{FN29-3} Rabindranath, too, in his sixties, engaged
in a serious study of painting. Exhibitions of
his “futuristic” work were given some
years ago in European capitals and New York.
{FN29-4} GITANJALI (New York: Macmillan Co.).
A thoughtful study of the poet will be found in the
philosophy of Rabindranath tagore,
by the celebrated scholar, Sir S. Radhakrishnan (Macmillan,
1918). Another expository volume is B. K. Roy’s
Rabindranath tagore: The man
and his poetry (New York: Dodd,
Mead, 1915). Buddha and the gospel
of Buddhism (New York: Putnam’s,
1916), by the eminent Oriental art authority, Ananda
K. Coomaraswamy, contains a number of illustrations
in color by the poet’s brother, Abanindra Nath
Tagore.
THE LAW OF MIRACLES
The great novelist Leo Tolstoy wrote a delightful
story, the three hermits. His
friend Nicholas Roerich {FN30-1} has summarized the
tale, as follows:
“On an island there lived three old hermits.
They were so simple that the only prayer they used
was: ’We are three; Thou art Three-have
mercy on us!’ Great miracles were manifested
during this naive prayer.
“The local bishop {FN30-2} came to hear about
the three hermits and their inadmissible prayer, and
decided to visit them in order to teach them the canonical
invocations. He arrived on the island, told the
hermits that their heavenly petition was undignified,
and taught them many of the customary prayers.
The bishop then left on a boat. He saw, following
the ship, a radiant light. As it approached,
he discerned the three hermits, who were holding hands
and running upon the waves in an effort to overtake
the vessel.
“‘We have forgotten the prayers you taught
us,’ they cried as they reached the bishop,
‘and have hastened to ask you to repeat them.’
The awed bishop shook his head.
“‘Dear ones,’ he replied humbly,
’continue to live with your old prayer!’”
How did the three saints walk on the water?
How did Christ resurrect his crucified body?
How did Lahiri Mahasaya and Sri Yukteswar perform
their miracles?
Modern science has, as yet, no answer; though with
the advent of the atomic bomb and the wonders of radar,
the scope of the world-mind has been abruptly enlarged.
The word “impossible” is becoming less
prominent in the scientific vocabulary.
The ancient Vedic scriptures declare that the physical
world operates under one fundamental law of maya,
the principle of relativity and duality. God,
the Sole Life, is an Absolute Unity; He cannot appear
as the separate and diverse manifestations of a creation
except under a false or unreal veil. That cosmic
illusion is maya. Every great scientific
discovery of modern times has served as a confirmation
of this simple pronouncement of the rishis.
