Interest in India and Hindu Texts in Russian Literature from the End of the 17th Century to the Middle Decades of the 20th century

Abstract

The article examines the reasons for the emergence of interest in ancient Indian religious and philosophical texts in the Russian cultural sphere, as well as the ways in which Indian texts entered Russian literature. The aim of this article is to show how the first Russian translations of the most influential ancient Indian works, such as Bhagavadgita or Shakuntala, caused the appearance of a large number of works in Russian literature that in one way or another refer to ancient Indian texts. The article also shows how Russian writers referred to ancient Indian texts in their works, using examples of particular writings.