From the caves and wilds of Hindustan

The literary critic Z. A. Vengerova noted that the book of E. P. Blavatsky is “somewhat mystical in color” due to the numerous stories and speculations of the author about the secret wisdom of the Hindus, which does not detract from its literary significance. A close acquaintance of the writer with Indian sights allows her to talk very fascinatingly about the most diverse aspects of life in modern and ancient India. Simple, but "extremely artistic" she describes the magnificent buildings that cover India from time immemorial, which over the past millennia had no effect.

Especially it is occupied by the mysterious sect of Raj Yogis , holy sages , who, with a special strain of their spiritual strengths, like something of many years of mental gymnastics, reach the ability to perform undoubted miracles: for example, the Blavatsky Raj Yogi Gulab-Sing personally ^{[K 2] [K 3]} answered the questions that Blavatsky asked him only mentally, disappeared and appeared ^{[K 4]} completely unexpectedly for everyone, opened mysterious entrances to them in the mountains, through which they got into marvelous underground temples, etc. ^[6]

A. N. Senkevich wrote that the travel essays of E. P. Blavatsky, in which she “demonstrates an enviable erudition and liveliness of the mind”, were “overwhelming success” in Russia. He noted that in a sense, her book is a “country-geographic encyclopedia”, which has not lost its scientific significance to date.

The desire to discover India "from within", through people with whom fate brought Blavatsky, gives the book a special, completely new character of a psychological document, reflecting many facets of the Indian spiritual world, the specifics of life of traditional Indian society, in comparison with ordinary travel essays. Finally, the book "From the Caves and Wilds of Hindustan" gives an objective assessment of English colonial rule, all the more important because it condemns the British living in India, despite the truthful, chilling description of the cruelties towards them by the participants of the Sipay uprising of 1857 -1859 years . ^[7]

Yu. A. Shabanova ^[8] noted that in this book E.P. Blavatsky describes her “colorful impressions of nature, wildlife, the way of life of people and rulers, ancient customs, rites and beliefs, ancient sanctuaries, temples and fortresses, "cave structures, lost in the jungle of cities, Brahmins , yogis , scientists and philosophers of the new India, heroic traditions and the tragic events of the sepoy uprising." According to Shabanova, the talented exposition of Blavatsky, creating the effect of presence, presents the reader with a “vivid and holistic image of a great country and a great people” ^[9] . The following fragment of the book is devoted to the “vivid sensations of musical sound” of the nature of India:

“Suddenly, in the midst of general silence, we heard the same strange musical sounds that we overheard while approaching the island by ferry. As if from all sides around us and even above our heads invisible wind instruments were tuned, strings clinked, flutes were tasted. Two minutes later, with a new gust of wind breaking through the bamboo, the sounds of hundreds of Aeolian harps sounded all over the island ... And at once a wild, strange, incessant symphony began! .. ” ^{[10] [9]}

Shabanova’s attention was attracted by pages devoted to the religion and philosophy of the Hindus: “For the first time in Russian, the foundations of Hinduism and Indian philosophy were presented in a popular and accessible way, but at the same time deeply and seriously.” In her opinion, these parts of the book can even be "recommended for first reading to those who want to get acquainted with the world outlook of India" ^[9] .

After the death of the author, the book was translated (not all) into English and published in London in 1892 ^{[11] [K 5]} . Subsequently, it was repeatedly reprinted, mainly in Russian and English ^{[K 6]} .

in Russian

• From the cave and wilds of Hindustan, ch. 1-2 . - Appendix to the magazine. - M .: University printing house, 1883. - 411 p.
• From the cave and wilds of Hindustan, ch. 3-4. - Appendix to the magazine. - M .: University Printing House, 1886.
• From the cave and wilds of Hindustan. - SPb. : Printing house of A. S. Suvorin, 1912 .-- 438 p.
• From the caves and wilds of Hindustan / Afterword by A. N. Senkevich. - Reprint 1912. - M .: IPO Author, 1991. - 459 p. - ISBN 9785852120014 .
• From the caves and wilds of Hindustan. - M .: Eksmo, 2007. - S. 51–497. - 832 s. - (Great Initiates). - 5100 copies. - ISBN 9785699004829 .

in other languages

• From the Caves and Jungles of Hindostan . - London: Theosophical Publishing Society, 1892. - 318 p.
• From the Caves and Jungles of Hindostan / Per. with Russian B. de Zirkoff . - Wheaton, Ill .: Theosophical Publishing House, 1975 .-- 719 p. - ISBN 9780835602198 .

• S. Yu. Witte wrote: “I remember that when I met Katkov in Moscow, he spoke to me about my cousin Blavatsky, whom he personally did not know, but whose talent he worshiped, respecting her as an absolutely outstanding person. At that time, his journal “Russian Herald” published famous stories “In the wilds of Hindustan“ <...>, which he considered unconditionally outstanding and unusual. ” ^[13]
• When working on a new translation of The Secret Doctrine , VV Bazyukin applied the method used by the writer in her book “From the Caves and Wilds of Hindustan” to solve the problem of transcribing and transliterating certain terms. ^[14]
• Translators of one of the Russian editions of E.P. Blavatsky’s book “The Key to Theosophy ” ( ISBN 9785699369089 ) “used“ wherever possible ”instead of translating from English, some literal fragments of the book“ From the Caves and Wilds of Hindustan ” , which was notified to the reader in the corresponding note.

• Hinduism and Theosophy
• Politics and Theosophy
• Fiction and Theosophy
• The Occult World
• " Episodes from the Life of Madame Blavatsky "

• Bazyukin V.V.Introduction of the translator // Secret Doctrine / trans. from English V.V. Bazyukina. - Pasadena: Theosophical University Press, 2012 .-- T. 1. - ISBN 978-1-55700-222-8 .
• Vengerova Z. A. , Soloviev V. S. Blavatskaya Elena Petrovna // Critical and biographical dictionary of Russian writers and scholars. - SPb. : Semenovskaya Tipo-lithography, 1892. - V. 3. - S. 301-319. - 496 p.
• Witte S. Yu. Memoirs. 1849-1894 . - Berlin: The Word, 1923. - 420 p.
• Senkevich A.N. Elena Blavatsky. Between light and darkness . - M .: Algorithm, 2012 .-- 480 p. - (Holders of secret knowledge). - 3000 copies. - ISBN 978-5-4438-0237-4 .
• Shabanova Yu. A. Theosophy: history and modernity . - Kharkov: FLP Panov A.N., 2016 .-- ISBN 978-617-7293-89-6 .
• Blavatsky, Helena Petrovna // Encyclopaedia Britannica / Ed. H. Chisholm, H. Hooper. - 11th ed. - New York: Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc., 1911. - Vol. IV. - P. 48.
• Johnson KP The Masters Revealed: Madame Blavatsky and the Myth of the Great White Lodge . - SUNY Press, 1994 .-- 288 p. - (SUNY series in Western esoteric traditions). - ISBN 9780791420638 .
• Neff MK Personal memoirs of HP Blavatsky. - Wheaton, Ill .: Theosophical Publishing House, 1971.- 322 p.
• Blavatsky, Helena Petrovna 1831-1891 (English) . OCLC WorldCat . Date of treatment January 26, 2016.
• Formats and editions of "From the caves and jungles of Hindostan" . OCLC WorldCat . Date of treatment January 26, 2016.

• "From the caves and wilds of Hindustan" , ed. 2004.