiswerecremated
on a pyre togetherwith their besthorses,rich clothesand
arms.In no oiher Indo-EuroPean countrywas ihe custom
o[ cfemationmore popularthan in the Baltic lands-It
is believedthai the iwo grand dukeswere crematedin
Vilnius,for the LithuanianOlympus,i. e. the hone ol the
Lithuaniangods,was locatedin the Sventaragis valley,
the site oi the presentcentral avenueof Vilnius which
bearsthe nameof Gediminas now.
This centralLithuaniani€mpleis described in one ol
{he 9 lolumes ol Lithuanian history by T. Narbutas, a
lgth century romantic historian, in the lollowing way:
"ln ihe middle o[ a holy wood there was a sacredlire
tendedby vestalvifgins who had sworntheir devotionto
the sods.The breachol the vow was punishedby burning
at tie stake or burying alive in the ground.The high
p n e - l a l s o l i \ e d i n I h e o a k g r o v e W h e n t h e l h r e a to l
ihe enemvaLtacksincfeased, lhe siatueoi PelArnaswas
brought fiom lhe Peftanas temple in Palanga io the Val-
73
 ley ol Sventaragis at the foot oi the cediminashill. The
god depictedholding a tafge slab oI ilinr
.PethAnas.was
rn nri nand.No olherpieceo[ flinr couldbe uqedro strike
a sacredtire."
Of all the EuropeancountriesLithuaniaalone had
remainedpagan. Now Lithuania had to make the big
deci.ion Bapri'm was necessafy lor the Lithuanianru,er!
lo be treatedon ihe equal fooringwilh the orher Euro
peansovereigns. Besidethis, baptismwould haveknocked
out every reasonusedto justify the attacksol the Ger_
m a n so n L i t h u a n i a
And so, Ramachandra, in l38Z Lithuania becamea
Ciri'tian e r c e p r
l o r Z e m a i t i l at ,h e l a n d o i o n F
_counlry,
o l t h e , u a l l r cl r j b e so n t h e v e r y c o a . to f l h e B a l r i cS e a .
i n e y o t q ^ n o r - w t :tho a c c e pal n e $ g o d a n d b e t r a yl h e i r
o r q D e l l e r sK n o w i n gt h e s t u b b o r n d i r p o . i t i o no f r h e Z e -
m a i l i a n sV, y r a u l a sm a d ea p r e . e n o r i l h p ml o r h e O r d e r
o [ l h e C r o ) s . .T a k e . l h e mi f y o u w i s h ,i t
] o u L h i n ^y o u
can managethem."TheGermanknightsusede,,erymein.
po:5rble t o o l e r p o w elrh e Z e m a i t t a rne . i . t a n c eb u t r h e y
could not bfeak them. The Zemaitiansrevoltedand, na'_
t u r a l l y .t h e y g o t s u p p o r lf r o m V y t a u r a :h i m s e l f .T h e
U r d e rw a so u t r a g e d b y r h ep o l i c yo f r h eC r a n dD u k ea n d
starledpreparations for a new aitack.
^ T h €d e c r s i vbea { l l er o o kp l a c ei n J u l y . t 4 1 0 L. i r h u a n r a . q
u-fand,uuke V y t a u t a sd n d K i n g o f p o l a n dJ a g i e l l oh a d
zo,uuunofsemen. lhe nUmberol the Cefmanhor.emenwas
no less.The Germansthoughtthat the Lithuanianswere
g o i n g l o a t t a c kr h F i rc a c r l e -a l o n g l h e N e m u n a r: i \ c f
l r o m l h e n o r i h w h i l e r h e P o l e cd t l a c k e dl h e m l r o m l h e
sou r. But the-hugeunited Lithuanian-polish army came
to the lormer Prussianlands and lurned on the capital
city of the Order.
The two armiesmet at Grunwald.AII the high com-
mander(ol the Germanarm'. were killed in the ba le-
L v e n t h e M a , l e r o [ l h e O r d e ro f l h e C r o . . w a . p i e r c e d
by a Lithuanianlance.Four thousandiron_cladknights
remainedlying in the bat e field. The jron chainsw;ich
the Germanshad broughlfor Liihuanianp.rsoners ot wa,
wereput on their own knights.
74
 The Grunwaldbattle was an importantevent in the
DoliticalIile oi medievalEurope.Aftef the tvo hundred
years drive io the East the Oider oi the Crossreceived
a nrortal blow. Accordingto the peacetfeaty Poland
got backits lost lands,and the zemaitianswhomVytautas
had presented to the Order once again belongedto the
Lithuaniansiate.
For sometime afterthe batlleot Grunwaldthe country
had a welcomerespite.Trade and cralts flourished,the
{ountry becamemore enlightened. Once again Lithuania
and its capital Vilnius became an importantpoint on
the trade route which linked the East and the West.Un-
de. VytautasLithuania became a poNeriulstatestretching
as lar aslhe Black Sea.

For long centuriesour ancesiorspasseddown their

knowledge of ihe luorldto ihe youngergenerations through
their work and rites: how to Iive in the world, how to
wofk and celebrate, who should be thankedfor lile on
the earth.Work,rites and cusiomswerethe main vehicles
ol peoples experience, wisdom and enlightenment- The
first Lithuanianschoolsappearedat the end ol the l4th
cenlury.In the lSth cenlury there were alreadyseveral
hundredLilhuanianstudentsin other Europeancilies.
But anothercenturyhad to passbeforethe Renaissance
awakenedthe need lor enlightenment, knovrledgeand
highereducation.It broughta new movementwhich ele
vated man, his mind and spiritual powers.Vilnius was
becomingan important cultural centre. It becamethe
homeoi a largenumberoi scientisls, scholars, writersand
artists.1547saw the publication in Karaliau6ius(Kdnigs-
berg) ol the iirst Lithuanian book, MartynasMa;vydas's
Catechismus. "Brothersand sisters,takeme and readme,"
said ihe introductionto the book which, in facf. was
the first poem \^'rittenin Lithuanian.ln 1579Vilnius
unilersity was tounded... In I595 Mikalojus DaukSa's
Catechismus appeared.It was lhe first Lithuanianbook
p r i n l e di n t h e G f a n dD u c h yo l L i l h u a n i a
75
 T h a t w a s o u r b e g i n n i n g . . .I t w a s r a t h e r l a t e - . .
Anothertwo hundredyearswere to pass beforethe tirst
authorol secularpoetry,KristijonasDonelaitis,can1eto
ourliterature...
Donelaitiswrote at the end of the lTlh centuryand
that was the time of the awakeningol Lithuaniannation-
al consciousness. "And all the rest who'vecomehere
to our grief. who told you 10 revile us and ol1r iolk?"
askedthe nationthroughthe poet'slips and neyef again
Iorgotits question.
All the writers and inlellectualsof ihe lgih century
devotedgreatetfortsto defendtheir nativelanguagewhich
was despised by the PolonizedLilhuaniangentry.To some
of the intellectuals the resurrection ol Lilhuanianculture
cost their lives.By I844 the RussianEmperorNicholasI
had abolishedall the institutionsoi highereducationin
Lithuania.Vilnius universitywas closedfor almostninely
years. In 1864the Tsar prohibiiedto print or import
Lithuanianbooksin the Romanalphabel.The prohibition
oi the LithuanianIetterslasted for iourty years.These
diflicultconditionstemperedthe Lithuaniannationalcon-
sciousness and fannedthe ilamesof the strugglefor na-
tional survival.The prohibitednative word, driven from
its own country,became especially deaf to the Lithuanian
heart.Clandestine schoolssprangup in villagesone after
another,they usedto movefrom houseto housesupported
by familieswith young children.The Tsarist aulho.ities
threatened vith punishmentand exile but the Lithuanian
schoolscontinuedto function.In the Kaunaspro\.ince
alone,the Tsaristgendarmes t.ackeddown 126Lithuanian
schoolsattendedby moreihan Il00 children.
Lithuanianbooksbegan10appearin the UnitedStaies
wherethey were printed by Lithuanianemigrants.But
the largest numberof Lithuanianbookswas printed in
TilZe (Tilsit), EasternPrussia,which belongedthen to
the Germanslate.
The phrase"book smuggler"may sound unusuallo
olher nationsbut in Lithuaniait is quite tamiliar.What
can be more noble than the dedicationto your own
people?Cruel punishmentawailedthosewho kept,read
76
and broughiinto the countfyLithuanianbooksacrossthe
border.\fhen caughi,booksmugglerswere sentenced to
hard labourand exiledto Siberiawherethey found sure
death.But new braveheartsappearedboth lrom among
ihe intelleclualsand almostilliteratepeasantswho were
not alraid io awakenand educatepeoPleby disseminaling
the Lilhuanianprintedword.
In order to win over someof the more giited young
DeoDle ihe Tsar institutedten scholarships for Lithuanian
'.iudents
at Moscowand St. PetefsburgunivefsitiesA
numberol Lithuanianintellectuals availedthemselves ol
this scholarshiP.
The Drohibition ol ihe Lithuanianletterswasthe dark-
est period in our history On May 7, 1904,after seven
year-s of consideration, the Tsar decidedal last lo return
io the Lithuanians their printedword.
TheTsaristoppression was as hard for ihe Lithuanians
as the Bfitish ruie was lor the Indian nation' Both na-
tionsha!e experienced that pain..

H a \ ' i n gp a . s e dt h e d i s l r i c lo t f a c l o r i e as n d p l a n t sw e
c o m er o i q u i e l e rp a r t o f l h e l n d i a n c a p i l a l l l i s i h e
D l a c rw h e r eC a n d h ia n d N e h r uw e r e c r e m a t e dA d r y
i,nd .orered wilh spaf<e.hrubs We ascendthe broad
steDsin silence.A nicelytrimmedhedgein blossomsur'
roundsa ilat big valley stretchingabout3 meiresbelow
us. It can be enteredthrough an iron gale. The dark
granite slabs are coveredwith flowersand petals and
ihe last words ol the Fatherof India are carvedon on€
of them: OM RAM, a sacredcombination of soundsto
everv Indian. It opensand closeseverypfayer,hymn or
manira. Ram is i name,Ram is Cod, hero, savior,the
one whose advent is lookedfofward to. Some parl ol
Gandhis,Nehru'sand lndira Gandhi'sasheswere cere-
moniouslyscatteredinto lhe river at ihe confluence oi
the Gangesand Jumna-Yamuna where the Sarasvati ilows
underthe gfound.OM RAM!
77
 MahatmaGandhigave India lessonsol lortitudeand
endurance, helpedthe countfyto regain its ireedom.He
als/aysbelievedthat the age of lighi. iruth and elernal
peacewould comelo the eafth at last. All peopledream
aboutit bui reler to it by differentnames.
It is very quiel hefe.The noiseof the city does not
reachlhis place.
"But why dont we descend inio the valley?"I ask my
kiend.
"Only Indiansare alloNedto approachthe tombs.Ii is
a holy place.Well, how shall I put it? Candhiwas Mah-
atma,i. e. the Creat Spirit.He cannotbe matchedby any
living man. He is the pride of the nation.We can only
try to comea little nearerto him. This placeremindsus
how and why we must live. The graves oi the great
pefsonalities altractpeoplelike a magnet.On lesiivedays
hundreds,nay, millions cometo visit them,memberso[
the governmenltake vows here and concentrate on lhe
affairsof the state.Gandhi,Nehruor Indira Gandhiseern
to be talking to them hefe.Theysit roundthe lombs and
speaksilently 10 their own conscience. Let us be silent
Ior a momenltoo,you and me,. ."
How bright and blue is the aiternoonsky in India!
W e s t a n di n s i l e n c e
i o r h a l f a n h o u r . . .R a m a c h a n d r a
doesnot move.His closedeyesare direcledupwards,to
the sky which has beenchangingall throughthe centu-

It is a law that sooneror later all powerful and

invincibleempiresbreakdown. The Mogul Empife also
brokeinto pieceslike an icejloe.
Il only India could have known what heavy chains
the cunningBriions were iorging ior them,and what a
dark cloudwas gatheringover their free country!lf only
it could bave known that the road under this cloud was
leadinglo slaveryl
Merchantscame sailing by ship, they smiled in a
friendly way lookinga1 the half-nakedIndians.At first
ihey kept in the shade,away lrom the sun, wiping their
sweatyfaces.But soonthey beganto behavelike masters
on this new land and lookedupon ihe Indians as their
78
servants.The merchantswere no longer satisliedwith
the $roodenhuts on the coastof the ocean,they wanted
'D a l a c easn d l a r q eP o r t s .
fl e ancienl R;mans used lo sayt Diride el impeta!
Thc British behavedin India accordingto the samerul€:
uith somerajas they quarelledand wrangled,with otlers
they wereon goodtermstrying to set lhem againstthose
whomthev disliked.
Inspir;d by their gloriouspast, the Indians tried to
resist ihe unwelcomenewcomers. The war continuedfor
mauy long years,for the peopledid not want to loselheir
independence. Re!oltsruouldtlare up in dilferentplaces.
Peoplewere seethingwith hatred.Distu.bances became
mor'eand more frequentamong sepoys who relused to
turn the Bristish-made riiles againsi theif broihers and
'pt o
ho . e I n d i a n sl r c k e du n i t y
o fp e a 5 a n l :B. u t . r e g r e r l a b l l' h
rich and the n a w a b 5 : i d e dw i l h t h e c o l o n i z e rdsn d
helpcdtheinexploii the simple people who, lhoughdfiven
to the Iast measufe ol destitution, were airaidevento lhink
about raising their hand against the rich and twice-born,
about taking the lands oi lhe rajas and dividing them
among themselves. Besides,they were made to believe
that ihe causeoi all their miserieswas the British colo'

Theif passionior amassingwealth made the Britons

blind 10 everythingelse.They were so much engrossed
in their commercialallairs thai they did nol evennoiice
that India was preparingfot the decisiveblow
Thenewsthat MotherIndia had risenspreadlike light-
ning without any telephonesof cables.Sepoysturned
their ritles againsttheir recruiters.But while some In-
dians fought againslthe English,otherssupportedthem
and lurned against their brothers.A lot oi blood was
spilled,a great many palacesand poor huts were burnt
But the god oi waf was still not satisiied.He was asking
lor more.
The Indiansdealt wiih the British very cruelly,there
is no denyingihat, but the colonizerssoonoutdid theml
ihey killed the Indian peoplewithout asking lhem who
was guiltyor v/howasnot.
79
 I went alone to the monumenterectedin commemora-
tion_olthe-uprising.Cars, buses,bicycleswere speeding
by. Very lew Indians ever stop here. Time has healel
this wound,for lafer therewere others,more bjtter and
painiul._Butpeoplealwaysrememberwith great respect
thosewho stirredand awakened peopleand troved io the
oppressors that the spirit ol freedomwas still alive in
t h e h e a r l so f a l l l h e I n d i a n sT. h c yr e r n e m b e
Nra n r S a h i b ,
T a n t i aT o p e .A h m a dS h a h ,L a k ' h m r b a ri , d u . c h e sa. n d
s t a u n c hs u p p o r r eorf r h e u p r i . i n g ,a n d r n a n yo t h e f .
6ut the rivers ot bloodfailedlo lake India lo freedom
althoughrhey ilowed lor two long ycars.The Iight over
Mother Indir. rhe blessedland, was becomingvery dim.
t h e n o o s eo i c o l o n i a l i s m very righr. fhe catilal;f lhe
counLrywas movedlrom Calcurtalo Delhi and rhe loun.
dationswere Iaid for New Delhi. Althoush the Indians
were
_buildingit Ior rheir oppressofs. rhc-yworkcd rcry
conscientiously, lor their industrious handscouldnot wori<
otherwise.Or perhapstheir hcarts lclt that thev wcre
buildingior themselves, for luturc India

- .The ideas propagatedby Ramakrishnainspircd the

Indian peopleto struggleagainstthe colonizer!and be-
lieve in their victory.Theseideasare alive in lndia even
today.Representatives oI the Ramakrishna missionparti-
cipatedin the PeaceForumin Moscow.
Alter the Teacher's deathVivekananda resolvedlo live
as Ramakri)hnahad laught. He crossedIndia on fool
f r o m l h e H i m a l a y a tso C a p eC o m o r i nr,h e s o u r h e r n m o s r
point of the country.He wanderedround the countryfor
threeyears absorbingeverythinghe saw, taking ihe"wor-
nes ol lne poorctoselo his heart.changinghis name,lor
wrth a new namejusl as with a new dressa man alway\
experiences a renewal.His communicationwiih simple
villagepeopleand scientisls, the poorand maharajasgive
him a good,intimaleknowledge oi India.
Therewas onething that nevergaveVivekananda any
peace:how could India get rid ot its statusol a Briiish
EO
slave?How could it regain its Past glory? His ulopian
idea oi forminga union oi rich rajas,raising moneyfor
leoples armedstrugglecrumbledlike a sandcastle But
Vivekanandaneverwaveredin his determination to de-
\,ote his Iile to the rebirth of India and the awakening
oi its nationalconsciousness. His voice lull of determi_
nationto pull peopleout ol thei. stupelaction resounded
tlrroughoutlhe country like a bell made of a blend of
cighr metal-: -From the momenl ol birth each ol you
cc,inesinto a wonderlullegacy,the never_ending past of
our gloriousnation.Beware,millionsof your forelathers
are lieepinga carefulwatchoveryour actions"
Sone iime later this was repeatedby the lirst leader
ol iree India,JawaharlalNehru.
*lf you want to know ln-
RabindranaihTagoresaid:
dia, read Vivekananda." Now progressive Indianswrite:
"Let's go back to Vivekanandaand borrow someof his
lire, his open-hearted devotionand love lor the needy,
his irust in ihe iuture and abiliiy to acceptnew and
untrjedthings.*
Viyekananda did e!erythinghecouldto booslthe confi-
denceof the Indiansin their own strengthand their hu-
man dignity,and to iostertheir pride in the pastof lheir
homeland.He arguedihat the Indianshave alwaysbeen
distinguishedby thejr innate dignity but not piety.
Meanwhile, the British did everythingPossible to proveto
the world ihat they were a superior race which was
bringing a superiorcivilizationio lndia, that a single
shelf of books in a good Europeanlibrary was more
!aluablethan the enlire Indian and Arabic lilerature.
To commemorale iheir compatriotskilled in the In_
dian revoltihe Englisherecteda monumentin Cawnpore:
an angel ol mercy carved in white narble stands
with his head bowedand his hands holding a lrond ol
palm foldedon lhe breast.The inscriptionon the monu-
ment speaksaboutthe rebelliono[ sepoysand ihe crueliy
ol ihe Indians threateningwiih eiernal flame the con_
temptibleand rebelliousslavewho daresraise his hand
againstthe "God'schosennation."
8l
 Thal's the rub-God's chosennation. Others were
createdworse and they were meant to be slaves.Can
slaveshave their own culture?Theseare old and very
tenacious ideas,theymotivatedthe aclionsol the Chinese,
Japanese, Romans,Germans,Britons,.. Germanfascisls
alsoconsidered themselves to be Aryans,the besiandelect
humanrac€.
MahatmaGandhi,the Faiher ol India. continuedto
developVivekananda's ideasand calledon ihe peopleto
awakenlrom lethargy.Indianscall MohandasGandi Ma_
hatma,which meansthe Great Spirii. Somelhink and
speakof him as God.His glory neveroppressed or embar-
rassedhim. He was too great tor that. And he knew
people'sweakestspots !ery wel1.His lile was open to
everybody,his long search for Truth was simple but
hard ior oihersto repeatit fof Truth grows biggerwhen
the distanceto it growssmaller.
lndia had long beenwaiting lor a man who would
speak through the lips of millions. Spell'boundby the
strengthwhichemanated lrom his lfail body,peopleliste-
ned to him, and considered his lhoughts."The English
did not take India irom us,we gaveii awayto them.They
are herenot because theyare strongbul because we sulier
them here."
Ramachandra, did you know that our anthropologist
AntanasPoskamet MahatmaGandhitwicewhen he was
a studentat BombayUniversily?
...Throngsoi peopleflowedto the meetingin a sub-
urb ol the city. The next day's newspapers wrote it had
beenatlendedby over a million. Every fooi of the land
as iar as the eye could reachwas tilled with peoplesil-
ting and standingshoulderlo shoulder,for who would
miss the opportunityoi seeingand listeningto lhe great
Gandhi!
Whenthe congressmen iinishedtheir speeches,Gandhi
mounted the rostrum surroundedby journalists and
westernadmirers. Thecfowdsoi peoplewelcomed him with
shorlst M.thalmaji hi iai! 'Glory lo Mahalmal' Bhatut
matl hi jai! 'Gloryto MotherIndial'

82
 Swathedin a pieceoi cloth, calledkhadi, his leet ihrust
into a pair oi sandalsand his big glasseshangingon
his nose,Gandhisquatted,took a spinningdistall,lahLi,
and kcpt spinningall throughthe time the lofeign dele-
gationswere readingtheir congratulatory messagesiai
that time all India spun cotton ior ihey boycotted the
British cottonand did nol buy any loreign goods. when
at last Candhispoke,ihe crowdwas absolutely still. When
Gandhilinishedhis speech, a womanapproached him and
gave him a messageol welcomeembroidered in gold.
Delegations broughtpresents. The heapoi things donated
to lhe liberationlund grew biggerand bigger.Four young
men dfaggeda big bag ol silvercoinsontothe rostrum-
lhe money raised by the city ol Bombay.The crowd
cheered.
Helpedby his Indian friends Poskamanagedto ap-
proachGandhisurfoundedby a tight wall oi peopleand
e\.en had a short conversationwith him. "l know
Lithuania.I haveread aboutit. It is our peoplewho re-
turnedto the north.Your languageis as old as Sanskrit.
Lithuaniahasa lot of ancienttalesand songs."
Mahatmasmiled ironicallywhen he saw an Indian
cap on PoSka'shead.As all Indianshe did not like when
the Europeansimmilatedthem.Then he continued:"We
shall win wilhout blood or violence.But unily can be
achieledonly by peopleof high culture who are able
to controliheir passions.A lot of iime will passbeiorewe
understand that our victoryis in our unity."
Poskamet Candhi lor the secondtime in live years.
"The lreedomof India is almosllangiblenow," spoke
Gandhi."Sooneror later we are going to win. We have
another problem:how we shall use our freedom.We
shallhaveto annihilatethe systemot the casles,otherwise
our freedomwill give us noihing. But what has been
built in the courseof many centuries,cannot be abo_
Iishedby law at a stroke.We shall needanothercentury
tor that, if we find the right way to it. Even now our
first slight attemptsin this directionevokeaccusations:
we are said to be ruining religiousfaith, betrayingihe
nation,slavishlybowingbeforeEuropeanculture..."
83
 The Lithuanianpressoi that time carrieda lot ol ma-
terial on the eventsin India. Everybodywas eager lo
know the oulcomeoi the British and Indian duel, there
wereno peoplewho ',\,ere indilierentto it.
The words oi the Faiher ol lhe Nation neverparted
with his deeds.He was a paragonof lorlitude,truthful,
nessand seli-sacrifice. With a group of devoledfriends
he foundeda communalfafm whichhe namedaltef Tols.
toy, his highly esteemed writer. All the membersoi the
communewereiree and equaland couldffeelyvoicetheir
opinion.Commonmeals,work,studiesand worrieswelded
them into one big lamily. Their work to their own com
mon good becamea sourceol joy ior them and lefi no
placein iheir heartsfor petly fancies.Gandhi'saim was
lo createa modeloi the fuluresocietymadeup ol freeand
intelligentpeople.
On his deskGandhikept threemonkeyfigurjnes:one
oi themwas depictedcoveringher eyes,anotherher eafs,
the ihird one her mouth.They embodiedcandhi's three
idealswhich he propagatedand iried to achievehimseli:
not to seebad sights,not to listen to harsh sounds,not
to speakuntrulhful words.But Iife provedto be more
cruel,
Shortlybeiorethe pfoclamation of independence,
lndia
was rockedby a lratricidalwar belweenthe believersin
the Hindu gods and the lollowersoi Allah. pakistanwas
cut olf irom the living bodyof India by a bloodysword.
It was a bitter sacrificeon lhe altar ol freedom.
Beiore his trrgic death Gandhi said: '.Truth and
ahimsaate twins.theywill haveto find their embodimenl
in socialism."
The tire of Gandhi'sfunerealpyre died out long ago
togetherwith thousandsol olhers.Riversof blood and
tears have becomedry. Lighl seemsto havereturnedto
L h ei n d e p e n d eannl d q a c r e Idn d i a nl a n d
The legacyJawaharlalNehru came into was rather
complicated. Nehru was a man oi greal mind and soul,
India remembe.shim with deep love as a man with a
rosein his hand.

84
 Nehru lookedfar into the future and dreamedabout a
classlesssociety.His policieswere basedon peace, co-
'To
operationand concernaboutthe future oi mankind.
err is human,thereioreeverybelielin an unerringorga_
nisation,idea or stale is absolutelyalien to rne," he
said. He did not believein war either:"All our dreams
about the future oi the New India will crumbleil the
harassed world getsentangledin a new war."
Peoplehaveforgotienrich maharajas, kingsand rulers
to whomIndia has erectedluxurious mausoleums. But the
lndian people never forget their teacher. sages and
leaders.
JawaharlalNehruhad only one daughter,Indira.Once
his latherMotilal Gandhisaid thesepropheticwords:"A
daughtercan sometimes be as good as a thousandsons."
And really,Indira.epresenied a concentration of the best
featuresof the Indian nation:wisdom,willpower,love...
She gaveall her life 10 her nationand devotedherselfto
its unilicationfor she understood that the strengthof the
Indiannaiionlay in its unity.
The third greatfunerealpyre flaredup on the bankof
the Jumna river. It set tire in the heartsol all the In_
dians. The day of the Nation's gfeat daughter'sdeath
becamethe Day of ihe NationalUnily. At the place oi
her cremaiionpeopleerecteda natlral monument-a
red slab ol iron ore with blackveinswhich was brought
from Orissa.It lookslike a frozenilame,comingout of
the depthol the nationalsoul.
At the end oi the nationalmourningihe ashesol In_
dira Candhiwere spreadover the white Himalayansum'
mits, the placethat sendsIight to India and the whole
\! orld.
OM RAMI Clory to the coming!
 The articlewhich follows was written by Dr. V},'tau-
tas Kubilius,a lilerary critic and theoretician,
aboul lhe
iniluenceof Indian cultureon Lithuanianliterature.The
authorgives a generalsurveyot the works by Vydinas,
VincasKr€v€,EduardasMiezelaiiis,VacysReimerisand
other writers and poelswho drew their inspirationlrom
the subtlespiritualcultufeof India.
VytautasKubiliusis the authofof a numberof mon-
ographsand hundredsol essaysand literarvsurveys.His
argumentsare alwayswell'considered and bearconsider,
ableweight with the reading publicol Lithuania.He is
univefsallyrespecledior ihe well-grounded and tolerant
stand he invariablytakes in literarydisputes,his melic-
ulous eiforts and, last but not least,for his modesty.
The readersare atlractedby his aesthelicsagacity,origi-
nal generalizations and his melaphoricessayisticstyle
whichenablesthemto undersiand the mostcomplcxprob.
Iemswhich the authoranalyzesand expoundswith great
erudition.
For a numberof years Vytautas Kubilius has been
invesfigatingthe roots and sourcesof Lithuanianlitera-
ture and its relation to the Iiterary problemsoi other
nations.He has beentaking a specialinlerestin Indian
cultureand its direct relationio Liihuania.His visit 1o
India deepened the scholar'saifectionfor lhat country
still more.

Ot all the Otientat cultues, the Lithuanians hate al-

@agsfelt the gteatestdegrceof altinitg to Indian culttre.
A considerdblenumber of Lithuanian poets haae been
86
explorinp i!s lhtee-!housand-UeaFold hcrilage in seatchoJ
idias rcTterninp unitercal Loue, man's inmorlalilU and
spititual concenlrution. "Recentla I hate been taking morc
and nore i\terest in lndia. People are more hno@ledge'
ablethele and thei lhought is mate daring llnn ours...
Those @ords @erc @tilten bA Kazgs Botuta, the most
atdent Lithuanian aoant'guatdist, @henin 1930 he @as
@oting oll lollard lhe exlremist"acliueaclio\" lh?oties-
Tnire aere tuto mopn?ts tehi(h a!l.a(tPdthe Lith'
uanianslo tndia.
Fist. India @asloohedupon as the rcmonticized,mV'
lhalogicalancestrulland of the Indo Europeans.This gaoe
rise to all hindsof cantradictotAhApotheses and Iantastic
asse ions @hicheicited the Lithuanian minds ". . .ancient
boohsproclaim that the lndian tand ltas the ctudle ot
the Lithuanians,Auk|lailians and Zemailians;the @titings
ol their priests,discol)ercdin aur cenlurg' also indicate
thal in ancient times the Indians u)ele our cousins .'
''rtole SimanasDauhanlasat the beginningol the 19thcen'
turg. It meant that aerg long ago the Lilhuanian and
I ndian ttibes must ho're liued side bg side some@here in
the Asian sleppe, but most probablg in lhe basin ol lhe
DanuberiLter.
The olher magnelu)asMahalmaGandhi the tounder
ol the ideotogAand lactics ptopogatingpassite resistance
an(LcitiL disobedience lo lhe colonialoulhorities,Betl!een
lhe lnio n'attd1larsMallalna Candhictasoneof lhe masl
papular Iigurcs in the Lithuanian ptess Lithuanian poli'
ticians ana iou.nalists @ereilling to see the apostle ol
"the ne@ humaneness"exlolled ba Romaine RoLLondin
h i s b a o h l r l a h a l t u a G a n d h i , ' , t ) h i . ]hJ , a st r a n s l a t e d
atld pubtishedin Kaunas in 1931.ln 1937Gandhihimself
spohe about lhe Lilhuanians @tithgteat alfection "This
is our lndian tribe," he said, "@hichhas relurned to the
norlh." ln the unstablepoliticalsituationof prc'@arLith'
uania lhe "skinnll liltle mon's moraLslogans had a spe-
cial appeal,lot theg u)eredirccled against the hegemong
ol the great poaers (Are s)e going to get rid of the
ttogtodg!c psgchotoggllhirh compels us lo oppr?ss lhe
t)eak?)and lhe sloughlPtous aarlare (ln lhe 20Ih ten-
tug armed struggle must be supercededbA spirilual
sttuggle).
Thesettoo psAchologicalfaclots stimulaled inletest in
the oncient Hindu &rtitings closedto the ordinatA teader
then bA the ultnct cultue and lhe dead language.
At the beginning ol the 20th cenlurg, Makonis, the
greatest poet of the Lithuanian nollona[ rebilh, ttansla-
t e d f i r J eh g m n so f t h e R i g - V e d o , T h e O t i g i n o l
Things among them,@hichlhe poet .onsideredto be
lhe tnost beautiJuland amazinglAproloulrd pieceof @rit-
ing. He translatedil frcm the Getmonond the Ftench lihe
poetrg, skrpprng ouer the incomptehensiblemgthological
lacts ond mgsteriousassociationsin atdet ta bring out
the most oital elementin the prcbtngthought.Although
the tronslator intrcduced needless rhgming (rehaleuer
thgmes therc are in the origindl, theg are all accidental),
he managedto preseruebeautifulllr the otiginal sltophic
structure,and conoeAthe high tanalitll ol the apostrophies
and rcpelitions, mahing them sometimes,hoaeuer. lao
rheto c and. less naitelA concrcle thon in lhe original,
similar to the ones used in his oten teligious hgmns.
In 1920the @ritel Balgs Sruoga translaledone ol the
Rig-Veda hgmnslrom lhe Russianas he tDasgreallA
impressedbA the sercnitg and intensilg ol its doubting
lhoughtsso chaructelislical his o{n epoclt.
Ritardas Mircnas, 'aha qualified in Sansh t at Sot-
bonneh 1939,translated12 Rig-Veda humns,r,ith
h[s ottn introduction and. commentoiey He ltunslated
lhem in lerse using diltercnl iambic oariations,although
the original melrics is sAllabic. He t ed to mahe his
translationssemanticallAletg exoct because,being a San-
shritist,he also pursuedlinguislic aims.
Setetal attemptshauebeenmadeto lftnslale inlo Lith-
udnian one and the sameepisodeltum lhe epic af ancienl
India Mahabharala a b o u tN a l a a n d D o m a A d n t i ' s
lo|,e, the psgchologicaltension ol @hichis lhe most cam-
prehensiblelo the redder ol the moderntimes (ln a game
of dice Nala loses his hingdom, ab'ndons his utile and,
greotlg ashamed,goes into hiding, but the beautilul Dd-
moganti loohs Iot him etetgv)hereand Iinds him at last.
88
Motetl by her deuotian,the gotls let him @in his kingdom
bdch). In 1914seoeralstahzasof this episade@erettans-
Ialed lrcm lhe atiginal bA KleopasJurgelianis Tbhottied.
lo do nothing ahich rsould modetnizethe at.haic epic. In
ils ent[tetg lhe episade@astranslated i4 prose from the
Frencltbu VihtorasKamanlaushas in 1926,and anotherat-
tempt @asmade in 1930 bg the pupils of lhe Panel,iags
girls' secandargschoolunder the supetoisionof the oriler
Gabield Petheviiaili-BiIi. The ltanslators lrunslaled ltom
lhe Russianlersion @hichhad beenhighlg poeti.ized in
lhe manner ol Russianlolhtales ba its lranslatot VasiLg
Zhuhooshg.
Hindu mgths,philosophicallegendsand tales, in theit
authenticlorm or in lhe form of literarA translatioasinto
Eurcpean languages, atlracted the altention of seoeral
olher translatorcas v)ell,suchas the @riterI uazasTumos-
Vaizgantas,EdmundasSteponaitis,StosiusBudatas. The
poet Maionis ltanslaled 32 lines frcm the IAricaLpoem
C h a u r o P a n c h a s h i k h a , @ t i t t e nb a a n l l l h c e n -
lurg poet Bilhona.
The Lilhuaniak philosophet and plagu)tighl Vgdinas
maintained that belore the intrcdu.tion of Christianit!
Lilhuanian spiritual cultue had a lot ol similarilies to
Hinduism: in Lithuanian folksongs man is compotedto
the sun iust like in the V e d a s. Euentadaglite is sacred
to lhe Lithuanians like it @aslo the ancient Aryans (200
hltmnsof the Rig-Veda ate deooted. to Agtri, god of
fne). Vldnaas belieted that the reoital of the old taith,
chohedblJ lhe Chrislian dogmas, tpould nnke lhe Lith'
uanian natian impetrious b AermanizatianIn lhe same
lashion as Hinduism made lhe Hindus imperl]iousto the
Brilish aggression. In Vgdinas' mgsletA plags
ptoduced al lhe top ol Mounl Rambgnas pagan tites
1i)ereperformed@ilh solemndignita. In his plalls Iire sgm'
bolized lite, spiritual pwilA, communicalion@ith gods,
etetnitg,iust lihe in the Rig-Veda hgmns.
But the basic aim l.DhichVgdAnaspursuedin his terit-
ings lpas lhe rcaital of the pte-ChristianLithuanian con-
ception of the cosmosas a unitied @hole,preseroedto
ow dags i4 the old Sanshrit Litetuture.His otutl concep-
89
tion ol the uniaetseos a single unit rcstedon Hindu mo'
nistic idealism extendedbV the principles of theosoph!
and intuitioism as u)ell as the idealizationol the Lithua'
nian chatacter('lheb eotnestnessand healthgimpeccable
rcctitude"). Paraptuasingone of the Rig-Veda's
hAmnshe @rote:'l dirccted mg gaze upwardsand eoera'
1lhete in the spaceI beheldonl! the One alone." On the
basisol the U p ani s had s, V edic philosophical ttea-
tises, Vgdunasdiaided the uniuerseinlo seoen spheres.
Matler is the lotsestsphete@hilelolJe,4)isdomand spitit
(Manas,Buddhi,Atma) belongto lhe highestsphete.That
is r!h! sptrit and matter are not oppositeelements(spkit
is the mo,ringIotce, malter is rshat is being moaed), but
t'ao manifestationsof the s@meinuisibte unilA (ln the
Vedasthe unilerse comesfrom Atman, the supremeand
uniuersalsoul, and reluns lo il again). Man is a parti'
cle ol lhe unitetse in ti)hich the uniuerseb ngs .)ut the
spiritual elemenl sunh in lhe lou)est spheres,lealizing
in this @aaits ullimale aim.
ll man is "lirst ol all a saul" lehich belongsto etetni'
t!, lhe ulLimategoal ol human Lifeconsislsin the enlight
enmenl of consciousness, prcmotion al @isdomand ex-
ploration ol lhe inner depths.'The putposeof human life
is pettection."Man must canquerhis lalaer instincts,selt-
ishnessand harmful habils ("Special poison passesfrom
meat into lhe bodg and bload, lhus iniwitrg health"). He
must eierratehimsell to spiritual lile, lhe onLAform al reaL
lile, lhink onlA about @hatis "beouliful, tight, good" and
lite "lot athers". OnlA high ethic gilJes birth to great
deeds.OnI! the "iaaincible poller al rcctilude' can saae
the nationb! uniting an indiuidual@ilh hutuanit!.This
elhic of national resislance 1D....latgelg based on the
l e a c h i n gosf t h e V e d i c a n d M a h a b h d r a t a sages
@hosaid that the spiritudt aotld is tegulated bg the un'
shahableIaI! (Virtue is bound to @in, antl it neoer tails
like lhe sun neuer |ails to rise), and that llte spititual seq-
educationof an indioidual is the pterequisiteconditionof
the perleclionof huma4il!.
Vgdinos' thinking litos latgelg allected ba the V e'
das, v)hich leete prcduced i4 the petiod of pre'logicaL

90
intellecluaLization.He also ttied to expldin the @orld
not so much bg lagical catega es as bA emotived.escrip'
tians, ligwatiae similes, didactic eramples atud his emo'
tional s;lf-exprcssion.He did not trg to create a wtilied
seLlconlainedsAslemas the Creehphilosophersd.id, but
souplLla moral support against lhe national oppressors
and a fatmula at moral petleclion, fot lihe Mahatma
Condhi he belieued.in the moral salualian of the @oru.
From his ethic uritings Vgdrnos'dtumasinheited the
skelchAnouemenl ol the philosophicaLthought, lree trom
speculatiuelogicalitg, eleaaled absltactions diluled bA
poeticizedhislotical images,lhe identitg of the indioidual
and unioersaLego, the names of Hindu gods (Varuna
c e l i e li n m a n ,h i s
l r c n h i sE t e t n a l F i r e ) , o p t i m i s l i b
pa1ler and destinA (Man is born in the thi.kness of
lorter cwrents but he stands ia the Ilo&) ol bright and
shiny currenls")- But most impotant of all, his dramas
inhetiled lhe light ol noble spirituolila @hich is respon'
sible lor their specittcstru.tlre and atmasphereindepend-
enl af anlt literatg source except lor lhe rclation at its
ethic id.ealismto Hindu spitilualist philosaphA.
In Indian cultute Vgdinas sallr, Iitst af all, the har'
manll ol man ond the unil)ersershiclr is the pterequisite
co4dilion to man's inner harmong. Anothet Lithuanian
@titet, Vincas KftuO, @as moslla av)are here of man's
c!?tnol dissalisla(lion. Ps.apismand tPooll againsl Ihe
order ol lhe aorld. He laoked at lhe Hindu, Persian,
Hebrc@an(LArabic ltths lhrough lhe prisn af \Yestern
psgcholog! and cultwal tradilions: actiltitU, risk, retolt,
teaching for the unhnotun,but tLot passite resignation.
yel lhe influence of Orienlal cultutes u)hi.h the @ritef
Ielt @henhe lk)e(l in Bahu, the citg ot the .rossroadso[
Islam and Russian litelatg ltaditions, led him to the
prcblems of the llorld's genesisl-Dhichbecamelerg im-
portant lo him: holo u)erethe skq and lhe earth formed?
Did man participatein the Iormdlion ol the @orld?Thus,
lot lhe fitst time in ils histot! Lithuanian prosetorc itsell
aLt'auftam sacialand eletadagprcblemsond soaredto
the tetel of genetal problems of man and the unioetse'
For the fitst time it treelgabsotbedlhe thinhing situations'
9l
moods and colouts of d.tstantcultures blJ tusing the mo-
tils ol le1lrish messianism,Babglonian astrclogA, Greeh
fitionalism and Oriertal despotismin the philosophicat
e p o p e eT h e S o n s o l t h e S k g a n d t h e E a r t h
tshich lhe @ let began in 1947.Ancient O ehlal culture
uged the @riter to explore and poeticize the pimitioe
lorms of e)cislence, gaue the relics of Lithuonion pagan
lhinhing a brcader philosophicalpetspecliaeand enabled
lhe authot to detect remnantsof animistic lsotld oullook
in Lilhuanian psgcholog!.
The most inlimate rclation to lndian culture Vincas
Krioi lelt in his eatlg petiod rehenhe @orhedin the field
o f S a n s h r istt u d i e s( T h e I n d o - E u r o p e a n Atuce-
s l t a l L a n d , 1 9 0 9T : he Origin of the Names al
Buddha Pratgekabuddha, 1 9 1 3 )t,r a n s l a t e tdh e
dtuma Shahuntala i n t o R u s s i a na, n d l e c t u r e di n
Buddhbm at lhe Bahu people'suniLretsitAin 1912. The
l e g e n d o rs! t o r gP t a t A e h a b u d d h a p u b l i s h e idn t h e
ioumal Vaitorgk|ti i n 1 9 1 3@, a sb o n o l h i s S a n -
skril studiesand interesl in lhe gteal rctigion of the Asian
continent.He onote the storg lihe a poetic cammentatg
on the o gin of Buddhism,gioing a Iree interprelalionto
the real facts of GautamaBuddha'slife, paruphtusinghis
pte.epts and binging lo life uatious colaurlul legends.
Onlg lhe main hero of lhe storA is nol Buddha, the
preacherand toundet of monasleries,but PralAekabuddha,
a man @hokept his acquiredhno@ledge la limselt and.did
not pass it to people. Vincas Krit't uas concerned@ith
tle dialecticsof human cognilion, ils currenlsand sudden
changestuther than the descriptionol intelectual dog-
mas. That @asa)hAhe choselo depict the initial stage of
Butldhisn uthenit aas not gel canonizedand its psAcho-
logical sources.
Nlon's po@erlessness in the lace ol death is the leil
nolil of the rctlections urhichdeletmine lhe actions both
of Prctgehabuddha, the liteturg personage,and lhe histo-
rical Buddha. Whoeoetcame to this life shal passout of
it, rthoelJer@as bon shall die, @hateL,er had the begin-
niag shall haoe the end. "And th.ereis no escapingfrcm
among those loho 19ereborn and came inlo e)cistence." -
lhis painlul melancholgdescendsupon Kteoi's Notagonist.
To Buddho, lendetnessmeanl libera.tion,and inaclioilg
rJos bliss. Atiryanaptiga, on the coolrcrg, is assailed bg
emotions ol disquiel, tuge, ambiliaus arrcgance. To the
uerg end he .annol lind peaceu)ith lhe atder ol lhe @orhj
ot himsell. Buddha is lhe Orienlal spitil, lmnquilifu, pen'
siue nobililg, quiet submissioeness and deep lope.Atipra-
naptiAa is lhe spiril ol rcbelliousindiui.lualism charucte-
rislic of 'V/eslEurooeanliletolute.
The place ol lhe aclion @heteVincas Krcli unloEed
lhe romonlic philosophaol lile ol teslless indiuidudlism
demondeda specificcolouring @hichthe @tilet dte@lrcm
lhe sowcesol ancient Hindu lileralure. Among lhe petso.
nagesacling in lhe slorA he includedlhe Vellicgod Indra
anl goddess Kali, the di|)ine messengetNarada (in the
lllohabharalo rcferted t o o s " d i u i n es a g e " ) a, n r lc a l -
leal lltc lilal elemenlol the dipine . otld Prajapali as in
l h e U p a n i s h o t l s . I l e a l s o q u o l e dp a t a p h t a s el d ines
l r o n l h e R i g - V e d o h g m n s( T h e r e , , D aos l i m e @ h e n
He did nol exisl. lherc'll .ome a lime @henHe @ill be
no more), and botrolsed some lerms fram there (the
Area! One). His lutmil sils absoLuklg stilL "as yogo bA
lo sil," and his soul sinhs in niruana. The btahman's
name is invatiablg ac.omponie(ibg lhe epilhel "th ce-
b o t n " .a l s ol a h e nl r c n l h e M a h a b h a r a I a . B u l l h ec o '
Iourlul sl|le and imagetg do nol b(comelhe dominaling
loclot, lot lhe labulous lndian dclails are subjecled lo
thc logic ol the dtamalic psltchologism,supple imagino-
lion and lhc thgthm of ihe senten.e.
At lhe bcginningof lhe 20lh centwg LilhuonianLiter-
alule also obsorbed atidlg lhe arlislic imptessions ol
molern lndian lilcralve, for lhete it lound the sgnthesis
of nalional and unioetsal spirit, luhiclt u)asso important
to L{lhuania al lhot lime. Rabindrunalh Togote @asthe
Iitsl foteign @riter on @hoselile untl worh an oiginol
sludu @a"s publishedin Litlxuo.ia in 1924.Vgdanasadti-
sed " io rcod hin ailh an elel)atedheott in quiet momenls,"
'give a lot lo out nation as aell."
lor Tagore's books
lllade euenmore famousbg the Nobelp ize, Tagore'sbooks
teached Lilhuania in the tlanslotiotts lrcn llrc Etrylish
93
 and lhe Germdnbg KleoposIurgelionis, VtJdunas,Stasgs
SiL:ntos, later, bg Korolis Vaitus'Ratkaushas,Albinas
Rimka. Petrus Vaiiiinos, lonas Simhus.1972sal. lhe pub'
lication of a large lolume ol Tagote's lgtics translaled
ba VytaatasNistelis.
Aflecled bA sgmbolicol aeslhelics,llrc Liltuanian lit'
erulure ol the 20th cenluA @asallracled bA lhe spiril oJ
ialcalisfl tsltich soatedtriunphanllg oner lhe logic ol eae'
rtJidUchcumstanLesi4 Tagare's'aotks. young I ithuanian
Doe[s 'oete fosci\aled bg the inplicil space o[ Tagote's
!qtical poelr!1,his abilitg lo tuanipulale &ith seeminglg
extralingual meonsof exNession,lhe ptaiectede:dension
of his ideas into i ini!!t. Kleo1as luryelionis tried lo
adapt Togore'spure poelicallotnt lull ol lroblemeditation'
noling in the unde itle ol lhe poem: "ln intmitation ol
Tagate's sl!)le". It1, 1921Bulkq tuze nnde an attempl to
use lhe lanaiion ol ttee lerse, lluctualitrg bet@eenthe
tot41of a poelical ailorism and lhe simpliclg ol a prosaic
phrnse,tomelituesbotrotoitg TaCore'sphtusesabsolulelg
Itcelqaad openlg.
Aller lhei I)isil lo ladia Soticl Lithuanion @titersde'
lelaped lhe saltte Ieeling of allinitg lo lndian cuLlute
uthich ut,ascharacletislic of Vgdanasand Vincas Ktiui,
lhe utilers u)ho liued al lhe beginning ol Ue 20lh .en'
lura. "Fot me lou orc lull of loue and sunlight, aid the
mothers' lcndet lullabies," I!rcle Vacgs Reimeris aller
he came bach fro his t'isit lo India in 1957.He u)as
amazedby the |ootd tu e d u s llhich an lndian bdkerpto-
nounced"Iikc a Dzikian Lilhuanian lrom lhe banhsof
'Sansktil
lhe Meftgs rieet." fhe poet rgrcle: speahsfrom
the boohsI lle ate old, ae ore goung and rclaled.'
I n h i s b o o kA t t h e l : o o t o l t h e S t a r s ( 1 9 5 9 )
EduardasMieiclailis publishedhis cycle Man and his
fi'rt Indian cgcle lthich introduced the leitmotil of the
expanseol lhe unilelse i4 his lgical poetrg Holo did the
manitesloof "lhe homoceotricsAstem'@hichplacedmanal
the summit of cosmosharmonize&)iththeI ndiancullural trc'
dilion @hichproclaimed the equalilA of all lieing fotms
and demandedthat mon should.denounceits erclusioe-
ness? A! lirst, the Intlion @orld (lhe face ol Buddha's
s4
stalues,lhe God Shi.ra@ilh Iou atms, the snahecharmer)
had lo be absordedblt the European thinking forms -
the indi"ridual consciousnessstilh "ego" at the cenhe,
romantic ecslasAand lhe rcfined pLaA ol associalions.
The image ol 7ai Nahal gteIA)into the ltadilioiLal legend
of laldt LolJetenderlArecaunted("The sldue maiden lell
and ahilened, the shahfell and blackenedI Ooer the @hite
boCltbenl and uied..."). But the echoesof the Ra'
n a u a n a erpressedthe sublLemuslicismof loae tahich
has teigned in Eutopean Iwical poetta since Petrarch
rathet than the direct eroticismof the Hindu epic poem.
lndia4 culture li\ed Eduadas Mie;alaitis @ith stiU
gtealer admitation duing his second.uisil to the countrA
in 1971,ut il is &ilnessedin his memoirs T h e T o l.ae t
of I Ilusions (1973)A . n u n b e t o l l t i s p o e m sb e g i n
-tith epigtuphs
Ircm Vedas, lhe Upanishads, Ra-
m a g a n a a n d T a g o r e ' sG a r d e n e r ( T h e l a l t e rb o o h
accompaied lhe poet duing his uisit Lo lndia as a poetic
inlrcduclionto the soul ol lhe coutrA). An authenticor
a paruphrusedepigrcph suggeslsthe original poem'stheme
or imtgerg motil Ilhich ma! be e)ipanded,remouldedor
inlesled @ilh a neis meaning,but the Indian quotalion is
al@alJsthere lihe lhe spinging board lor the pla! of the
poetic lanlasA, becomingon inlegral patl al the @hole
raork.Hindu namesand lorms ol oddressare used in the
contersalionol hermit philosophersstlJlizedalter the ori'
gifial sources:'And tuming to yoinaaulh,raid tanaho
ashed: ,' "Oh yainaualh! Ans@erif you can theseques'
lians.. .' The paet paraphrasesthe authentic alorisms
l / o m l h e U p a n i s h a d s : " T l o os u n ss h i n el o r m a n :o n e
Ircm abote I The other from u)ithin. Both are ol the same
magnilude."He makesa exprcssioeuseof the mllsterious
Vedic fotnlula: "thrce hundred and thtee, three thousand
ond thrce, thittlJ thtee," '\Dhichindicates the number of
gods. Dtumatic coloursare usedto describeShba's dance
&hich causesritips Io crumbl?in lhe samP@agos in
lhe Hindu myths. The poet'sliaeu imaginalion rclires the
oiginal image ol the uniaerseas a giganlic tnan: "The
shining btidegroofiI Raiseshimsell in the moon sadle.. .
The lragrunt btidegrcon, h.is slim lrunh tubes his btan-
95
chesstalded &)ilh blossortsI to the slariiled shg..." He
gires a poe[ic interptetationto lhe lheorg of teincarnation
("1 Ilrill tutn into @ineor perhopsinto rain dtops"), lhe
philosophicalconte\t of M a lt a ('The illusian - the azure
d r e a n-x i s c l & n t e di n t h e M a h a b h a t a t a : ma-
!a"), to Ahimsa ("Do not hutt ang lioing thing fat the
black beetleis gour btulhet"). EduatdasMieZelaitishand-
Ies the stglistic ornafienls at Indian cultue oery easilg,
cteating someti.mes ueitable lire@orksof rDards.But most
impotlant of all, lhe poet managedto gtusp lhe relatiotr
of lndian culture to lhe tootld. HrJpetbolizingman'sporDer
accordinglo the docttine ol Eurcpeanhun&nism,the poet
suddenlgsaAsto the sameman: "you'U find a friend u)hen
at the green trce I gou laoh thtough lhe lree's eges,at
a beasl or aninml llhtough the egesol the beastor ani-
mdl, al a mou latn ot streom through lhe egesoJ maun-
tains and slteams." Euen lhe earth, n)hichstoad so firmlg
in lhe centreol the uniuersebelote,be.omesnou) its small
and lemporargpdrtiLlelihe in tlle U panishads. 'The
globe is like the @hiteeAeballI flltough Ilhich Ilisdom
loohs at the black I Baok ol the Uniaetsea.d rcads its
birlh tcrtifi.ate and obituatg I Ptinted.in bight ond staL
rA snall prinl..." To llrc poei Indian c ltue is onlA
one ol the pluralisti. aieutpoi.nls nnslerlg teprotlucedand
dtumalized toeietheratilh his Sune.ian, Gteek,Armenian
an'1 llalian reminiscences. Bg no neans is it lot him the
main inner ele ent as it aas for VAditnas.
Contacts @ith Indian culture haue been amazinglg
ptoiNcliue lo modern Lithuanian literaiure. Not neces-
sarilg etptessedbA an lndian lheme, lheA stimulatedthe
imagination ol tnanA Lilhuanian sriterc and galJethem
po&,erf ul oeslheticerpetience.

'[he
true vay of life is attainedin the searchior iorms
of e)iisience which ha\e no end, and irr the exploration
oi the inner depthsof one'sown self. This is the wise
conclusionKing Savalkiyacomes1o when he can no
Iongcrstand his lame,and this is lhe idea which Vincas
96
Kfava propagatesin the excerpt fro|mhis slory Pratgeha-
,ddlid givenbelow.

SaLralhigatode up lo a dense iungle but linding

no path thrcugh il to the mounlait8, lurned his elephant
rcund and tsenrledhis @aghome@ard,to the .il! @here

The elephanton @hichSalralhigarcde @asetrquisitelg

adorned. The gold housing and the gold saddle studded
@ilh ie@elsspotkled @ilh all lhe colours ol lhe tuinbo@
like the cha ot ol Indru, the god ol lhe Ii nament,as he
droue lo @in lhe &)orldin the ballle lDillr lhe ruler of lhe

The inhabilanls of lhe lan&, cilies and caslles the

maharajapassedbg on his loaA bach,twned out in latge
numbets lo Ilelcome him @ith shouts ol grcaler joA and
utotds ol deeper I)eneralionlhan llrcse the! used in the
ra)otshipol lhe heatenlggods,
A lot ol people,tich and poor, goung ond old, brah-
mdns,hshaltAasand chandalsv)ho Ililnessed lhe ctuu)d's
adotolion of him, tpereiealousof his Fo une, for no man
lnd eter beenesleemedso highlg ond adored bg his lel
Ioln men as Souolhiga@asnotp.
Bul his lace u)ds sad and dour, @hichcausedpeople
lo lbonderand ash ol eachother: "lvh! is the lace ol lhe
happiestman so sullen? l,(hol doeslhe tuan u)hosepou)el
eauolsthat of lndra lach?"
Eoetgbodgashedthis, but nobodgcould anse)et.
Tltose@hotolloroedhim neatesl to his escort tded to
cheer lheh lod and masler and dispell lhe gloom on
his |ace. To tuise his spitils, some plaged @or Eames,
some sang ancienl songs and recounledlegends,others
gare teporls oJ lhe lalest ne@s,but Sa\)alh[ga'stace te-
mainedas gloomgas betote.
Once in lhe etening &)hentheg had stopped for the
night, somelocal peoplecomeond told Sa|ualhiAa's escorls
oboul a shaman,the u)isestand holiest of dll the shamans,
toho @asstaging on a nearb! riuer bank, onergrolln @ith
ttees. Thegsaid he could see etetA man's past and Juture
as il it @ete the ptesent unlolding betote his eges
Vondrous @erehis deeds,ptoloundlg tgisehis @ords.. .
Vhen Saoalkiga1tas tolil about the shaman,he @ish'
ed lo see him, but daring not disturb him more thon it
@as absolutelAflecessarg,he @ent to see lhe holg mai
himself@ithall his rctinue.
Vhen he came to lhe pla.e 4rherethe shaman liaed,
he sala him sitting in the dooraag of a hut made of ttee
btunches,eating fruit and @oshingdotbn his lood @ith

O4 seeing all this, Saaaldiga said in a loud uoice:

.Oh, hoa happg is he @ho is satistied @ilh as little
as the shaman herc. The shellet made ol the toots of
tteesprctectshifi tronr the scorchingsun and the pouing
tuin, the trees protide hhn @ilh Jtuit and the spring
gushing out trcm the bank of the rirer 4tilh crgslal'cleat
@ater,and he doesnot ask |or angthing else.Indeed,hap'
pA is the man ahose ege has neoer hnotu)nthe a,iditA ol

"Ho@ tight Aou ate, Maharaia," respondedto all his

e)ords his toad.gishattendants."The tate of lhis shaman
herc is onlg to be eavied in this sea ol misfortunes."
Then Sa,rdlkigasaid, directing his 4,otds to the sha'

" Holr happggou are, ma shaman,fot gour egesdo nol

hno@enog and gou hearl has no desies! your souL is
satisfied@iththe oetg leasl."
"lvhat is the uerll least la a human soul?" ons@ered
lhe shaman'aithoulloohingup a Saoalhiqa. "Thereis nol
a single humon soul in the @orldthal &,ould be satislied
Ilrith the oetA least, Iot il al@aAs hno ts lhat the oerA
least is pa ot the great it keeps longing Iot and
toould lihe to hate. But not "uhich
eoergbod!knou)sa)herethe
gteat is to be found, and euerAbodAheeps laoking Ior
it - but al@agsin lhe @rongplace."
''God bless
aou, oh the holg thrice-bornand @isestot
the lsise rohoseheart is as sereneas a summer eoening
and the sacted @otercol lhe Ganges!" said SaoalkiAa,
bo|ling his head beforelhe man in u)hoseheatt there u)ds

98
no rcom far kama ang more and u]hosesoul @sstrce ol

Vilh his hand on his bosomand his head ba\oed,he

sload like a pupil before his teacher1laiting Iot taotdsof
rsisdomto faII fram his lips 6 a frost-bittenflo|Deru)aits
Iar lhe firsl rags of thc sun. Standing lihe this, he said:
'' Gad bless
!ou!'
The shaman raised his egesand loohed btiellg at the
maharaiaof maharaias,the highest ruler of all, toho @as
standitg beforehitn lihe a man, @rongedbA IiJe, stands
belore his luckier fellol!-being, lihe a urong-daet u)hom
the lichle Jinget af late hod pushedinto lhe arms ol abgs-
fiaI saaness.
Said the shamanto Savalhiaa:
"God blessgou, too, u)hotried to find happiness@here
il cannot be lound. you hape gtound the u)orld u)hichis
familtar to gou under gour Ioot in se ch of honou in
order to learn @hat gou could hate learnt bg foUoi.Ding
the path of @isdom.. .
"God btessgou, too, leho halre been cutsed b! all the
cufsesoJ heaoenand hell. Let gour heart Iind peaceand
gour soul the road lo the land of @isdomand truth!
"MaU gou, a)ho hate distubed the peace of heaoen,
haueKoli's blessings.. ."
Fear gtipped Sal,alhiaaat thoselasl &rotdsol the sage.
Holding out his hands like d man @hohas suddenlgseen
danger,he said:
"Oh Lotd! Oh Lotd!"
Looking do1lnagain, the shamanashed:
"Vlhat do gou @ant, SaualkiAa?Whal Jor haae Aou
cometo this place the peaceol @hichusedlo be distutbed
onlg bA the tustle oJ ttees and the song aJ bitds? Nobodg
@antsto hnou)gou here, nobodgis altaid of gou, nobodg
praises Aou hete @hile holding cutses i his hea . . ."
"I came here, oh lotd, lo heat a @ord of truth, Ior
those@hohaaespohento fte so Jar, those@rholire @hete
I comeJrom, and those @hoaccompangme here, ate tull
of lies. Their tongues onlg hno&)hoto to pronounce[alse
and Ia@ningtootds."
 "Sal)alhiAa,didn't Aou kill the truth in people'shearts
gouse$? lvasn'l it lou @)hotaught them to speakunttuth
and lite bA Lies?'
"you speohbitter truth, mA lord. I no longer heu such
txotds eoen in mg dreams,the! arc as stoeetto mg heart
as the memorgof mg goungetdags."
The shamangot up frcm his seat ond said urith great
moral strenglh:
'lvhat is thete
tor me lo be aJtuid of @henit is me
atho choosesbg m! o@ntrce @ill the @a! thitrgsgo.'
Saging these@rords, he madea lea stepsand sat do1t)n
on a stone lging a gad ot ltt)o from the entranceto
his hut.
Although Saoalkiga heatd these @ord.s,he paid. no
mind to them, for neithet he not those'@horeerethere
teith him couLdgrusp lhei meaning.
So Soralhigasaid again lo the shaman:
'I
tollott)ed,m! lotd, the road @hich the @isdomol
lhe leorld had pointed to me. I follo(eedit in search ol
the gteatesl happinessin the @otld, lot mg heart had
alutoyshno@nit did ?xisl. Thoseu)hoacre mote expeti-
encedin IiJe said lhat happinesscame &)ith honows and
po@et. so I ltied lo attainit in thar @a9...
"l @asadpisedbg lhose'aho said theg hneuta lot ond
had a lot of toorldlg &)isdam.Tell me, m! Iord, tDhether
theg @ete ghl, but it theA lied, ard rng heatt suspects
nou)that the! did, Ilhere is the u)aglo trulh? But perhaps
gou do not hno@it, either?"
Vhile Saoalhiqaspohethus, his ,roicegtelt) Iouderand
Iouder and his lasl t\)otds reuerbetatedin the ab as a
distant thunder.
"There ote a lot ol peaple.xho lhink thea knot! eoetg-
thing. But thea are @rcng,Iot theg do not hno@that thete
is onlg one ttuth, one kind of honesta,one hind ol hno@-
ledge aad one hind ol happinessin the @otld.That truth,
hanest!, knolt)ledgeand happinessorc aLl one u)hole.Eoe-
tgbodg htrol.Dsit in his mind and. heatt, but oain ate
people'sattempts to tind a road @hichmi.ght tahe thenr
thete. But before this road has been tound, the soul ot
the man @ill tind no satisJactionin @hateaerhonouls he
100
might hate, his hea u)ilL not be gladdenedbg success,
and his lite tutll be darhenedbg sadnessLihethe darkest
etenal night. . .
"tvhot peoplecall hnololedgeis but a lie; ruhatpeople
cat trulh is a mistake;@hatpeoplecall justice is but an
uglg iniuslice; ra)hatpeople call happinessis lhe source
ol deceitand disappointment. ..
"The @isepeople @hothinh the! knol! a lot and are
gteallg expe enced,d.eceilrethemsell,esand others, and
lhe @orld subslitutes one [ie for another @hile heeding

"Thete is onlg one grcat iustice and truth @hichliues

in lhe kingdom of hno@rledge but peopledo not toob and
haoe no 1lish to look for the @a! therc, tor theA are sa-
tislied utith @ell-trodden paths.
"Thete is one and onlg happiness@hich lites in lhe
kingdom af lrulh and hno@ledge,but peopledo not tind
the loag lhere and the! are not goitrg to lind it so long
as theg @alhthe 1lell-lroddenpaths.. .
"There is one and onlg honow @hichdoesnot demanil
to be noticed ot respected.lt liaes in the hingdom ol
hnollledge, ttuth and rectilude that people do not trg to
lind a &)agto. Vlhat peoplecall honour is a mistaheand
deception.Theg rcmind of a beggat @hois @alkingalong
the rcad shouling that he is ich. People belieae him
belote lheg tdhe a better looh and then theg see the rags
lhat coxet his bodg. B! shouling the lie the beggat suc-
ceedsin deceiling othersand fotgels his olan hungeronl!
to feel it morc sharyl! later.. .
"you, SaoalkiAa,halte beenitalhing these@ell-trodd.en
palhs and il Aou conlinue to utalh them, gou late @ill
be similar to the |ate of those@hohaue@alkedthesepaths

So spohethe shamanand lhe maharuialistenedlo him.

Vhen he tinished,Saualkigasaid:
"your @ords,mA lod, are aerg @ise.Sho@ me the
u)ag uthich leads to lhe hingdom of truth and @isdomso
lhat I no longet @ralkthe @ell-lroddenpaths but seehtrue
happinessand attain that honofi of hnotoledge.. ."
Theshamansaid [n ans@erto his rDords:
l0l
 'lvhat good teill
it do gou il I lead gou bg the hand
as o blind man? It gou ate reallg a man, be a man and
Iooh fot gout rcad, but don't follour another man's raad."
"The meaningol gour aords is obscurc,mg lord," Sa-
odlhigasaid, "and.I don't underslantthem.'
"ll gou ate Aou, if gour e)orld is not mg @orld@hich
liles in me, gou must lind o u)a! to il gourself."
"And ahere is the beginning ol that aag, mU lotd?"
"lt ts at the point @hercgau u)ill renoun€erphat Aou
thinh Aouate in otd.etto be @hatgou can be.'
'A source @isdom
ol Jlott)sfram lhe place @heregou
ate, mg lotd.," Saaalhigasaid to hifi and smiled like a
man aho @anted,to moch tlrc other man's roordsbecause
he did not lihe them. "l am aeah and g soul is s)earA.
I am blind and mA soul is lhitstg. lvhy don't ljou let me
dinh at Aou saurceand rEashmlJ eges@ilh its aater so
lhol I ran secltght and acquitestrcngth
The shaman hept silence and did not sa! &ngthing.
AIter a u)hileSaoalhigacontinued:
"You sag,mg lord, that lhete ale ls)o reorlds,goursand
mine. V/hat mine is like, eretgbodAhno@sfor I teign therc
and rule lhe people in it like Indtu rules lhe gods in
heauen.V/hatis gour @orld.Iihe?'
Saging these @otds, Saaalhilja smiled; seeing him
smile,alL those@hoturere@ithhtm smiled too.
And said.the shamanto him:
"You sag, Saoalhiga,that gou rule people lihe Indtu
rules gods. Mahataja! Vlater is all the same eterg@here.
tvhen it falls Jrcm the clouds, don't gou call it rain?
Vhen it JtorA)s doan from the mountains to the eallegs,
don't gou call it rilrets? lyhen it spouts cool from @ithitl
the bo1uekof the earth, don't Aou call it springs? But
lhis is not tuin, not tioers, and not sp ngs. It is @ater,
the same utatereterg@here. Am I not ght, Maharuia?'
"Yes, Aouare tight, mg lord."
'lVell,
lhen, Maharaia, and. all those present hercl
Listen to mg @ardsso thdt the hingdom of @isdommag
open before gour eges. There is onl! One in all the
lbotld. One in plentg. Vhen he ueales the u)otldIn
h i m s e $a n d l h r o u g hh i m s e l t@
, e . a t th i m P r a i a p a t i .
102
'tYhen
he urarms and grou)s eletAthing lhat erists, lae
honow him and .alL him AgnL Vhen he @ahensup
lhe da! in earlAmotning,Ile honourhim as Varuna'
and ro:henae liefu nin up @ilh out o@n hands so thol
hp mau seruet)s-.u)ehonouthim ba (alling him Mil to
lvh?n @e Dtou lot help and deliuetancel n d I a is lhP
nameour'lipi pironoun.c. Bul this is all lhe greo! O n e
p
i n t e n t tt, the one Q)ho speahslhrough out lips' the
one r'ho tislens lhrottPh our ears lhe one u'homovesour
hearls in the boson s() that theA mag beal and lioe; the
one ilt)holiues in us, lhe ane @hois I the one and onlg
s o u r c eo l l i f e ,A t m a n , l h e g t e a l P r a i a p a l i
'Thol is rshalI tell
!ou, Mdharaia,o4.l all lhase@ho
honecomehere,"
So sooke the shaman and his face glo@edlihe Varu'
no's foie, and his eAesglislened lihe lndra's eVest!'hen
he loohstitrclhlullAo1 111" 2stlh thtoughlhe clouds.Seu'
dal al thosc teho tistened to hts @o.ds aad uralched
him speohing,lhough! he possessed the great power ol
Iadto, so lheg bo@etllo him in au)eand saicl
"You arc gteal and po@erful You kno!) all the roads
in heaten and earth, ond all the sectets are open lo
'Ve see lhe Po@et in gour face and u)e belieuelhal
lou are lndra, descended on lhe earlh,as aou hate iusl
soid.'
Othets @hodid nat lealch his lace ond did not open
their ed.rsto his toords lhought he &)asas mod as lhose
rtho do not live lor the eafth Theg @ete scared @hen
the! sa1!)and heatd hote their lriends paid lheir respectto

ThenSaaalkigasoid:
"lf gou are 1!)hatyou saa lou are, gino o sign ol gour
powetso lhal I magbelieueVou'
''Didnt t sag it &'asidLeto lPoda man nthois blind
ol sou! alonp ihe road af tsisdom?Bul gaut eges ond
eorsshollopin becosP lhis is mg lrill th? shamansaid
" Maharcia. do peoplesag that he s)ho is bon utill die?"
'yes, mg lord: he @holeas botu must die, and il has
nenerbeenothertoise,"
103
 "And I telt Aou, Saaalhiga,that lhete is no greater
potoerthan the one @hichis tiJe, Vho, being as @eahas
death, coud get the belter of the most po@erful?Vho,
being nothing as death, could gi|)e the beginning to @hat
is euetgthing?I an saging lhis to gou, Maharaia: he
toho liues &)asno! botn, did not rcme inlo existenie and
cannot die, eithet. He @ho lilJes and calls himsell I is
the etemal ATMAN. Akd he @hounderstaod and rc-
cognizedthat he @dsAtman, Ieatnt all the secretsc,f lhe
utorld, and oleraame all lhe obstatles. He is lhe prcot
Ptujapotiand Irc doesnot lear he night die or beTorn.
He does not haue the beginning ot the end for he is
brahman,Lord Alman, rehodestlogssome @otldsin and
thlough hinsell, and.crealesthe olherc like lhe one @ho
has lhe pottet, lhe ctealor oJ lhe reotlds Pruiapati,-and
he toould not be @hal he is if lhe aorlds @etenot born
ot did not die ia hin and lhroughhim.. "
Saaalkiga listened lo the shamon's@otdsmost alten-
lioelg, ahd @henthe laller titrislrcd,he said:
'Mg
lord, a lhought has Ilashed ih mg mind, quick
as lighlning, an aluful thought, but it is dim to me aet
lihe Ihejungleen'Jeloped in mist."
"The lhoughl is oalg arelul to those utho arc afnid of
the ltuth, but il dalons ii lhe mind ol eoer! tuan @ho
Ioohs Jor it ond is not alnid lo lind it,,, ans@ercdthe
shatuan to him. "lust lihe @oler rises to the shu in the
lotm ol uapourto lloat as (louds ol rain in spaceind lhen
lo lall on lhe ea h. so Ptujopali gets otd and dies in
Almon to be botn goung again. But Almon nerer diesand
ls neuer botn. Onlg ds Ptuiopati he changes his loce In
himsell and through himseq... Thot is @hatI am tellins
gou,and l?t those@hohaueeorc and reasohlistenana

"And let eoergonego his otpn@a!.'

"Mg lord, gou plomtse to lind lor me @hotI drcomed
of finding, !)ou prcmise lo heaLmq roounds@hichranhle
in me dag and \ight. Can I, a fian, be so po@e ul es
lo get the belter ol death,can I rise abooe@hat erhts?"
"Maharaja, @henlou shut WW eges lou alo not see
dagliqht, II gou closed gout eges for eter, the sun, shg
104
and stars rAould tlisappear fot Aou, Jor euerg man hcts
the sun and slarc,the da! and night onlg @ithin himsell.
It is not Aou @holbe in the &)otld.,but the @otLdLktes
in gou. It is botn through Aou, it gets old through lou
atd dies in Aou,but it is not Aou'@hod.iein it. . ."
So.ualkigaand those @ho@eretoith hirn lell into deep
thought. And then again thell &,ondetedat the shamdt's

"IVho is this man @ho saas such strange @otds to

us?"
Tdhinga step lorleatd, Satalhiga said:
'Then, alL mV lile has been a lie, onlg a dream...
lvhat I haoedone,@hatI ha|)esoughtto allain..."
Tahinganotherslep,he asked:
"you speahrlilh great @isdom.lVho are gau?"
" I am Atmon @hoctealesthe skg and the earth, tvho
tells the statsand lhe sun to'@olkin the shg and make
dag and night. . .
"l am the one 1!ho stands above @hat is good and
enil, abol)esadnessand jo!, misery and happiness,abolre
pain and jolitg... I atu the one s)hois aboL,ebirth and
death; lhere is neilher good not bad fot me, neitherallatd
nor punishment.I am the creator of eperything that
exists. I am I and lhere is nobadlJelse I!,ho tsouLdlite
in me. I am the one aho has understoodthat he is the
one and only omnipotentcreatorol the e)otds @hichhaLre
e:dsledand zEillexist,Iot all ol them are me - lhe etetnal
Atmon.. .
'l @hohas
tound the @agto truth am speakinghere.. .
Let those t!,lro lwte ears and reason lislen and under-
standit."
1)lhile he rA)asspeaking lhus, ane ol lhe escotts ap
ploachedSalralkiAaand said to him:
'Oh Maharaia, I think this man gou are listening to
is the one u)ho lioed in Vour falhet's palace as lhe son
of brchmanBruhadashua."
lYhenthe othet men heord.these1!)otds,theg rccognized
AtiVanapriga and said:
"Vetl, rcallg, this is the man i.aeused to hno@and
call bg the tuameof Aliqtuna? ga. "
105
 "He is reallg the mon aho lett gow fathe/s palace
fot the d.esettl@ice.. .'
"Ve thought he @as dead, lor @e haae net)er heard.
angthing about him since the daA he disappearcd."
Listening to lhese aords and loohing inlo the man's
face,Saoalhi\a said:
"Mg lotd, I see nolJ, too, lhat gou ate rcallg the man
toho 'oas mg brcther's friend and \ehotu ae all called
Atiprcnapiga."
"I am reaLlgthe man lou usedto call Atipranaptiga.. .-
The othets, tu)hohad beenlislening to his e)ords,also
(ameup ond said:
'You said
Aou had akaalJsbeenand u)ouldaheagsbe.
But there are peoples)ho hnet! low tathet and.Aou @hen
Aou |oerc a child. Ve also hne@and sa-d)Aau @hengou
sefe loung, and no19aau are a gfarsn-upman,"
The shaman ansu)eredthose @hospahe to him:
" Eterylhing lou sag and eLtergthingyou saAgou hno@
[s a dteam and a lie, brought about bg gour.,!ish to see
itr athers some part ol gour ou)n lite. But he lrho aants
to a@ahen,shall @ake up and then he shall face the

And again Satalkiga, lhe gteot mahataja,ruler of ma-

nu countries,said:
'Then @hA
haoen'tI aakened.up os gau saA I should,
Ior I do u)ant to @aheup- Please I!)ake up m!) soul iJ
gou can, ancl make il see the truth as gou see it gourself
tace to face.. ."
"S1.Deetds honegis the steepol life, but hno@te(lge is
cLshatd and hpaugas lhe mounloit1s gou sep when gou
lacelhe norlh.Is lour tsishand tenglhgrca! enoughlo
bearthis heauuload?"
"lt is, mg lord.., I thinkit is..."
"AU tight. Let gour soul ae)ahentrcm lhe sleep...''
Saging this, he tooh Sapalhiga blJ the hand, sat him
on the slone he himself llas sitting on, lookedinto his eAes
and said:
"Saoalhiga,hnollr@hatAouarc!'
Those @ho slood nearb! thought the maharaja had
suddenlgtallen asleep.. .
106
 But he @as truaelling tn expanses tohere there utas
neilher gesletdoA nor toda!, @here lhete @as neither this
nor that place, in expanses @hich @ere neither high nol
Io1r... He t)os ttuuelling in e)cpanses @ltich had no be-
ginning and o end, no light and no darhness... He s)as
l r a ' t ) e l L i na gs A T M A N .
lvhen the shaman louched him on lhe shoulder, Sa-
MLhiAa laohed alound 6 a man @ho had been brc)ught to
mootland.s in his sleep and lelt there bA his enemies lo
die lot he could not lind his wag bach... Coueting his
eges u)ilh his fu1nds, SatalhiUa butst inlo bitter tears
@|tichtolled douDr his cheehsbetu)eetrhis Iitrgers.
All /ns retinue slood bU in gteat arandet.
Then Saralhiga rcse, anll saging not a silgle'aord
to angone, @ent on his ,!aA @hich tooh him to lhe moor
in lhe directian opposite to his gild.ed tents.
lvhen those c)ho had all.DaAsaccompanied him euerg-
@heretried lo follou) him, Salralki.la Jorbade them to and
to[d lhen to go bach @heteaerlheq tgished.. .
Nobodg hneto and nobodg has eoer learnl e)hete he

People haoe neuer seen Saualhiga ang mote, the hap-

piest ma'r and gteatest Mahataja in the @otld.

For theif poetryand conlribuiionto the iriendlyrela-

tions betweenLithuaniaand India the Lithuanianpoets
EduafdasMieielaitis and Vacys Reimerishave been
awardedthe JawaharlalNehruPrize.
Back from the presentationcefemonyin India, Mieie-
laitiswrote:"I mustconiessI discovered Indiaonly during
my third visii to the counlry.Only {hen did I understand
what was India and what wealthol art, poetfyand beauty
was hiddenboth in its remotepast and its present.Where
elsein the world can you find sucha country,grey-haired,
wiseand beautiiulIikemother?
And suddenlyI understood how much I neededIndia.
I neededit ior my poetrywhich,I teel,has become richer
.rr'i1h
newmotils,new coloursand the unendinginspiralion
t07
lrom the deep resourcesoi Hindu philosophy.It is not
to delve into great
easy to reach it, for it is necessary
depths.But the difiicult task gives a lot of joy and
satisfaction."
Here is somepoetryby EduardasMiezelaitisand Va'
cys Reimeris.

Eduatdas MieZe l4itis

MENTAL EXERCISESIN THE AIANTA BUDDHIST
CAVES

A man comeup lo a high mountain and knelt at ils lool.

And.said.the mountainlo him, "Split me, I shall be gour
guatd."
And said the rioer, "Drale some @atet,put it to loul
lips-
you'Il slahe gout thkst in m! cool efletoescenlstream."
And said the bird @hichcitcled round the mountain in
the sk!,
"Slag me teilh gour slltift otrol! and appeaseyoul
hunger, man."
And said the doe, "l'll help aou and let *, O::;:ff;.:.

And said lhe mango tree, "Bend do@nm! boughsand

taste rng f ruit."
And said the bultalo, "Put on mg loins a heatg aohe.
Plough up a plot oJ land, so@ it erilh rice and eat gour
liu.'
And saiil the colt)," I in mg udderhalJesomemilh tor gou."
And said the otange lree, Pro", gord"n"
::ur:r:orn"rdr."
And said lhe rcse, "l'll pleasegour saddened
"* U7#^".,,
And said the bnd, "lvith mg su)eetloice I'LL charm laur
ear"
And said lhe lighlning, "Take mg light and light a cosg
tite,
It'lI keeplou @armal homeand giue lou glaaing lighl ot
night."

108
The man did listen to the mountain,rioer, bitd and tree,
To lyhat the doe, the buttalo, the lightning had to sag.
He bent his head, knitted his brotosand stafted to
rcf lect -
The earth that he no@had to shouldet seemeiLtoo big
for him.
He rcalized he couldn't split the mountain on his ou)n,
He couldn't dtinh up all the aater lrcm the crystal

Ot pluck the fruils that so abundaotlggr". th: [:::.

So he began lo carue a gross grim idol trom "n a rcck.
Vhile geltitLg d.o1!nto reoth,he must have ehtertained
a thought
To mahe his lileless idol in the imoge of himselt
So lhat lo Jrce himselt lrom cares and @ith this idol
share
The land, high noutains and the ctAstalslrcam ol a sroift.
'lhe
@ork s)as slotg- But then at last the rcch granted

He ttied to talk to it. The idol @as,r"rUrrt "Ijli'

And then lhe man, beset b! feat, put at the ido!'s leet
A loaf oJ bread, meat, ce, sofie oranges and a iaeel

|-he man-madecreature took,as il it @ere ni" o.n, o't1""'

land.s,
The slreams of ctgstal l,alet, roses,birds, blossoming

Themon. bendingthe hneeto hisgtim idot. r, O,rjl"tlOt'

lVould beg lor iis oan snare, i if it were lor saiing

So kneeling at his idot's teethe humbtg r"id hb pf:;::;

And lot each gtain of ice and eoergtruit he plucked
Sincerelglhanked his onlA mostet anil his gracious loral.
lnoaiablg the idol ansllercd @ith o stong smile...

But said the mountain, "l'm o mountoin, I am at Aoul

feet."
And said the riaer, "l'm a rh)er, I am frce to o@.'
And said to him the bid, "l am a bid, I'nr ttee to tlg.'
109
And said the tree, "l am a trce, I bear mV truit lor Aou."
And said the doe," l am a doe, I'm Irce lo climb lhe
slopes."
And said the tose, "l 6m a rose, I'm Irce la bud and
bloom."
And satu the tield, "l on a field, I'm Iree to giae tpu
food:'
And said the lightning,'1 am light, I lrcelg run thrcugh
@ires."
The man @hohelplessl! ads kneelingal his idol's teet -
At his cteation that had tubbed him ol his boundless
@eauh -
On hearing that, afiazinglA a@ohetrom his bad dteam
And told his idol, "l'm a man and I am also ftee."
And suddenlAthe cruggA mountain and a hundred.trees,
The mountain stteam, lhe doe, lhe mello'a truils borsed
do@nto him.
The man agoin loohedat lhe godlihe idol, and he sdv)
lust a dull image of himsell. Thus he alt)oke- the man.
Transla|edhy Lionginas Pazasis

E duardas MieZe laitis

SNAKECHARMER

A snakechormetinscrulablgsits in lhe street

@ith a round @ichetbasketplaced ight at his feet.
lf a passerb| puls a small coin on his palm,
he @rilllake the lA oll e)ith habitual calm.
Like a ribbon ol smoheItum the tire to lhe shies,
a big cobra

beforeloM letg eges.. .

Il atises, statls t!rcathing ils ne.h here and thete,
as il @inds @etedistubing greA smohein the air.
Thenthe cobtu gets angra:
tull ol halted and tuge,
it atlemptsto attack and to bite ils otencage...
ll0
But lhe mon tahesa pipe and lo checkthe atatm
he beginslo appl! ils mgsletious (harn.
Slott)l! out of the pipe,
lihe a snakeon its @oA
Ircm an old holloro lrunk Iallea inlo decag,
rj'rigglesout
o caressinglgquopetingsound...
That stoeet lingeing tune u)taps lhe cobra atound,
its slim bodg slarts sloaging@ilh somnol,entease
just like smohelloating up in lhe slumbeting btee?e.
Analthe music to tohichil cohtinueslo surag
lakes lhe snake to the jungle, a long @agatDaA,
I9here,shpn goungerand lree, il aas runninga ra(e

ond bight bulterllies

ilting @)ithgtoce
and @hereonceon a carpetol beaulitulllo@ers
il @as@ailing
lo meet its sloeetmale
for long hours,
and cicadas@ercliddling @hen,losl in a ttonce,
lhe l@ocobtasteioiced.in a'aild toeddingdance...
So lhe cobta keepl@istingos il in a doze,
still unablelo lwn Irom the pipe its heengaze.,.
Thepipe lurns lo lhe side,
and the snahedo6 the some-
Iollen undet ils spell,it loohshotmlesslgtome...
Vlile lhe chartueris piping,
lhc cabtumustdance., ,
(. . ..ehocan doubtat this momentlhat musicenchanls?..)
But the tune unmistakablgdtvindlesand tires,
il ctolels back to the pipe and completelgexpires...
Here the cobta'ssLaeeldrcam prctuptlg comesto an end..,
Like a s1ltfulof gte! smohe,
il beginslo descend.. .
It rcheats to the bashet,unhappgond shg,
and doesnot rise again to the blue summershg.

Ill
 Vith his basket @ell cooereiland put at his feet,
the snake chatmer sits dozing again in lhe strcet.
Bombag
Ttanslaledby Lionginas PaZisis

VacAs Reimetis
INDIA
ll'langtimes
trcm the Baltlc teind|
I lnd Jlolonto Aouin mg dreams.
Lihe a gteat heatt to me, o India,
on lhe map lour outline seems.
Eoer thrcbbitlg,
sufleting, bleedihg,
in the shachlesol slalery hept,
Iihe a butlet g, geaning Ior treedonr
lhat heart Iluttercd and softl! u)ept.
Youla! u)ounded,
CeUlon
seemeda blood-drop.
And, bercftof treedomand btead,
like tishes
tesemblitlg eachother,
shoalsof gearc,fut ol sultering,sped.

But lot Asia, too, da@nhosrisen.

Thecolonialistslost theb hold.
lndia's btohenthe bars ol her ptison,
thoughher heatt still aches,
as ol old.

Yes,
I sato gofi deep@ounds

n2
of the Baltic breeze.
Bul -
l noticed
aour salt teols Qteredrging
a\d gour PuLse
beat@ilh oigot ond ease.

Yes,

boundlesslghappg.
And no@,thot ogoitlee?e oqorl,
in gour age-old
long-sulleringpatience,
Aou'll rctuinclme
o greal and looing heatl.
TrAnslaledby Dorian Rollenberg
* SovietLilerature,1972,No. 6, pp l35-136

Vacgs Reimeris
A COMPLAINT
ln gre!-old Benorcs,
B! a lhich banAanlrce,
Hauing poid on lhe spol ltuo brcsscoins.
Mid an odd gaping ctotod
I @asstanding lo see
Ho@o llultering dancetperlorfis.

On the tabot he plaAed

llilh his drg boig hands,
His stselledlingers did not comelo rest,
And I head not the labol
Petlatming lhe donce,
But the da\.et's dtg skeletalchest.
'[ranslaledby LionginasPaZisis

The influenceol Indianculiureand literatur€hasbeen

exp€riencednot only by the oldergeneration
ol Lithuanian
I l3
artists and writers but also by representatives of ihe
youngergeneration,poels in parlicular. Original and
creativetransformations oi Indian poetictraditionscan
bedetectedin the poetryoi JonasJuskaitis,SigiiasGeda,
Aldona Puisyte,Vladas Baltuskeviiius, AllonaasBukon,
tas, VioletaPaldinskait6.
Althoughthe Indianthemeis not
always well delined in the works ol the middle and
youngergenerations of lhe Lithuanianwriters, a magic
rellectionoI the thousand-year-old
Hindu spirjtualexpe-
rienceand the depthol its thoughtcan be lelt in many
a pageof their books.
We ofler the reader a handlul of poelry written by
Lithuanianpoetsol the middlegeneration.

Sigitas Geda
F r c mB IL H A N A
THREEBLUE G,4R'ANDSIN REMEMBRANCE
OF'CHAURA PANCHASHI KHA'
SecondGarland
I also hno@u)hatI aanled to soA:
dolDninto the tatines al sand and limestone
the riaers llorD,tt)hileI am hotding Aau
in an abgssof light, u)hilerootsshoot up
anclspreadin the deepsea,enchanlednighls
lill up the ea h @ithgleaminglirc 1!)hicnstteams
Jrom mg o@4lips; a botlomplant unlotds
like a demue bilingual, and the @ind
ossailsond bIindsm?.sompltamingnothing
tepeatsilsell quitenulelAin the nighl.
and snoltstormstage around,@hilegou a se
and go a&)aAlhis purposelesscold night,
disconsolalelgloakingtot a stat.
I also hnolo@hatI &)antecl to sa!:
ouet the fields in the pale soullessmaonlight
mg aoiceutill slit be ringing, in the distance
it @ill be shining lihe @hilelruits, but then
I'll oeil tugse$in deepershA-blue,then
I t4
o blacheningbitd-cheftgttee @ithbitlel
ripe |ruits and drcoping fa|'lihe leaaes@ill bting
a rumau - lhus Ior us it druIls near autumn;
lhe santlbanhsglea ,aith beadsol ro@anltees,
olef the precipiceslthilher grclJelrolls
a slar slatts t@inklingslotltlglloaling bg,
os int ical elA-struclut ed gIo@itrg .o tal
I shall be touchinglou talling asleep

I also hno@u)halI Q)anledto sag:

besidelhe broadsol ctlstal streatus,gout godens
sill also tipen ttuils, on haoing named
an alder trce,an olile tree,a rced, lhe @ord
Iihe a lehitegod t!)asfloaling in lhe distance,
il leas a siluergbrighl berrg'shrub,
a shad.o.! ol the dag @hichleils lhe earth;
loroatd.slour gold, to@atdsglou mellolp moonlighl'
toaotds lhe s)indlessl@ilighl ol Aout lips
it bentgteen stalks of calamus,il shol!)ed
lhe shellAbotlom,shodot!)guoid nolhing,
lhe crescenlsol a tlolleted face,ol snou)
lging ashorcand lroslg lips llere deepening,
delugedbg the erpansesol the distance.
Third Aarhnd
I also hnol!)@hatI @onleallo s49:
the bird.salrcadgsing in the earlh's lorch gtotes,
ou dreamsagain arc blighler allet @ihtet,
lhe shglineof lhe mountoins,and lhe chords
of lhe bitd-chety s@agingneot oM home-
lhe @indis cotchingsilentl! ils shades,
and bloodkeepsoozingfrcm lhe togalaards;
like a @hilethistledoll)n,a summerpigeon,
lhe lioelAsunrogol a giLdedmorning
t!)iII glide alshile ouer goo naEedshoudet
and then @ill slide into god's gloomgt@ilighl,
but still gour egesare shining lihe a lLo@er
in the blue tinted breathingdeplhsof tields,
@eha|)ebeenslolks ol nolhing, @ithno place,
gou sombtealdet lrce, loh! did gou IIve,
ll5
.ohAdA gou needAoM deathand senseless life,
if theghad not spteadthe @hiteteal ol toae
in the rcsoundingpalace,u)ild and greg.

I also knol.Du)hatI aanled to sag:

onceat the tar edgeof the icg seas
ae @ete.conlined. to stag, the @inds utere raging,
the @eightless silhouettesol @aues,lhe (tdrh
red shapesof roses,ltsiblg disto ed,
1oellould hate died u)ith thist, mean@hile ou loue
hept lookingJor strcg birtts, the limestoneshote
and the strange touchesof a hotnbeamtrce.
but then at last @eu)okeand satothe cha&A
stoneand the moon,lorDardsthe luslrousnames
n e Isent,some@orm|loodsstood benl at the gate,
rD.hil"the da.h strcla apn! on trucktng, splirt-ing:
.losc Io his ltelted lorehcad,!tces lot;ahen,
aotn by thc ltosls. tler. tising lo the dae)n,
so @etetheb putple crc@ns,thei silent rcots,
lh? salin?sea.- @eall aerc makingptu{e\s
lo@arclslhc summet,.Dhich aas doomedrc loue.
'franslaled
by Li.onginasPaausis

Violela Paliinskait i
A CANDLE

Again I'm drcaminglndia. Benign,

brisk blarh.pgedchildren in my u.)aga.p standing.
and an old setaantlike in an old shrine
upon the staitcaselighls Iot me a candle.

Again I'm dteamingIndio. I need

its centuriedexperienceand seclusion,
teheteclochsallot me lime at a slo@speed
and time itseq seemslike a lagae illusion.

Again l'm dreaminglndio. In calnr

I'll searchthe boohol s)isdomit discloses,
I 16
 otrd @ofien once agaitu@i rcod fig Pabn
qnd put upo mg rcch o @reothof rc'es.

Agaln I'm dtedmt rg hdld. At dush

I see o cro@dinto lhe Conges hnzeurg,
theh tdces anl 44 elephtnl', slraige nQth
undet @hlchgod heepsh,s oab lbce conceollng.

Agolr I'm dream,ng l\dla, I see

a aoma\ lltt h.r pitcher by th. handL,
ond on oU servdnl otrceitgah tor fie
obedientlg and colmlg llght o condle.
Translatedby lbngiMs Pdrtisis

I
I
 - Oncewhen I was walkinground Delhi in the evening
I saw a groun oi poorlydfes.edpeoplecarryingrorchei
AII lhe passers.by quicklymovedout of their riay. Thev
disaplearedbeforeI could underslandwherc thev hai
comeJromor wheretheywcrc goingto. perhapstheywere
t h e U n l o u c h a b l eI sn.d i r n so f l h e S u d r ac a . r e ,w h o r f c
considereduncleanand wilh whom physicalconlact is
considered" defiling by lndiansoI highercastes.Or ma].
oe sone ol grcat many religiousgroups.
MahatmaCandhitook greal careoi lhe Unlouchables
as a part oi the nation which was tramDlcdbv others.
Once one oi the Unlouchables wroie a lettcr to Gandhi
in whichhe suggestcd thai peonleshouldrefcr lo rhemas
Cod'schildren- harijans,and ,skcd Gandhiro helDrhem
get rid of the hurniliatingtcrm of rcfcrcnce,the Un-
touchables. Mahatmaliked the ideaand his powerfulvoice
r€sounded in India ufging peopleto opcn {heir eyesand
do awaywith the age.longshame.
T]le governmentdid a lot to help the poor, a great
nunber ol wells, inns and schoolsvere built. a l;t of
new jobs created. With JawaharlalNehru'sapprovalgood
brick houseswere built in Delhi where thi-numbe'rol
theseGod-forsaken peoplewas as high as a rnillion.Neh.
ru s motherwas the first brahmanin India who oubliclv
accepted foodlrom a harijans hands.
ln places which are a long distancefrom cities anal
representatives of the oificial authorities,harijans have
no rights eventoday.Newspzpers ofien carry newqaboul
placeswhere it is prohibitedfor lhe harijanr to draw
wat_er from the conrmonvillagewell or entera temple.
I was valking about in the streetson a windv and
118
relativelycool morning. Approachinga rich quarter I
stoppedat a jewelry shop.Not many can sland against
the temptationoi thesesparklingstonesespecially when
they are iold that wearing one oi them can saleguard
theif owner from misfortune.Who wouldn'i like to have
oneoi suchstones?
I turnedround and round this quarterol two-storied
housesbut the shopdid not open.Only a man wearinga
fed impressive turban and nicelycombedbeardcameout
and sat down ai ihe door. I thoughthe was perhapsa
Sikh, but I could see no comb in his hair and no steet
braceleton his wrist. I could not takc my eyes from
him. I was impressed by his siillncss,nothingseemedto
be able lo make him losc his composureand spiritual
concentration which the Westernerstry so hard to learn
from thc lndians.
SuddenlyI saw a liltle man, dresscdin poor black
clolhcs,coning along thc strcetwith a box in his hand.
\\'alking past the man in the red turhan he caughi his
almost impcrceplible motion,bent down to thc ground,
approached the rnan,sel a loldingchairbesidehim, placcd
his woodcnbox in his lap and openedit. Thcn he put
somedropsot water on his lingers that meanthe wa-
s h e dh i s h a n d s - l o o k a t h i n s m a l ls i i c k a n d p u s h e di i
carel!lly inlo thc man's ear. Thcn retricvedit, wipcd it,
pul il away, and look a secondand then a third stick.
Throughihe fourlh one he blcw into the ear and had a
goodlool(il it was well cleaned,thcn he repeatedevery_
thing wilh the otherear- The job oi cleaningeats is not
ditficull and the man performedil beyondreproach.His
remuncrationuslally dcpendson what his cmployeris
thinking about at thc momeni.This time the litfle man
was rewardedvery amPly,the ernployer's hand held out
a rupee.The little man put his hands logether beiorehis
breast, bowed and went happily away hoping he will have
anotherinvilationto do a similarjob.
The sceneseemedto have been periormedspecially
ior me. I think the little man was a Sudra.Now when
I hear the nameof this casteI alwaysremember thai lit'
lle man cleaningthe ears ol the man in the red turban
llg
 on that windy morningin Delhi.Theybelongto the oppo-
site sides of the gulf ot social inequalitydividing ihe
casles.
- In India I was also greatlyimpressed by small shops.
Each one is a veriiablemuseum,Iull ol beautilul.inim-
itable things, both cheapand expensivcso lhat every
client can find somethingaccordingto his meansand
taste.If the clientwantslo seehow thesethingsare being
produced, he is invitedto openth€ door into [he adjaceni
room or the patio.A grey-hairedIndian is bendingover
a strelched canvas,embfoidering a paradisebird and llow-
ers vith a gold thread.He greetsthe visjtor with a smile
and immediatelygoesbackto his work. ln anolherpatio
a v e r y y o u n gb o y i s m a k i n ga s i l v e rl r a y s i l t i n ga i r h e
w a t t u n d e ra c t o l hr o o l .I I i s h i n d sa r c w c a v i n ga c o m D l i _
catedfatlern ot filigree.This kind ol work cjn be donc
only by the sensitivehandsof a child watchedover bv
his young sharpcyes.The thin silver thrcadand almosj
transparentleavesof gold are madeinto unearthlymas.
t e r p i e c eMs .i l l i o n so f I n d i a n se a r nt h e i rt i ' , i n gb y m a k i n g
jewelry, polishing and cutting preciousst;ne;. India;
souvenirsand handicraftare known all over the world.
Indian vases, lrays, candlesticks,rcading lamps and
jewelrycan be lound in LithuanianshoDsas well_
I n d i a n f a b r i c sa r e s i m p l y f a n L a s t i cA.r h o r n cl h a d
always.passedindilferentlyby the windowsof drapcry
shopsfull of wollen,cotton,silk and linen cloths.iheii
coloursnevefcatchingmy eye as if lhcy werc nol thcrc.
In lndia it was absolutelydiflerent.It seemedthat all
the colourcand huesoi the world were revealingjn Da-
slashvamedh Street,Varanasi,and the sarisflutieringin
the light breezeattractedthe passersby's eyes liki a
magnel.
I did not know how I found mysell inside a shop.I
was oftereda seal right under a ventilalor,a small bov
immedialelygave me a bo[le of iced juice wilh a straw
and the shopassistantaskedme wher€I was from.when.
and v/hy I had cometo Delhi,whetherI liked the citv or
not and only thendid rheparadeoi lhe fabricssrart beiore
my eyes.New and new cuts were laid out in front ol
120
me growing inio a high mountain.Wherell/as now the
first or the twellth they had shownme? I becamesimply
dizzy.Nothingseemed to be nroreimportantthan a length
ol the thinnestsjlk. To buy a sari, half a sari, for my wife
in the bestshopol India suddenlybecanre the chiei pur-
poseoi my trip.
li lhe buyer is rich or sofl-hearted he pays what he
is askedto pay at once-Ii he knows better,he olferslwo
thirds oi the price asked.Then at ihe impcrceptible mo.
tion oi the ownerot the shopa new bottleof juice arrives
and the convcrsationcontinues.If there are no more
clientsin the shopthe ownerol lhc shoptakcshis only
clicnt to a largc shedin lhc backyafd whefethe workcrs
are dyeing thc cloths, pressingrows oi the unending
caravanol elephants with woodcntemplatcs as it vas done
a thousandor even lhrec thousandyearsago... This is
ihc placc where lhe sublle diiferenccbclwecnmachinc-
ptoducedproductsand thc oncsthat conlelrom ihe hands
oi thcse workers is creatcd... To Icavc the shop alter
that withoutbuyinganythingis too awkward.
When I unwrappcdthe purchascin Vilnius,our room
wassuddcnlyiilled wilh wondcriulcolours.I had nol even
noticcdwhen I bought it in India that in the electric
light this iransparenliabric changedcolourand sparkled
in dilferenthucs.I saw my wiic's radiantlacc and again
I fclt I was sitting in thc shopin Dashashvamedh Streel,
Varanasi.
Indian women are good guardiansoi the domcstic
hcarlh,they ieachtheir childrento seebeanty,love cvery
living being and have patience.Marfied women go out
to work only when pfessedby extremepoverly.Having
a job is regardedas an obstaclein lhe caring for the fa-
mily and thc childrcn.With lhcir mothcr'smilk lndian
womenacquirca rare gift, love ior bcauty.They get up
early in the morningin orderto decorate the path leading
out from iheir bomewith colouredsand,petals,pebbles
and shells arrangedin patternsoi their own invention
or copiedfrom nature.During feslivalslhey inscribeone
another'spalmswiih slrangesignswhich,nalurally,wear
out in a day or two. But doesn'tour memorystorehun-
t2l
 dredsoi spectacles which we saw only lor a short mo,
ment? And here I rememberMahatmaGandhi'swords
thal only a womancan ieachpeoplehow lo bring order
I n r o r h r sc o n t u s e a d n d d i s q u i e t i n$go r l d . W e l l , i t . s l h e
women'syears,ihe r,vomen's era. II human intelligence
cannor.save us from decrfucrion. perhapsit will be"done
D yl n e n u m a nh e a r t . . ,
O n c eI,a t ei n t h e e v e n i n gR. a m a c h a n d,rnad I w a n d e r _
ed to the streeisner,rer vi\ited by Ioreignerrand srayed
rn one ol Lhemunlil midnighL.The slfeer $a5 decorated
w i l h l e 5 l o o nosi r i b b o n sa n d b l i n k r n gc o l o u r e ldi g h L ro, n
Ine pavementlhere \rere caapeisof ilowers and peLal5,
loud musicwas playing.The spectacle was lantastic.It
wasa weddingparty.Thewholestreelseenled to be smil-
i n g . s p e a k i n gc.l a p p i n gd, a n c i n g s. r n g i n g l. h c b t i n k i n g
l i g h l s. n a l c h i n gl h e c o l o u r so l l h e w o m e n . . a r i 5 o u Lo J
the darkness,Therewere very many \romenancl noL a
s i n g l eo n e o f r h e mw o r e l h e s a m ec o l o u r l. n I n d i al l i 5
almostimpossible to seeiwo womendressedin the same
way lor Indianwomenknow evenmoreways of dressing
than Parisianwomendo.
Ramachandra explainedto me the Indian wedding
customs. In everyprovincethey are diilerent,but theyalso
nave somecommonetements-the b.ide and the bride_
groom are always sprinkledwith the holv \\,aterol tbe
Ganges,theyeat a morselof meltedbulterand honeyand
they are laken round a sacredfire.. . I rnust sa),"thai
betweenIndian and Lithuanianweddingcustomsthereis
some similarity-the Lithuanianbride and bridegroom
alsousedto walk threetimesrounda sacrediire, a lriest
usedto smeartheir lips with honey,and the bridewlshed
her husband's leet and wipedihem with her hair...
A bull'shidewouldn'tbe enoughto describe an Indian
wedding.The only drinks servedat an Indian wedding
are sweatened tea and brolh,but the merry-making is n;
lessintensefor that.
I had the good lortuneto participateat severalwed-
dings,somewereposh,othersrathermodesi.
WhenI tirst saw a hugecrowdof peoplewiih lorches,
musicians, rows of carls and cars not lar from my hotel,
122
I thought it was some national lestival.India without
festivalsis no India. Thereare all sortsof festivals.The
nations characteris best revealedat a iestival.Ii yori
havehad ihe goodluck to be presentat one of the great
Indian lestivals,you can salelysay thal you know India.
But when I saw the shining moon-likeiace oi the
bridegroomborn under a decorated canopyI understood
il was a wedding.I joined the crowd and went together
with everybodyelse. Soon we approached a path lined
on bothsideswiih a carpetoi ilowersand petalsarranged
in the most beautifulornamentsand patierns.What a
harmonyof colours!The path iook us into a festooned
great hall sparkling with colouredIights Iike a royai
palace.All the guesisapproached and congratulated the
bfideand the bfidegroom sittingon a plaiiorm.How many
gueslswere there?Perhapsa thousandot maybeeven
mote,
But ihe path ol llowerswas taking us iurther on. In
somedistanceI saw a canopy,decoraiedwith beautilul
ornaments, and strewnwith flowers.Even its postswere
festooned with llowers.It was to be the placeoi rhemain
cefemonyol the wedding:herc sacredwords would be
pronounced and a sacrediire burned,
I \Vassorry I had no Indian ffiend there who could
explainto me what was goingon. I jusl sat togetherwith
everybodyelse and walked aroundtill I was bored.At
last I iollowedthe path which led out into the night.
AII the trees and shrubs were sparkling with electric
lights.Theycreateda specialalmosphere as if ihc heaven
had sentto the earth a myriadof slars.On the way back
to my hotel I saw lhe servantsand the carriersoi lhe
canopyresling on the ground.They also wore beauiiful
clothes.The litter on which they had carriedihe bride'
groomwas slandingby. I camecloserto them and took
a good look at their iaces,- ihere was no sadnessin
lhem.TheyweredreamingabouLthe wedding,a rich wed-
ding of strangers.
On anotheroccasion,when through my window in
CalcuttaI saw an opencar beingdecoraled, I immediately
understood therewas going to be a wedding.Naturally,

t23
 I was curious.I admiredthe dressesol the womenand
their beautifiedlegs and palms. It seemedthat all ihe
coloursoi the rainbowwere alreadythere and no more
shadescould possiblyexist,but miracllouslythe arrival
ol eachnew car addeda new sari of an lnseenhue.The
womensmiledholdingout their handsgracefully.I felt
awkwardconscious of my everydayappearance, not sure
what I was expectedto do with the profferedhand covered
with brown signs.
I also had an opportunilyto observea weddingon
the ElephantaIsland.It was attendedby the eniire local
popuialion.The island resounded with music,lhe bride-
groom sat separatelyirom the bride,surroundedby his
relativesand friends.Therewas a differentatmosphere,
differentcoloursand values:ihere was no luxury, the
lestive appeaiancewas modest and simple. Oniy the
flashing white teeth and the dark brown skin of the
guestswerethe sameas at any other gatheringwherealter
the day's hard monotonous work peopleare broughtto-
getherby merry music.It was a festivalnot ot the bride
and bridegroom alone,but of all the peopleof the island,
lor commonjoy is alwaysgreater.

The ancientLithuanianshad many customs,someol

which wefe rather similar to thoseof the Indians.Lith-
uaniancustomswere also accompanied by certainrites.
Every Lithuanianman, just as eyery Indian, always
dreamedoi having a son. To that end men observed
certainmagic rituals as, for example.going to bedin cap
and boots.They also closely observedtheir pregnant
wives' fac€s:if therewere brown spotson her lace,she
was going to give birth 10 a daughter,il her face was
brightand freefrom spois,a sonwas coming1olhe world.
Besidea newly-bornbaby a iife was kept burning till
he was givena namein orderto frightenawayevil spirits
and demons. Whenthe babywas born,he was iirst shown
lo the iathe. and ihen to the mother-For twelvedaysthe
moiher did not communicate with any outsidefsand lor
)24
forty daysshekept within the limiis of her own land,lor
if shewent into otherpeople's tieldsshecouldbring harm
to their cfops.Aiter the birth ol the baby,ihe parentsand
th€ midwile always perlormedcertainriie in honourof
the goddessZemgno,Laima and the god Petkltnos.Be-
fore baptismbabieswere washedwith the water of the
sac.edspringsor rivers.The paganbaptismalriluals sur'
vived Iong alter the introductionof Christianity.People
werelorcedto baptizetheir babiesin churchbut immedia-
tely after it they hastenedto washofi ihe Christianbap-
tism in the waterof a sacredriver accordingto the ancient
customs.
Wrilten sourcesand iolksongstestitythat in the Baltic
lands the womanhas alwaysoccupieda specialplaceof
'fhc PtussianCode
importanccever sincethe StoneAge.
(lwa Prulenotum)ol 1340includeda law accordingto
w h i c ht h c p u n i s h m e nolf a m a n i o r w o u n d i n go r k i l l i n g
!r womanwas lwice as heavyas ihat of a womanii shc
woundedor killed a man. Laler. tlle LilhuanianSlalule
also providedthat the ransomior killing or woundinga
woman had to bc twicc as large as that for killing or
\voundinga nran. Even today a marricd woman is in
chargeo[ the housckcysand homeeconomy.
With lhe development of agricullutcand stockiarming
a man'sphysicalslrengLhacquireda spccialpriority and
thc rolc of the womanin the iamily chrnged.Matriarchal
arrangcment was supcrceded by pairiarchy.Peoplelived
in big iamiliesthe traditionsoi which couldbc found in
Lithuaniaas late as the I9th century.
With the developmenl of variouspropertyforms big
iamiliesfell apart.Small rnonogamous lamiliesappeared
and thc right ol primogeniture was introduced. The eldest
son \vas now in chargeol the propertyownedby his lale
Iather and dividedamonghis brothersafter the tather's
death.Daughlersmarried and left theif parents'home,
oiten againsttheir will. BeloreIeavingher homea girl
usedto visit all the placesdearto her,prayingand giving
olleringsto the gods.The crying bride would be taken
round the homeiire. Biiter tearswereshedin the corner
t25
 wherethe lable stood and where the housegods were
supposed to live.
The cuslomoi closlnglhe gare beforethe nswly*.6,
and Lnetrsulte,or barring lhelf way has hcenob.erred
i n L i t h u a n i a1 o L h i . d a y . I h e c u . L o mo i h i d i n gL h eL r i d e
remindsnow of the traditionswhen wives used to be
stolen.Tradilionsoi payinga ransomare alsoalive.Long
ago the bridegroomusedto pay for his rvife,he wouli
grveoxen,horses,money,rich presents lor her,
Under rhe matriarchalsysremyoung peopleu5ually
maoean agreement to live ds husbandznd wile \^irhout
any witne(ses. The,ecusiomspro!ed Lo be very lenaclous
a n os u r v t v ee d v e nu n d e rp a t r i a r c h yB.r j d e sd i d n o . w a n l
1o live ln lheif husbands homesand lhe Inen began{o
resortlo violence,-they beganto stealwives.Lateiwives
w€reboughl.This.cuslomwas very populdral lhe begin.
ning of our era. lhereforeits re ectionscan be iound_ in
iolkloreand folksongsi
This night, the @holenight, thete @as
__ much noise ()n the farm,
foung menaampand stolethp dauphlet.
Thc doots arc open,lhe doaru chesT pone-
'' Aet up,
dear sons,saddlegour horsis,
Sarldlpgout hotses, all !he si.tEreuoner.
Vherp she haspassed,the rc;d is sttev)n )tth rues,
T.hedp@k @ipedat the roadsidebA the men's feet.
Al lhe cdge ol a green grcue. a lit; hasbepn burnt,
Rouadthal sarrcdIirc lhe Aoungpeoplpdanced.
Unclerlhe grpcn linden !t?p !he btidc teas dtesscdup,
On its leatg btunchesareaths aere hung.

. The bride'seveningparty on lhe eve of the wedding

day
.also remindedot the olden day\ when lhe yount
coupreused lo make an agreemenito live as husband
and wife in the presenceof their lriends.The bridesat at
one table.Lhetridegroomar anolher.A paganpriecl,jarer.
lhe matchmaker.gavethem lo drink kom lhe samegla<s
and then droppedit ai lhe bridegroom's ieet_,,Thisis a
sacriiiceto temporarylove," he usedto say. The bride-
groom put his foot on the glass and the priest said the
126
lollowing magic words: "May you live in constantand
true Iove."AIl the guestspresentrepeatedthesewords,
thendancedritual dancesand mademerry...
Accofdingto an archaicpagancustomwhich survived
lor rather a Iong time Lithuanianbrides,betoreleaving
for their husband'shome,uscd lo pray beforea figurc
madeof straw and dressedin a woman'sclotheswhich
wassupposed to represent
the EarthMother.
Somedistanceffom the bridcgroom's villageoneof his
.elativesusedto meelthe bridewith a torch in his hand,
walk round the cart whereshc was sitling and address
hcr in lhe followingwords: "flere is a sacredfire. Look
ait€r it in your ncw home as you did in your father's
house,"
Evil spirits and lorcesalwaystricd to do every pos,
sible harm to the bride and bridegroomfor they were
youngand did noi know how to rcsistthem.Therelorcthe
cart of thc bridc would alwaysbe prolectedby all sorts
oi talismans,lanternsand charmsand her atiendants tried
to kcepthc cvil spirits away by whistling,ringing bclls,
beatingdrums and producinga loud noisewith rattles.
Beforccntcring hcr husband'shousethc bridc also took
all sortsof precautions, such as for example,sendingin
othcr girls disguisedas lhe bridc so that the cvil spirits
shooldbe confused and couldnot knowwhichone was thc
real one.As soonas thc bridc crossedthe threshold, one
of her new fclatilcs sprinklcdhcr with grain saying:'Our
gods will givc you cvcryLhingit you becometheir wor-
shipper."
Specialsacralbreadwas bakedlor thc weddingrites.
Now it is calledthe cakeol thc matronol honouf.Every
guest at ihe weddingparty had lo have a pieceof this
breadas a symbolicgestureconlributingto the bridc and
bridcgroom s unity. The baking of the sacral wedding
brcadwas a long and complicated process.Thc lop of lhe
breadwas adornedwith suns,halfmoons, lnagicsignsand
plant patterns.The round loai ol wedding bread was
also decoratedwith rues, cherries,guelder-rose berries,
three sprigseachwith threeshoots.Charms?Magic?Or
simplytraditions?

t27
 The study of the old descriptions oi sacral wedding
breadand the decoraliveelemenlsu.ed on it nowadavs.
such as geomelricalfigures,animals,birds. repliles,ihe
forms of heavenlyluminaries,has convincedthe Soviet
scholarsV. lvanov and V. Toporovthat theseelements
coincidewith the ritual symbolsof the world tree which
represents the et€rnityof the universe,the never-ending
powerol life penelratingall the rhreeworlds,lhe under:
ground,earth and heaven.The top oi the lree is sur-
roundedby suns,moons,starsand sky birds,the trunk by
animals,a spring ol life and wisdom coming up from
under its roots or a stonc lying nearby.It never runs
dry just as life itsclf which the Earth Mothergives birth
to. Thevrorldtree unitesthe living and the deadior they
are separatedonly by a span oi time. Thc eagle in the
branches of the tree was regardedas a mediatorbetween
the earlh and the sky. The world tree could be a pine
or an ash tree but most oilcn it was an oak. Il could
also be a bird-cherryso olten mcntionedin iolksongs.ln
spring it coversilseli wirh while blossomswhich later
become blackberfiesjust Iikethe passingyouthof a young
grrl.
The rue is an inseparablc clementof everyLithuanian
wedding.Every girl usedto havc a llowcr gardenwherc
a specialplaceof honourwas given to the rue. A young
girl was suppos€d to look aiter her ruesjusi as a youn!
man lookedaiter his horse.
Ancienl weddingri{es are now performedby erhno-
graphicenremble\.'fhe colourful,merry and at the same
time a little sad specLacle lasls lor severalhours but
it is only a stagepresentation.
The ancientLilhuanianshad a lot ol festivalsalthough
their numberwas somewhatlessthan thal ol the Indiin
festivals.Everybodylookedforwardto them as they gave
a shortrespit€bothfor the bodyand the soul.
The festivalof the shortestday, the winter solslice,
was dedicatedto the guardiangod of the homeand ani-
mals Zemapatis,the harvest goddess2emgla and Lada.
Peoplesaid prayersto themwjth lheir handsraisedto the

r28
heaven.The prayersendedwith very importaniwords:
"Give us our daily bread".Thereis a ce ain regularre'
petition of the numbersthree and nine in the tites ol this
ieslival For the ancientLithuaniansthesenumbershad
a magic meaningand meantsuccessand power,During
the longestnight ot the year peopletold fortunesand
tried to predictthe future.Belorethis occultoccupation
they were not allowedto make noise or to do certain
chores,
Shrove-tide vas celebraledin Februaryas a fesiival
of saying goodbye to the winter. PeoPlewent driving in
sledgesround ihe iields to ensurea good crop ln a rye
field it was advisablc to roll in the snow and this was
regarded as an act demonstrating a closerelationbetween
man and the earth, their nrutualtrust.
Oneot the riies involvedsprinklingpeoplewith vater'
Anyonecould pour water over any other personprcvided
the waler was clcar and purc. This was lhc diilcrence
from a similar ritc in India observed dufing the Holy ics_
tival whenpcoplesprinklecachotherwith colouredwaler'
Spfinklingoneanotherlvith waterwas not merclya frolic,
it was suioosedto awakenthe naturallorcesso that they
shouldstart meltinglhe sno$/.
But thc most imDortantelemenioi thc Shrove'tide ies
tival was the trundling aboutoi a stulfed tigure called
Mora, Kolre, Mori, its burning and danceswith animal
or demonmasks.li remindsa liitlc oi ihc Ramayanates'
tival in India and the burning oi the Ravannafigure-
Shrove-tide was a merry festival,iull ol laughter and
iokes. People mademerry by disguisingLhemselvcs wilh
masksand clothesmadc o[ fur, rough bag cloth or bark
The maskswere supposedto representihe worst human
vices: avarice,anger, guile. Thereloleihe masks were
madeto look horrible.Hair, eyebrows, beardsusedlo be
madeo[ horsehair,a pig's or boar'sbristle,the iur oi a
dog or a bear.
the makinsof maskswasa traditionalLithuanianpass_
tirne on long-wjnter evenings.Mostly it was ptacticed
bv the Zemaitiansin west€rnLithuania.Villagesusedto
compeleamong themselves whosemaskswere more in-
I29
genious,lunny and at the sametime horrible.The art oi
making ritlal masks has developedinto an art.
Egg decorationis also an old pagantradition.Great
magicpowerwas attachedlo the egg.peoplecarriedeggs
round the iields. oifered rhem lo gods and iheir d;;d
relatives.Archaeologists havediscovered decoraledeggs
madeoi stone.boneor evenclay. fxcavationsal rhe i;l
o f t h eC e d i m i n ahsi l l i n V i l n i u rr e v e a l ead d e c o r a l esdL o n e
egg made700yearsago.Egg rolling and brFa.{ing rernind
ol ltte old Hjndu mylh aboutthe CosmicEgg dnd Coimic
S e r p e n l . . t hs e
ource o i l i l e a n d i e r l i l i t yO
. n l h e t o u r i hd a y
oi lhe Shfoveride feslival,calledlhe Dav of Ice. Lirhua"-
nransdid not work, they were airaid even lo touch the
earth so as not to inllict any painlto it and ensurethe
satetyoi their crops irom hail and ice. peoDlewere not
supposed evento dfi\'ea poleinto the groundon that day.
This was how they showedrespectto their goddessLaia
andier daughrerlpla. ln springlhesegoddasses awakFn-
e d t h e e a r l h a n d n o u r i s h eidl w i . h r a i n . T h e t e : t i v a lo f
e g g . d e c o r a l i owna s I o l l o w F db y r h e f e s l i r r l c e l e b r ian g
t h ed a yw h e nt h e a n i m a l sw e r e[ i r . t d f i \ e no u l t o p a s t u r e s
in springT . h eo l d e \ tm a n o t r h e v i l l a g ew o u l da n n o u n c e
t h e a d v € n to I s p r i n g l r o m l h e r o p o l a h i l l a n d s a y
prayersto the goddessaadd.the GreatMother.This festi_
val was observedas late as the beginningoi the 2oth
century.The CatholicChurchideniifiadthit iestivalwith
St. George's Day. Peoplev/entinto the lields.rolledin the
sproutjngcfops shouting:..Grow them, oh Godl Grow
them.oh Codl" The ritual hymnswere sung which were
supposed to inducethe growthol the crops.
.. T r a d i t i o nosi s a c r i l i c i n ag n r m a l sa n d s p f i n l , l i n g
rheir
b l o o ds u n i v e di n L i r h u a n i lao r a l o n gL i m ep. e o p l e - s p r i n -
k i e d l h e i f b a r n 5 a, n i m a l , ,m a n g e r \w i t h l h e b t o o do f a
b l a c kc o c ko r h e n . . \ f t e rr h o i n r r o d u . l i o on l C h f i s r i a n i r v
t h e y u . e d r o b r i n g w a x f i g u r e .o l t l r e i ra n i m a l .t o t h e
churchand placethemon the altaf.
Whitsundaywas the day ol plant veneration.It was
believedthat young greenbircheshad a strong growing
power and they could conveyit to peopleand animals.
Entrancedoors and ceilings used to be adornedwith
130
youngbirchesco that the ghosLsof lhe deadvi.iling the
h o u . eo n r h e f e s l i v a ld a y c o u l d h a v e a l l a c e l o r e s i
Ouf elhnographers maintainthat ihe traditionof making
wreathsoi llowersand tree twigs is as old in Lithuania
as it is in India.On Whitsundaypeoplealwaysdecoraied
cowswith birchwreathsand ilowers.Sinceoldentimesthe
Lithuanianshave always regardedthe cow wiih great
respectand love, for it gave food and helpedpeoplein
many other respects. Thereare a lot ol folksongsabout

On the longestsummerday, the Day of Dew, Liihu-

anianwomenfloaiedsmall lires placedin wreathson the
river. This tradition also has its counterpartin India.
The Dew lcstival lastedior a fortnight The Lithuanians
regard€ddew as a supernatural bcing.Collectedfrom the
plants in early morning,it was believedto havea magic
powcr.Duringthis iesti!al peopleworshipped the goddcss
Lada and fiade oiteringslo her of white hens.Spfings
and sourcescoming up irom thc undcrgroundwould be
adorncdwith ilowers. Peoplesang hylnns to the sun
thankingit ior the warmth and the revivcdeaflh spolted
with Ilowcrs.During the shortestnight Lithuaniansand
Latviansuscdto burn hugelires.Theyjumpedovcr lhesc
iires, Ior tire was supposedto puriiy nol only the phy_
sicalbodybut lhe soul aswell. It was the only night when
the tern blossomed. Its blossomwas supposcdto bring
happincssto the person who found it. Even nowadays
village womenbelievethat medicinalherbscollcctedon
thai day havcmorepotenlhealingpowers.
that the Dew festival
It is testifiedby historicalsources
was celebratedas far back as the I6th centuryon the
entireBaliic territory.Todayit is also a popularfeslival
full o[ cheer.It hasbeenrevivcdby thc Societyoi Indian
Friendsfor at the beginningof its exisiencethe society
was making active aitempts to discoverthe common
sourcesand elementsin lndian and ancientLithuanian
cultures.I rememberone oi the first celebrations ol the
Dew iestivalon the bank o[ the Neris river, in Kernav6,
the old Lithuaniancapital.Young and old peoplepicked
llowers and srasses in meadov/sand showed their
t3l
 nosegaysto the biologistDr. Eugenija Simkinait6.She
could say a lot aboutthe personirom the way he chose
and arrangedthe flowers.She is sometimes called ihe
last sorceress of Lithuaniaand her knowledge of medicinal
herbsis amazing.Whenit grew dark,burningcart wheels
were rolled irom the top of the hills, fires burnedand
small wick lamps lloatedon the river. This was a won-
derfulnight evenfor a man who failedto iind a fern blos-
som.
In late autumn,at the very beginningoi November,
Lithuanianscelebratethe festivalof the commemoration
ol the dead.It remindsof the Diwali festivalin India.
Cravesare trimmed,last autumnalflovers plantedand
the cemeteries turn into gardensol chrisanthemums. For
two eveningscandlesare burnt on everygrave,suffusing
the cemeteries with dim quiet light. A ihrong oi dark
human shaF/es move along the paths.This leslival is a
survivalirom the old belieithat the deadcould helo or.
on the contrary,do harm to thc living. By the way,
Ramachandra, in ancienitimes the colour ol mourning
in Lithuaniawas white as it is now in Indio. On thosi
eveningsthe living and the deadseemto be talking to-
gether.Talkingaboutimportantthings.For very long cen-
turiesthis journeyhas beencontinuingin one direction-
out ol this world. The entife nation.thc livine. the dead
and the coming.seemro ncet at the graves.The conri.
nuous,living ties of the spirit. From generationto gen-
erationpasseddown by blood,by word of mouth,by the
w r i t t e nw o r d . . .
The Lithuanianepos has not been broughl togelher
yet into one uniiiedwhole,it is still disperscdin legends,
folk songs,folktalesand proverbs.Bul in olden times
there surelywere a lo1ol bardswho usedto travel irom
castle to castle,from village to village, irom house10
housesinging to the accompaniment ol hanhlis,a Lith-
uanian string instrument,their endlesssongsaboutthe
ancienttimeswhenall peoplelived in a lriendly,brotherly
way, about the legendaryexploitsand victoriesagainst
ioreign invaders,aboutgods who were similar to people
and peoplewho weresimilarto gods.
132
 Every Indian knows the Mahabharataand the Ra-
magona,lhe great epicsol ancienilndia, which he has
eitherread or seenperlormed.Long long ago the lowest
casleshad no right to listen to the sacredwords of the
lour Vetlas.It vas lhen that both theseepics,iull of
wonderiulpoetry and worldly wisdom,were written as
the fitth yedo meantlor all the peopleto read and listen
to, for readingand listeninglo Vedashad always been
considered to be one o[ the greatesthumanvirlues.
TheMahabharata recitesthe dynasticwars o[ the Bha'
rata iamily which started the age oi injusticeand
darkness, the blackestperiodin the historyoi mankind.
The exca'ration oi the city ot Hastinapuranegatesthe
premisethat everylhingrecordedin an epic is fictionand
invention,just as the legendaryTroy the existenceol
which was doubledby all exceptSchliemann. But doubl
is the eternal companion oi humanity. History repeats
iiself. Today when the scholarsanalyzethe text oi the
Mahabhotuta they know betierthan deny what they can'
nol pro\,e:maybe,it is quiie irue that the A.yan tribes
of land iillcrs migratedto lndia Jrom the north,maybe
the ancient Indians did have an unusuallypowerful
weaponwhich was similar to the atomicweaponoi the
presenitimes and maybethey could tly. Today scholars
do not neglectany of the cluesto ihe distantpast which
they comeacrossin mythsand legends.
'fhe
Mahabharalais really a unique and inimitable
epic,it is the biggeslin the wofld and it took two thou-
sand yearsto be written and perfected. For anothertwo
ihousandyears it has inspiredadmirationall over the
\lorld by the profundityol its ideasand vi,iid images.The
Malnbharatais like a shoreless oceanwhereit is impos-
sibleto lrace backyour way to the exaclplaceNhereyou
-qtarted sailingacrossits wa\jes.
-lhe
Mahabharotais not a heroicpoem althoughii
containsmostly descriplionsof battles. Most scholars
agreethat one oi thc battles,lor example,really took
placeat the end of the lolh-beginning of the llth century
B. C. The heroesdescribed in the Mahabharata ^re sttong
characiersbut they are also endowedwiih many human
133
failings.This great Hindu epic continuesto inspiread-
miration and gives good meat for thought.Maybe,it is
becauseits heroesare both weak and majesticjust as

A lot ol waler had flo$rn under the bridgesol the

Gangesand ihe Jamuna(now Jumna) rivers beforepeo-
ple built anothercapital- Delhi (lndaprastha) -in the
placeof the ancientcapitalof the Pandavasand Kaura-
vas, Hastinapura.They made their new capital very
beautifuland now Delhi is the heartol all India.
About a decadeago the Mahobhatutawas perlormed
in Vilnius by the Kathakalithealrefrom the Keralastate.
No scenery whatever,except for a pieceol cloth
stfetchedtight and held by tv/o barefootIndians.They
standabsolutelystill, lrozenstiff. Theydo not exist,they
do not participate.The audienceis supposed to seea rich
room in a palace.A changeof the clothwould meanthat
the action is set in anoiherplace.A liitle way oif lour
musiciansand 1wo singersmake lhemselves comiorlable
on the lloor. The ringing soundof the gong,the roll oi
the drum,the singers'iirst high notes,and the perlorm-
ance statts. A historicalopera,a drama, a mystery,a
pantomimewilh masks-call it whaleveryou like. The
five Pandavabroihers:Yudhisthir,Bhima, Afjuna, Na,
kula,Sahadeva. Theireyes,staringlrom behindihe masks,
look noi quite real. At iirst it is not easy to see any
diflerencein lhem exceptthat Sakuna'smask is of a
differentcolour.Their clothessparkleand blazeon the
dark stage.The audienceis bedazzled both by their je$r-
elry and rings, and the unexpected unusualspectacle.
They do not look like people,they look more like good
and bad godsdescended on the earth.
Yudhisthiragainsl Sakuna.The green one against
the darkonewhichis not black,though.Amiiy and justice
againsl viles and deception. Whicheverone is going to
prevail?
Thewild uncontrollable passionfor gambling.It seems
that one lucky cast oi the dice is enoughand eve.yihing
that has beenlost will come back-1he pearl, the pots
of gold, the slaves,the royal elephants.Sakuna'smask
)34
rocksto and fro inciting his adversaryand stirring his
blood:"Make anothertry, King, your next movemay be
the greatluckystrike."
The eldestof the Pandavasstakeshimsell,throwsthe
dice-his head goes down-all is gone.The Kauravas
can do whaleverthey like with him and his brothersnoru:
a slave has no say, no rights. But Yudhisthirstill has
his wife,the beautifulDraupadi.His brolhersshift uneasi-
ly, they exchangeglances is the King going to put up
his wife? Yudhisihir'shands shake.he cannotteat his
eyesfrom the dice.
The audienceis slunnedby the tumult ot humanpas-
sions.The human passionsot the bygone days which
comealive on the stageto the accompaniment ol music
alonewithouta singleword.
The battle betweenihe cousins-the Kauravasand
Pandavastook placein the field ol Kurukshetra, now one
of the most sacred places in India. It is also called
Bfahmashetra becauseit was the site wheregods them_
selves,togetherwith rishismadesacrifices to Goddess Sa_
rasvati,Brahma'swile. Kurukshetrais the human soul,
the placeof the eternaliighi betweenlhe good and evil,
the light and darkness.
The great battleol the Bharatalamily lastedeighteen
days.li alsotook eighteenbooksto describe it. Nearlyall
the Pandava and Kaurava warriors v/ere killed The batlle
field was covered with their dead bodies as lar as the
eye could reach, wolves and jackals feeding on them
Travellingstory-tellersspreadall over ihe country
lrom the Bharatalandsto chantthe epic to rapt lisieners
and explainwhy the Kaliyuga,the age oi iniusticeand
troublein whichwe li\renow,came.
God Krishna'steachingsto Arjuna are recordedalso
I h e B h a g a u aG
i n e i e h L e ehnv m n -w h i c hc o n ( l i l ue'Ihe d ita a
,epaialeparl-in the Mahabharala. Bhagauad-Gita is
regardedall over ihe world as the mosi valuable Hindu
philosophical poetry.
Today this relati!ely small book is widely read and
can be bought everYwhere in India. It is a\railable in
135
 every room of the more prestigioushotelsso thai after
a hot day full oi exotic impressionsa foreignermight
Iind pieceol wisdomthere most suitableto himself.
'lhe a
thagal)ad-Gitais the place where all the roads ol
Hindu philosophycross.It is the best observationdeck
of real India,whichis at one and the sametime so simple
a n d c o m p l e xs.o o p e na n d m y s l e f i o u sM. a h r l l a G a n d h i
said that he had learnt to love peopleand to servethem
selllesslylrom the 6llo, while JawaharlalNehru wrote
that the ideasof this bookhad penetrated all his lite.
For the modernman to undcrstandthc Bhaeavad-Gita
it is necessary Jifst lo gel rhoroughlyacquainred wilh lhe
logic oi ancientHindu reasoningand the development of
Hindu philosophical thoughibccauscthe bookis a subile
and pocticalconcentration ol Hindu spiritual lraditions.
The book has receiveddifferent,sometimes even op-
posrte,assessmcnts: somepeopleview it as a purelyathcis,
tic book which provesthat the seekingol Cod is bound
1o bring man to a bettcrunderstanding of his inner self.
Olherskeepto the oppositcview: they are convinccdthal
the bookis a sourceoi divinewisdomwhichprovidesthe
answer10 any questionpertainingto huntancondition.
n hugc litcraturehas grown aroundLheBhagaua(l-Gila,
boih in thc Wcst and in the Easl. The lirst commenlson
the pocmwerewritlen as early as the 8th cenluryA. D.
by onc ol the best known Hindu lhinkers,Sankara.Thc
periectpoelicalform of the pocm is organicallyblended
with the proioundphilosophical contcnt.Any foreigntran-
slator who translalesthe Bhagooad-Gita into hjs mother
longue,no maiter how well he knows Sanskritand all
its nicelies,is alwaysconlrontedwith insurmountable dif-
Iiculties:thc translationcannotbeentirelyIiterarybecaus€
it is not enoughto conveythe poem,sideasaloneiit can-
not be a verbatimtranslationof its philosophical concepts
and categories, either.How shouldthe lranslatorrDDroach
h i s t a s k i n c e f l a i np l a c e so f t h e t e x r i s a m o o tq ; e s t i o n
eventoday.But everynationconsiders it to be a Doiniol
honourto have this part oi the Hindu epic translated
into iis own language.

136
 The first translatorof the Gita into Lithuanianwas
Vydrlnas.His translationwas publishedin 1947.There
havebeenotheraltemptsas well.
The Ramagana, one of the most beautifulepic poems
in Hindu literature,was createdat first as a part of the
Mahobharata, circath€ 4th centuryB. C.
Rama,the mythicalking of the Sun dynasly,lived Iater
than the dynastyof ihe Moon which is describ€din the
A4ahabhatala. Rama was an incarnalionof Vishnu,born
to savethc godslrom the demonRavana.But in the poem
he is depictednot as a god but as an idealhero,a perlect
modcl lor every mortal to copy.The poemhas not lost
any of ils actuality even loday lor its ideas continue
to be a sourccol inspirationand slrengthto thc modern
man lookingforwardto the adventol Rama or another
hcro who. togetherwith his warriors,would start a war
to upfool the evil and any kind ol injustic€ on the
ca n,
After the Kaliyugathe Kingdomol Ramawilt come.It
will be a new era, which is conceivedoi as a period
oi justice and cnlightenmentwithout wars, coercion,
povcrtyor mislortunes,
The word /am is sacredin lndia. It is one of the
,nost Irequcnllyusedwords.It can be both the first and
thc lasl nameoi a man.Everyyearthousands of boysare
given the namcol Rama.Romrom is usedas a greeting,
as a shorl prayer of sacredwords.When the assassin;s
bullet cut short the Iife of Candhi,the lndian national
leader,he still found strengthto pronouncethesc last
words:"OM RAM" whichcanmean'Cloryto the comingl,
'Glory
to the Kingdomo[ Rama'.
i When Rama lived on the earlh, IovedSita, ruled the
I countryand ioughtior justice,nobodycouldeverimagine
I that it was Cod Vishnuhimselfsettingan exampleto the
I People
I Sila means a furrow'. She was bofn lrom a furrow
I o f l h e e a r l hw h e nl h c k i n g w a s p l o u g h i n ga l i e l d .T h i s
I my.h must have beencrealedrery very long ago when
I lhe Ifldiansworshippedthe earlh and rhe tribal chiefs
I \uerenol a:hamedo[ physicalwork and usedlo toil lo-
II 137
I
II
getherwith everybodyelse.The cults of the Eafth, Sun
and Fire are the oldestcults in the historyoi mankind.
A lot of peopleshave known them but the Indians and
ihe Lithuanianshavepreserved them bestwith a number
ol identicalfeatures, which is hard to explain.
Ramachandra goes on and on recounling his lavourite
hero's epopeewhile we walk round the Red Fort and
then in the cenlralsquareol the ciiy wherethe gigantic
stulfed ligures of Ravana,his son and his brofherare
1lsuallyset during the celebfationof the Rama lestival.
Evil is alwaysbig, ii olten walks the eafth openlybefore
elerybody'seyes.A lot of effo.t, unity and concordis
neededto defeatit. The ceremony oi burningthe stufied
ligures always attractsover a million spectators. Who
wouldn'tlike to see how evil is killed?Accordingto the
tradition establishedby JawaharlalNehru, the iestival
is also aliendedby representatiles ol ihe Indian govern-
ment.Whoeveris betterequippedto eradicateall evil in
the countfy?The fuse carriesfire io the stufied figure
ol Ravana'sson and it tlares up, explodingwith a loud
noiseand spitling oul showersol sparks.I can imagine
thai iantaslicshow at night. Ramachandra continuesto
paint that picture belore my eyes and I see Ravanas
brotherdisappear in lhe flames and Rama's burning arrow
fly along a streiched wire and pierce the demon. People
rejoice:they have seenthe destruction oi evil with their
own eyes and now, ai least for a short while, there is
no evil on the earth.
At midnightRamachandra and I wendour way ioward
the hotel along the streetsteemingwith peoPleeven at
this very late hour. I alwayswonderwhen peoplesleep
in Indian cities:wheneverI weni out inio the streetsI
alwaysiound life in full swingthere,only in moreremote
or secludedplaceswas it possibleto iind a little more
qulet.
In a darkishstreet,along ihe wall of a rich man's
qarden,severalhomeless tamiliesare settlingthemselves
ior the night'ssleep. Imperceptibly I slow downmy pace.
The piciure strikes me as the epitome of all the misery
and poverty I have ever seen.

t38
 ..Th€ wick lamp blinks unableto dispersethe dafkness
with
.ils feebletighr. A middle-aged man and a woman
cfoucno.lera.tewulensils.On Lheifleil threelirtle babies,
aosotutelynaked.cleepon {he concretepavemenL covered
with a pieceoi thin cloth,their lit e h;nds foldedunder
their-head., or betweenlheir curledlegs.tle two oitters,
a I l u e o l d e r t h a n t h e o n e s : l e e p i n go n L h ec l o t h ,
sit
i e s n t n ga g a l n stth ew a l l .
S o m e l h i nggr i p : a r r n y f e a r r a n d d o e . n o l l e l i t q o .
,,
rlow many nomete.sand hungfychildrenrhereare in ihe
Deaurtlu co t untrll_Holdin og u t l h e i f h d n d .f o f a l m s ,t h e i r
e y c . a i r r n g r n u t e l yf o r b r e a d H . o w d i f f i c u l li r i s f o r l h e
lnl e
9w l : "l y:d. je" \. e
. pl oi tpee do l r h e i r r e c e n r a p i d p r o g r e , sz n d l h e
p o s > i b i l i r i eo sl r e n d F r i n ga 5 ( i s l a n cleo
olhpr countriec.lo do a\ray with poverlyon lheir
own
r a n 0 l t e r t t l e .g e n e f o u a s n d w i s e i s M o r h e rJ n d i a ,b u l
as...soon as she providesfood ior all her children,new
million. oi hungry mourhscome inlo rhe world.
year lhe number of births exceedsthat Eve.v
of deaths by
severalmillion. And all of them have to be
clothed,fed
and schooled
B i g i . l h e ( t u l t e dl i g u r eo l R a v a n aw h i c hi 5 b u r n l
ln
c a p i l a t s\ q u a r e se v e r yy e a r .b u t b i g g e ra r e
:r ln: .e?l w
l-o , i .:d e m o n_s
h u n g e ra n d p o v e r t y _w h i c ht h r e a l e n
,n9." wlo walch lhe .pecractein rhe ,quare.
ff:u.,:,-
Ine !llter sLruggleagainsl lhosedemulrscontrnues.
Thehomeless lamily on the pavement at night is elched
.
IOrever in my memory,
 We know periectlyvell what languagepeoplespoke
in India two, thr€e and even lour thousandyears ago.
What languagepeoplespokelhen in Lithuaniawe can
only guessor, at best,reconstruct. Blt to what d€gree
thesereconstructions correspond lo the Ianguageactually
usedis diliicult to €stablish,for Lithuanianwrilten iexts
date backbut a few ceniuries.In the 4th or 3rd centurv
B. C. proto-Balric split into Prussianand Lithuanian-Lai-
vian. The latter developed into two scparatelanguagesin
the 7th centuryA. D.
The branchytrec ol world culturegrew irom common
rootsas did the majorityof the world'smany languages.
Someol its brancheshave becomedry, others,on the
conlrary,have flourishedand producednew shots-Indo-
Europeanlanguagesare used on all ihe contincntsol
the world by nearlya half ot its inhabitants.Someol them
havemoveda long distancefrom their parent languagc,
othershaveretaineda considerable numberol its archaic
propcrties.Of all the Iiving lndo-European languages
Lithuanianand Latvian haveretaincdbest their archaic
elenrents.
Oncethere was an ancestofIndo-European Ianguage,
there must have been an ancestorlndo.EuroDean land.
For many years scholarscould not decidewhereit had
beenlocated.They lookedfor it everywhere, in the north
and in the southoi Europe,in the east and in ihe west.
betweenthe Volga and Kama rivers,betweenthe Danube
and Dnieper,betweenthe Vistula,Nemunasand Dauga-
va, If w€ knew where the Indo-European ancesiorland
was located,we wouldresolveall doubtsabontthe migra-
iion ol the Aryans into India. Therehave beena lot of

140
 difierentexplanations ol the similaritiesbetweenSanskrit
and Lithuanianand the commonelementsin Hindu and
Lithuaniancustoms.Somescholarssay that it is absolu_
lely.ob\'ious..lhar lhe climalegrowing colder.lhe Aryans
lot Ltlh. ateiai, orlojo; ploughmen) movedfrom norih Lo
soulh.until they came to the fertile river valleys.Tbey
setLled thereand gaveoneof the tributariesof ttrJ Gange's
the nameof Jamunato remindlhemoi the Nemunasriir,
their homelandand their brotherswhom they had leii
b e h i n dA l r h o u g hi t i s a v e r y b e a u r r f uelx p l a n a l i o int . i s
' , n l ya h y p o l h e s iT\ h . e r ea r es i m i j a r i t i easl.i e ra l l , b e r w e e n
Sanskritand oth€r languagesas well, for exampie,Slavic
wnerc wc can lind hundredsof words with a similar
sound lorm. There are similaritiesin the SIavic and
Hindu customsas well.
But still, ot all the Europeannationsthc Lilhuanians
spcaka taoguagcthe similarityoi which 10 Sanskritis
the.greatcst. JustasPaleckis,an outstandingLithuanian
public figure,poet and formerchairmano[ ihe Nationa-
l i r i c sC o u n c iol f l h e S u p r e r nSeo v i c o l [ l h e U S S R ,v i s i t e d
l n d i ! . . i n 1 9 5 5 . . \ f t ehr i s r c t u r n ,h c w r o t ca b o o k l, n l h e
tuo tvattds.and thcre he rccounlcdrhe foljuwingcpi-

"During one ol the brcaksin the scssionof the Excc_

u t r v e c o r n r n i t l cocI L h eI n t e r - p a r l i a m e n t aUr n y i o n ,t h e
r n 0 r r np r i l c m i n i s t eJr a w a h a r l aNl e h r ui n v i l e di l s p 3 r -
l i c i p a n ( sr o _ ad i n n e rb a n q u el ln t h e s h a d yg a r d e no f h i s
r e s r d c n c eA.l l e r . . d i s c u s s i n. ogn l e p o l i r i c a la n d p a r l l a -
Incntaryi\sues,Nehruaskedme:
"Tell me, please,if it is tfuc that the Russianword
cnacu6o'thankyou' is madeup ol two wordscnacu,sa\e,
and 60? god. as onc o[ my SovieLguesrslried to con_
\ inceme?'
I assuredhim that it was quite true and said tbere
was anolherRussianwofd 6ac?odapb whichhad the same
neanrng and consisted also oi two parts. Nehru
said: "Therc are a lot of common words in Hindi
1nd.. othef Europedn Ianguages. For example, in
nrnor we have:emin. in Russianit is 3eatrs(zemlia),

l4l
But ol all the EuropeanlanguagesLithuanianhas the
greatestnumberof similaritiesto Sanskrit."
"What a coincidence," said A. de Blone,secretary gen-
efal ol the Inter-parliamentary Union, pointing to me.
"The Sovietreptesentative is a Lithuanian."
I told them aboutthe linguisticinvestigations and the
comparative analysisoi Sanskritand Lithuaniancarried
out by our scholars.I also quoledthe SanskfiLphrase
whichI had learntin my youih,delas dala dantas,deoas
datadhanas,and vhich is wonderfullysimilarto the Lith.
uanian saying Diel)as daod dantis, dieuos duos duonos
'Godgaveteeth,Godwill give bread'.
"Dietas daoe dantis, dietas duos d.uonos,"rcpeated
Nehru ihe Lithuanian phrase,then said: "I have long
known aboutthe similaritiesbetweenSanskriland Lith'
uanian and even wrote about it in my book The Distoo-
erg of India, but it is the first time I meet a Lithuanian
in India."
AntoineMeillet,lhe well known Frenchlinguist.llsed
to say that in orderto hearthe old Indo-Europeans speak
one must go io Lilhuaniaand listento iis people'sslow
and melodious speech.
Todayan Indianwho knowsSanskriland a Lithuanian
will easilyunderstandboth thesephrasesin the tNo re-
spectivelanguages:
Skt. hast|)am asi?- Lilh. &asla esi? 'who are you?'
'Nho is
Skl. kas tatd strrls _Lith. has lato sAnus?
your son?'
Musicalaccent,intonation,short and long vowels.the
aifricaies, lttl and dz ld3l, the nominalendings-ar,
-!s, -ls ol the Singular nominaLivecase are pcculiar
bothto Sanskritand Lithuanian.
Scholarshave found a great numberol Lilhuanian,
Latvianand Prussianwordswhichare similario Sanskrit-
Many ol ihem haveretainedihe samesounds,lorm and
meanlng.
Skt.auis Lith. auis'sheep'
Ski. nafrlis- Lith. nahlts'nighl'
'smoke'
Skt. dhumas- Lith. drmar
Skt. nrlrs - Lith. mirtis'death'
t42
 Skt. l&prds- Lith. lapias 'peeled'
Skt. deuds- Liih. die.ros'god'
Skt. ndr'tas- Lith. naujas'tew'
Skt. podds- Lith. padas'sole'
Skt. so/ras- Lith. senas'old'
Skt. slopnos - Lith. sapnas'dream'
Skt. iaftlxd- Lith. Sard 'branch'
Skt.ioa - Lith. Saua'dog'
Skt.tada - Lith. hoda'when'
Skt. /allxas Lith. ralai 'vheels'
Slit.madru* Lith.medus'honey'
Skt. hrcuAam- Lilh. htauias 'blood'
Skt.snaas- Lith. srars 'son'
Skt. duhila - Lith. duhlt 'daughter'
Skt. aal,s - Lith. mintis'thoughl'
Skt. viros- Lith. llros 'man'
A large numberof Lilhuaniannouns,verbs,pronouns,
numeralshave the same grammaticallorms as in San-
skrit.
Skl. hada ralho uahali- Lith. hada ratai laaiuoia
'whenthe
cart drives'.
Skl. lvam mala uodoli - Lith. laue moli uadino 'mo-
t h e rc aI I s y o u ' .
Thereare also numerouscasesol similar declinalion
torms.
In lhe 4th century B. C. thc Indian linguist Panini
wfole the iirst grammarin thc world and createda per-
fccl alphabeL: first, the shorl vowelslollowcdby the long
vowels,then the short diphthongsfollowedby the long
diphthongs. Our Lithuanianalphabetis basedon the Ro-
man lettefs. It was first used by Martynas MaZvydas
in his Calechisfius written in 1547,tour and a half cen,
t u n e sa g o . . .
The thoroughstudy oi Panini'sgrammarin the lgth
centurytaughtmany a usefullessonto Europeanscholars
who could nol slop marvellingat the pundit'ssubtleap,
proachto languageso many centuriesago, Panini also
mentionedseveralolher scholarsand earlier linguistic
wofks lrom which he dfew a lot of benelitwhile writing
his own grammar.

143
 Sanskritis a morecomplicated languagethan Lalin or
Greek.Philosophers learn Sanskrit to be able 1o read
Hindu philosophical treatisesin the original,for no trans-
lation is as good as the original. Sanskritis especially
importantto historicalcomparativelinguistics.Without
knowing the oldest Indo-European Ianguages- Sanskrii
and Lilhuanian- it is impossible to understand lhe hislo-
ry of the lndo'European family oi languages.Both Lith-
uanian and Sanskritare taught at the best universities
of the world. Withoutthe knowledgeo[ theselanguages
historicalcomparative linguisticsis like a housewithoui
windows.Its lounderwas the GermanphilologistFranz
Bopp who was first 1o makc a comparativeanalysisoi
Sanskritand other Indo-European languagesin 1816.
Investigations oi the Ballic languagesnave Dccome a
specialbranchof linguisticsand a greatnuntbefof loreign
scholarsdevoteall their Iile to their sLudy.Thcy often
comelo Lithuaniato learn the language.Somcof lhcm
also recordLithuanianfolkloreand later Dublishit. Thc
Lithuanianlanguagewas introducedas an acadcnicsub-
jecl in the universitiesof Berlin, Jena, Leipzig,Paris,
St. Petersburg, Prague,Viennain the l9th century.Phi-
lip Fortunatov, a Moscowuniversilyprofessor ol Sanslirit
and historical-comparative linguistics, lounder ol the
Moscowschoolof lingllistics.visilcdLithuaniain thc sum-
mer ol l87l at the invitation of onc oi his students.
In the three weekshe spent in Lilhuania,the prolessor
recorded150songs,talesand proverbs.The next year he
publisheda colleciionol Lithuanianfolk songs and in
1878he introduceda courseof Lithuanianat Moscow
universiiy.This was a very importantevenl in the dark
yearswhen the Lithuanianletterswere prohibitedby the
Tsar.
The lisl of the 20thcenturylinguistswho havedevoted
themselves to the studyoi the Lithuanianlanguagewould
be rathet long. It should include ProlessorWoligang
Schmidtwho teachesa coursein the LithuanianIanguage
at Gittiingenuniversity,the FederalRepublicof Cerma-
ny; William Smalstieg,one oi the most outstandingBal,
lists in the UnitedStates,the authorof a numberof books
t44
aboutthe Lithuanianand Prussianlanguages; Cuido Mi-
chelini,a linguisl irom Milan who presented his candi'
dale'sand doctor's theses at Vilnius univefsity and lhen
publishedthem in Italy; Lithuania also has an erudite
lriend in Japan,ProfessofIkuo Muraia who knows the
lwo living Baltic languages - Liihuanianand Latvian
raiherwell. He writeson variousproblemsconnected with
the Baltic sludies,makestranslations of Lithuanianficiion
inio Japanese and hasalreadyvisitedLiihuaniamofethan
once.ProfessofIkuo Murata and his wife like the Lith'
uanian lolktale Egli, queen of Gtcss'snaAes so much
lhat they gave thc nameol Egla to theif son, although
in Lithuaniail is a iemininename.
Anrongthe linguisiswho are interestedin the Lith'
uanianstudicswc could also menlionthe Dutch scholar
FrederikKortlandt,CzcchsJan Peierand LubosRehatek,
NorwegianTerje Mathiassen, poles Michal Hasiuk,Ta_
deusz Zdanccwicz,Swiss Jan Peter Locher,Americans
E f i c H a m p , D a v i d R o b i n s o nJ, u l c s L e v i n a n d m a n y
olhers.
Bul lhe ccntrc{)f lhc Baltic studicsis certainlylocated
in Vilnius. ror threc decadesit has becn thc venueol
regular all-Union Ballic confefcnces. In 1985ii hosted
an internationalconference on the Baltic sl!dies wherc
l70 paperswere presented by linguistsfrom l5 dilferent
counlricsand 20 citics ol the So!iet Union.The emblem
of the conference was the l.aditional Baltic s!n wilh
an inscriptionof threewords.meaningthe Earth,in Lith-
uanian,Latvianand Prussian.
JonasJablonskisand KazimierasBuga were the most
outstandingLiihuanianlinguistsat the lurn of the 20th
century.ProlcssorBrigawas the firsi lo introduceSanskrit
at Kaunas!niversity.But his gfeatestcontribution to Lith-
uanianlinguisticswas his work on the DiclionatA of the
LilhuonionLonguagebasedon historical principles. Biga
wrote: "li we really want to know the unwritten hislory
oi our nation,we must collectall the place-names and
publishthem in dictionaryiorm, for place_names are the
languageoi the earth... we must be able to ask it and
then to understand its answer."The proiessordevotedall
145
 his life lo lhis d-ictionafy,
the grealestwealrhof lhe Lith_
uanlan nation.He died early, al the
berrnd
a,rireconlaining
600,000
.,,0.,ifl"'""".lroot;o'i,"""rT
beeninhefiredand conrrnuedUy orler tirl.
g:l:.*o,k
u r s L sa,n ].rrr
d . n o w . t hpeu b l i c a l i oonf t h e I 7 _ v o l u m e
diction-

ri:il t;i:::i";,i;1,"
:li!ils,il;ii,:;,,,x! ^":::, i;
i"l!l,llii"i:',"'j;",.,'[,' "f": !i,",',"
!l: I*!;
lfi';i:l:ili:"
Ianguage
to preserve "!;
itspuritvind archaic
San5kil ie5sonsu,ed to be taught al Vllnius
. Univer-
5rry Dy uocent l?iaardasMlfonas. He had
iallen in Iove
wrrn 5anskrrt when he wa. a :Ludenl
ol Kaunas univer5i-
ry_ano atLendedprole55orBitga s lectures
p r o r e : s o rt s t g a _ s t i m u l a t e d ln thi. subjec.,
t h e y o u n g m a n . . i n l e r e s ii n
phjlotosy, a 5ublecr'whi;h i. or \peciatim.
:i:]l:11,il"
p o r l a n c e , t o , L i t h u a nl iinagnu i s r l cA
s .f t e rr o u r y' e a r so i
narq work the g,iled student was sent Lo paris'
to con_
L r n u en l s : t u d i e . i n S a n c l r i L .T h e r eh e s p e n r
fouf ]ears
a n d r e l u r n e dl o L i L h u a n i a q u a t i f i e dp n i l o t o g i , t .
RitJrJa.
in a number_or
initiLurio-nr
or higher
fl:"^l:: lLyCl!
j:';,:;.,il";ly,l,
;'"11:i*-,?;'Jll;,'"".'"J"i"l:]l,t,l:
il""&i'li,i,['r,ifl
L;["'f,lj;,,i""".;i.,jil:,i?,"i
{ffi:;;l il::",li;;;:T:"::i,x',i
J;,;;fii":';,f:;
:i\:,Ii:i'::,:"';;::,.,,'illi;ffi
::,1;lllll:il:"iii
h i s l r a n s l a t i o nos f l h e R i g - y e d ah v m n \ .
m r r o n a . p u b i i : h e da n u r n b e ro i b o o k s
, o n > a n , k r i ra n d
relared suDJerls.'uch as ,,1,? Ou!line ol Sanshrt!and Lith-
antan Historiral Conparattte pha ?tics. Conmon
Nom-
tnat
.De.ttnat[onsin Sanshti! aad Lithuanian, Similati-
nes-tn Sansktil and Li!huanian, On Ttunslating
Sanskti!
rgn,onums.intoLithuanian. lyha! is Sansktit?,
yedasi.and olhers. lyha! ate

. . I , r o l r l \ r a < l h e i i f . t c h a r r m a no l r h e L i t h u r n i a n .
lndran friendship Soriely founded in February 1967.
He
146
D l u n e e di n t o l h i s w o r k w i i h y o u t h l u el n e r g ya n d e n i h u _
liu.fr. H" L;*t"rt possessed a large Iibrafy of book' on
india, o nrrnber oi which were personalgifts from bis
lrienis in India with sincereinscriptionson their title
ore".. On." he showedme a publicalionof Bhagauad'Gita
i n i a n : k r i t w h i c hh e h a dr e c e i v el dr o mI n d i aa s h o r w l hile
,eo. "SoonI am goingto startmy work on the translation
nithis wonderfuibook,"he said "lt is a uniquemaster-
oieceof hleralurewhichleachespeopleto strrvelor kind-
nessand perfrcrionThis parLof lhe Mahabho4lais a
hv,nn to man. duty and the greatnessol his spirit l
Jln't know how muih time it will iake me to iranslate
i t b u LI a n l g o i n gl o d o i l w i t h o u h l a s l ( l l l h a v el o l e a r n
lo li\e accordinglo this book and it docsnoi know what
t i m ei s ."
Befofevisiting the state of Orissa RiaardasMironas
compiledan Oriia-Lithuania n-Hindi dictionaryand pub-
lish;d sevefalariicleson Oriya. Thc scholarcame back
hom India with indellibleimpressions, he talked enthu-
siasticallv a b o u lt h e h o s p i t a l i t r
y n d f r i e n d l i n c sosi l h e
lndian neople,rboul lllc re:pcctlhcy showedhim for his
knowletigcof Sanskrit and IIindi. Whal grcat inlcfest
his lectuJeson the commonelemenlsin Sanskrit and
LithuaniancvokedlHow enlhusiastically thcy reacLed lo
evervcaseof similaritybetw€enthe two languagcs! Alter
his visit to lndia, his inspifalionto work becamestill
greaier.Now hc deliveredhis lectufesin Sanskrit at
Vilniusunivcrsiiywith morelove lor he couldincludethc
latest informationon Indian litcratureand culture and
c n l i v e nh i ' p r c . e n l a t i own i t h h i s p c f s o n ai ln r p f e { s i o nu'f
l h c c o u n t r yM . i r o n s 'h n e wt l l a l L i l h u a n i an e e d e sdp e c i a l _
ists ir Sa;skrit and Hindi and it was his dreamto train
as manv of them as Dossible, but it was not so easy,ior
many a beginnerdeiistedalter his iifst encounterwith
the diflicnltiesol the subjeci
Brli who couldknow how nuch moretime the scholar
w a s 1 o w a l k h u m b l yi n t h e s i g h l o l G o d l D e a t hc a m e
s u d d e n l y! v. h e ni t w a s l e a s te x p e c l e d O n h i s l a s lj o u r n e y
l o r h e - z n d yh i l l so f t h e V i l n i u ' r e m e l c f yn e w a sa ' c o m _
pr"i"O ly rfi" *ota' he himselfhad tran'lalcdlrom a Rig-
147
 Veda hymn dedicatedto the ruler of the underground,
Yama:
"Meet '[ama, meel Lhe idLhers,meeLrhe merit
of free or
ordered acts, in highesLheaIen...lfo yona, x, 14)
Th"
,, , l"*: lhar Riiardas Mirona\ had becnawarded rhe
Neoru.pr|ze lor lhe promofionof the lies belweenLirhuania
an0 a n d L h e p r o n a g a l i o no f I n d i a n c u l l u r e c a m e
,lndta
r o o t a r e , . . t t u l 5 a n . k r i t , t h e a n c i e n ll a n g u a g e
wiLh su
mafiy similarilies lo our own. continues lo ring
in rhe
smatt foon whefe Riiafdas Mlronas uced lo leach"il,
Now
i t i s l a u g h t b y P r o f e i s o rV ! , t a u t a cM r Z i u l i s .a n
outstand_
I n g a u l h o f j t yo n l h c B a l t i c a n d o r h c r I n d o . E u r o p e a n
lan-
g u a g e ^ a\ .n a c t i v em e m b e fo f l h c L i r l r u a n i a n _ l n d i a n
Ffiend.
snrp
.soclety. Among thc acrive memberj of thi\ socicLv
we atso Ilnd another profe5sofoi Vilnius universiry,
.\rho Zig--
ll^1.-,Zl-ll",yltjr.: ir rheaulhofof a number of signi.
rcanr worksin Lithuanian Iinguistics.
suchas Li!hua;ian
utarettotogg, LithuantanHistotiaalOraflmal.At rhe
ent,lim-e_the, prole\soris.workingon thc Historgoilres- rie
LrrnuonranLang age which will be pubti:hed
i; 5 vol-
umes.
. In the recentdecadeLithuaniahas come!nto a still
closer contact with ancient lndian culture. Mironas,s
p u p i l s . a r ter a n s l a t i n b g o o k si r o m l l i n d i i n t o L i t h u a n i a n ,
contaclsbetweenLilhuanian and Indian scholarsani
qcientists are becoming nroreirequenr.I feelan irresi"tiljc
u r g el o e x p f e sm s y w i . h l h a r I n d i a nl i n g u i s t w . o u l ds h o w
morcinlereslin lhe Lirhuanianlanguagi.that rhey\^ould
v r s r rL r t n u a n r a . m oor let e n .p e r h a p st h e nl h e y w i l l
come
up wllh new original ideasabourthe similariiiesbelween
L r l h u a n - i aPn e. r h a p s o m ed a y L i l h u a n i a n
:w? ,ll .Dl re,tln1t rnodd. u c e d
I n I n d i a nu n i v e r s i t i e
t oso ,
. .The o u l . l a n d i n gI n d i . r nl i n g u i s tS u n l t i K u m a rC h a l .
terJr,protessor- oi Calcuttauniversity,was a good friend
o r L h u a n l aA, l a s .a g a i nw e n u s t s a y h e w a r . . , H e w a s
glven.lnelJoctorate (ausa by many famousuni-
.honoris
wortd.He visiredLirhuaniaseveralrimes,
::rjii,": LtLhuanian
a0mtred :!.,rh"
lolk.ongsand lolk dances.and, above
a l r , r h e L l t h u a n i a nl a n g u a g eH. e a l s o i n v e s t i g a t e d
rhe
I48
similaritiesbetweenSansk.ii and Lithuanian.His book
Balts and Atgans (in thei lado-Eurcpeanbachgrcund),
written in English and publishedin Simla in 1968,is a
symbolol Indian and Lithuanianiriendship-It is a book
writtenwith loveand devotionto Liihuaniaand its people.
It is not so much a scholarly treatise as an expression
oi the author'sfirst discoveryof Lithuania,his impres-
sionsand admirationof ii.
The book openswilh the sentencer"Dedicaledwith
gratitude and affectionto my Sistersand Brothersin
ihe Baltic Statesof SovietLithuaniaand Lalvia."
Thenthe authorexpresses his hopethai his bookwill
contribute lo lhe closercontacisbetween the two branches
ol the Indo'European lamily-the European Balts and
the AsianAryans.. .
The book describesthe ancieni Lithuaniancustoms,
songsand gods.The auihorrelatesthe Lithuanianword
daina lo Ihe Vedic Sanskfitdhena,he also establishes
themeaningoI certainancientLithuaniannamesand com_
paresa numberoi Lithuanianand Sanskritwords.
Suniti Kumar Chatterji has paved lhe road lot the
lriendshipot ihe lndian and Lithuanianand Latvian
linguists.

In Vilnius there lives a man who considersIndia lo

be his secondhomeland.Whenevera visitor calls at h i s
house,India and the yearsspenl there in his youth
an inexhaustiblesourceof convefsation.
The room oi the well.knownLithuaniantravellerand
anthropologistAntanasPoSkaproducesthe impression of
a museum.Side by side with his books,variouscurious
articles such as piecesof broken pottery, stonesand
bonesare displayedon numerousshelvesand in glass
cases.The host opensone of the little boxesinlaid with
colouredslones."l had the good Iuck,"he says,"to take
part in ihe excavations of MohenjoDaro, the ciiy ol the
dead.lt was very long ago, bul I can still seethe exca-
vatedruins beioremy eyes."
149
 Remarkable was Antanasposka'sliie: ils path mean-
d e r e da c r o , qd i > l a n lt a n d .l r y i n gt i , p a r i e n c p ee. rsislence
and endurance. "But il I were given a seco;d chance,
r. would choosethe samekind of life..,sayslhe profe.sor.
A . l o r o I y o u n gp r o p l ee n ! y h i m h i s i n t e r e s t i nIgi f e I u l l
ol advenlures and exolicexperience!. Thcy rre ia.cinaled
b y t h e r o m a n l i cs i d eo f h i 5 l i f e b u r l h e y f o r g e lL h em o q L
jmportantthing- his hard continuous ',rr'ork.
T h e .i d e a . t o v i . i r I n d i a c a m eq u i t e u n o \ p e c L e d .l q y
^
S w e d i . hs l u d e n o l f U p . a l a u n i ! e r i i l y w r o t c j r l e L t e rl o
L r t h u a n i itn w h i c hh c a s k e dw l t e l h elrh c L i l h u c n i a a nnd
Indic languages, customsand ancientbelielswere really
so similar.Nobodyin Lithuaniacouldgive a really qua'-
lified answer to that question.India seemcdto 'be so
d i s t a n tl .u e v eyf b o d ye x c e pl th e r w e n . y - : i x . y e a r .snrludd c n t
ol medicincal Kauna\universily.poika ielt ashamed that
peoplein loreigncountriesshouldknow more aboutLith-
uania than Lithuaniansthemselves. This was a wonder-
iul chancelo prove his lovc for this homclandand do
somelhingusefulfor cverybody.
Poika spoketo ProfessorVincas Kr6ve who was ar
t h e l i m c l h e g r c a l e sat u l h o r i l yo n I n d i ai n L i l h u a n i aT. h c
frrotecsur said: _lt is beil lo go ro India and Iearn lhc
language."
That was enough.The Swedishstudcntrcceivedthc
answer:"Wc do nol know much about India bui I'll go
thereand learnwhat I can.,,
Therc.is no moneyfor the lrip, no support.A fantastic
.,
r o e as r f l k e sl u e y o u n gm a n _ 1 0 r e a c hI n d i a b y a m o .
t o r c y c l eW. h e r el h e r ei s a w i l l . r h e r ei s a w a y i l e t i n d s
l r9mpanionior himself. A board saying KAUNAS_
CAIRO-CALCUTAis affixed to an old nritorcycle.A
handiulof peoplecometo see the two bravemen ofl on
their jolrney on that Novembefmorning in 1929.Their
lacesexpre.sdoubt rnd apprehen5ion aboutlhe oulcome
or tne enterprise,
- But liie is sometimes more iantaslicthan the wildest
fantasies.Neilherthe old motorcyclenor lhe two young
men bfoke down. But aller poika had beentaken'ill ii
Teheran,his friend lost coufageand turned back home.
r50
 The ad!enturousjourneylasteda year' In India there
were live times teweruniversities in 1930than there are
now. Antanas Poska enteredBombay universiiyto study
anthropology. He worked very hard lor he had comenot
only to see and observe but also io learn languagesand
comparelndian and Lithuaniancultures.Soonhe began
to sendariiclesto newspapers one atter anolherin \thich
he described his impressions ol the placeshe had visited-
It did not take long ior the universiiyprofessors to notice
the gifted studeniwho had such an extraordinary fhirst
for knowledge.Antanas Poika was granted a special
scholarship. his liie becameeasier,he had more time lor
studiesand the work he had cometo India to do
There is always a little secretior everybodyin the
ancientmanuscripls,Vedas and P ranos.Thcre were a
numberoi suchsecretsand discoveries lor the youngLith-
uanian student, such as tor example, the story about
the old Aryan homelandwherethe sun did noi set at all
lor severalmonths,wherewaier turned inlo stone and
the godswerecalledby ihe samenamesas in Lithuania.
The Sanskrit text was spoltedwith Liihuanian words
which sparkledlike diamondsin sand.A lot ol work was
wailing for AnianasPoska-
Then there was also the field work, a scholar'sim_
medialesourceol informaiion,which he wanted to do
He wanted to see ior himsell as much as possible,to
touchevefythingwith his own hands.Soona luckychance
camehis way: he receivedan invitationlrom the British
ethnog.apher E. Leithnerto participaiein his expedition
in the Himalayas.
At last his dreamcametrue.In Ballisianthe expedition
discoveredtribes whose language,customs and even
buildingswereextraordinarily similarto thosein Lithua'
nia. But this had to be proved by scientificmethods,and
Poikaplungedinto workrhe dreu diagrams, tookpictufes,
made hundredsol anthropological measurenenls
In iwo yearsafter graduationlrom Bombayuniversity.
Antinas Poika becamethe youngestuniversityprolessor
in India.
l5l
 As.Indiawas then a Britishcolony,poskahad to pre-
sent his doctor'sthesison the Shinairibe liling in B;lti-
stan in London.lie was glad because on his wa''yto eng.
/ a n dh e w o u l db ea b l el o v i s i tL i t h u a n i a .
Useii to rough lravelling.poska sel out to the west
t o g e l h ewr i t h A r a bp i l g r i m sa n d m e r c h a ncra r a r a n sT.h u s
n e l o u n dh i m s e l il n T u f k i c hK u r d i s r a w n h c r eL h eK u r d s
werefightingior their freedom.Therene spentsometime
ior he could nol rfsisl hi\ wish to record their songs,
lales.-andvafious ethnographicfacls. Once in a while
I n e K u r d sa t i o w e dh i m r o p a r l i c i p a leer e n i n l h e i r m i l i _
larv aciions.
'Bul
rheTurkirhpoliccarfe\Ledthe susprclous travcller,
conlrscaled all his_papers. notesand personalpo\ression:,
and incarcerated him in prison lor a wholc yedr. Whcn
,-l y9: denorted. lo Butgaria(thenoccupiedby rhe
li.l l"he
lurts) did not ger backany oi his confiscated rhings.
(Jon€was hjs disserlation,gone wefe the
resultsoi iis
was emply-handcd. It wasa rcrribtedisap_
l-_gr-ljql,ih:
p o r n r m e nul .u l h e h a d l e a r n ti r o m l h e I n d i a ns a g e lt h ; t
neverlosehis head,he shoutdnevcrtoie hope.
ll,r"!.:h9"ld
wnateverwill be,will be.Fate demandsa iot from those
whom naturehasendowed with greatgifts.
I n B u l g a r i aP o S k ad i d n o r . i r i a t c , L c c o l l c ( ' t eadn d
record€dthe reminiscences about the Liihuaniandoctoi
and cducation-rlist JonasB?sanavieius, an outstanding fig-
ure_ot.utc Lithuanirnnationalntovcment, who hadlivci
i h B u l g a r i aa r l h e l u r n o f t h e c e n r u r yB. a s a n a r i i i uhsa d
a r s ol a k e na n d c l i r e i t c f c s ti n r h ( s i m i l r r i t i c \o J L i t h -
l r a n l a na n d I n d t a nc u l l u r e sh. a d w r i e n a c o n s i d e r a b l e
numberoi booksand articleson this subject.
. Poskacame back to Kaunasa shofl rime beiorethe
oegtnnrngoI the 2nd World War. But he could nol geL
even a teacher'sjob becauseof the economiccrisis-in
Liihuania.Theproiessor tried to earnhis living by contrib-
uting lo _newspapers and editingvariouspubiicaiion". He
pljblrsnedlwo volumesoi a very inlereslingbook,Frcm
lhe Bollic to.thp BaA ol Benga!,and beganlranslating
the Bhagatad-Oita irom lhe Sanskriland iagore from thE
Bengali. But the war put an end to all h'is work and
152
wreckedall his plans. After the war came a short rest
and the professor plungedintoworkagain.Distantcountries
and journeysdid not let him sit at home.Nearlyten yea.s
Poskaworkedin the republicsof CentralAsia wherehe
participated in the rcstructuringof ethnographicmuseums
and variousexpeditions.
Old age doesnot spareanybodyno matterhow tough
he were. But it was not easy lor it to get the betterof
the experienced traveller.Shorllybelorethe 50Lhanniver-
sary ot his travels,the sevcnty-year old scholarset old
age at delianceonce again:vith a group of young mo-
torcyclistshe travelledthe distanceof 900 kilometres
irom Vilnius to Armcnia in 40 days! His youthlul en-
thusiasmcan only bc envied!
"l will disappear,but a small part o[ me, charged
with my inner lension,will remain to be active and
inquisitive.Its cnergy will induceother pcopleto seek
perlectionand pursuetheir aims eventhoughthey might
scemquite unattainable...Thus I !r'ill belongto eternily
just as thosewho havepassedon iheif slrengihto me likc
a torch oi ctcrnity..." Thosewords wcre written by An-
tanasPoika.
Althoughthe scholarhas celcbrated his 85th birlhday,
he continuesto write, translate,lectufeand give consul-
tations to others.He has written The Vlotld Hislotu of
Agti.ullwe, translaleda numberof yedds,wrirtcn a-de.
tailedsurveyol similaritiesbetween Indianand Lithuanian
cultures.At the presenttime,on the basisol his own early
publicationsand the bils and piecesol the cxpedition
maierialthat hav€beensavcd,h€ is trying to reconstruct
his lost dissertationon Baltistan.
ln 1934whenhe livedin CalcLrtta. Poskasenta consid-
erablenumberof articlcson Lithuaniancustoms,folklore
and languagelor publicationin Ihe Modem Repieu). A.l-
ter sometime.throughthe editorialboardof the journal,
he received RabindranalhTagore's invitation to visit
Shantiniketan. Laler Poika describedhis impressions ol
the visit: "Beiore sunsetleachersand pupils bcgan to
assemblein small groupsin the gardenunder the trees.
The grey-bearded poet appeareddressedin a red gown

153
with v/idesleeves. His thin grey hair partedin the middle-
He was accompanied by severallong-haired girls dressed
in white holding flowers in their hands. They were iol-
lowed by a row ol honourableguests,then the staff of Vis-
va Bharat,and at last the students. The procession moved
towardsthe amphitheatre whereihe poel sai downiolding
his legs underhimsellin the Orientalmanneron a plat-
form madeof turfs and coveredby a jule cloth.Placing
the ilowers on his throne,the girls sai down on both
his sides.
I greetedTagorein the Hindu mannerby placingmy
hands togetherat my brcastand bendingmy h€ad till
if touchcdmy thumbs.He did the same,then raisedhis
handsabovemy headand whispcredsomcthing.I intro-
ducedmyseli,sayingwho I was and where I had corne
irom. Then the daily sunsetceremonystarled.The poei
rcad his verseswhich he had crcatedthat dav. The mo-
mcnt the sun louchedthe h,rfizon.evcrybodi.lood up,
the girls sang the iarewell hymn to the sun, then the
nationalanthemoi lndia.
"ln my poctry,"Tagorcsaid,"l try to conveythc sorind
and melodyof Bengalilolklore.Words are of secondim-
l u r i a n c e .l h e i r g r e a l c . l v r l u e l i ( s r n t h e f e e l i n ga n d
mood."
Every evcningat thc sunselceremonyI used1o read
my tfanslations. First, Tagoreread his versesin Bengali_
The soundand inlonationwerethe only criteriaby which
all ihosepresentjudgedii I had succeeded to conveythe
p o e t i c ai el e l i n g . . . "
Antanas Poika has nol been thc only lranslator ol
Tagore'spoetryinto Lithuanian.In lg72 cameout a col-
lecLionof Tagore'sversesin Lithuaniantranslatedirom
variouspublicalions. The name ol the translator,Vytau,
tas Nislelis,had not beenknown beloreat all either to
the generaireaderor the literary critic. He turned out
to be an architect,a modestman ot great efuditionand
sensitiveheart,who knew severallanguages.Fascinated
by ihe Orientalcountries,India and Japan,Nistelishad
workedvery hard for many years till at last he could

154
summonhis courage to olier his lranslationsto the
publishers.
Aiter his death it was discoveredthat Nistelis had
written poetry himsell.This had been a secreteven to
his best friends.Among his manuscriptslhere is also a
poemdedicated to RabindranathTagore:

Comeand visit us,oh Ae,

Frcm the distant counlrg, from the distant time,
rvho'ssung to us in strongeu)or(ls,
Comeand speahin mA naliue tongue
ThtuughnA tingerc,lhrough mg lips,
Throughmg heaft.
lVeaw the silh ol lhg taolds into ou llaren silence.
Ferrg Aour songs
Actoss lhe ri|)er of time that llotrs bet@eenus.
Com( dots.n[rcm !he.Himalagasol gour poetry
r0 out qutetIotDlands.
Becomea lake in ow land
From lhe oceanof !)oursongs.
Your &)otdsarc lihe mangottuit
RipenedbA lhe Bengolisun,
Pichedbg ils hutticanes.
lve'll string go . pearls logelher aith our amber
I'll be gow hands,
I'll be gout lips.

WhcnAntanasPoskalived in India,his greatestworry

was to lind an answerto one question- why were Indian
and Lithuanianculluresso much alike? In 1933in his
lettertrom the Himalayashe wrole:
"Hereal lasi I am in Kashmir...The languagepeople
speakin Kafiristanis wonderfullysimilar to ours. Their
cuslomsin all the minutestdetailsare also very mlch
like Lilhuaniancustoms.I had recordedan Astorianfolk-
song becausetwo thirds of its words were absolutelysi-
milar io Liihuanianwords,but iis a piiy I havelost ii.
 Here are somenamesof the Kaiir people:Ramguli,
Zhemguli,Vaiguli, Karguli.Thereis also a legendabout
the Trakeniclan of Dukecilit (or cilgit). . . "
Poika hasa feelingthat a loi of intormationis hidden
in ancientHindu manuscripts whichsometimes revealthe
most curiousthings.In 1937Poskapublishedan article
in the LithuanianjournalMisq yilnius aboul the origin
of lhe Lithuanians:"'fhe MotsgaPrrono bookscontaina
detaileddescriptionoi the geographyof ihe then world.
According10thesebooksthe great riversof Naruna,An-
tila, Rusnaand Nara llowedin the land whichis drained
today by the pripet river, thc land ol Masuria,and the
land whefethe town oi Pinsk is locatednow. The Rusna
river bankswerethe homelandof the Puru iamily headed
by the greal Krivi. The Puru family was allcgedlyrelated
to thc Pandavaand Yadavatribes.They had come to
the Rusnariver afterthe Mahabharata war."
The pundit NarayanMishra wrote the followingwith
greatconviction:"Our Iegcndsand traditionsindicatcthat
altef thc ItaIabharata wars thc Purus fctrcatcdto the
northernlakesaDdscttlcddownon thc banksol the Rusna.
Later thcy \rcre joined by other relaledlalniljessuch as
YadaYas, Danavas,Kurus,who seltleddownon the yamu-
na rivcr. GorudaPttana givesa detaileddescription of
custoDrs, prayersand rites which clea.ly show lhat ihe
Aryans lived in a fertile land wherethe dayswere long
in summerand thc nights werc short rnd light, where
snow storms and darknessreignedior half a year to-
gelher with Ushlra (Aurora Borealls).'fhere were no
nountains there,it raincd a1l the ycar round, and the
peoplewerc red-facedand robustlike sacredbulls.',
Antanas PoSkahad an opportunityto discussthis
problemwith the greatestIndian authorityon ancienl
history C. Dat{o who was convincedthal some part ot
the i\fyans went back 1()the north and ior a long lime
thev maintainedreligiousrclationswith their southcrn
i { i t ha n d k i n i n I n d i a . . .T o t h e n o r t ho [ Y a v a n aw a sP a n -
chala,or the Prussianland, whereiromthe Indiansused
ro get a lot oi Geltaru(Lith.gintaras'amber').Peoplethere
worshippedthe Vedic gods: Agni (Lillt. ugtlis 'lite"), paF

156
 'thunder'l yait (Lith. .rilas'wind'),
iona \Lilh. Pethinds, ,
Vrettu lLith. uetld'storm'), Ushtta lLith. aair4 'dawn'),
and others.
Another lndian authorityon ancient hislofy, pundit
M. K. Mukerji, says €ven more. In his book describing
Indian shippinghe indicateseven lhe waterways,rivefs
and seas,along which the lndian seamenusedto reach
their Puru brothers.
Audaciousand far-reachingwefe the speculations of
Antanas Poska.Today sciencehas expandedour know-
ledge and informationon the problem but the main
question - vhy - remainsunanswered. Moreover,it has
split inlo a nurnberoI more spocilicquestions, snch as:
Wheredid the Aryanscomc to India from? Why vas it
o n l y t h e B a l t sw h o s t a y e di n t h e l a n d so n t h e N e m u n a s
river?

In Jammuand Kashmirin the noflh of India, beyond

the FIind! Kush mountains.on the banks ot the cold
Indus,wherc thc mountainsare coverednot with green
grassbut white snow, wherearable land is scarceand
the people'shair is not black at all, lies Ballistanwhich
Polka visited half a centuryago. When a Lithuanian
tourist sets his eyes on the colourf!l Kashmirvillages
for the lirst time, he is absolutelyastoundedlor ii
it were not for the guide'svoicehe would think he was
looking at a Lithuanianvillage somewherein Dzikija
or Zemaitija:grain barns,thatchedwoodenhouseswith
gable posts shapedlike horsc heads,window shutters
adornedwith lilies, porcheswith carveddoorsand birch
lre€s growing nearby.Familiar tfimmingsand ornamen-
tations of clothes,familiar place,names: Gilgit, Ballit,
Skardu,Askole.. .
Whendid thesepeopleseltledownon this palchoi the
Himalayas? Wheredid they comefrom? Nobodycan an-
swer that. They are outwardlydifferentfrom their Mon-
goloid neighbours, they have a fairer skin, lairer hair
157
 and fairer eyes.Not all oi them,of course,but thereare
peopleamong them who have even blue eyes.The men
are tall and thickset,the womenare lull ol cheer,with
red round cheeks.Theylive in villages,dispersedin val,
leys among hilly mountains,tiny fields and swilt rivu,
lels,
It is believedthat lhere are even sacfedoak sroves
where sacrodfire is burnt. Everythingis familiar-tous
there,songs,loods,clothes,cusloms,games.. . in short,
it lookslike a chip oi ancientLithuaniawhich bv a mir.
acle has foundits way to lhe Himalayanmountainc. The
British ethnographer E. LeiLhneffecordedlots and lors
oi interestingfacts about Baltistanand its people.
T h e l a n d i n B a l t i s t a ny i e l d sg o o dg f a i n h r r v e s t sb, u t
as e\rerywhere in the mountainsthereis a great shortage
of _it,_thereforeevery patch of arable land is carelu[y
lookedafter.Water,broughtalong the ditches,is called
by a word similar to the Lithuanianword with the same
maaning- ahada,
T h c p e o p l eo t B a l t i s t a nh a v ea D € c u l i atrr a i t - o n c e
they settledown in a village,thcy nevcrleavcir by thcir
o w n k c c w i l l . l t i s a t r a g e d yl o b u r y a m e m b eor f o n e s
family in a cemcteryfar korn his home.ln cvery other
r e s p e cl th e i r w a y o f I i f c i s \ ' e r ys i m p l ca n d v c r y n r t u r a l .
Theyprovidefof thcmselves and producceveryjringthey
need.ln many housesPoskasaw a woodenbutterchurn
very similarto the onesusedin Lithuania.Their senseoi
propertyis not vcry slfong.lhey like ro .hare every,hing
l h e yh a v ea n d h e l pc a c ho l h e ra s m u c ha r i h e yc a n .W h e n
a babyis born,the neighbours plant a treenearthe house
so that the baby'sguardianspirit shouldhavea habita-
tion. When the man dies,his ghost comes10 live in the
tree lor sometime.
Tribal chieisbuild their own houseson a more level
groundand usemore timber.The walls are usuallymade
ol iogs altefnatingwith layersoi stonenrixedwith earth.
Doors,the insideand oulsideol the walls, the porchpil-
lars are careiullyadornedwith carvedIilies,suns,crosses
and sprigsoi rue.Everyvillagehasits own houseoi wor-
ship. It is usuallyerectedin the best place,embellished
158
with luxurianl trimmings and ornamentation. In lower
placeswhereihete are more trees,the housesafe made
of wood exacilylike lhe onesin our old Lilhuanianvil-
lages.Theif granariesusuallyhave pofcheswith carved
pillars.
The Baltistan peoplehave a deep respectfor lheir
dead.The gravesol their chiefs,eldersand warriorsare
usuallyiencedand a woodenmonument,calledtord, is
placedat th€ head.Taba is a llal axe-hewnboardwith
notchededgesand carvedplants,horns,moons,suns,and
circled crosses.The form of lhe taba may remind oi a
bird, ilower or man. They are similar to the Prussian
gfa\'emonuments.
In the spring the Baltistanitribes celebratea sp.ing
festivalwhich lalls on the day when the lirst egg is laid.
Poskawritesthal a decorated egg is hiddenin a meadow
lull of bloomingllowers,and gifls wade in the grass
Iookinglor the egg. Each one is eagerto lind the egg.
proclaimthe beginningoi the festivaland thus, at least
oncein a year,be in the centreoi attention.The people
are waiting. As soon as ihey gel the signai, they start
playing and singing. Everybodybrings decoratedeggs,
they roll the eggs and test the strengthof their shell.
Womenswing in the swings,teenagers demonstrate their
agility by making somersaultswhile swinging in the
swings.
The beliei oi Europeanand Chinesechroniclersthat
Ballistanis the homelandol polo is quitewell-grounded.
A levelpolo iield is a luxury in the mountains,but in the
autumnwhen the crops are harvestediinding a smaller
or biggerfield is no problem and youngmen sitting
astridetheir small but strongmountainhorsescometoge-
lh€r ior a polo gamethen.Touchingthe flat firm ground
with their leet makesthe horsesas exhilaratedas theif
riders.Late into night the air rings with the shoutsand
cheersol the players dashing about the field atter a
woodenball. The winnershave the right to order songs
and dances,the eldersprovidethe treat. In lhe villages
of our Zemailijachildrenchasea woodendisc.Duringthe
summerfestivalsand picnicschasinga woodendisc is
159
 the usual pastime oi grown-upmen, childrencan only
watch them.A very short time ago egg decorationand
rolling was still a gay and lively springgamein our vil,
lages,too. The clothesof the Baltisianisand their trim-
mings resemblethoseworn by ihe Lithuaniansbut the
Lithuanianvisitor'seye is mostly atiractedby the shape
and ornamenlationol the Baltistani housesand barns.
What a great numberof them AntanasPoskadrew then,
during the expedition!It is not alwayseasyto say which
one comesfrom a Lithuanianviliage and whichone lrom
a villagelost amonglhe mountainsin the neighbourhood
oi Gilgit or Astor,sheltered by high sleepmountainslike
Cod'ssentinels-
PoSkaconsidersthe town Skardu to be the centre
oi Baltistan.It is surroundedby entirelydiilerenttribes,
the Shina.Baltis.Banisaland Barcha.
Poskadid not comeacfossaoy sacredoak grovesin
Baltistan,though he heard peoplespeakingaboul them
and was even shown places where they had formefly
grown. He did not see pyres oi sacredfire, either,but
he brought back to Lithuania information about the
unheard-ofBaltistan,its people,songsand music.
The words in Baltistani songs are sometimesstrik-
ingly similar to Lilhllanianas can be exempliiiedbv the
.ong which PoSkzrecordedlrom lhe lip5 oi rhe zemindar
Karul Daulalon Julv 12.1933:

Lith.
Mana htidi mu|ei Mano Sirdisdauaos,
Mani hollradatdi Mano galuo hrinla (darda)
Dusti dusti tao Distu dtstu be taugs
Sessabrali slaa Sesuobrolis stoai
Ptasadagaide

Beiore reproducingthesewords in this book I con-

sultedour linguistsbut they couldnot say anythingdef-
inite. It is easyto understand
their doubts:Poika could
have rnisheardthe exact words,E. LeiLhnercould have
spelledthem in the wrong way. Scientiiictheoriesneed
solidargumentaiion.

160
 Antanas Poska is the only Lithuanian vho has ever
visited Baltistan. His dissertation on the Shina tribe
is stored somewherein London. The copious materials,
negativesand noteswere lost in the war. Now the scholar
is determinedto reconstructeverlhing from memory,pho-
tos and lragrnentarymaterial.
 Lithuania is beautifulin all seasons.In the sp.ing
when birds come backfrom the warmercountries.when
trees and meadowsbedeckthemselves with leavesand
blossoms. In the warm or sometimes rathercool summer,
wiih a lot or rather Iittle ol rain. In the autumnwhen
beforeihe winter'ssleepnaturebccomes mellow and the
leavesof the treesturn rcd and yellow,the wind tearing
ihem ofi mercilessly; when oaks alone do not sufrender
th€ir deadbrownleavesto the wind because they are ihe
last to sleepin winter and awakein spring.In the winter
when the sky takes pity on the frozenearth and covers
it with a soft white blanketiwhen the treesand houses,
with a light burning in their windowsmost oi the day,
seemto be wading throughthe deepwhite snow; when
the childrenalone welcomecold and snow and take to
the skates,skis and sledgeswith such joy and alacrily
which makcs them rcsenttheir mothcrswhen they call
them hometo watm thcir cold hands and noses.Every
monthhasiis own moodand enchantment.
Whenthere is frost and snow in Lithuania,India en.
joys the evcr-greentrees,Ilowers,the warm watcrs ol
the Ganges,althoughthere might be peoplewho even
in this weatherswathetheir neckswith a scari of wear
a woolenkerchiel.
Thereare no great mountainsin Lilhuania,just soitly
undulatinghills.But Lithuanians oftenmentionmountains
in their songs.It is perhapsbecausetheir heartshave
always reachedout ior the inlinite expanses of freedom.
Wherewould the godslive if therewereno Himalayas
on the earth?For they are the only mountainswhichreach
the sky, wiih their feet iifmly plantedon the earth.
162
 Wherewould the great gurus find refugeii they were
not prolectedby the rocksof the Flimalayas?
Wherewould the sageshave written their best books
ii the cool rivers did not flow in the Himalayasand they
had not gladdened their eyesby their heavenlybeauty?
How would the Hindus imaginesacredMount Meru,
the centreoi the earth,il they did not havethe summits
oi the Himalayasbeloreiheir eyes?
Wherewouldthe Goddess Gangahavelighteddown?
Wherewouldthe Gangesrise ii the sun,ihe eyeol Vishnu,
did not heatthe Himalayanice?
I experienced a pleasantsenseof freedomwhen I
arrived in the Himalayaslrom the scorchedand dusty
plains and the ovenlikecitiesol India. Bui when alter a
short excursionto the mouniainsI was coming back
io the tiny mountainvillageacrossthe tieldsol maizeand
pools ol watef, treadingthe red sticky eafth which was
growing darker and darker, I started casling uneasy
glancesaround,for the darknesswas creepinglrom the
mountainsand quicklycatchingup with me. While I $ras
wading in ihe lall grass,I couldnot think ol the beauty
or the peopleI had just encouniered, for I tried to re.
membefwhat I had read in the booksand hopedit was
true that therewereno poisonous vipersin the Himalayas
and ihe predatorybeastsnevervisitedvillagesbut stayed
there,beyondthe great crest.I kept repeatingto myself:
"lt is true, it is true" till I feli lhe hard road undermy
ieet and heaveda sigh oi reliel.The iear ihat had Pursued
me llp to that momentturnedslowly backinto the dark-
ness.Through the panelesswindows dimly lighted by
wick lamps I saw women,childrenand men busy over
the hearthiire. SuddenlyrelaxedI lMatched the evening
life oi the mouniaindwellers,open and not concealed by
curtains.I saw the peoplegelling ready lor the night's
rest,sayingtheir last wordsto eachother,prayingto their
good gods who also dwell peaceiullyhere,in the moun-
Ialn5,
I camehomelired,with my headburstingwiLhimpres'
sionsoi what I had seenin the last few hours,but I w3s
Brah"
alraid to go to bed lor I did not want to oversleep
163
ma's hour, the time belorethe sunrisewhen the Great
Himalayasseemto becomespaciousand start ringing.
I wantedto take this impression of ihe great mountains
vith me backto Lithuania,so that it would live in my
heartlor ever,
I stoodiremblingin lhe morning chill with my eyes
tixedon the mountains,unableto turn my gazefrom the
trarsparentcolourfulcloak they were putiing on lor the
day. Chomolungma, Kangchenjunga, Tschogori,Mahalu,
Nanga Parbat... the names oi the mountain summits
were like music to my ears.Throughthe small porthole
I saw, for the iast short moment,the summitswashedby
the sun rays, iloating among the clouds.I had not had
enoughtime to properlysay good-byeto the mountains
beloreI was soaredto ihe sky, swayedin the air and
landed in ihe heat of the city on the plains, from the
white summitsof the Himalayas,the kingdomol truth,
the invinciblecitadelof thought.

Thc art museumof Vilnius is lloodedwith people.For

the secondtime the Himalayashave cometo adorn the
walls ot the museum.Two artists,fathcrNicholasand son
SviatoslavRoerichs,have broughttheir wonderlulcan-
vasesro our ctly.
"Every man has his own way to beautyand always
tries to conveyit in someway or anolher,"wrote the
ialher. "l have always soughtbeauty.It fascinatedme.
By conveyingthe beaulyI saw on my canvases, I tried
to conveysome part oi the joy I experienced myself,"
continuedthe son.Bothpaintedthe Himalayas, bothgazed
at the samesummitsand felt their grandeurbut eachex-
pressedit dilierently,in his own particularway. But in
their picturesboth father and son capturedthat myste-
rious power of lhe mountainswhich magnetizes people,
cleansesthem of the dust oi petlinessand elevatesto
its own purity.
As ii unableto resistthe compulsionol their guiding
star, the Roerichsstartedtheir journey aboutthe world
164
at the beginningof the century.Their cuitural mission
lastediof liity years.Both io the East and to the West
lhev -ournew ideas.
brought
"When
sculptorPetrasRimSamet NicholasRoerich,
he askedhim whenhe had iirst ielt interestin Lithuania.
"lt's difficult to remember,"Roerichanswered,"perhaps
in my childhood.But it is absolutely certainthat I knew
,boui Lilhuania when I was a studeni at lhe St Pe'
lersburgAcademy.I drew my kno$ledgefrom booksand
bv 1900- when I altendedlhe World txhibi.lon In Paris
I had acquireda lairly good knowledgeoi Liihuania.I
was atlractedby the Lilhuaniansectionat the exhibition
in ihe Trocad6ropalace.ThereI saw a nice displayof
the historyol your misioriunes.I met someLithuanians
o[ my age there.Their basiccomplaintwas the prohibi'
tion ;f the Lithuanianletters.I felt ashamedlor this
barbarity.Sincethen I have neverabandoned Lithuania,
it has aiways lived in my heart. In 1903 I was happyto
have an opportunityto travel in Lithuania and it was
one ol the most memorableyears in my liie."
WhenNicholasRoerichlived in lhe Kulu valleyin the
Himalayas,he did not lofget his visit to Lithuania ln
1936he Dublished two articles,Lithuaniaand Ciurlionis.
At the bdginningoi ihe centuryonly a personoi Nicholas
Roerich'sinlellectualand artislic powerscould fully un_
derstandand appreciate the absolutelynew and original
art ol the Lithuanianpaintef.He was the first to fathom
Ciurlionis'saft, the intensityand potencyoi whichwas to
be iully appreciaied by the world only aiter the passage
of many yeafs,
"First, take care of art and not your materialwell'
bcing. Art teachesintuilion. An era ol art is coming,
a new and truthful era which will noi be dominatedby
the mechanisiicapproachto lile," wrole NicholasRoe-
rich.
"Our liie will be burnt on the Aliar ol Elernal,Infinile
and OmnipotentArl... Aren't we ihe happieslpeoplein
the world?"wfoteCiurlionis.

165
 LITHUANIA

,,Suetoui! S t ? e d s u t a so n e o l n A l i r c ! p i r t u r e s .
I had tong enterlaincdllLe idca ol majpsti. ahitp horscs
gtaztng in th? sact?d oah grcues al Lithuania.
Hotses
rpaclA hclp mankind! Herc!d\. saddled and rcadA to
.t.o
m,oue.likeliehtning a! lhe li's! bidding! I fotd aboui nA
id.ca lo..mg Jtiend Leonid Semyonou fian Shansky
ani
his,poelk so.ul t!,as inmedialelA (aptured bg these iiages.
Altla sone time he brcught a po?m, dedicolpdlo me;nd
enlitled fhe Vlhite Steeds
\y.e
,,. .disausspdthe magnilicenl Lithuanian ?pos teith
Vladimir Stasou aruMadinfu Solouqou. Lithuania
hos
a"lyy.sya a br ol. eood.[tipnds.lthite listcningro my
o:"1:ilti2n. ol
sltatcheclin .u)hat Llas going lo paint.iotougol
his long bpatdand t?peated: " But that is lhe
unenl. lhe grcat Otient., Slosoosmiled into his euefl
longet beard and addpd ,,Ccdoitlt!. it ts !hp Oticn!, euen
Ihe longuageis similat la Sanshtit. lyhetpis mq S u ?-
t a a i t - S t e e d s n o a ) ?T h e t e@ a sa l s o a p i c t u r i ,H e a -
, ^,P , t,!,,: depictiaganrien! ri!?s in a gtadeamong
!:
sotrea i"
oa4.. Whereis it na@?I dan t knou Theresas
also 6 picture entitled pethAnas (Thundet).lust a
shott u)ltile ago I had @otd from Gene-,)athat it tt)as
rn some ptitate collectian.Whol a tumber of messengers
ol the. gtorious Lithuonian epos haoe dispersed.in the

AIlet out uogagealong the -@atet.toaqs truuelledin lhe

past bA the likings on thei \t)ag to Grcece,,,[e @anled
to trA anot.heru)ater|lag,no less enlicing, the Nemunas
-rnade
r_iter. In 1903 yelena ltanoana and I a t p in
Lilhuani.a.lt @os a long !tip rcund histotir pla.es.I
naclc shpl(hes in pucrg placp ae slopped.ahiie yelena
tuanoun.auscd h?r (ompru and mad? pialurps sone parl
ol.tshtth tppteintludedlalet in L Gtabor'sA Hislory
o l R u s s i a n A r t a n d o t h e rb o o k so n h i s t o r i c aml o i _
umpnts. also mode a big numbet al studiesof Lith-
.l
uanlon lands.eapes. Their late is tuth?t (utious, theA gol
disperse.dall oa-et thc luotld- On(e, in Catilot;ia: I
c h a n c eodn. m ! K a u n a s C h u r c h , T h e R u i n s o l a
166
CaslIe on the Nemunas Riter, An OId Or'
l h o d o , C h u r a h n e a r G r o d t L o l t ) h i c he o e nt h e t e ,
across the ocean, conlinue to perlorm tlei tash and
arrakenthe memo es ol Lilhuania's beaul! and her hislo'
tical dignitg.
Out lrip in Lilhuania @as reallg lascinaling. Beside
modernneans ol trcnspott @ealso had to use a farmer's
jolly ca . Once @e eoen gol bogged do@n in the dtg
sands.It oksags loohedlihe a mincle to see a local man
emergetrcm his hut hai buied in sond altet o sand
slorm- Bul the severeenuiro\ftent has nol been able lo
wipe out lhe hospilable smile on a Lithuanian's tace.
Once loe put up Ior the \ight at a rcmole iln @here
against our o@n @ I e)e u)ereossailed b! doubls about
lhe rcliabilitg of llrc lochs.
But such our apprehensionsrvere absolulelggtound.-
less. Nolhiag bad euer happenedlo us lhroughoul lhe
trip. On lhe controrg, @eencounlereda lot al good.etpe-
tiences. lve listened lo a blind bard, recordeda consid-
erable number ol lhe most beauliful heroic legends,Out
ol lhe geat numberof lhe counl es I haneI)isiledLith-
uania has lelt lhe mosl pleasant memoies. It is best
ptooed b! the communilgol leelings.In lhe stoties erploils
of the hercesalletnated @ilh lhe mosl beautilul inslances
of @anen's self-sac fice. There were nunterousoacasions
(hich mada us renemhcr thal lhe Lilhuanian language
@as!er! similat lo gteal Sansfuil. The lreasves ol lhe
!,ilhuonio spiril @erebon of lhe satne hind ol nobilitg
anLlspitilual@eallh.
Eucrg caunlrg l.phosepeople loue lhei gteat pdst has
tich lolhltte 6nd a greal mong songs. There arc a lol
ol occosions @hentse hauelo speohabokl a gole to the
lulwe. The oerg idea of a gale is d stimulus to cteale.
A eaie hns lo be built, the galeposls hat'e to be lixed
titmllJ in lhe ground. But in order lo atlract people the
gale hos to be beautilul. A person tttho daes nol hno@
the past,.annot think aboutthe Ildure. The uniquebeau-
lg of the old pictures proceedsiusl from their openness.
Onla this hind of ad colLteallg becomea gale lo a bellel
futute. Ecetg man has a tight to thinh about il. The &)ell-
meaning concepliotrol a betler future, ucryessedin jogful
smiles, is alrcadg hoveing in the Lithuanian oak gtol)es
lDhifh gto@on the on(ient pagan altarc.

CIURLIONIS

I heor that the ndme of Ciurlionis hds becomea na-

tional name,the prde ol the Lithuaniatl nalion. It fills mA
heart @ilh iog. Eoer! nation must alteagshail the acctaim
oJ real lalues. A aounttg lehich lalues ils oa)n heraes,
ctealors and @orketsis txorthg ol a btight fulutp. It is
htgh,limc @e did a@ag@ith ignotan.e and s!upiditg
tohich, at cettain hislorical crcssrcads,ttumple and d;-
spise the @orhoJ the best people.A nation is alite onl!
@ith positite lalues. A lot ol good things lnppen in the
pracessol creationand construclion.
Not !e4J long ago it @asusua! to leet at eoetg hea
and unconeenlianalthing or just dismissit toith a skepti-
cal shrug ol the shoulders.Oh, lhesesheptics!Their ruth-
less hearts @ereready to sttungle elJerAne@ achielJe-
mpnl. ll somelhingis giu?n a ncu.!Iotm. mu.! Ihis re
ne@albe totn lo piecpslhe momenl is (pa!cd? Lets
remember Van Gogh ,aho cut olf his ear and sent it
to^his landlord insteadof his rent. A renl paid bg a piece
o-l lhe adtst's bodA!Let's remembetModiglia i rnho died
ttotu statuation, and the unfuetsal rccog;ition @hich his
shochingd.eathbroughthim. I rememberthe great Vlrubet
tshosetragedgreasunlalding just beforeour eges.Wasn,l
he dtioen insane bA the monstrcus injuslices his nobte
consciousness sufferedlrom al the hands af the ignorant
saoages?
The doom that befell Ciurlionis tu)aslhat u)hichooer-
tahes manA a genius. He brought neu),inspircd and rcaL
art. wasn't it enough lo engeatlerthe ttrath ol the p/o-
tane? Thei dust-cotered.eoergdaalile :(,asthreateneabg
somethingne@- @asn'lit necessarA to resort to the most
beastlg@agsto d.efendtheh relatioeu)elt-being?
1 temenlber@ellthe ston! skepticismahich aiurlionis,s
pictures met in the aorld ol a a quatlet of a centwg
168
ago. The hardenedhearts of tle sheptics&)erenot mooed
either blJ his solemn Iotms, or u)ell-considered. harmon!
of tones,or the beautilul ideas u)hichpetoadedeuergpic-
lure ol this great artist. His inspiralion seemedto come
trom nalue itself. Frcm lhe lery beginning Ciulionis
had his ot,n stlle, his o@nconceptionof colour tonesand
hotmoniouscomposilion.ll a)as his atl, his tield ol 1)i-
sian. He could nol lhinh or cteole itr ana olhet lerms.
He s)as not an inno,Jalor,he &)asa car er of neu)ideas.
This gem should haoe beengipen evergpossiblesuppotl.
Bul he rcceited iusl the opposite.Eten his best compo-
'The
sitions etoked nolhing but doubt, As chaiman of
llorld of Arl' I brche mana a lonce in delenceof Ciurlio-
tls's art. Undetslandingand faoourablecommentscame
frcm Mstislao Dobuzhinskg,Alexander Benua, but, alns,
manA of those o)ho belonged.eten to lhe best a istic
gtoups did not undetstandhitu and denouncedhls art.
B l the efla s of the enemies and obscuronlists
achieved just the opposile- thelJ conhibuted to Ciurlio'
nis's lulwe fame uthichcomeat last not to spenda night
beside his pi.turcs, but to spotlighl lhem lot ages. It is
o grcal iog lohen @e can saA that lhe enlirc nalion has
/ecognizedils grcalestasset.
ll is so @onderlulthal Ciurlionis has been tecognized
bA the Lithuonian nalion and that it is trot a tempotut!
shoteol senlimentsbul a permanentdiscotrergand respecl
tthich the @halenation leels lor the dedicated.crcotot. I
am hoppA to heat gaod ne!)s from Lilhuania about lhe
honouing of lhis magnilicentarlist.

Roerich'syoungestson, who is an artisl too, a cogno-

saenteol Agur-Vedaand the guardianoi his lather's
artistic heritage,lives in India but he considersthe
So,riet[-rnionto be his secondhomeland.Liihuaniaalso
has a small part in his heart: he admiresour greatest
artist Ciurlionisand the cosmicworld of his Diclures.for
in his own pictureshe seeksto conveythe samecombina-
tion oi thought,feelingand music.As everyIndian artist
who has seenreproductions of Ciurlioniss pictures,Svia'
toslav Roerichdreamsol seeingthe originals.
169
 Ciurlionis,the ushereroi ihe new era in our art. was
born in 1875,a year Iater than NicholasRoerich.But
the Fates allotted him too short a time in this world
as il they were scaredby the geniuswho had cometoo
€arly. Ciurlionisdied in his thirties.Therewere iew who
understood him but many who deridedhim. Siili, Ciurlio-
nis neverloweredthe iorch ol ihe new lighl, -peoplc for he be-
lievedthaLil was boundlo find a way ro c hca .
eventhoughit happened in a hundredyears.At the begin-
ning ot ihe cenlury there were very few who could ap-
preciateCiurlionis'sart which was so unusual.so ditief-
ent from what had been createdbelore him. Romain
Roiland,the well knoNn Frenchwriter. said it was like
the discoveryof a new spiritualcontinent.Ciurlioniscon-
ceivedoi the world in cosmicimages,his thoughtshovered
in regionsbeyondthe reacho[ ordinarypeople'sminds.
But the great artist could not afford to buy good
canvas and paints so that his picturescould be long
preservedlor posterity.Now the cheapcardboardand
paperchangecolourand the paint disinlegrates. On the
adviceof the bestaulhoritiesin the restoration of painlings
a new gallery has beenbuilt wherethe temgerature and
h u m i d i t yi s k e p Lc o n s l a n at l l l h e y e a r r o u n d .A l o l o f
ciliec Sluligart,Tokyo.Los Angelesand manyolhers
would be only too glad 10 have a travellingexhibition
o f C i u r l i o n iss p i c r u f e s . .B. u t ,r e g r e t r a b l iyl , i s r o o r i s k y
to movehis fragilepicturesirom their home.
Ciurlioniswas born on the banks of the Nemunas
river, in a small town of Var€na.The harmonvoi the
surfoundingnature.lhe friendly atmosphere in the ia-
mily, the warm-hearted relalionsamonghis parents,bro-
ihers and sistersawakened his laient at an e;rly age and
slimulatedhir souls yearningfor perfectliie. Th"'futur"
artist was the eldesto[ the eight childrenin the iamily
and he stoodout amongthem noi only with his abiliiies
and intelligence, but also with his mor€ sensitiveheart
which was ready to respondto the pain and misery of
all the peoplein the world. "When a man lives among
t70
people,he cannothelp doing goodand his life can never
be worihlesgevenif the man himselfis worthlessin the
eyesof others,"he wrote in one of his leltershome.
As a painterCiurlioniswas activeonly for aboutseven
years.He was in a hurry as if he had a lorebodingthat
he did not havemuchtime."l paint and paint.I get up at
seven,even earlier, and cannot tear mysell irom the
paints.I havea lerribleurgeto paint.I work ior l0 hours
and evenmore.I don't know wheretime disappears, bur
it does Ily by and I travel along the distant horizons
ot my dreamlandwhich might be a liitle strangebut I
leel goodin it."
By his lile and by whateverhe createdCiuflionis
soughtto bring peoplehappiness and beauty.But to him
life was rather 1ough,it rankled his body and pressed
him io the gfound while his wings burnt with desireto
Ily. "l'll muster up all my strengthand shoot up into
lhe iree expanse.I'll lly to the most distantcofnersol
the world,1othe lancycounlryoi eternalbeauty,sunlight
and Iairytaie,to ihe enchanled land,to ihe most beautilul
land on the earlh."
Ciurlioniswas enticedby the starry expanses and the
unfathomable depthof the human spirit. The sun, stars,
grass'snakes, birds and bells tigure in many of his pic-
tures.His fantasytook him to the cosmicexpanses, to the
world ol visionand legend,but it gre{, out of his naiive
land, il \r,asrooted in the lolk art traditions oi his
people.
Ciurlionislived at a periodwhich was vefy hard to
Lithuania.The countrywas steeped in the Tsaristoppres-
sion,the Lithuanianwritten languagewas prohibited,its
cultural lile was moribund.The Lithuanianintellectuals
weredeeplyconcerned aboutit. "l am determined to dedi-
cateall my past and luiure work to Lithuania,"the artist
wrote to his brother.Bui iirst he had lo earn acclaim
himsell.He took his works to St. Petersburg, the capital
ol the RussianEmpire,but therehe lound starvaiionand
povertyand was struckvith a gravedisease. His visions
and dfeamsenabledhim sometimes 1o lorget his ierrible
miseryand he found enoughstrengthin himselievento
l7l
 comlorthis youngerbrother:.,please, don't abandonyouf_
. e l l . i o p - e \ i m i s l i tch o u g h t :I. I i k e l h e v i e \ s p r o p u g a t e a
b y t h e H i n d u f a k i f sw h o m a i n t a r n erdh z r t h o u g l i t , - w e r c
living beings,bodilessand shapeless, an active'armyto
be usedby a strong-willed man who can conqterevefy_
thing with its help," he wrote. Not to give i;-1his is
whathe said both1ohimselfand to his lamity.
Ciurlioniswas one of the organizersoi the iirst Lith-
uanian art exhibition, but his own unusual pictufes
displayed thereattractedvery Iit e attention.prepirations
had to be startedfor a secondexhibilion.
B u l C i u r l i o n iw s a . n o l o n l y a p a i n l e r h, e w d n l e dL o
l a y i i r m f o u n d a l i o nfso r L i l h u a n i a nn a l i o n a lm u c i c a s
well. He createdmusichimselland urgedthe Lithuanian
students,andcomposers whom he met in Sl. petersburg
to write Lithuanianmusic.He sent articlesto the paper!
publishedin Vilnius wherehe expounded his ideasalout
the cornpositions oi Lithuanianmusic and programmes
designedio popularizeit. All this he did with only one
aim in viev - to reviveihe Lithuanianspirit and promole
its nationalculture.
. Bur his !irenglh \[as ebbingaway. MisundersLood by
lhe world. depres:edby his dreary ionelin"s.,rhe grear
creatordied keepingnothing for himself,having given
awayeverythingto the last drop-love, brotherhood and
friendship.In one of his leltersto his wite he wrote:..1,d
like to soar to the highestsummitswhich could not be
reachedby the morlals,and make a wreath of the mosi
beautilulstars...Do you remember the time Nhenwe were
taking a rest in the Oasissitting in the shadeof coconut
f a l m 5 .A l e r r i b j es r o r mw a , g a r h e r i n ga. h o r r i b l ]h e a v y
c r o u 0\ ^ a ss p r e a d l n ag m o u f n i n g : h f o u o d v e rt h e d e s e r l .
B u t w e w e r ec a l m .l h e r ew a s a s m i l eo n y o u r l i p s r n d
a big lion and lionesswere licking your feet.I even re_
mernberyour exactwords: Do you kno" s y we are nol
arrarq.you sard, becauseevenii we die \Ihen our bodie5
are exhausted. we will meelin lhe otherworld, and so il
w i l l b e .y o u a n d l . f o r w e a r e E l e f n i r ya n d I n l i n i . ) . . .
Near lhe exit Irom the silenr roomsof lhe Ciu;lionis
museumthe visitor linds himsellin front of his g.eatest
t72
Dicturewhich is entitledRet. A mysteriouspicture,con-
i a r n i n ga l o t o f s y m b o l s - t h es u n ,I h e m o o n .L h es t a r s
a n a l l i r a n d a n g e l s . .A. s t f u g g l eb e t w e elni g h ta n d d a r k -
ness.Two sovereigns of the kingdomsol virtue and evil
seemto be wrestlingfor the burning Fire. When looked
at lrom a distanceii seemsto be a piciureo[ our Clobe
with its seasand continenis,and an altar at the centre
What is it? A cosmicvision or a codedpropheticmes'
sage?
His pictureswill be admiredby many generations, the
soundsof lhe sea and forest will live in his music filled
with a strangesensationoi longing Maybehe cametoo
early to lhis earlh.Maybewe are not yel worthyoi a ta-
lent oi lhir magnitudeand his arl. But the more he re-
cedesto the past, the nearerwe are to his a.t as ii his
greatness couldbe appreciated only from afar.
The road from Var€nawhere Ciurlioniswas born to
Druskininkaiwhere he spent his young years is lined
with waysidepolescarvedfrom oak by ou. folk artists
Their ornamentation, figurinesand inscriptionsmake a
passer.byslop, look aroundand admirc the land which
gavc lilc to onc of the greatestgeniusesol the country
The road bearsCiurlionis's name and it leadsto his
monumentin the centre o[ Druskininkai,made by the
sculotorVladasVildZiunas.

Lithuania lives in lhe works ol her wood carvers,

weavers,knitters,polters... Throughlhe long centuries
their hands,callousand chapped, havebeencreatingLith'
uanian art. Even in the blackestyears in the history
of Lithuaniatheir art expressedthe longingol the nation
ior truth and beauty,lor they knew that th€ dark oi the
nighi is alwaysfollo!,edbY dawn.
The crossescarvedby VincasSvirskis Only a hun-
dred vearsseparateus from the man but we haveforgot
ten b;th whai he looked like or where his gfave is. ln
Lithuania,just as in India and everywhere else in the
t73
 world, folk arl used to be nameless,anonymous. What
wascreatedby one man belonged to lLc nalron.
VincasSvirsklsbeganlo iarve irom wood when as a
young boy he worked as a shepherd,maybe becausehe
was more delicatethan his elder brothers.He took the
chisel and never let it go till the momentoI his lasl
brealh.He did not acquireany greaLpossessions. he did
not evenhavehis own house.He was shy and indifferent
to money,pleasedwilh whateverpeoplechosero gtve him
Ior his work. All his wordly goodswenr into; single
woodenboxwhichhe alwayscarriedalong.
Severaloi his brotherswere killed in the uprising
of 1863againstthe Tsaristoppression, but noihingcoul;
intimidateVincasSvirskis:whenthe RussianTsarprohib.
i t e d t h e . u s e . o f _ hni so t h e rt o n g u ei n w r i t i n g ,h e ; l w a y s
catveo Dotdly Lithuanjan\^ord5on hrs crossc,, In no
olhet way was he differeni from simple village people
exceptperhapsfor his exlraordinaryvivaciLy."He moved
aboutlike Iightning,as il he werechargedwith elecrriciry,..
rememDers an oid womankunl the rillage whereSvirskis
tried to build a baloonso that he could soar to the skv
Iike a bird and see the earlh Irom high aboveat leasi
for a shortmoment.
When his hands and his back began to throb with
pain lrom work, he would read Lilhuanianbookswhich
he boughtand thencirculated clandestincly amongpeople.
H€ neverworkedon a Sunday.This was a daylor rest.
W h c n t h e s u n w a s s h i n i n g h. e w a l k e di n r h e I i c l d sa n d
m e a d o w sS.o m e t l m ehse w o u l dk n e c li l n d r d i . c l t i . h a n d s
to thc sun in adorationas a pagan,lhen stand up and
walk on. Even in winter he would sometimes lie;n the
snow and look at the starry sky. Many ihought him
strangc.Peoplcsaid,he could seeeventhe ghosGoi the
peoplewho had recenLty died.Whitehe \^ork;d,he woutd
talk to somebody, but who il was nobodvknew for thev
couldnol seeanybodynearby
For his work he used to selectthick branchvoaks
which he felt werea challengeto his [anla\]. He worked
atone, in some remoteplace, further lrom the Deoole,
'Whateveryou
do, do well.' he u,ed lo say...Sorne people
174
plough the earth, someturn their handsto somecraft'
Evervwork is sacred."
In his old age he grew slill more reticenl and unso'
'This is going to
ciable.But he iorked to his lasl day.
be my two-hundred{hiriy-first cross,the most beautiful
of all..."
Therehavebeenmanyother'lvood carversin Lithuania'
We do not knov everything about them, even about the
most receniones.The perleit beauty of simple folk art has
beenrecognizedioo lite. Many of those who crealedit
went to tieir resting places leaving nothing behind but
their nameless art.
One oi thosewhosenamewe do know was Lionginas
Sepka;also a strangeman who chosea hermitlike lite
al'an earlv ase.Whenhis belovedbroLherdied hi' sister_
in.law asied-him !o mrke a simple birch cross on his
grave,but when she saw lhe result.she was outraged
itrere and tlen he resolvedto erecl a really beauliiul
monumenito his brother.He was lorty_three then
He went to live in a small bathhouse' "How good it
was to live in my dugout, hc srtd ycafs laler"'Carving
ali dav lons. all aloni listenrngLothe songsol lhe birds
ana aiint<iig in lhe smell oI the earrh lt was bliss"
Sepkalivcd-on vegctables, Iruit breadand watcr' When
hii relativesbroug-hthim food,they could not ltclp won-
d e r i n-tsh o w h e s t o o dt h e c o l do i t h c w i n t e r ' . B u [I w a s nt
-ia ut"a lo carvc oulsidc all through lhc winler' I
would sit on the ihresholdand have a mcal ol potatoes'
Mv heartwouldbe light and gay "
Lirtle bv litLlemore and more peoplclearnLahoulthe
strangc caiver who lived in a bathhouseMany came
to see'himon Sundays,interieringwith his work Weary
oi DeoDle's censute,his relativcspulled down his bath-
r'n,-i."tut the masterrelusedto moveto iheif houseand
d o . " W h e nt h e yp u l l r dd o w nt r r yb a t h
I i v el i k e a l l p e o p l e
house.I didrii so lheir house l st.ryedoutsidewilh my
to
statues.Therei slepi Then I decided10 build myseli a
small log cottage.While I was building it' the sun \'!as
shininsind no rain came As soon as I took my sculp_
turesi;, it stariedto rain "
175
 He was a sensitiveman and always listenedto his
inner voice: "Once when I lived in the dug_out,I lelt
a stab in my heart: 'Don't go to bed tonighf it seemed
{o say. So l srayedup and }uddenlythe foof cavedin.
I wouldhale beenburiedaliv€'.
The artistic world oi Lithuaniasoonlearnl aboutthe
gifted folk sculptor.The artistswho visiled Sepka'splace
were stunnedby that sirangeunseenworld. Siackedone
upon anotherwere the most beautifuland original,very
expre.si!esculplures:birds singing in lne tfees,orna.
menredDoardswith carved lext<.Their eves were im.
medialelyartracledby lhe organic blend ;f the monu-
mentaldetailsand the rich ornamentation. A greatnumbe,
of smallerfigurineswere strung together.
Sepkawas true lo his word "imply
and madebeaurifulmonu_
menlson his.brolher'sand parenl, graves,grand sculp-
tural eniemblescarvedirom Iindenrieeswith long leris.
columns,trees and chains,To preservelhe monuments
from lhe destructive elfect oi ihe natural elements. thev
w e r et a k e nt o a m u . e u m".l t h o u g h It m a d em y . c u l p r u r e s
ror mysell.my own salisiaclion, it rurnedoul I wa5work.
ing ior people..."
lvhen Sepkabecame old and weakand couldno longer
look aiter himself,he was laken to an old peoole'shoime
w h e r eh e l i v e d a r r h e e x p e n s o el t h e . l a i e . t l < e e m e d
l h e \ ^ o o dc a r r e r . h o u l dh a v eb e e no n l y r o o g l a d t o l e a v e
h r s a s c e t j cp r i m i l i v eh o m el o r t h e b i g l i g h r a n d c l e a n
r o o m sw i l h r u n n i n gh o r a n d c o l dw a l e r ,f a d i o .c o l o u rT V
< e i . l i b r a r y .g o o d i o o d . . . E v e r y r h i n cg r ( e p r
le,ce ano
q u i e l u d eJ.u s t w h a t S e p k ar a l u e dm o s l - l n e e d! i l e n c e .
I hare no quiel,noihinggivesme joy. I don l knowmycelf
where I am going. sitring. jying. I have no peace..iHe
took to wearingdark glassesio createat leastan illusion
of seclusion. He would not take them otf evenin bed.
Laler Sepkamovedio Vilnius. He usedlo carve sif
ting in his bed,at the foot of which he kept a pitch fork
lo remind him oI his homelandas he used lo call his
nativevillage.
"I am not airaid to die. It's funny, bui I am not
afraid. I could tall dead just this moment... I do not
even cut wood fo. the next day. But who knows' we may
live for ever.. . I leel like a child even now." The ariist
died in 1965in his late seventies. His last wish was:
"Please.oDenthe window,I want to seethe cloudsand
the birdsJlyingin the air."
the covir of lhe art bookdedicatedto this wonderful
iolk artist depictsa detail irom ihe monumenton his
brother'sgrave. It is a carving ol Christ's head which
remindsoi the artist himself,-the same deepwrinkles
in the tace,ihe samethoughtfuleyeslookingdown.Only
t h e h a i r i s l o n g e ra n d t h e f a c ei s m o r ee l o n g a t e d . . l n
everv other respectit is a face typical oi many a Lith_
uanian son ol ihe soil who has lived a long and hard
liie.
Not all lolk artistsare as shy of peopleas Sepkawas
On the contrary,many of them are more cheerluland
communicative than any otherordinaryman is Whenthey
come together, there is usually fun and banter galore
Someiimes they are invited fo cometo work on a joint
project.Then they are providedwith trees ior carving.
iood and shelter.Inspiration,good humourand a chisel
is everybody'sindividual responsibilitySunlmersare
shoftin Lithuania.In two or threemonthsit is impossible
to compleiea bigger projeci.Then the master carvers
cometogetheragainthe next summer.That is how unique
ensemb[s of oak carvingswere made in Ablinga, the
disirictoi Klaipeda,and Militnai, the districtot RokiSkis'
to commemoraie the victims oi the iascist invaders.In
Nerinsa the folk artists efectedtheir woodensculpiures
at thttop ol a hill on the shoreof the CuronianLagoon
whereold pagan rites usedto be periormed.As the hill
was referredto as theWilches'Mount,the artistsinhabited
it with witches.demonsand othermonsters. What infiniie
resourceand ingenuily!In the daytimewhen the sun is
s h i n i n gl h c s c u l p l u r elro o k e \ e n i u n n y c h i l d f e na l o n e
can ii;d them scary.Bui ar nighl lhey say il s bptlef nol
to walk on the hill alone
Recognitiondoes not always come readily to artists
whoseait sproutslrom the nationaltradiiions Bul people
ar€ alwaysthrilled when they ieel the throbbingoi the
t77
artist's heart in his work. This is how the Lithuanian poet
Marcelijus Martinaitis describesthe life of an artist:
Let's gioe us out to peoplelihe summer
Piecebg pieceand drop bg drop.
Let's leattenothing tor ourseloes,
Let's gtue out ou smile in t endlg handshahes:
Goodmorfiing, Gooilelefling!
Let's gine us out to people[ihe a souce
That reaet runsihg.
Let's gioe us oul like the sun gioes out itsel'...
And help ea.h othet lo collect our scolteredsek)es.
But u)he| thete is nothing telt in us ony morc...
Cood tlight,good night. . .
Translatedby Daliia Tehorieni
 To an Indianthe Gangesis a holy river' At a wedding
Deoptepour milk inlo it and floal flou/erwreaths lt is
'rt.o
rhi otacewhere lhe ashesoi lhe dead are usually
oouredin. Peooletakelhe holy waler ol lhe Gangeshomc
and svear by'ii. On a sunny day the waier oi the river
lookssreenishand transparentOn a misty day it is grey
and d;lt. Belores!nrise it shinesIike a polishedsilver
mirror which it is impossibleto iouch with dirty hands'
Ai sunsetit looks quiel, reilective,full ol strenglhand
gIandcur.lt is catl;d Dasahara,that is, ten gods who
i,ash off ten sins. Thc four elephantswhich supportthe
c a r t hc o m et o b a t h ei n t h i s h e a v e n lfyi v c r i n r o l a t i o n
Risingin the Himalayasthis iurbulenland transparenl
river beiomesslower and calmcr when it flows across
the northernplains oi India There stands a beautilul
citv known by t*o names,Hardwar and Gangadwara'
Sohe distanceaway from it is Rishikesh, a cltious little
iown.and still a littje ilrthet awayon lhe sun'baked plain
is Atiahabad, the birthplaceof JawaharlalNehru and In'
dira Gandhi.This is the placewhereihreerivers meet: the
Canges,Jurnna'Yamuna ;nd sarasvaliwhichllows under'
sro,;d. Thor", at the conllucnceof these lhree rivers
iama and Sita met the wise bardValmiki and,iascinated
by th€ beautyof the place,built themselvcs a home
- -
A nlmber oi beautifulcities Delhi,Agra, Mathura
h a \ e < p r u n gu p o n l h e b a n k so f l h e J u m n a S o m e l i m e s
l h e C a n g e s ; n dJ u m n al l o o dl h e f e r l i l ef i e l d >a n d l h e s u r _
rolndin! villages and then their holy water becomes
a seaol tearsand misety.
Therewould be no India withoui the Ganges,which
is morethan just a river oi pure freshwater comingfrom
179
 the,mountains.The Cangesis amtita to the body and
:.our9l :.velylndian.Whenrhe Aryanscamelo lhe vallev
rney Durtt_lemptes and sang hymns to the river. Even
rooayrhe_lianges is a river of myslicpowerLoan lndian
Ano |l wr| Detor a tonglime.Hindu lileralure.Dhilosoohv
and art were.born on the banksof the Ganges.fie Gan!e.
n€s.grown deep into the soul of the nation and il is
r i g h t t u l l yr e f e r r eldo a s a h e a v e n lrvi v e r .
. Today,however,lhe waler of ih" Crng". i. no longer
cle€nand pure.The ciLiesloomingon its banksand th?rr
r n 0 u s t r r ehsa v ep o l l u l e dt h e r i v e r t o s u c ha n e x t e n L ihdt
Ine.Department for the preservation of nalurewi,s forced
ro oectarcLhatlhe water of the rivcr presented a dangef
t o p c o p l c sh e a l t h T . h e p i l g r i m sa l o n cp a i d n o a t t e n l t n
ro lDe prohibtlion.Now lhc govefnment has srarLeda bic
project ot. cteaningthe sacred fiver and iLs water
ii
oecomrnS lretLcr_

,, "(t!:?il';: "l5:',i"J','l;.lT:""
ffi",
Dottomot th! rivcr. Buddhagavepeople
i"T"
l;1";
: a new conceDtron
or
,|lrc,toLtghL againstthe slaveryoi the caslesan; thc
rrcn.
.laugnl others to Iive as he did, exlollcdwork and
urgedpeopleLoknow thc reil world. l-tc wishedlhar
peopleshould Iive in pcacc,he dreamedol a all
classlc5s
socrerylrec lrom pfejudiceand supcrslilions. Al that timc
o n r y . a m a n o t a n i n d o m i l a b lsep i t c o u l dp u b l i c l y
say
piroill,."Telt c,r'erybody rhat arr peopie.rhe-pooi
!",,ni:
a n 0 l h e r u m b l e t, h e r i c h a n d l h e n o b l e a, r e e q u a l . .B. u d -
afraid ro cha enge Hinduismand sry thar
Lllr-_yr..r.I",.
Droody ollerjngs to the gods were not necessaryand
peopre,shouid not wail passivelyfor Gods gracebut try
an0 nelDthemselves
Ramachandra divestshimselfof his clothesand wades
into.the warm walef of the Cangcs.He wets his chesr,
rorenead. ltoldsout hjs handspalms upwards,clo,,eshis
eyesand secmsto freeze.I can seeonly his back.Si ing
on the stepsI try to guesswhat he is thinkingabout,whai
words he is repeatingin his mind. There;re a lol oi
p e o p l ea r o u n db u l a b s o l u { e lnyo n o i s e . . .W h e n
Rama-
chandragets out oi ihe walef, he urges me to 5tep in
t80
and \'r'ashat leastmy sweatyface.I think he hasa pretty
goodideawhat I am thinkingabout.I remember only too
;ell the warningsat home about the sanitary conditions
in India. Perhapsthey were not necessary. Europeans
travelledin India many mally centuries ago when the
world knew nothing about pills or vaccinations, didn'i
they? But still I cannol make up my mind for a long
time-lhe water nearthe bank is not inviting at all, ior
in the foam among the plants there is a lot ol rubbish
and someof it, I must say,is not exacilyaitractive.But
my friend'sweightyargumentthat no onc has ever ial'
le; ill with choleraor smallpoxalter washing in the
Canges makesme more towardsthe water' Otherwise
Ramachandra will makethe conclusion that couragewas
ivoical onlv of the ancientLiihuanians,and then, who
k'nows,I miy neverhaveanotheropPortunity of touching
the water oi thc Ganges.I dip my hands into the water
and wet mv forehead.
Therea'femany thingsthat makea Europeandillercnt
lrom an Indian, a man who has beenbroughtup in the
Orieni. At first sight an lndian secmsto bc passive,too
quietand listless,a contrastto our peoplewho are always
busydoingsomething, and novingabout whcn left alone
Eurooeans do not know what thev shoulddo with them_
selvci and boredommakesthem restlessAn Indian is
absolutely dillerent.Take,ior example, Ramachandra, who
is so childishlyopen,lull oi fhe bestintenlionsto every_
b o d y ,s i m p l eb u t a ! t h e s a m et i m e d i g n i f i e dH. e i ' n e v e r
i n i h u r r y ,b u l h e i s n e v c rI a t c f o r a n y l h i n ge i l h e r H
. is
movementsale lree. he has no mannerlsms,and never
lries to ingratiaiehimselfto anybody.He hasno tearthat
he might do or say something wrong
During my visit to India he tried to teachme how to
relax and behaveireely,discardall the masksin com'
municationand concenlrate on the convetsation, how to
rest by relaxingthe musclesol my body. He could take
a rest anywherein the shade and do some breathing
exercises in the presence oi everybody. But I lelt too awk_
ward to do the same with him, for I could not get rid of
the teelingthat everybody was looking at me allhoughI
l8l
knew that, of all the people,the Indianswere the least
likely to pay any atlentionto what a man was dolng
in the street.Aiter such minutesoi rest Ramachandri
would ask met "Well, what were you thinking about?,,
I w o u l ds r a r le n u m e r a l i nm g y e n d l e s l.h o u g h t a n d r h i s
w o u l d m a k eh i 5 b r o w ne y e sl a u g h . . y o u d - b e t l el re a f n
t o i h i n k a b o u lo n et h i n ga t a l i m e .T r y t o g r a , p a l h r e d d
r n y o u rl t r o u g h tasn d p u r s u ei l r o l h e e n d .T h e nl r y n o t l o
think at all so lhat thereshoutdbe not a singleihought
in your head.At first it's difficult but beforeyou leirn
to control_ your thoughts,your concentraiion will do you
little good.No, no, don't wave your hand and don't iell
me you haveno time ior that.All oi us can leafnto know
the deepestdepthof our soul. This shouldbe done jm_
mediately,without postponement. Now. This minute,lhis
hour.All throughyour lile."
Here, a man twice youngerthan me, and I cannot
s a yt h a th e i s w r o n g . . .
_ The-heavenly Ganga,the divine breadgiv€f, drughter
of old Himalayas,flows from the heartof her lather.-Two
mo]lniainridgeswhich give the Gangesto the hot plains,
unfold the.most beautiiulvalley in the world. Happy
are thosewho haveseenii,

Bui we may say that the Nemunasis neafly as sacred

to the Lithuaniansas the Gangesis to the Indians.It
meandersacrossLiihuaniaand reachesthe Baltic Sea.
It givesjoy to all the Lithuanians:
Dztkians,Aukstaitians,
Suvalkiansand Zemaitians. Therewould be no Lithuania
withoutthe Nemunas.Lithuaniais oftenreferredlo as the
countryof the Nemunas,the iand of the Nemunas.
When the ice caps melied and receded,they gouged
out high and beautifulbanks for this river, which oten
wast expanses of greenand yellow fields,meadowsand
undulatinghills. A personhas to visit a lot of couniries,
discovermany lands beiore he can learn to feel and
love his nativeland and the spirit of his iorelathers.
No-
182
body lovesit mo.e than a personjust backfrom ioreign
counlttes.
SacredMount Rambynas,coveredwith trees to the
lery top. Here peoplecelebraleihe longestday and the
shorteslnight by feasling,dancingand singing.In olden
limes a sacredfire used lo burn under the oaks.Today
it is perhapsthe spiritot thesebygonedayswhichaliracts
DeoDle
- to ihe mount and the shadeol its old trees.
Al the villageol Rusni, beyondMount Rambynas, ihe
Nemunasflows inio the CuronianLagoon, a large bay oi
iresh waier separated ffom the sea by a narrow slrip oi
land. Earlier it was inhabitedby the Baltic tribe ol Kur'
iiai {Curonians).Now we shouldcrossthe CoronianLa_
goonand visit Nida,a fishingvillageon the narrowsand
sirip calledthe CuronianSpit, a uniqueplaceot natural
beauly.
Thereis no arableland or orchardson the Spit, only
sand and woods.The industrioushandsol the Li(huanian
peoplehave barredthe way to the blowingsands,which
have buried many a village,and have given life io the
grecn carpet now slretchingalong the entire length ol
that strip oi Iand. From the top of the high duncs no-
thing exceptthe vast expanses oi water can be seenon
both sides,the sky touchingthe clean primordialland
whichthe sun onceturnedinto sand.Walkingin the dunes
is not easy,the feei sink into lhe sand and pull the body
downbri it makesthe soul lighi and serene.
After his visit to the dunesoi Nida Jean Paul Sartr.
the iamousFrenchwriter. said: "ln Nida I discovered
Ciurlionis."Otherswho had seena lot oi beautiiulDlaces
in the world, said that they had neverthought such a
placeoi amazingbeautyand purity could exist in Eu-
rope,
Maybe there was a time when the Nemunasflowed
directlyinto the Baltic sea and therewas no sandystrip
and no lagoonbetween the seaand the continent.Neringa,
the powerful and beautiiul guardianot lhe [ishermen,
alwayskept a careiulwatch over theif boatswhen they
went out far into the Baltic Sea,which was sometimes
rather hoslile and stormy.Once when hrge wavesrose
I83
 and threatenedthe fishermenwith sure death.Nerinsa
look pity ot the men and lheir poor wives and childr;n
waiting for themwith lanternson the shore.Sheplanted
her feet firmly on the shore,leanedtorward as far as her
giant bodywould go and pouredthe sandirom her apron
i n l o t h e s e a .a n d l h i s w a s h o w t h e s a n d ys r r i pa p p e ; r e d .
A lot of arnberhas beenminedin the Gintaras(Arnberl
Bay in the CuronianLagoon.Amberis calledLithuanian
gold and it hasmadeLithuaniaiamousall overthe world.
Earlier,peopleusedto attributemagic poUersto amber,
perhapsbecause it appeared mysteriously lrom the seaor
perhapsbecause it felt warm on ihe palm and cxudeda
pleasantaroma whcn burnt. To thc Lithuaniansamber
remindedol Fire and lhe Sun. Evcn now some women
believethat amber necklaces have a healingeliecl.and
prevent certain diseases.Amber artiiacts,jewelfy and
items used in religiousrites which have beenexcavated
on the site of former templesand bufial placesbespeak
the high level of ancientBaltic culture.Whcn the dead
were no longer crematcdbut buriedin the gfound,the
box placedat the dead man's head usuallycontaincda
pieceoi amber,
The first travellerswho visilcdthe Baltic lribeswrote
thai there was so much amber that peoplcused it for
luel. This is ce.tainlyan exaggcralion - the Balls burnt
amberon altarsand usedit as incense.
Having occupiedthe Prussianlands,the Orderoi the
Cross appropriatedthe exclusiverighis to the amber
foundor minedon lhe shore.Anyonewho founda piece
ol amberand tried to sell it could be punishedby dcath.
Therewere specialguardsand groupsof rnountedpolice,
and ahe coast was spottedwith gallows for the local
peoplewho slole amber.For more than a centuryp€ople
were executedfor stealingamber in the prussiancapi-
lat.
By the way, amber is also found in northernIndia.
It is a little diiferentirom Lithuanianamberand it is
calledbt1rmite.
Thereare all sortsol museumsin the world but amber
museumis a rarity. It is located in Palanga,our

184
coastalresorl.Thousands ol amberspecimens oi various
coloursand shades,lrom vhite to black,someabsolutely
transparent,someconlaininginclusions, suchas iossilized
insects,grass bladesand blossoms, are displayedin the
palacewhich belongedonceto 3 rich Lithuaniannoble_
man. Amberdiscloses very early naturalhistory.The vis-
itor's eyesare immediatelyglued to a reddishsPideror
a blossomof an unknoNntree which grew fourty million
years ago.Nearly everyioreignerwho visits our country
takes home at least one pieceof amberjewelry,a me'
mento,a fragmentoi Jurate'samberpalace...
The legend has it that Jllrat6, the sea goddesso[
unsurpassed beauty,who lived at the bottomof the sea,
used to come up to the sutlace to see how people lived.
Onceshe saw a handsome youngiisherman,Kastytis.
Her everyounghearttrembledat his sight and sheiell in
love with this son oi the earth. More and more olten
the goddesswishedihat the fishermanshouldcatch her
wilh his strong net and pull het into his boat. In this
way they spent many a happy hour togeth€rand said
many a lerventprayerto Milda,the goddess ol love.They
torgotwho theywereand this madePerktnasvery angry.
Was it possiblethat a goddessshould love a man of
the earth?He struckJurata'spalacewilh lightningand
reducedit to ruins. The wavesrolled up the dead body
oi ihe fishermanand a lot of brokenpiecesol the amber
Dalaceonto the shore.
Aiter evefy storm,lhat is, after every manifeslation
of Perkunas'rage, the sea keepsbringing up piecesof
the goddess'palace which peoplecollectand adornlhem-
selveswith.

Regimenlsoi crusadersused to march from the en-

slavedPrussianorthwardalong the coastoi the Baliic
Sea. They sought to join lorces wilh their accomplices
on the Latvianterrilory.TheGermansarguedthat the sea
coast there belongedto them and gave Klaip€da,Lith-
uania'sonly seaport,another,a German,name.
 Lithuanianscalledthe areaon the seacoastLithuania
Minor and neverceasedto iight for its liberationirom lhe
Germans,Swedesand French...It is impossible to think
ol Lithuaniawithout the Baltic Sea or KlaiDada.
Vydunas,a prominenlIigurein the Lilhuaniannation-
al movement,was born in LithuaniaMinor in 1868.He
was to th€ Lithuanianswhat Ramakrishna, Vj\,ekananda
or Gandhiwere to the Indians.His life was de.'oledio
noblehumanism,truth and justice,struggleagainstsla-
very, concentration upon spiritualliie, explorationof the
depthoi his own soul and the altainmentoi lhe meaninq
of the higherexislence. He was a srrong,ofiginal per.o:
nality and he pursueda peculiarway oi liie. He abstained
from alcoholand was a vegeiarian.In this way, he re
mainedactive and energeticeven in his old age. Once
he is said to have challengedsomeyoungmen to run a
1oo-metre race.Theyaccepted lhe challengewith mockery
but you can imaginetheir embarrassment when Vydinas
cameiirst.
His cultural activitiesand interestswere verv broad.
H e w a s a w r i l e ra n d p l a y w r i g h t - h e h a s l e f t 3 b p l a y c .
He was also a musician:he foundeda LiihuanianSocietv
of Singersin Tilte (Tilcit) and direcledil [or forry vears.
he organized song feslivalq, .realed and harmonized
songs.He was an activecontributorto papers,published
and editedjournals himsell.He was a philosopher, he
createdphilosophicaltheories and wrote philosophical
treatises.He was the author of a n!mber oi historical
and linguisticbooksand dictionaries, translatedGoethe,
Tagore.Kant, lhe Bhagaual-Gita. Vydunaswa< an rcrive
l i g h l e ra g a i n sllh e C e r m a n i r z l i oonl L i t l . u a n iM
d i n o ra n d
he mainiainedthat the Lithuanianscouldrctain iheir na-
tional characteronly by attaininga highercultural and
spiritual nobility than that of iheir oppressofs. Vydunas
was a very good lectureron a variety oi subjects.FIis
fiery words and lhe personalexamplj of his noble lite
activatedthe souls of his compatriotsand resurrecied
lheir moribundnational consciousness. Thosewho can
still remember Vydinas say that he simplyhypnotized his
audiences, leading them ior hours along the labyrinths

t86
ot his thoughtsand explainingcomplicated problemsof
life and philosophical ideasin simplewordsv/hiche\.ery-
bodycouldunderstand.
Vydinas grew underthe iniluenceoi Germanculiure,
altendedGerman universities,nevertheless, his aim ol
lile was the fight againsiGermanization and everykind
oi nationaloppression. The iorms oi iight he choseand
dete.minedhimself.From his wrilten works it may seem
that he had lived in India for many years but, in fact,
Vydllnashad never been in India although trom ihat
countryhe alwaysdrew his strength,knowledge and wis-
dom.
But Vydinas had a good knowledgeoi Hindu philos-
ophy, epic. and sacred writings. In his own journal
Darbgmetishe wrote: "Wonderfulideas come from the
Vedas and Upanishads".The lact that Vydtnas was the
Iirst translatorol lhe Bhagaoad-Gilainto Lithuanian
showswhal great importancehe attachedto Hindu phi-
Iosophy.The most acceptable to him were the ideasol
Neo-Vedanta for they were lhe most suitableio th€ soul
ol everyLithuanian.
"Thefe is nothing more valuablethan man himself.
Everything must serve his growth," wrole Vydiinas,
althoughhe understoodihat man is only on his way
to lhe true spiritualkingdomwhich in the €nd will come
io dominatethis earthly life. Man is imperlectbut there
is a goodlyportionoi humanness in him whichshouldbe
kindledand activatedby all possiblemeanswhile man's
meanness shouldbe controlledand suppressed. Vydunas
maintainedthal spirituallyman growsbestwhen he him-
self lakescareol it. tn the processol his perfection man
stimulatesthe spiritualgrowthol otherspassingthe torch
oi his exDerience and wisdomto anotherman who has
jusl awakened. "Wisdomis the llame and humannature
is the candle.When the candleis no good,the ilame is
weak."To Vydrlnas,conscience was the light of will and
the core of decency.Like the Indian nationalmovement
leaders,Vydunaswas convincedthat the only way to
resolvesocialcontradiclions lay throughman'smoral im-
Drovement which could even lead mankindto socialism.
r87
 Like the fatherol the Indian nationCandhi,Vydinas did
everythingto stimulatethe nationalpride of the Lithu_
anlans.
Vydnnasdied in t953. He is buried in the Federal
Republicol Germany,but Lithuaniais waiting lor nim
and.Iooking p o s s i b i l i royi t r a n s l e r r i n h
gi s g r a v e
.for.a
IO nts naltvetand.
One of Vydiinas'spupils,Viktor Falkenhahn, Iived in
lhe Cerm€n_DemocraricRepublic. Encouraged by his
teacher.Falkenhahndevotedall his Iifc Io the sL;die"
oi the Prussianlanguageand culLure.Bclore tlre 2nd
World War he wrole a srudy on Jonas Brctkunas,a
I6th-centuryEast Prussianwriter and translator,one of
the foundersof the Liihuanianlefters.Falkenhahnalso
devoteda lot oi time to the collectionof malerialson
Bretkilnas.rhe priest oi Labguva,a Lirhuanianprcachcr
,n Aonlgsberg,
Fallenhahnlearntto speakLithuanianat an early age
.I r o m
t h eL
. i L h u a n i amna i do i h i s p a r e n l sT. h e nh i s I ; t h ; r ,
a. secondaryschooltcacherin Easternprussia, boughi
him a Lithuaniantextbookwritten by Vydnnas.In ihe
iorwordol the secondcditionof this bdk Vidnnasthankcd
F a l k e n h a hi onr h i s h e l pi n i t s p r e p a r a l i o n .
V y d u n a sw r o t e h i s p h i l o s o p h i cw a lo r k e n l i l l e dC o a -
scloasnessbelore the lst World War. l-lere the author
explains_theimportance of consciousness, its degreesand
expandshis conceplion of the essence of life.

co,vsc/ous,vEss
Vieas on lhe essence
of life

The hunan bodA, so tDonderlultgsltucluted, is born

lrcm a spech ol liting motteL Aitet pdding frcm its
mol.herit comesunder the influpne ol th? sutrcundings
@hichact on its senses,In this @agconsciouslife deueto:ps
slololg but definitelA.All kinds of sensatiotrsappeot and
the child etpresseslhetu in one u)ag ot anotnet.
t68
 From these sensalions emerges his consciousress'
aleateness,all kinds ol Ieelings, inclinalians snd then
the bith af thoughts,concepts,understanding,teasoning,
.onlemplationand, at ltlst, self'kno@Ledge.
And then man beginsto rcler lo himsellas'1". He
saushe knoutshis sensations,Itelingsand thoughtsu)hiah
exist in his in1lard part. But'rera [e1! ash llrcmsek)esteho
he is @hohna@sall lhis. Hots @onderfulis this in@atd
oatt of man @hich can hold in ilself so much! lt is a
mgslergto us @hathoppensthere, but 1!2 must also ash
t!)hetelhis in@ardParl is.
Ve also sag that the lehole@otld is gtusped bg man's
aonsaiorsness, lhat rcnstiousnessorisesJrcm uncon-
sciousness. But nobodgcan sa! hou) it dll happens.Some
cleaerpeopleadlJiseus lo tr! and altain a greater clarilA
about it, as il man cauld a@akena mote IucA aonscious'
nessbu his o@nPo@ersalone!
(Jnconsciousness is conceit)eilof u a darh boundless
sea the deplh of @hichco tains something@hichbecotues
li4ht. ...ft is tmpossiblelor people @ith a more cleat
mind to lioe and neoer shuddetat their Ioilute to undet
stond theb exislencelahich theg teel is lAing in the unfa-
thomable,mgsletiousdepth of unconsciousness and con'
sciorsness.
Consaiousncss does nol appeor lrcm unrcnsaiousness-
Vieued frcm another point, euerglhing toould be easier
to etplain, especiallAil @e assumethat un.onsciousness
is actuallUa concealedconsciousness. And lhen, conscious-
nessand, uncosciousness, Ilhich becomes cleorer in us'
erptess sonething @hi.h forms their essence and u)hich
to a man can be the high and lucid consciousnessallhough
hc doesnol undcrslond it- -
Consciousness and unconsciousness exert a po@etlul
inlluence upon lhe thinking al the obsetting man And
this atane orcues lhat both ol them constilute the basic
elementsoi life. The appearun.eof consciousness entdils
lhp beginningol the.rcatio4 and buildingol the @orld
To-hate7 beltct i(lea abou! ow .ons(iousnesslhis
'resor! manifestationof us being cons.ious' @e 'ouLd
peculiat
lo an image. Consciousness is oltefl comparedto
189
 lighl. lusl as lhings bcrcne betler uisiblein lish!. so theu
Dccomebetter kno@nlo a (onsciousman. And-again, juil
as"e-a,er"ylhing
@htchlorms lhe ,thal .e.ristserisls in spacc the contpni ol
uniuerse,so lhe uniaprseis enconpassei
bg consciousness, Thus, consciousness ona Dght, conliiiiii-
ness and space,consciousness o\d time Aincide oL at
Ieast,theAseemto be related.
2.
. .Verg olten people rpgard consciousness as a ce otn
addition lo lile. Ttue, it is nthet dilli.uu lo hate a cteal
concepttonol (ons(iousnessbetause @e seem to be
loo
elo,se-to,it. The,aonsttur!.ion ol ow thoughlsond thinhing
aa4esploces almost exalusiuelgaithln our consciousness
as tt teott! is. TlLeteJute u)e are onlA difi[! a@arc thal
consc@usness.is a prereguisitelor our thinking, hnolpledge
ond euenoff lile.
peoplethinh lhis is a pointlessdis(ussion. Con.
.Some
sctousne.ss- lor them is onl! something unrcal @hich is
tnuented0! ph,losophets, Ior lhe philosophers themselue,
tDha{.ilis althoughit is ctoserlo us than evenJ-
:i!!lt :"9
I,htngetse tohich conslitutesliJe and lherclote @eshouid
Rnotott Oestol atl
is,,hoaeuer,.one thing u)hich euergbottgexpeti-
- - -There
ences,
.ond lhe signifieance of aonsciousness be(omesso
c.teatlhat it can no longer be ignorcd. lt .an be descibed
og one sentence:@halman heepsin his consciousness
.^,::,i1 .a for
.onsidetable.t.ime acquies an euer grcsing
stgnqtcance !*:
lor him and all his lile
lve.alsokno@onotherimpo antlhing abautconscious-
ness.tt can,bealltibuledto oneor onotherthing at man,s
pteasute Man Iearns to contrcl his allcntion
6r at teast
he shoutd tearn lo do so. Au?ntion is a pe.uliar allilude
ol consciousness, But &)espeak here not so much about
allenlion as consaiousnpss, Thc uerg aora mahes us do
someparliculot lhinhino.
It is absotutelgcleal hat elerylhing that existsin oul
{onsctousness os ils @nlentlor sometime, continuesto
grolo, Iloutash,acquircspo@et.capacitgo\d. fonten!. The
nolutal questionis - hot!)and @huis iI?

190
 , . .Vhen somecitilization experiences a declineor eoen
dealh, lhe causeol it is to be sought the llepartue of
in
man's consciousness lrom it. The ciailizalion of ow limes
Erelt on lhe basisof people'satlention lo material thittgs'
Therelore this culture is charactetizedtirst oJ alL b! its
materialism,@hichaerts a ce ain inlluence upon people.
The consciousness ol the people of our time is o'cupied
bu maletiallhinls lo suchan P cnl tha! il has suched
i; otl th? oth;r httmon quatiliPs.The matPriolism ol
this culture qro@s and becomes heaoiet People no long'
er control tiings, tohich come tumbling dou)n, almost
ctushingall humanilA.
Periaps the generutions@hich@ill sutoioe @ilLdiecl
lheir consciousness lo other things @hichlDiLlgrot! ond
acquie o spetiol signili.ancein lifP Pethapslile aill be
brightprlhen, pcople@ill seeIieh! ond tise lrcm theil
,opttoitg to tha spaceof lheb essence.And lhen the! @iLL
remembetthek humannessu)hich loill gro@ and acquirc
b! ilsell a ne ).rcattue significancein lhe @otldof things,
but on o nets,Liting leuel.
3.
...etetgthingseemsto indicatethat consciousness and
unconsciousness are trooextremes ol realitA.
lll/hat the egessee, the hands grasp. There arc things
and therc is unconsciousess. But @hat theA exist in [s
consciausness. There .an be nothing else besideit. Bul
on lhe alhet hand, in eaeta thing lhere is somelhing
rlthich does nol belong to consciousness. But again' it
musl conlain consciousness, other@iseil uould not haoe
beenborn, @ouldnot haoebecomea lhing
Both the erttemesgite bilh to @hat erists, i e to all
the uniterce,atl existence.Being cons.iousdoesnot difler
'oLtr our ,onsciousncss
lrom bul being untonstiouspcnPlrol?s
rons(iousness ailh all ils ?xpetiPnceFtom lhis tsc
learn ta undetsland @hat consciousness is. From uncon-
scioasness&rerealize ourseloes as participanls in con'

Thus,@eunderstandaII the uni'Jerseas bolh 'onscious'

nessand unconsciausness. lJnconsciousnessexisls in con'
sciousnessiust as things perceited bA our sensesexist in
l9l
 s.pace.But couldn,t it be that these t@o exttemes
ol realitA
&a|reone and the some oripin?
....Therclorcit mahes us rercgnizp that un@nsciotls-
,:e:s fu:t l,me and space. oiginates in rcnsciousness
9s
our not the othcr urag round. OnlA tha! slate
ol beins
conscro,rsis incomparablA morc lueid thon the
onc ahij
ma4tl?\rs itsetl thtough ou tonsciousn?ss.
lve should
tn:,nR ltot il creole-sunaonsriausnessuna ammasscs
tn il
au sulJstanae.ond lorm in order to prcetaim existcnceond
t,nus create lhe obundancpol thp uniu?rsp
bet@eenthese

4.
/t4,1!olt:!" acts arcording !o the u,a! hp under.
^._:,." trle.
slan.as A b?tlpt undetstandingprcdutcs a beuet
be-
naa,tour an.d gtpatet. strcngth in mon. According
lo his
:ili,istandine oJ tife. man oc(onmodates
U^r;/. ,iii
arr nls.essenae,@ilhin the conlen!, pxistpnaeand process

Bul.@e..shouldnot think that man uLqutrcs

a .ettatn
unac.tsrandrngol lile b! ac.epting opinions
abou! i!. Mon
musr, see,that tile rcallA is @hat it is thought
Io be. gut
ne sn,o.utdnot lorgpt that il is onty kno@kdAe
about rcati-
,!::::-n.:!^ otone is c^opabteol acquiring-. Onty to him
(-an rh.e two extrcm?s ol realitg
mentioned abotti become
stgnq.tcant. and il also dcpends on t|hat
hind of man

Io tiue bg his rcason.But it is atsoimpot-

,--!::,:::1"
Iant u.tnothls sensolionsare- Ve haae learnt !hat
therc
o,re,inoisible ligh! rugs @hich mon pet.etues
only as
tlarkness. Bul il our eges could see these
rags, then per-
haps,-,lhe simple daglighl @outd be duRness
to us ant!
rne ule t$e p?treiue @ould be.ome dilfcrcn!.

.....Onlg man's lash is much mote comptrcatedthan

olher trioiali.tks of lile. Not on!! his
sensatiotts are im_
p.ottant.to,his experiencc bu! also,
ana even more so, a!!
nts.rhtoatd.(ontpnl,oll his spirituo! lile
aM ils p?.ulia-
rt,tcs,, Itut the mosl-.im.porlanlis lhe po@cr, man,s
esscn(e,
tohtch (onceiues all the inlotmation giuen b!
his senses
rnrough his aonsaioasness,rolours i! toith his inner
spir-
192
ituaL states and innet spiritual content, antl Iorms e
more or lessckar oqinion.
The @ag man conceitesof lile and looks upo4 it Is
compklelg determined bg fta\'s indioiduolit!. Therc is
no olhet possibiLitg.ln a similar @og,the erplonation of
lhe unioerse bg consciousness ard tnconsciousnesscan
proceedonla Ircm human indtuidualilg.
...EtetA man's attitude to lhe unioerseand his rela'
liotl to tite dependson his ou)n peculiot nalure Nobod!
can hate a tuore lucid underclandingof the @otld than
his mental abilities petmil him to. The lact that all ottr
Iife is expetiencedin ou consciousness does not Ldmlt
anglhihgelse.
Thercforcnobod! can prooe &that is lhe most correct
undetslandingof the \Dotld. What sciencehas said about
il concettrsonla lhe d.ilterencesbetlleen oarious @oAsof
undetslandinglhe @orld.Mankind is not matute enough
to eslablishdegteesof correctnessget.
5.
lVhen ste trrt to comprchendsomething,@epull a mor
seltrcm unconsciousness lo out consciousness and expand
i! bu beinp con..iousol it. lt can bc exenplilicd bg lhe
oroi"t, ol^on's nultilion. Let's.aa. Iaod is lahcn lrcm
unconsciousness. Vhile eating it, man obsorbsit into the
tife of his bod!. But hols il all happensman himselt does
not hnont,although it has been proLtedthat ttan's con'
scious attitude to the food he is ealing conl butes to its
better absarptioninlo his lioillg bodg. ln this ltdg' food
becamesthe .ontent of consciousness and, os if becoming
more alitre, accommodales itse$ into lhe lile of his bodg
A similar prccesstahesplace in the formation ol ne',
statesof maad.At first they arc IeIl almost as somemani'
feslationsol unconsciousness @hich@e etpetience.Alter
staging for some time i1 our consaiousness, theg become
clearei and assumea greater importancein ou life.
The same can be said about Ieelings,motites' imoges'
concepls.thoughts,etc. Eoerg man.a seeho@)a lhought
becomesclearet1lilh e.)etaneq)attetnptto ditect his mind
lo it, ot hol! his inclinationsand desires@hichhe allolos
r93
 lo stag in his consaloksnes. lor a longer lime, bccome
sltonget and more lirmIA established.
...The most impo ant thing is to note that ik al! our
expeflence consciousncss al@aus mahps unconsciousness,
of IhtflEness, more lutid.
6.
-..lhe fa.e ol lhls greatl! dit?tse @ortd is the tesull
-
ol the corfclotion bel@eenaonsciousn?ssand unrcnscious-
ness.This torrclalion lahes place not onl! @ilhin moa bul
atso in lhe @orld around hin. Eter!@here t)e tan see
diftetenl degreesol this corrctation,hicn nao" long Aiii
termedas natutal spheres,such as the sphereol minerals,
phnts, onitnalsand mankind.
- In order to haue o more cottect ideo about lhe conlent
ol the @orld@e.mus! tpgatdnanhindas a sepo.atelactot.
rel is anl lo thinh of i! os part ol natuie and
.il _irnpo
all its liJe. The tela!ioa ol @hat is seporaleto the uni-
oetse should not be obscured bA grcundless opinions.
rnt.s tetaton connot.be destrcy?d.Man is par! of lhe
universe,nalure. He belonos- lo it-
7.
All kindsol neu.)lhings and possibitities insideman
are conceiaedol in lhe same ea! a,sthose in lhe su-
roundlng @_otld.And lherc, more and more things ak
,noented.lvonderful things ate knolan and usedin oul
l[mes. Elect cltq, inuisible tags, cosrnic tugs, rudio
-
toat'es,appatalus lot seeing an.l hearing oeer great dts-
ranaes onat.ntan! olhers are euergda! phenoftena.Euer
ne@
.@eauhand resourcesol ntneosurcdomounlarc
a,pehL.ng 0elotelhp ?!et-sear(hingegeol man.
.t hus,man txilh his aonstiousness and lls a?alth stands
belorc lhe @eallhal lhe @odd- Theg seem to be entirclu
sepofa[eliues, Bul as soon as u)erpmembertonstiousnesl
it-becomesclear lhat things of the @o d as the contenl
oJ aonsarcusness are trpalions of being con*rcus,
Loe-rglhingin lhe sutrcunding sorld becomeslhe con-
lenl ol mah's consciausn?ss. ond euet|lhingfrcm his
aonsaiousness beaomesthe conlenl ol lhe worl-d,IS so^e
Ihtngsal the @orld. @er?nol knoetnto man, lhal m?ans
thot lhea did not exist in his consciousness. Onlu s)hen
194
the! are approachedb! man's consciousness do the! be'
come pa ot the contetltof his Thetehllies
conscious\ess.
the @o\det of this all.
Frcm lhis @e can surfiise that @hat does not exist
in tuan's consciousness is not unconsciousness bul some-
thing lhot man does not knoto. The [acl that man does
not knot! about certain things protes onl! the limited
possibilities of his ^qeience. Mo|'s cons.iousnessis
usuallA tuther nafto@, its light is poor. This is because
aonsaioasnessis slifll! suslained on uncons(iousness,
lhing.ness.

Aboae human thoughls, therc is aholher degrce ol

consciousness. Bul il is nol unh)ersallghnotu)n. Onlg sages
speohoboul it. Usuall! it is belieoedthol the inner li[e
ol man is the &thole complei(of his perconalitu and it
remoinsconslanl as il @asanceIotmed. But it is \ot diJ'
licull lo see lhal lhe consciousness of mot is not separ
ated lrom his bodg, lrom his moods and also lrom his
lhaughls. Each ol lhese sphercs is a particular degree
of consciousness and, @eshould sog, a parliculot sort ol
it t)hich enlighlens nlan's consciousness lo a grealer or
snwllet degtee.
. . .Consciousness is lilled 1lilh lhe cc,nlentol its sotl.
Bul it is not onla possiblefor man lo roise his conscious'
nessfrom one degteeol being consciousto aaothet but il
is also his oim lo do so.Peopletsho can do it, hnov)@ell
lhe aforesaiddegteeof highet consciousness.
...Tlen il is impotlan! lo undetslad lhal mons
consciousness alone as it is usuallg hnolln does not con'
slitutethe essence ol man.
 The asphaltroad meandefsparallel 10 the Nemunas
river. Its southernbank borderson the presentregion
oi l(aliningrad,formerprussia (Lithuani/ Minor). where
vyduras lought 50 bitlerly iof rhe pre<ervaiionoi Lith-
u a n r a nc u l t u r ea n d s p i r i t .
It js enoughto go do\,n lhe Nemunasri\.er as far as
ihe CuronianLagoon,crossthe sand dunesand you can
sav you havecrossedthe Lithuanianland along its main
waterway.But thereis more oi Lithuaniathan ihat, and
if you.wantedto see it all, your lrip would lake much
mole tlme.
I have no idea how many days il would lake to walk
round India, but sometime ago a group of zealousand
p e r : r s t e nht i k e r sw a l k e dr o u n dL i l h u a n i ai n 4 5 d a y s .
Lilhuaniair nor a big counLrylhough rhereare 30
s t a l e si n l h e \ r o r l d w h o s ea r e ai s e ! e n s m a l l e rB . ur is
the greatness ol a statemeasured today by squaremiles?
The areaoi Lithuaniais a Iittle smallerthan the Himachal
Pradeshstateof India.
.-^The.geographi-cal cenlreof our republicis Iocaledal
rouu k ometreslrom lhe zero meridianoI Creenwich,
4000kilomelresfrom the North pole and more than 6000
kilometresfrom the equator.The distanceto India is lhe
same.
Il we askedthe iirst Lithuanianwe meet \r,hatLith-
uania is to him, what a variety oi answerswe woutd
hear! Everyonehas his own Lithuaniajust as every In-
dian has his own India, the one whichexistsin his ioul.
The CediminasCastle,St. Anne'schurch,the AuSracate,
the old campusof lhe Universilyoi Vilnius,the perktlnas
Houseand the CiurlionisMuseumin Kauna5,the hillforts

t96
of KernavC,the Stelmuze oak, Mount Satrija, Trakai
Lakes...
But first of all LithuaniameansVilnius.its third caD-
i t a l a l l e f K e r n a v Fa n d T r a L z i .T h c c a D i t a lt.h e s e a t; f
the Crown,the seat ol cultureand light dominatingthe
natron,
'[he
cenlreand symbolof the Lithuaniancapitalis the
CediminasHill with the castle tower at the top. Who
can say now whenVilnius was born?The olficial dateof
1323has been pushedback considerablyby the recent
excavations in Cediminas Square.Archaeologists aregoing
to write a new birth certiiicateto the cirv.
O n l h e p r e s e n{Le r r i r o f oy l r h eV i l n i u cc a c r l ew h e r ei h e
serpenlineVilnia joins the Neris,the major tributaryof
the Nemunas,a fortifiedsetllement exisiedas iar backas
the lst millenium B. C. The place was very good for
deiensilepurposes. The UpperCastlestoodat the top of
the hill, the Lower Castlenestledat its foot. When in
the lsth centuryiif€ deslroyedthe woodenUpperCastle,
Grand DukeVytautashad the castlerebuiltol stoneand
bricks.Ils ruins havesurvivedto the presentday.
The beginningol ihe cily is associaled with half Iegend,
half reality.This is how ii is described in the Lithuanian
annals,the Bykhovetschronicleof the l6th century:
"Soon Grand Duke Gediminaswent on a hunt four
mileslrom Trakaiion ihe Vilnia river he founda beautilll
hill. There,at the iop of the hill he saw a huge beast,
an aurochs,and killed it. Since that time the hill has
beenreterredto as the Hill ol the Aurochs.As it was too
late to go backto Trakai.he put up lor the night in the
Svenlaragis valleywherethe lirst LithuanianGrandDukes
had beencremated- At night he dreamedhe saw an jron
wolf standingat the top of the hill which was calledthe
CrookedHill and now is known as the Bald Hill. The
wolf was howlingas if therewerea hundredwolvesinside
him. The high priest Lizdeikasaid:'GrandDuke,the iron
wolf meansthisr it is the place where the new capital
will stand,and the howling inside the wolf meansthat
the lame of the capital will spfeadall over tIe wor1d.'
The next day Grand Duke Gediminasdid noi leavethe
t97
placebui sentpeopleand had thembuild the LowerCastle
in the Svenlaragisvallev, and the secondcastleat the
top of the CrookedHill now known as the Bald Hill, and
he gavethesecastlesthe nameol Vilnius."
Lizdeika'swords came true, the lame of the city of
Vilnius and Lithuaniaspreadfar and wide. In the l6th
centurythe Germancartographer G. Braun printeda pan-
oramic plan of Vilnius in Cologne and describedthe
Iife of the citizenson it in this way: "Vilnius,the capital
oi the LithuanianDuchy.The ciiy is rich, big and ol a
famousname... The fields yield big cropsso that huge
amountsol corn are takenby seato Gdansk,East Fland-
ers and theresold very quickly...Thecounlryrearslarge
quantitiesol caltle and draughtanimals,thereforeihere
is a lot of dajry products,meat,domeslicand wild iowl.
They have neithergrapesnor olher kinds of sweellruit
lrees, blt they collect a lot of wax, hemp and honey.
Whenin September they take honeyout oi beehives, they
never let any man pass by withoui giving him a piece
oi a honeycomb.TheyalsoinviLemoredistantneighbours
or go to their placesthemselves with this preseni,thinking
and beingquitesurethal ii they did not sharethe honey,
whichGod had sent to them in suchgreat amounts,with
others,they would not have so much ol ii the next year.
T h eh o . p r l a l i toyf l h e i n h a b i r a n o
l qf r h e . i l i e si s n o 1 e . . . . .
Vilnius grew and becamemore and more beautilul.
Craftsmenand builderscametherelrom variouscountries
and createdits beauty.All the Eu.opeanarchitectural
styles (Gothic,Renaissance, Baroque,Classicism)have
become an integralpart oi the city.
In the squareat the foot of the GediminasHill stands
a tall belllrybuilt on the placeof a pagantime-measuring
altar. The chimesof the bellfry clock now seemro De
comingirom the olden times,from the pfiests'toweroi
the templeoI Perkunasin the Sventaragisvalley. The
Iegendsays it was pulled down when Lithuaniaaccept-
ed Christianityand a Cathedralwas built in its placein
1387.
Thepresentcathedralwith the Dofic columnswas built
in the 18thcenturyby the well-l(nownLithuanianalchi-
198
tect LaurynasStuoka-Gucevidius, rMhowas a son oi a serl
and whoseartislic abilitieshad atlractedthe atientionol
rich patronsof art. The bas-relieiat the top of the facade
depictsNoah giving olferingsto God in gratitudeior his
survivalin ihe Deluge,just like the first man Manu who
after the recession ot the oceanmadethe lirst puja and
startedthe humanrace,that is the dynastiesof the Sun
and Moon.Both cxleriorand the inierioroi the calhedral
conlainsa great numberof art objects,sculptures, ires-
coes,canvases, tomb plaques.The most beauliluland lu-
xurionspafi of the interiorof the caihedralis St. Casimir's
chapelbuilt in honouroi LiihuanianPrinceCasimirwho
lived in the lsth cenlury.
Sometime ago during excavations underthe cathedral
Lilhuanianarchaelogists discovered ihe remnantsof the
ancient Lithuaniantemple,its altar and the pit of lhe
oflerings.Thescdiscoveries will introducecorrectionsin
the datcol the birth ol thc cily.
For the thrce poslwar decadesthe cathedral had
houseda picturegallery,In 1988ihe cathedralwas retur-
nedto the believcrs.
On the bank oi the Vilnia streamthe gracefullowers
o f S l . A n n e sc h u r c hr e a c ho u t l o f t h e s k y : W h e ni n 1 8 l 2
NapoleoncrosscdVilnius on his way to Russia,he was
capiivatrdby the beautyoi this Cothic churchand said
that if the couldhe would bearthis wonderfulconstruction
ol the I6th centuryto Paris on his own palm. Together
with the Bernadinechurchit really makesan exquisitely
picturesque ensemble.
St. Nicholas'church is the oldesl churchin Vilnius.
It was also built in Gothic slyle in the l4th century
at the crossroads oi trade routes.Today it slands in a
quietlanein the Old Town.
SS. Peterand Paul'sChurch,built as manyotherLith-
uanianchurchesat the placeo[ a iormer pagantemple,
is reierredto as the East Europeangem oi Baroque.
Earlier therehad stoodihe templeof the goddessMilda.
The interioroi SS.Peterand Paul'sChurchconlains2000
sculptures, and no two sculpluresare alike.The faCade
is alsovery original.It is diiiicult to describeadequately
r99
 sucharchitectural monuments, they oughtto be seenwith
one's own eyes.
The old campusof Vilnius University,established in
1579,is locaiedoif cediminasSquare.It occupies a whole
quarterof the Old Town. But someof its facultiesare
Iocatednow in oiher parls oi the city. The Universily
has 14 [aculties,over a hundreddepartments, a botanical
gardens,a clinic,an observatory,
Vilnius Universitywas restrucluredseveraltimes,it
was closedand openedagain, its circuitousand uneven
roadreflectingthe zigzagsof Lithuanianhistory.TheUn!
versityhas alwaysbeenihe most importantseatof lear-
ning and culture,the Alma Materto many an enlightened
manof Lithuania.By its academic and scientificstandards
it hasalwaysequalledihe bestEuropeanuniversilies.
On Oclober9, 1986Vilnius Universitvwas awarded
the Europeanmedal ior lhe presefvation o[ monuments,
This medalis usuallyawardedfor the besl preservation
and adaptationto modernusesoi historicalbuildingsoi
grear archllectural value.lhefe are only lwo univeriitie.
in the world which have beenawardedthis medal,lhe
otherone beingDublin university.
The old campusol Vilnius Universitywas built irom
the l6th to lgth centuries. It encompasses 12closedcour!
yards.One of them containsSt. John Churchthe interior
oi which is very beautiful.Now it housesa mlseum of
learning and sciencethe exhibits of which cover the
entirehisloryof ihe University.
In the OId Town of Viinius, vhich is the larsest in
East Europe.there are a lor ol valuablebuildinssof
u n i q u ea n d i n t e r e 5 r i nagr c h i r o c l u roev. e f a t h o u s a ; do f
culturalmonlments.The Old Town of Vilnius is an inti,
matepari of the city, criss-crossed wilh a mazeof narrow
serpentine streets,
After doing the sights of Vilnius Jai PrakashBharti,
editor oi the most popular children'sjournal in India
Nandan,saidquitean inter€sting ihing: the streeisin the
OId Townof Vilniusremindof the stfeetsin ihe Old Town
ol Delhi and eventhe old cobblesin someplacesare oi
ihe samesizeand shapeas ihosein Delht.

200
 AlthoughVilniusis reallymuchsmallerthan Delhiand
it will be quite sometime beloreits millionth citizenis
born,it is impossible lo tell everythinghereaboutVilnius
just as it is impossibleto visit all the most interesting
placesin Delhi.
The old gate in the ancienldefensive wall referredto
as the AuSraGate would take us out of the Old Town.
But lei's not hastento do that. In the upperpart of the
gate thereis a beautifulchapelbuilt in the l8th century.
The steepstepstake the visitof to an exquisiteRenais-
sancecanvasof Madonnapaintedby an t|nknownartist
of the l6lh centuryltalian school.A hundredyearslater
the local goldsmithscoveredthe Madonnawilh a silver
gilt leavingonly her face and handsuncovered. In the
lTth centuryCarmelitemonksproclaimed it to be a magic
prclure.
At the loot of the stairsa narrowpassage takesthe vis-
itor into the interioroi St. Teresa'sChurchbuilt in the
ITth century.Aller a iife in the l8Lhcenluryits inlerior
wasdecorated in rococoslyle.
Ages speak 1() us in this silence.And every person
of a noblesoul can hear it. The heavenlybeautyinspires
awe and wonder. Whose wonderlulhands laid these
bricks?Whosewonderfulthoughtsdirectedthosehands?
We comefrom there.This is our Dast.
It feelsgood 10 say this to a friend when I sce him
ofi leavingVilnius.

The bulky buildingoi the observatory whichwas con-

structedseveralcenturiesago still stands in the very
centreof Delhi, compl€tewith the ascendingsteps,col-
umns,foundations, ditohesand wells.Bul the present-day
aslronomers havelittle needfor the buildingfor theyhave
new premises,sophisticatedtechnologyand powerful
telescopes.
Ramachandra has comehere a little earlier than me.
and throughthe thick widelyspacedpalmtrunksI can see
him walkingalongthe smoothlypavedpathswith a parcel
in his hands.
ml
 This afternoonwe are saying good-byeto eachother.
Usually talkative and lively, he looks now melancholy
and evena liltle sad.
"Rama,"I say in a light tone, "lfr'hyare yo! so sad?
Didn't you tell me that Indian wisdom teachesto take
everythingcalmly, for everythingthat happensto you
is your karma?"
R a m as i g h sa n d u n w r a p lsh e p a r c e l .
"Take it. This is a statueof Vishnuwhich our family
worships,Ior Vishnu- and Mithra- are the prophetsol
the new e.a. I've broughtit from my villageto guardmy
room. From now on, may ii guard your house. Promise
me that whenyou comehome,you light a slick ol incense
beloreit and, while it burns,you think aboutIndia and
the hoursve spenttogether.I've boughta lot of incense
sticks1okeepyou busylor a long lime."
Swayinghigh aboveour heads,the branchycrowns
of the palms reachup to the sky, which is so dazzingly
blue.
Our last trip in a small bus acrossthe capitalto the
iniernalionalairport.Our last minuteson ihe lndian soil
this time. Our larewelltour oi the streelsoi Delhi.
It seemssuch a short time sincewe landeddown in
India.Downthere,againstthe yellowishgreenbackground
two rivers - one wider than the other- seemlo be coming
together.From aboveit lookslike lhe silhouette of a huge
m a nw i t h a h u g eh e a da, r m sa n dw a i s t . . .I I i s l o n gi i n g e r s
seem1()be strokingthe scorched torturedland,thirsty lor
rain. I knownow why the lndianssay that preciousstones
are lormedin the bowelsof the earth irom people'ssuf-
feringsand why thefeis sucha lot oi themin India.
So what is India like? The India of today.The India
oi yestefdayand tomorrow.Sideby sidewith the gigantic
plants you can seethe tent oI a craftsmanunder a tree;
next door to an impressive structuredesignedby Corbu,
sier or any other lamous architectyou can see a poor
thatchedhul; next lo a Iuxuriousautomobilewalks an
elephantor a camelovefburdened wiih loads,a sweaty
rickshaw.
202
 India is in a hurry to compensate ior what il has lost,
it triesto keephungerand poverlyawayfrom its doorstep.
Deepdown in my heartthereis a morselol pity for that
old India which is recedinginlo the past.Thereare two
Indiastoday:one whichdevelops and produces man-made
salelliresoi the earth.eleclronicdevices, ocean-going ves-
sels,airplanesand cars,India which atlendscollegesand
universities;and the other one which still sings Vedic
hymnsin the shrines,washesand feedsgod idols, gives
milk to snak€s,offers rice, ilower pelals and dancesto
gods...
JawaharlalNehruwas righl whenhe saidthat in order
to conquerstarvationand misery,the lndiansmust build
shrinesoi science and scholarship. He likenedconstruction
sitesto placesof worshipwherepeopleofiefedtheir work,
the most signiiicantol all lhc oflerings,to their future.
Thercis India in Lilhuaniaas well. That is the name
of a village.It is dilficultto tracenow how the villagegot
its name.More lhan a hundredycars ago our historian
SimonasDaukantaswrole in his book The Charccterol
lhe Ancienl Lilhuanians, Auh'taillans ond Zemailians:
"The Lithuanianswere called IndiansbecauscDeoolebe-
l i e v e dt h e c t o r i e .w h i c h5 a i dl h a l L i l h u a n i a n; sr i g i n a t e d
in India, and thus were similar to thc Indians in their
character, way ol lile and faith." The idea of the kinship
betweenthc Lithuaniansand Indiansreachesdown inlo
a remotepast.The first LithuaniansvisitedIndia in the
lTth ceniufy.But the secrelhasremained.
I visiied lhal Lithuanianvillage bearingthe nameol
lndia. I walkcd down a steepslopeand lound myselfin
a closedvalley with a swift stream,callcdAkmena,run.
ning in the middle-I was showna path which led to the
mound bcaringlhe nameoi India. The eveningsun, the
valley ot the rivef which seemedto be cut oli irom the
outer world, the swiit streamrolling its waiers merrily
over lhe pebblesmade an indeliblelmpres\ionupon me.
The placewas full ot indescribable serenityand almost
a sacredpeace.In that blisslulpatchof LilhuaniaI saw
the visionoi the oth€r.distant.India.
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