Nicholas Roerich. Signs of Christ. The description of a picture. Masterpieces of Russian painting

                                   Tanais Gallery

Sketch of Christ for "Signs of Christ". From “Himalayan leaves I. 1924”. Pencil on paper.

HUS shall we begin the story of His life, that the unmutilated word shall be inscribed upon earth.
For thirty years He walked repeating the word so as to impart it to those who would not receive it. The Teachings of Buddha, of Zoroaster, and the old sayings of the Vedas, He learned upon the crossroads. Perceiving pure eyes, He asked, “Know you aught of God?” By river barges He awaited the travelers and asked, “Do you bear aught for me?” For it was need that He cross with human feet and ask with human words.
When He was told of the starry signs He asked to know their verdicts; but the alphabet had no attraction for Him; people did not exist for this. “How can I calm the devastating storm? How can I disclose the heaven to men? Why are they rent from the eternal existence to which they belong?”
Such teaching of the essence of life effaced methods of magic because instead of winning the subservience of the minor spirits of nature He razed all obstacles with the sword of His spirit. His teaching guided the people to the possibilities of the spirit. Therefore there were no prophets near Him but only by the stars one knew of Him.
We knew much and He was all-able. Then we resolved to serve His Teaching.

HE Star of Allahabad pointed out the way. And so We visited Sarnath and Gaya. Everywhere We found the desecration of reli-gion. On the way back under the full moon occurred the memorable saying of Christ. Dur-ing the night-march the guide lost his way. After seeking I found Christ seated upon a sand-mound looking at the sand flooded by moon-light.
I said to Him, "We have lost Our way. We must await the indication of the stars."
"Rossul M., what is a way to Us when the whole world is awaiting Us?"
Then taking His bamboo staff He traced a square round the impression of His foot, saying, "Verily, I say, by human feet."
Then making the impression of His palm He also surrounded it with a square, "Verily by human hands."
Between the squares He drew the semblance of a pillar surmounted by an arc.
He said, "Oh, how Aum shall penetrate into the human consciousness! Here I have drawn a pistil and above it an arc and have set the foun-dation in four directions. When, by human hands and human feet, the Temple shall be built wherein will blossom the pistil laid by Me, then let the builders pass by My way. Why shall We await the way when it is before Us?"
Then rising, He effaced with His cane all which He had drawn.
"When the Name of the Temple shall be pro-nounced then shall the inscription emerge. In remembrance of My constellation, the square and nine stars shall glow over the Temple. The sign of the foot and the hand will be inscribed above the Keystone."
Thus He Himself spoke on the eve of the New Moon.
And the heat of the desert was great.

O Christ was shown an image from a distant land. On the palms and on the feet were open eyes. One asked, “Is it not superstition? Can one see through the hands and the soles of the feet?”
The Teacher said, “Verily we learn to see by the hand and the foot. Will the sluggard know the essence of things? How shall we express our conclusions if we shall not apply our hands? And by our feet the spirit treads through earth.”
Then the Teacher added, “Wise ones gave this image in order to recall the nature of things.”
And He also added, “Are not these eyes like open wounds? Verily, verily, through open Wounds comes the light.”