A MONTHLY JOURNAL DEVOTED TO ORIENTAL PHILOSOPHY, ART, LITERATURE AND OCCULTISM: EMBRACING
'' MESMERISM, SPIRITUALISM, AND OTHER SECRET SCIENCES. '
V ol.. I . N o . 1. BO M BA Y , O C T O B E R , 1879.
P U B L IS H E R ’S NOTICES.
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THE THEOSOPHIST.
- ' BOM BAY, O C T O B E R 1s t 1879 . being dono by skilled workmen, dem onstrate th e principles
F o r convenience of fu tu re ^reference, i t m ay as well bo
stated * h ere th a t th e com m ittee se n t to In d ia by the
Theosophical Society, sailed from N ew Y ork D ecem ber 17th
1878, and landed a t Bom bay F eb ru ary lG tli 1879 ; having
passed tw o weeks in London on th e way.
U n d e r tho title of “ S p iritu al S tra y Leaves,” B abu Peary
C hand -M ittra, of C alcu tta— a .learned H indu scholar,
psychologist and an tiq u arian , an d a h ighly esteem ed
Fellow of th e Theosophical Society— has ju s t p u t forth a
collection.of th irte e n essays which have appeared in the
form s of p am p h lets and new spaper articles from tim e to
tim e. Som e of th ese have been widely an d favorably noticed
by th e W estern press. T hey evince a ripe scholarship,
and a reverence for A ryan lite ra tu re and history which
commands respect. T he a u th o r w rites of psychological
things in th e tone of one to whom th e realities of spirit
are n o t alto g eth er unknow n. T h is little work is published
b y Messrs T hacker S p in k & Co, of C alcu tta and Bombay.
. r —■-■ . .cially such as relate to O ccultism —gathered by th e Society’s
Though th e contributions to this num ber of th e journal
are n o t m all cases signed, we may state for the inform a­
tion of W estern readers th a t th eir authors arc am ong the
best native scholars of India. W e can m ore than m ake
good th e prom ise of our Prospcctus in this respect. Already,
we have th e certainty of being able to offer in each m onth
of th e com ing year, a n um ber as interesting and instructive
as th e present. Several highly im portant contributions
have been laid by for N ovem ber on account of w ant of
sp a c e ; though we have given thirty, instead of the pro­
m ised tw enty, pages of reading m atter. T he Theosophical
Society m akes no idle boasts, nor assumes any obligations
it does not m ean to fulfill. ’
N otice is given to Fellows of th e Theosophical Society
th a t commodious prem ises a t Girgaum , adjoining th e H ead­
q u arters of th e Theosophical Society, have been taken for
th e L ibrary and In d u strial D epartm ent, which are decided
upon. T he nucleus of a unique collection of books upon
O riental and W estern philosophy, science, art, religion,
history, archaiology, folk-lore, magic, spiritualism , crystal-
lomancy, astrology, mesm erism , and other branches of
knowledge, to g eth er w ith cyclopaedias and dictionaries for
reference, is already in th e possession of th e Society, and
i will be im m ediately available. Scientific and o th e r m aga­
zines and jo u rn als will be placed upon th e tables. T here
will be a course of S atu rd ay evening lectures by Gol. O lcott
upon tho occult sciences in general, w ith experim ental
dem onstrations in th e branches of m esm erism , psychoraetry,
crystallom ancy, and, possibly, spiritualism . O th er illu stra­
ted lectures upon botany, optics, th e im ponderable forces
(electricity, m agnetism , odyle &c), archaeology, and other
interestin g topics have been prom ised by em in en t native
scholars. L ater— provided th e necessary facilities can be
obtained— Mr. E. W im bridge, G raduate of the Royal In sti­
tu te of B ritish A rchitects, will lecture upon th e best m eans
of developing th e useful arts in I n d ia ; and, w ith models,
drawings, or th e actual exhibition to the audience of work
laid down in his lectures. D ue notice of th e opening of
th e L ibrary and R eading Room, and of th e date of Col.
O lcott’s first lecture, will be sent. Fellows only are entitled
to adm ission, cxcept upon extraordinary occasions, when
special cards m il be issued to invited guests.
* . N AM A STA E!
Tho foundation of this journal is due to causes which
having been en u m erated in th e Prospectus, need only be
glanced a t in th is connection. T hey a re — tho rapid ex­
pansion of th e Theosophical Society from A m erica to various
E uropean and A siatic c o u n trie s; th e increasing difficulty
and expanse in m ain tain in g correspondence by le tte r with
m em bers so widely scattered ; th e necessity for an organ
through w hich th e native scholars of th e E ast could com­
m unicate thoiV learning to tho W estern world, and, espe­
cially, through w hich th e sublim ity of Aryar,, ^Buddhistic
Parsi, and o th e r religions m ig h t be expounded -b y 'th e ir
own priests or p an d its th e only com petent interp reters ;
and finally, to th e tie e d of a repository for th e facts— espe-
 Follows am ong different nations. Elsew here \vc liavo
clearly explained the natu re of Theosophy, ami th e platform
of th e Society ; it rem ains for us to say a few words as to
th e policy of our paper.
It lias been shown th a t I ho individual m em bers of our
Society have th e ir own p riv ate opinions upon all m atte rs
of a religious, as of every other, nature. T h ey arc protec­
ted in the enjoym ent and expression of th e sa m e ; and, as
individuals, have an e<pial rig h t to sta te th em in the
T iik o so I’JIISt, over th e ir own signatures. Som e of us p re­
fer to be known as A rya Sainajists, some as B uddhists,
some as idolaters, some as som ething else. W h at each is,
will ap p ear from his or her signed com m unications, B ut
n eith er A ryan, Buddhist, nor any o th e r rep resen tative of a
p articular religion, w hether an ed ito r or a contributor, can,
u n der th e Society's rules, be allowed to use these editorial
colum ns exclusively in the in terest of th e same, or u n re­
servedly com m it the paper to il.s propaganda. It is
designed th a t a strict im p artiality shall lie observed in the
editorial u tte ra n c e s; the paper representing th e whole
Thcosophieal Society, or Universal Brotherhood, and not
any single section. T he Society being n e ith e r a church
nor a sect in any sense, we m ean to give th e same
cordial welcome to com m unications from one class of
religionists as to those from an o th er ; insisting only, th a t
courtcsy of language shall be used tow ards opponents.
A nd the policy of th e Society is also a full pledge and
guaran tee th a t there w ill be no xupprcssion o ffa c t n o r tarn-
p e r iv y if it /t w ritings, to serve the ends o f a n y established
or dissenting church, o f a n y country.
A rticles and correspondence upon e ith e r of th e topics
included in th e plan of th e T iiK osnrn 1s t are in v ite d ; a n d
while, of course, we prefer them to be in th e English
language, y e t if sen t in Ilin d i, M arathi, Bengali, or G ujrati,
or m French, Italian , Spanish or Russian, they will bo
carefully translated and edited for publication. W here it
is necessary to p rin t nam es and words in H ebrew , Greek,
and o ther characters (except S a n sk rit and th e In d ian
vernaculars) unlike th e Rom an, a u th o rs will k in d ly w rite
also th e ir phonetic equivalents in English, as th e resources
o f our p rin te r’s oflice do not ap p ear g re a t in t his direction.
M anuscripts m u st lxj w ritten legibly, upon one side of the
sh e et onlv, and .authors should always keep copies a t home
as wc will not be responsible for th e ir loss, nor can we obli­
g ate ourselves to retu rn rejected articles. S ta te m en ts of
fact will not be accepted from unknow n p arties w ith o ut due
authenticatio n .
I t is designed th a t our journal shall bo road w ith as m uch
in te re st by those who arc not deep philosophers as by
thoso who are. Some will d elig h t to follow th e pandits
through th e m azes of m etaphysical su b tleties and the
translatio n s of ancient m anuscripts, others to be instructed
th ro u g h th e m edium of legends and tales of m ystical im port.
O u r pages will be like th e m any viands a t a feast, where
cach ap p e tite m ay be satisfied and none are se n t away
hungry, T h e practical w ants of life are to m any readers
m ore u rg e n t th a n th e spiritual, and th a t it is not our p u r­
pose to neglect them our pages will am ply show.
O ne moro word a t th e threshold beforo wo bid o u r guests
to enter. T he first nu m b er of th e T h k o s o h i i s t has been
b ro u g h t o u t und er m echanical difficulties w hich would not
have been encountered eith er a t N ew Y ork or London,
an d which we hope to escape in fu tu re issues. F o r instance :
W e first tried to have Mr. E dw ard W im bridge’s excel­
le n t design for th e cover engraved on wood, b u t th e re was
no wood to be h ad of th e rig h t sizes to compose th e block,
nor any clam ps to fasten them to g e th e r ; nor was thero an
engraver com petent to do ju stic e to th e subject. In lith o ­
g raphy we fared no b e tt e r ; th ere was n o t a pressm an who
could bo trusted to p rin t art istic work in colors, and the
proprieto r of one of th e b est jo b offices in In d ia adyised us
to send th e order to London. A s a last reso rt wo d e te r­
m ined to p rin t th e design in relief, and th e n scoured the
m etal m a rk e ts of Bom bay and C alcu tta for rolled m etal
p late. H av in g finally secured an old piece, th e a rtist was
forced to in v en t an entirely novel process to etch on it,
juid to cxecute th e work himself, W e m ention these facts
in the hope th a t our unem ployed young Indian brothers
m ay recall th e old adage, ‘ where there is a will, there i3 a
way’ and apply th e lesson to th eir own case. A nd now,
friends and enem ies, a ll— N a m a sta e !
W H A T IS T H E O S O P H Y .
T his question h a s boon so often asked, and m iscon­
ception so widely prevails, th a t th e editors of a jo u rn al
devoted to an exposition of th e w orld’s Theosophy -would
bo rem iss w ere its first n u m b er issued w ith o u t com ing
to a full u n d e rsta n d in g w ith th e ir readers. B u t our h e ad ­
ing involves two f u rth e r q u e rie s: W h a t is th e Theoso-
phical S o c ie ty ; a n d w h at a re tho Theosophists ? To
each an answ er w ill be given.
A ccording to lexicographers, tho term thcosophia is
composed of two G reek words— tltcos" god,” and sojilws
“ wise.” So fur, correct. B u t tho explanations th a t fol­
low are far from giving a clear idea of Theosophy. W ebs­
te r defines it m ost originally as “ a supposed intercourse
w ith God an d su perior spirits, and consequent a tta in ­
m e n t of su p erh u m an know ledge, by p hysical processes,
as by th o thourgic operations of some a n cie n t P lato-
nists, o r by th o chemical processes of th e G erm an fire-
philosophers.”
This, to say th e least, is a poor an d flippant explana­
tion. To a ttrib u te su ch ideas to m en lik e A m m onius
Saccas, rio tin u s , Jam blichus, P orphyry, P roclus—shows
e ith e r in to n tio n al m isrep resen tatio n , or M r. W obstor’s
ignoranco of th e philosophy and m otivos of th e g re a te st
geniuses of th e la te r A lexandrian School. To im p u te to
thoso whom th e ir contem poraries as well as p o sterity
styled " theodidaktoi,” g o d -ta u g h t— a purpose to developo
th e ir psychological, sp iritu al perceptions by "p h y sica l
processes,” is to describe th em as m aterialists. A s to tho
concluding fling a t th e fire-philosopliers, it rebounds
from them to fall hom e am ong our m ost e m in e n t modorn
men of science ; those, in whoso m ouths th e Rev. Jam es
M artincau places th e following boast : ” m a tte r is all
we w a n t ; give us atom s alone, and wc w ill explain tho
universe.”
V aughan offers a fa r b e tte r, m oro philosophical defi­
nition. " A Theosophist,” ho says— " is one who gives
you a theory of God or th e w orks of God, w hich has n o t
revelation, b u t an in sp iratio n of his own for its basis.”
In th is view every g re a t th in k e r and philosopher, espe­
cially every founder of a now religion, school of philoso­
phy, or sect, is necessarily a Theosophist. H ence, T heo­
sophy an d T heosophists liavo existed ever since th e first
glim m erin g o f nascent th o u g h t m ado m an seek in stin c ­
tively for th o m eans of expressing his own ind ep en d en t
opinions.
T hero w ore T heosophists beforo th o C h ristian era,
n o tw ith sta n d in g th a t th o C hristian w riters ascribe th e
developm ent of tho E clectic theosophical system , to tho
early p a rt of th e th ird cen tu ry o£ th e ir E ra. D iogenes
L aertius traces T heosophy to an epoch a n te d a tin g tho
dynasty of tho Ptolem ies ; and nam es as its founder an
E g y p tian H iero p h an t called l’ot-A inun, tho nam o b ein g
Coptic and sig n ify in g a p rie st consecrated to A m un, tho
god of W isdom . B u t history shows it revived by A in-
m onius Saccas, th o founder of tho N eo -P latonic School.
Ho and h is disciples called them selves " P h ilalcth eian s ”
— lovers of th o tru th ; while others term ed th e m th e
“ A nalogists,” on account of th e ir m ethod of in te rp re ­
tin g all sacred legends, sym bolical m y th s an d m ysteries,
by a rnlo oC analogy or correspondence, so th a t events
w hich had occurred in th e external world w ero regarded
as expressing operations and experiences of th e hitm an
soul. I t was th e aim and purpose of A m m onius to re ­
concile all sects, peoples and nations u n d er ono common
faith— a b elief in ono S uprem o E tern al, U nknow n, a n d 1
U nnam ed Power, governing tho U niverse b y im m utabld
and ete rn a l laws. H is object w as to prove a primitiy<| \
system of Theosophy, which a t th e b e g in n in g was essen­
tially alik e in all countries ; to induce all m en to lay
aside th e ir strifes and quarrels, and u n ite in purpose and
th o u g h t as th e children of one common m o th e r; to purify
th e an cien t religions, b y degrees corru p ted a n d obscured,
from all dross of h um an elem out, by u n itin g and ex­
pounding them upon p u re philosophical principles. H ence,
th e Bhucldistic, V edantic and M agian, o r Z o roastrian,
system s wore ta u g lit in th e E clectic theosophical school
along w ith all th e philosophies of Grcece. Ile n c e also,
th a t pre-em in en tly B uddhistic and In d ia n featu re am ong
tho a n c ie n t T heosophists of A lexandria, of d u e reverence
for p are n ts an d aged p e rs o n s ; a fra te rn a l affection for
tho whole h u m an r a c e ; an d a com passionato feelin g for
even th e dum b anim als. W h ile seek in g to estab lish a
system of m oral discipline w hich enforced upon people
the d u ty to live according to th e laws of th e ir respective
co u n trie s; to exalt th e ir m inds by tho research and con­
tem plation of th e one A bsolute T ru th 5 his c h ie f object
in order, as he believed, to achieve all others, was to
extract from th e various religious teach in g s, as from a
m any-chorded in stru m e n t, 0110 full and h arm onious m e ­
lody, which would find response in overy tru th -lo v in g
heart. _ _
Theosophy is, th en , th e archaic W isdom -R eligion, th e
esoteric d o ctrin e once know n in every a n c ie n t country
having claim s to civilization. T h is “ W isdom ” all tho
old w ritings show u s as a n em anation of th o divine P rin ­
ciple ; and tlio clear com prehension of it is typified in
bucIi nam es as th e In d ia n Buddli, th e B abylonian Nebo,
the T liotli of M em phis, th e lle rm e s of G re e c e ; in th e
appellations, also, of som e goddesses— M etis, N e ith a ,
Athena, the G nostic Sophia, and finally— th e V edas, from
tho word “ to know ” U n d e r th is desig n atio n , all tho
ancient philosophers of th e E a s t an d W est, th e H ie ro ­
phants of old E gypt, th e R isliis of A ry av art, th e Theodi-
daktoi of G reece, included all know ledge of th in g s occult
and essentially divine. T ho M ercavah of th e H ebrew
Rabbis, th e secular and p o p u lar series, wore th u s desig­
nated as only th e vehicle, th e outw ard shell which c o n ­
tained tho h ig h e r esoteric know ledges. T ho M agi of
Zoroaster received in stru ctio n anil w ere in itia te d in tho
caves and secret lodges of B a c tria ; th e E g y p tian and
Grecian h iero p h an ts h ad th e ir apporrheta, o r secret d is­
courses, d u rin g w hich th e M y sta becam o au E p o p ta — a
Seer.
Tho cen tral idea of tho E clectic T heosophy was th a t
of a single S u p rem e Essence, U nknow n and U n kn o w ­
able— for— “ H ow could one know th o k now er ?” as
ouquires B rih a d a ra n y a k a U panisluid. T h e ir system was
characterized by th re e d istin c t fe a tu re s : th e th eo ry of
the above-nam ed E ssence ; th o doctrino of th o hum an
soul—an em an atio n from th e latter, h en ce of th e sam e
u a tu ro ja n d its th eu rg y . I t is th is last science which
has led th e N eo-P latonists to bo so m isrepresented in
our era of m ato rialistic science. T h eu rg y b ein g essen­
tially th o a r t of ap p ly in g th o divino pow ers of m an to
the subordination of th e b lin d forces of n a tu re , its v ota­
ries wero first te rm e d m agicians— a corruption of th e
word “ M agli,” signifying a wise, or learn ed m an, au d —
derided. S k ep tics of a c e n tu ry ago would have been as
wide of tho m ark if th e y had laughed a t tlio idoa of a
phonograph or a telegraph. T h e ridiculed an d th e “ in ­
fidels ’ of one g en eratio n generally becom e th e wise m en
and saints of th e next.
As rogarda th e D ivine .Essenco an d th e n a tu re of th e
soul and spirit, m odem T heosophy believes now as an cient
Theosophy did. T h e p o p u lar D iu of th o A ry an nations
was indentical w ith th e Ia o of th e C haldeans, an d even
with tho J u p ite r of th e less learn ed an d philosophical
among th e R om ans ; and it was j u s t as identical w ith th e
Jahve of th e S am aritans, th o l 'i u or “ Tiusco ” of the
Northm en, th e D uw of th e B ritain s, and tho Zeus of tlio
Thracians. A s to tlio A bsolute Essonce, th e O ne and All
—w hether we accept th e G reek P y th a g o re a n , th e C h al­
dean K abalistic, or tho A ryan philosophy in regard to it,
it will all lead to one and th e sam e result. T h e P rim ev al
M onad of th o P y th ag o rean system , which retire s in to
darkness and is itself D arkness (for hum an intellect) was
mado the basis o f all th in g s ; and wo can find th e idea in
all its in te g rity in tho philosophical system s of L eibnitz
and Spinoza. T herefore, w hothor a T heosophist agrees
with tlio K ab ala which, speaking of En-Soph propounds
the query : “ W ho, then, can com prehend It, since I t ia
formless, and N o n -E x iste n t ?” Or, rem em bering th a t
inagnilicient hym n from th e Rig-V eda (Ily in a 129th,
Book 10th)— enquires :
“ Who knows from whence this great crcatiou sprang ?
Whether his will created or was mute.
lie knows it—or pei'chanco even lie I nows not."
Or, again, accepts th e V ed an tic conception of B rahm a,
who in th e U panishacls is represented as “ w ith o u t life,
w ithout m ind, p u re,” unconscious, for— Brahm a is “ A b ­
solute C onsciousness.” Or, even finally, siding w ith tho
Svabhdvikas of N epau 1, m ain ta in s th a t n o th in g exists b u t
“ S vabhavat (substance or n atu re) which exists by its e lf
w ithout any c rea to r— an y one of th e above conceptions
can lead b u t to p u re and absolute Theosophy. T h a t T heo­
sophy which prom pted such m en as H egel, F ic h te and
Spinoza to ta k e up th e labors of tho old G recian philoso­
phers and speculate upon th e O110 S n bslance— th e D eity,
tlio D ivine A U proceeding from tho D ivino W isdom — in ­
com prehensible, unknow n and u n n a m e d —by any an cien t
o r m odern religious philosophy, w'itli th e exception of
C h ristian ity and M ahom m edanism . liv e ry Theosophist,
th en , h o lding to a th e o ry o f th e D eity “ which has n o t
revelation, b u t an in sp iratio n of his own for its basis,”
may accept an y of th e above definitions or belong to any
of thoso religions, and y e t re m ain strictly w ithin th e
boundaries of Theosophy. F o r tho ln tto r is belief in tlio
D eity as th e am ,, the source of all exislence, tho infinite
th a t cannot bo e ith e r com prehended or know n, [the u n i­
verse alone revealing I t, or, as some prefer it, H im , th u s
giving a sex to th a t, to anthoropom orphizo which is
blasphem y. T rue, T heosophy sh rin k s from b ru ta l m a te ­
rialization ; it prefers b elieving th a t, from ete rn ity re tire d
w ithin itself, th e S p irit of th e D eity n e ith e r wills n o r
creates ; b u t th a t, from th e infinite ett'ulgency everyw here
g o ing fo rth from th e G reat C en tre, th a t which produces
all visible and invisible th in g s is b u t a R ay containing
in itself tho g en erativ e and conceptive power, w hich, in
its tu rn producos th a t which the G reeks called Macrocosm,
th e K abalists THiknn or A dam K adm on— th e archetypal
m an, and tlio A ryans F u ru sh a , th e m anifested Jirahm , or
the Divino M ale. T heosophy believes also in th e A n a s ­
tasia or continued existence, and in transm igration (evo­
lution) or a series o r changes in th o soul* which can be
defended an d explained on stric t philosophical p rin c ip les;
and only by m aking a distin ctio n betw een 1‘urnnu.Umd
(transcendental, suprem e soul) aud J lv d h n d (anim al, or
conscious soul) of tho V edantins.
To fully detino Theosophy, wo m ust consider i t u n der
all its aspects. T ho in te rio r w orld has not been h idden
from all by im p enetrable darkness. B y th a t h ig h e r in ­
tu itio n acquired by Theosophia— or G od-know ledge, which
carries tho m ind from th e world o f form into th a t of form ­
less spirit, m an has been som etim es enabled in every age
and every country to perceive th in g s in tho in te rio r or
invisible world. H ence, th e " Sam adhi,” or D ya n Yog
Sa m a d h i, of tho H in d u asc e tic s; tho “ D aim onion-photi,”
or sp iritu al illum ination, of th e N e o -P la to n ists; th o “ S id e ­
real confabulation of souls,” of th e llosicrucians or F ire-
philosophors ; and, even th e ecstatic tranco of m ystics and
of th e m odern m osm crists and spiritualists, are indentical
in natu re, though various as to m anifestation. T he search
after m an ’s d iv in er “ self,” so often and so erroneously
in terp reted as individual com m union w ith a personal God,
was tho object of every m ystic, and b elief in its possibility
seem s to have been coeval w ith th e genesis of h u m a n ity
• I n n a e rie s o f u r tic lo s o n t i l l e d “ T lio W o r l d ’s ( J r c n t T h o o s o p h is ts " w e in -
to n d s h o w in g U n it fro m F y tlm g o r a a , w h o tf o t It id w iu d o m in I n d ia , d o w n
to out* l*u»t k n o w n m o d e r n p h ilo s o p h e r s , n n d th o o .s o p h ta ta — D a v id H u m o ,
a n d fcjhulfoy th o 'K niflish p o e t — tlio S p ir it is t# o f F r a n c o in c lu d e d — m a n y
ho lio v o d rind y o l b o lio v o in m e te in p sy c h o M .s o r r e i n c a r n a t io n o f t h e s o u l ;
h o w e v e r im u lu G o r u tu l t h o b y s lo m o f t h o g p iriti& ts m a y f a i r ly bo r e g a r d e d .
 — cnrh people g iv in g it a n o th e r nam e. T h u s P la to and this claim was successfully overthrow n by tho stern logic
P lo tin u s civil “ N oetic work ” tlia t wliicli th e Yogas nncl of K ap ila. As to tho sim ilar assum ption m ade for th e ir
tlie S h ro triy a term V id ya . " By reflection, self-know ledge Cireek followers, fo ra long array of C hristian ecstatics, and,
and intellectual discipline, tlio soul ra n lie raised to the finally, for tho Inst two claim ants to "G o d -seein g ’’ w ith in
vision of eternal tru th , goodness, and b ea u ty — th a t is, tlieso last, h u n d red years— Jacob Bcihme and Sw edenborg
to th e V isio n o f God— this is th e ejm pteia,” said the — this p retension w ould and should have been p h ilo ­
G reeks. “ To u n ite one’s soul to th e U niversal S o u l,” says sophically and logically questioned, if a few of o u r g re a t
P orphyry, “ req u ires h u t a perfectly pure-m ind. Through men of science who are sp iritu alists had had m ore in ­
self-contem p latio n , p erfect ch astity , and p u rity of body, terest in th e philosophy th an in tho m ere phenom enalism
we may approach n earer to I t, and receive, in th a t state, of spiritualism .
tru e know ledge and w onderful in s ig h t.” A nd Swami Tho A lexandrian T heosophists were divided into neo­
O ayanund Sarasw nti, who has read n e ith e r P orp h y ry nor phytes, initiates, and m asters, o r hierophants ; an d th e ir
o th e r G reek authors, b u t who is a th o ro u g h V edic scholar, rides were copied from th e an cien t M ysteries of O rpheus,
says in his Veda Iihashyu (opasna p ra k a ru a n k . 9)— “ To who, according to H erodotus, bro u g h t them from India.
obtain Jirksha (highest in itiatio n ) and Yog, one has to A m m onius obligated his disciples by oath n o t to d iv u lg e
p rartico according to the ru le s...T h o soul in hum an body his higher doctrines, except to those who w ere proved
can perform th e g reatest w onders by kno w in g th e U n i­ thoroughly w orthy and in itiated , and who had learned
versal S p irit (or Clod) and acq u ain tin g itself w ith the to regard tho gods, tho angels, and th e dem ons of o th er
properties and qualities (occult) of all th e things in the peoples, according to th e esoteric hyponia-, or under-m ean­
universe. A hum an being (a Del-shit o r in itiate) can ing. “ T he gods exist, b u t they aro not w h a t th e oi polloi,
th u s acqvirc a pm cer o f seeing a n d hearing at great d is­ tho uneducated m u ltitu d e, suppose ‘them to be,” says
ta n c es.'’ iMnallj’, Alfred R . W allace, F.R.S., a sp iritu a list E picurus. “ H e is n o t an a th e ist who denies th e existence
and y e t a confessedly g re a t n atu ralist, says, w ith brave of tho gods whom th e m u ltitu d e worship, b u t he is such
candour : “ I t is ‘ sp irit ’ th a t alone feels, an d perceives, »vho fastens 011 th ese gods th e opinions of th e m u ltitu d e .”
and th in k s— th a t acquires know ledge, and reasons and In his tu rn , A risto tle declares th a t of th e “ D ivine E s­
a sp ire s...th e re n o t u n freq u en tly occur individuals so con­ sence pervading th e w hole world of nature, w hat are styled
stitu te d th a t th e sp irit can perceive in d ep en d en tly of the the gods arc sim ply th e first principles.”
corporeal organs of sense, or can, perh ap s, w holly or p a r ­ Plotinus, tho pupil of th e “ G o d -tau g h t” A m m onius,
tially q u it th e body f o r a tim e and re tu rn to it a g a in ... tells us th a t the secret gnosis or tho know ledge of T heo­
th e sp irit...c o m m u n ic a te s w ith s p irit ea sie r th a n with sophy, has th ree d eg rees— opinion, science, and illu m i­
m a tte r.’’ W e can now see how , after th o u san d s of years nation. ‘‘ T ho m eans or in stru m e n t of tho first is sense,
have interv en ed betw een th e ago of tho G yinnosophists* or perception ; of th e second, d ia le c tic s; of th e third,
and o u r own h ighly civilized era, n o tw ith sta n d in g , or, in tu itio n . To th e last, reason is subordinate ; it is abso­
perhaps, j u s t because of, such an e n lig h te n m e n t which lute knowledge, founded on tho identification of th e m ind
pours its rad ian t lig h t upon th e psychological as well as with th e object know n.” Theosophy is tho exact science
upon th e physical realm s of n atu re, over tw en ty m illions of psychology, so to say ; it stands in relation to n a tu ra l,
of people to-day believe, u n d er a d ifferen t form, in those u n cultivated m edium ship, as th e know ledge of a Tyndall
sam e spiritu al powers th a t w ere believed in by th e Y ogins stands to th a t of a school-boy in physics. I t develops
and th e P ythagoreans, nearly .*1,000 y ears ago. Thus, in m an a d irect b e h o ld in g ; th a t which Sclielling deno­
w h ilo th e A ryan m ystic claim ed for him self tho pow er of m inates “ a realization of tho id en tity of su b ject and
solving all th e problem s of life and d e a th , when ho had object in th e i n d i v i d u a l s o th a t u n d er tho influence
once obtained th e pow er of a c tin g in d ep en d en tly of his and know ledge of hyponia m an th in k s divine thoughts,
body, through tho A tm a n — “ self, or '' so u l"; an d th e old views all things as th e y really are, and, finally, “ becomes
G reeks w ent in search of A t m u —tho H id d e n one, or the recipient of th e Soul of tho W orld,” to use one of th e
(io d -S o n lo f man, w ith th e sym bolical m irro r of th e Tlics- finest expressions of Em erson. " I , tho im perfect, adore
moplmrinn m ysteries ;— so tho s p iritu a lists of to-dny b e­ my own P erfect’' — he says in his superb Essay on tho
lieve in th e faculty of tho sp irits, or th e souls of the Oversoul. Besides th is psychological, or soul— state, T h eo ­
disem bodied persons, to com m unicate visibly and tangibly sophy c u ltiv a ted every branch of sciences and a rts. I t
w ith those they loved on ea rth . A nd all those, A ryan was th oroughly fam iliar w ith w hat is now com m only
Yogis, G reek philosophers, and m odern spiritualists,affirm know n as m esm erism . P ractical theurgy or “ cerem o­
th a t possibility on th e g ro u n d th a t th e em bodied soul nial m agic,” so often resorted to in th e ir exorcisms by
and its nev er em bodied sp irit— th e real s e lf— are n o t the Rom an C atholic clergy— was discarded by th e th eo ­
sep arated from eith er th e U niversal Soul o r o th e r sp irits sophists. I t is b u t Jam b lieh u s alone who, transcending
by space, b u t m erely by th e d ifferen tiatio n of th e ir q u ali­ th e o th e r Eclectics, added to Theosophy th e doctrine of
ties ; as in th e boundless expanso of th e u niverse th ere T heurgy. W hen ig n o ra n t of tho tru e m eaning of th e
can be no lim itation. A nd th a t w hen th is difference is once esoteric divine sym bols of nature, m an is a p t to miscal­
rem oved— according to th e G reek s an d A ry an s by a b ­ culate th e pow ers of his soul, and, instead of com m uning
s tra c t contem plation, pro d u cin g tho tem p o rary liberation spiritually and m entally w ith the higher, celestial boings,
of th e im prisoned Soul ; an d according to spiritu alists, the good sp irits (th e gods of tho thourgists of th e P latonic
th ro u g h m edium ship— such an union betw een em bodied school), he will unconsciously call forth th e evil, dark
and disem bodied sp irits becom es possible. T h u s was it powers w hich lu rk aro u n d h u m a n ity —th e undying, grim
th a t P a ta n ja li’s Yogis and, following in th e ir steps, P lo­ creations of h um an crim es and vices— and thus fall from
tin u s, P orphyry an d o th e r N eo-P lato n ists, m ain ta in e d th a t th m rg ia (w hite m agic) into goelia (or black m agic, sor­
in th e ir hours of ecstacy, th e y h a d b een u n ite d to, or cery.) Y et, n e ith e r w h ite, nor black m agic are w hat
ra th e r becom e as one w ith , God, several tim es d u rin g the popular su p erstitio n understands by th e term s. T he
course of th e ir lives. T h is idea, erroneous as it m ay seem possibility of “ raising spirits ” according to th e key of
in its application to th e U n iv ersal S p irit, was, and is, Solomon, is th e h e ig h t o f superstition and ignorance.
claim ed by too m an y g re a t philosophers to be p u t aside P u rity of deed and th o u g h t can alone raise us to an
as entirely chim erical. I n th e case of th e T heodidaktoi, intercourse “ w ith th e gods” and a tta in for us th e goal we
th e only controvertible point, th e d ark sp o t on th is p h i­ desire. A lchem y, believed by so m any to have been a
losophy of ex trem e m ysticism , was its claim to include spiritual philosophy as well as a physical science, belonged
th a t which is sim ply ecstatic illum ination, u n d er tho head to tho teachings of th e theosophical school.
of sensuous percep tio n . I n th e case of th e Y ogins, who I t is a noticeable fact th a t n e ith e r Zoroaster, Buddha,
m ain tain ed th e ir ab ility to see Isw ara " f a c e to face,” O rpheus, P ythagoras, Confucius, Socrates, nor A m m o­
nius Saccas, com m itted an y th in g to w riting. T h e reasoii
• T h e reality of tho Yog-powor was affirmed by ninny G reek and Roman for it is obvious. Theosophy is a double-edged weapou
writer*, who call th e Yogins Indian GynmoftophisU ;b y S trabo, L ucan, Plu­
tarch, Cicero (TiMCtf/tim), Pliny ( tu . 2), ®tc. and unfit for th e ig n o ra n t or th e selfish. L ik e every ,
ancient philosophy, it has its votaries am ong th e m oderns > later, it found itself in alliance w ith th e In d ian A rya
but, u n til la te in o u r own days, its disciples w ere few Sam aj, headed by th e learned P a n d it D aydnund Sarasw ati
in num bers, an d of th e m ost various sects an d opinions. Swdmi, and th e Ceylonese B uddhists, under th e eru d ite H .
" E n tire ly speculative, and founding no schools, th e y have Sum angala, H igh P riest of A dam ’s P eak and P resid en t
still exercised a silen t influence upon p h ilo so p h y ; and no of th e W idyodaya College, Colombo.
doubt, w hen th e tim e arrives, m any ideas th u s silently H e who would seriously a tte m p t to fathom th e psycho­
propounded m ay y e t givo now directio n s to hu m an logical sciences, m u st come to th e sacred land of ancient
th o u g h t”— rem arks M r. K en n e th R. IT. M ackenzie IX °... A rydvarta. N one is older th a n her in esoteric wisdom and
him self a m ystic and a T heosophist, in his larg e and civilization, however fallen m ay be her poor shadow— m o­
valuable w ork, The R o y a l M asonic Cyclopcvdia (articles dern India. H olding th is country, as we do, for th e fruitful
Theosophical Society o f Nexo Y o rk, a n d Theosophy, p. hot-bed whence proceeded all subsequent philosophical sys­
781).* Since th e days of th e fire-philosophers, th ey h ad tems, to th is source of all psychology and philosophy a
never form ed them selves in to societies, for, track ed like portion of our Society has come to learn its ancient wisdom
wild beasts by th e C hristian clergy, to be know n as a and ask for th e im p artatio n of its weird secrets. Philology
T heosophist often am ounted, h ard ly a contury ago, to a has m ade too m uch progress to require a t th is late day a
death -w arran t. T he statistics show th a t, d u rin g a period dem onstration of this fact of th e prim ogenitive nationality
of 150 years, no less th a n 90,000 m en and women w ere of A ryavdrt. T he unproved and prejudiced hypothesis of
burned in E u ro p e for alleged w itchcraft. I n G reat B rita in m odern Chronology is not w orthy of a m o m en ts thought,
only, from A. D. 1G40 to 1660, b u t tw e n ty years, 3,000 and it will vanish m tim e lik e so m any o th er unproved
ersons w ere p u t to d e a th for com pact w ith th e “ D evil." hypotheses. T he line of philosophical heredity, from K api-
f t was b u t late in th e p re se n t ce n tu ry — in 1875— th a t
some progressed m ystics and sp iritu alists, unsatisfied w ith
la through E picurus to Jam es M ill; from Pat&ujali through
P lotinus to Jacob Bohm e, can be traced like th e course o f
the theories and explanations of S piritualism s ta rte d by a river through a landscape. O ne of th e objects of th e
its votaries, and finding th a t they w ere far from covering Society’s organization was to exam ino th e too tran scen d en t
the whole ground of th e w ide ra n g e of phenom ena, form ­ views of th e S p iritu a lists in regard to th e powers of disem ­
ed a t New Y o rk , A m erica, an association which is now bodied sp irits; and, having told them w hat, in our opinion
widely know n as th e Theosophical Society. A nd now, a t least, a portion of th e ir phenom ena are not, it will be­
having explained w h a t is Theosophy, we w ill, in a sepa­ come incum bent upon us now to show w hat th ey are. So
rate article, explain w h at is tho n a tu re of o u r society, ap p aren t is it th a t it is in th e E ast, and especially in India,
which is also called tho “ U n iv ersal B rotherhood of th a t th e key to th e alleged “ su p ernatural' phenom ena of
H um anity.” tho S piritu alists m ust be sought, th a t it has recently been
conceded in th e A llahabad Pioneer (Aug. 11th 1879) an
W IIA T A R E T H E T H E O S O P H IS T S . A nglo-Indian daily jo u rn a l which has not th e reputation
A re th ey w hat th ey claim to be— stu d e n ts of n atu ral of saying w hat it does not m ean. B lam ing th e m en of
science who “ in te n t upon physical discovery, for some
law, of ancient and m odern philosophy, and even of exact generations have been too prone to neglect super-physical
science ? A re they Deists, A theists, Socialists, M aterialists, investigation," it m entions “ th e new wave of uo u b t” (spi­
or Id e a lists; or are th ey b u t a schism of m odem S p iri­ ritualism ) which has “ la tte rly disturbed th is conviction.”
tualism ,— m ere visionaries ? A re th ey en titled to any con­ To a large n um ber of persons, including m any of high
sideration, as capable of discussing philosophy and prom o­ culture and intelligence, it adds, “ th e supernatural has
again asserted itse lf as a fit subject of inquiry and research.
ting real science; or should th ey be tre a te d w ith th e com ­ A nd there are plausible hypotheses in favour of th e idea
passionate toleration which one gives to “ harm less e n th u ­ th a t am ong t h e ‘sages’ of th e E a s t...th e re m ay be found
siasts ? ” T h e Theosophical Society has been variously in a higher degree th a n am ong th e more m odernised
charged w ith a belief in “ miracles,” an d “ miracle-work* in habitants of th e W e st traces of those personal peculia­
n i g ; ” with a secret political object— like th e C arbonari; rities, w hatever they m ay be, which are required as a
condition precedent to th e occurrence of su p ern atu ral phe­
with boing spies of an autocratic Czar ; w ith preaching so­
nomena.” A nd then, unaw are th a t the cause he pleads
cialistic an d nihilistic doctrines ; and, m ira b ilo diclu, w ith is one of th e chief aim s and objects of our Society,
having a covert u nderstanding w ith th e F rench Jesu its, to the editorial w riter rem arks, th a t it is “ th e only direc­
disrupt m odern S piritualism for a pecuniary consideration ! tion in which, it seem s to us, th e efforts of th e T heo­
W ith equal violence they have been denounced as dream ers, sophists in In dia m ig h t possibly be useful. T he leading
m em bers of th e Theosophical Society in In d ia are known
by the A m erican Positivists ; as fetish-w orshipers, by some to be very advanced stu d e n ts of occult phenom ena, alrea­
of the N ew Y ork p ress; as revivalists of “ m ouldy su p ersti­ dy, ami we cannot b u t hope, th a t th e ir professions of in ­
tions,” by th e S p iritu alists ; as infidel em issaries of S atan, by terest in O riental philosophy...m ay cover a reserved in te n ­
the C hristian C hurch ; as th e very types of “ gobe-mouche," tion of carrying o u t explorations of th e kind we indicate.”
by Professor W . B. C arpenter, F .ll .S .; and, finally, and most W hile, as observed, one of our objects, it yet is b u t one
of m a n y ; tho m ost im p o rtan t of which is to revive th e
absurdly, some H in d u opponents, w ith a view to lessening work of A m m onius Saccas, and m ake various nations re ­
their influence, have flatly charged them w ith th e em ploy­ m em ber th a t th ey are th e children “ of ono m other.” As
ment of dem ons to perform certain phenom ena. O ut of to the t ranscendental side of th e ancient Theosophy, it is
all this pother of opinions one fact stands conspicuous— the also high tim e th a t th e Theosophical Society should ex­
plain. W itli how m uch, then, of this nature-searching,
Society, its mem bers, and th e ir views, are deem ed of enough
U od-seeking science o f th e ancient A ryan and G reek m ys­
importance to be discussed and denounced : M en sla n d er tics, and of th e powers of m odern sp iritual m edium ship,
only those whom they hate— or fe a r. does the Society agree ? O ur answer i s :— w ith it all.
But, if th e Society has had its enem ies and traducers, B ut if asked w hat it believes in, tho reply will b e :— “ a t a
it has also had its friends and advocates. F o r every word body— N othing.” T he Society, as u body, has no creed, as
of censure, th ere has been a word of praise. B eginning creeds are b u t th e shells around spiritual know ledge; and
with a p a rty of about a dozen earn est men' an d women, a Theosophy in its fruition is spiritual know ledge itself—
month la te r its num bers had so increased as to necessitate the very essence of philosophical and theistic enquiry.
the hiring of a public hall for its m e e tin g s ; w ithin two Visible rep resentative ol'U nivcrsal Theosophy, it can be no
years, it had w orking branches in E uropean countries. Still more sectarian th a n a G eographical Society, which rep re­
* The Royal Masonic Cyclopedia o f 11 tutory, HiU's, StfukholisM, Bio•sents universal geographical exploration w ith o u t caring
yraphy. E dited by K enneth R H. Mackunziu IX. (Cryi'tonymu*) Hon. w hether th e explorers be of ono creed or another. T he reli­
m ember of tho Canongate Kilwinning Lodge, No. 2, Scotland. New York,
J . W. Bouton, 700 Broadway, 1877* gion of the Society is an algebraical equation, in which,
 80 long as th e sign = of equality is not om itted, each m em ber way after a know ledge of th e D ivine Principle, o f m an ’s
is allowed to su b stitu te q u a n titie s of his own, which b etter relations to it, and n a tu re ’s m anifestations of it, Theosophy
accord w ith clim atic and o th er exigencies of his n ative is allied. I t is likew ise th e ally of honest science, as
land, w ith th e idiosyncracies of his people, or even w ith his distinguished from m uch th a t passes for exact, physical
own. H av in g no accepted creed, o u r Society is ever ready science, so long as th e la tte r does not poach on th e do­
to give and take, to learn and teach by practical experi­ m ains of psychology and metaphysics.
m entation, as opposed to m ere passive and credulous ac­ A nd it is also th e .ally of every honest religion,— to w it:
ceptance of enforced dogma. It is w illing to accept every a religion w illing to be ju d g ed by th e same te sts as
resu lt claim ed by any of th e foregoing schools or systems, it applies to th e others. Those books which contain th e
th a t can be logically and experim entally dem onstrated. m ost self-evident tru th , are to it inspired (not revealed).
Conversely, it can tak e nothing on m ere faith, no m a tte r B u t all books it regards, on account of th e hum an elem ent
by whom th e dem and may be made. contained in them , as inferior to tho Book of N a tu re ;
B ut, when we come to consider ourselves individually, to read which and com prehend it correctly, th e in n a te
it is q u ite an o th er thing. T he Society’s m em bers re p re ­ powers of th e soul m u st bo highly developed. Ideal
se n t th e m ost varied nationalities and races, and w ere born laws can be perceived by th e intuitivo faculty alone; th e y
and educated in tho m ost dissim ilar creeds and social are beyond th e dom ain of arg u m en t and dialectics, and
conditions. Some of them believo in one thing, others in no one can understand or rightly appreciate them through
an o th er one. Som e inclino toward t.lio an cien t m agic, or tho explanations of an o th er m ind, though oven th is m ind
secret wisdom th a t was tau g h t in the sanctuaries, which bo claim ing a d irect revelation. A nd, as th is Society
was tho very opposite of supernaturalism or diabolism ; which allows tho w idest sweep in th e realm s of th e
others in m odern spiritualism , or intercourse w ith the pure ideal is no less firm in tho sphero of facts, its defer-
spirits o f tho d ead ; still o thers in m esm erism or anim al enco to m odem science and its ju s t representatives is sin ­
m agnetism , as only an occult dynam ic force in nature. cere. D espite all th e ir lack of a higher sp iritual intuition,
A certain num ber have scarcely yot acquired any definite th e world's d eb t to th o representatives of m odern physical
belief, b u t are in a sta te of a tte n tiv e expectan cy ; and science is im m e n se ; hence, th e Society endorses h eartily
th ere even those whose call them selves m aterialists, in a th e noble and in d ig n an t p rotest of th a t gifted and elo­
certain sense. O f ath eists and bigoted sectarians of any q u en t preacher, th e lle v O. B. F rothingham , against those
religion, th ere arc none in th e Society ; for th e veiy fact who try to undervalue th e services of our g rea t n a tu ­
of a m an’s jo in in g it proves th a t ho is in search of th e ralists. “ T alk of Science as being irreligious, atheistic,”
final tru th as to th e u ltim ate csscnco of things. I f there he exclaim ed in a recent lecture, delivered a t N ew York,
be such a th in g as a speculative ath eist, which m any p h i­ “ Science is creating a new idea of God. I t is due to
losophers deny, lie would have to reject b o th cause and Science th a t wo have any conception a t all of a livin g
effect, w heth er in th is world of m atter, or in th a t of spirit. God. I f wo do not become ath eists one of these days u n ­
T h ere m ay be m em bers who, like th e p o et Shelley, have der th e m addening effect of Protestantism , it will be due
let th e ir im agination soar from cause to p rior cause ad to Science, because it is disabusing us of hideous illusions
in fin itu m , as each in its tu rn becam e logically transform ed th a t teaso and em barrass us, and p u ttin g us in th e way
into a resu lt necessitating a prior cause, u n til th ey have of know ing how to reason about tho things we see....”
th in n ed th e E te rn a l into a m ere m ist. B u t even th e y are A nd it. is also due to th e u n re m ittin g labors of such
n o t ath eists in th e speculative sense, w h eth er they iden­ O rientalists as S ir W. Jones, Max Muller, B um ouf, Cole-
tify tho m aterial forces of th e universe w ith th e functions brooke, H aug, St. H ilaire, and so m any others, th a t th e
w ith which th e th eists endow th e ir Clod, or o therw ise; for, Society, as a body, feels equal respect and veneration for
once th a t th ey can not free them selves from th e conception Vedic, B uddhist, Zoroastrian, and o th er old religions of
of th e ab stract ideal of power, cause, necessity, and effect, the world ; and, a like brotherly feelii!" lu»vard its H indu,
th e y can bo considered as at,hoists only in respect to a Sinhalese, I’arsi, Ja in , Hebrew , and C hristian m em bers
personal God, and not to tho U niversal Soul of tho P a n ­ as individual stu d en ts of “ self,” of nature, and of th e
theist. On tho other hand, tho bigoted sectarian, fenced divine in nature.
in, as ho is, w ith a creed upon every paling of which Born in th e U n ite d S ta tes of Am erica, th e Society was
is w ritten th e w arning “ N o Thoroughfare,” can n e ith er constituted on th e model of its M other Land. T he la t­
como o u t of his enclosure to jo in th e 1'heosophical Socie­ ter, om ittin g th e nam e of God from its constitution lest
ty, nor, if he could, has it room for one whose very re li­ it should afford a p re te x t one day to m ake a sta te
gion forbids exam ination. T ho very root idea of tho Socie­ religion, gives absolute equality to all religions in its
ty is free and fearless investigation. laws. All su p p o rt and eacli is in tu rn protected by th e
A s a body, th e Theosophical Society holds th a t all origi­ state. Tho Society, modelled upon th is constitution, m ay
nal th in k e rs and investigators of t he hidden side of nature, fairly be term ed a “ R epublic of Conscience.”
w hether m aterialists— those who find in m a tte r “ th e p ro ­ W e have now, wo think, m ade clear why our m em bers,
m ise and potency of all terrestrial life," or sp iritu alists— as individuals, are free to stay outside or inside an y creed
th a t is, those who discover in sp irit th e source of all energy th ey please, provided th e y do n o t pretend th a t none b u t
and of m a tte r as well, were and are, properly, Theosophists. them selves shall enjoy tho privilege of conscience, and try
F o r to bo one, one need not necessarily recognize th e exist- to force th e ir opinions upon th e others. In th is respect
once of any spccial God or a deity. O ne need b u t worship the R ules of th e Society are very strict. I t trie s to act
th e sp irit of living nature, and try to identify oneself w ith it. upon th o wisdom of th e old B uddhistic axiom " H onour
To revere th a t Presence, th e ever invisible Cause, which is thino own faith, and do n o t slander th a t of o th e rs;” echoed
y e t ever m anifesting itself in its incessant re su lts; th e in ­ back in our presen t century, in th e “ D eclaration of P rin ci­
tangible, om nipotent, and om nipresent P ro teu s : indivisible ples” of th e B rahm o Sam aj, which so nobly state s th a t i
in its Essence, and eluding form, y e t appearin g u nder “ no sect shall bo vilified, ridiculed, or hated.” I n section
all and every fo rm ; who is lio ro and there, and every­ V I. of tho Revised R ules of th e Theosophical Society, re ­
w here and now here; is A l l , an d N o t h i n g ; ubiquitous cently adopted in G eneral Council, a t Bombay, is th is
y et o n e ; th e Essence filling, binding, bounding, containing m a n d a te : " I t is n o t lawful for any officer of th e P a re n t
e v e ry th in g ; contained in all. I t will, wo th in k , be seen Society to express, by word or act, any hostility to or p re ­
now, th a t w h eth er classed as Theists, P an th eists or A theists, ference for, any one section (sectarian division, or group,
such m en are all near kinsm en to tho rest. Bo w h at he w ithin the Society) more th an another. All m u st be re ­
m ay, once th a t a stu d en t abandons tho old and trodden garded and treated as equally tho objects of th e Society’s
highw ay of routine, and en ters upon tho solitary p a th of solicitude and exertions. A ll liavo an equal rig h t to bavo
in d ep en d en t thou g h t— Godward— he is a T h eo so p h ist; an the essential features of th e ir religious belief laid before
original th in k er, a seeker after tho eternal tru th , w ith “ an the tribunal of an im partial world.” In th e ir individual
inspiration of his own” to solve tho universal problems. capacity, m em bers may, w hen attacked, occasionally break
W ith every m an th a t is earnestly searching in his own | th is R u le ; b ut, nevertheless as officers th ey aro restrained,
 and th e R u le is strictly enforced d u rin g th e m eetings. n en t m en of science, th e re is also a grow ing desire to learn
For, above all hu m an sects stands Theosophy in its ab ­ tho views of th e Thcosophists. T he first im pulse of hos­
stract s e n s e ; Theosophy which is too w ide for any of them tility has nearly spent itself, and th e m om ent approa­
to contain b u t which easily contains th em all. ches when a p a tie n t hearing will bo given to our arg u ­
I n conclusion, wo m ay sta te th a t, broader and far m ore m ents. T his was forsecn by us from th e beginning. T he
universal in its views th a n any existin g m ere scientific founders of our Society were m ainly veteran Spiritualists,
Society, it has p lu s science its b elief in every possibility, who had outgrow n th e ir first am azem ent a t th e strange
and determ in ed will to p en etrato in to those unknow n phenom ena, and felt th e necessity to investigate th e laws
spiritual regions w hich exact science p re te n d s th a t its of m edium ship to th e very bottom . T heir reading of m e­
votaries have no business to explore. A nd, it has one q u a ­ diaeval and an cien t w orks upon th e occult sciences had
lity m ore th a n any religion in th a t it m akes no difference shown them th a t our m odern phenom ena were b u t re p e­
betwoen G entile, Jew , or C hristian. I t is in th is sp irit titions of w h at had been seen, studied, and com prehen­
th a t th e Society has been established upon th e footing ded in form er epochs. In th e biographies of ascetics, m ys­
of a U niversal Brotherhood. tics, thcurgists, prophets, ecstat ic s; of astrologers, ‘ divi­
U nconcerned about p o litic s; hostile to th o insane dream s ners,’ ‘ m agicians,’ ‘sorcerers,’ and o th e r students, subjects,
of Socialism and of Com m unism , w hich it abhors— as both or practitioners of th e O ccult Power in its m any b ran ­
are b u t disguised conspiracies of b ru ta l force and slug­ ches, th ey found am ple evidence th a t W estern S p iritu a­
gishness ag ain st honest la b o u r; th e Society cares b u t little lism could only be com prehended by th e creation of a
about the outw ard hum an m anag em en t of th e m aterial world. science of C om parative Psychology. By a like synthetic
The whole of its aspirations are d irected tow ard th e occult m ethod th e philologists, u n d er th e lead of E ugene B ur-
tru th s of th o visible aud invisible worlds. W h e th e r th e nouf, had unlocked th e secrets of religious and philolo­
physical m an be u n d er tho ru le of an em pire or a re­ gical heredity, and exploded W estern theological theories
public, concerns only th e m an of m atter, l l i s body m ay and dogmas u n til th e n deem ed im pregnable.
be en slav e d ; as to his Soul, he h as th e rig h t to give to Proceeding in this spirit, th e Theosophists th o u g h t th ey
his rulers th e proud answ er of Socrates to his Judges. discovered some reasons to do u b t th e correctness of the
They have no sway over th e in n e r m an. spiritualistic theory th a t all th e phenom ena of th e circles
Such is, th en , th e Theosophical Society, an d such its m ust of necessity be a ttrib u te d solely to th e action of
principles, its m ultifarious aims, aud its objects. N eed we spirits of our deceased friends. T he ancients knew and
wonder a t th e p ast m isconceptions o f th e gen eral public, classified o th er supracorporeal en titie s th a t are capable
and th e easy bold an enem y has been able to find to of m oving objects, Hunting th e bodies of m edium s through
lower it in th e public estim ation ? T h e tru e stu d e n t the air, giving ap p aren t tests of th e id en tity of dead per­
has ever been a recluse, a m an of silence and m editation. sons, and controlling sensitives to write, speak strange
W ith th e busy world his h ab its an d ta ste s are so little languages, p a in t pictures, and play upon unfam iliar m u ­
in common th a t, w hile h e is stu d y in g his enem ies and sical instrum ents. A nd n o t only knew them , b u t showed
slanderers have undistu rb ed opportunities. B u t tim e cures how these invisible pow ers m ig h t be controlled by man,
all and lies are b u t ephem era. T ru th alone is eternal. and m ade to w ork th ese wonders a t his bidding. T hey
A bout a few of th o Fellows of th e Society who have m ade found, moreover, th a t th e re w ere two sides to O ccultism __
great scientific discoveries, an d some o thers to whom the a good and an evil side ; and th a t it was a dangerous
psychologist and th o biologist are indebted for th e new and fearful th in g for tho inexprienced to m eddle w ith th e
light throw n upon th e d a rk e r problem s of th e in n er man, latter,— dangerous to our m oral as to our physical nature.
we will speak la te r on. O u r object now was b u t to prove T he conviction forced itself upon th e ir minds, then, th a t
to th e reader th a t Theosophy is n e ith e r “ a new fangled while tho weird wonders of S piritualism were am ong th e
doctrine,” a political cabal, nor one of those societies of m ost im p o rtan t of all th a t could be studied, m edium ­
enthusiasts which are born to-day b u t to die to-morrow. ship, w ithout th o m ost careful a tte n tio n to eveiy condi­
T hat n o t all of its m em bers can th in k alike, is proved by tion, was frau g h t w ith peril.
the Society having organized in to tw o g ro at Divisions,— T hus thinking, and im pressed w ith th e g reat im portance
the E astern and th e W estern— aud th e la tte r being divi­ of a thorough know ledge of m esm erism and all o th er branches
ded into num erous sections, according to races and re ­ of Occultism, these founders established th e Theosophi­
ligious views. Ono m an’s th o u g h t, infinitely various as cal Society, to read, enquire, compare, study, experim ent
are its m anifestations, is n o t all-em bracing. D enied u b i­ and expound th e m ysteries of Psychology. T his range of
quity, it m u st necessarily speculate b u t in one d ire c tio n ; enquiry, of course, included an investigation of Vedic,
and once transcending tho boundaries of exact hum an B rahm anical and o th er ancient O riental lite ratu re ; for in
knowledge, it has to err and wander, for th o ram ifications th a t— especially th e former, th e g randest repository of
of the one C entral aud A bsolute T ru th are infinite. H ence wisdom ever accessible to h u m an ity — lay th e en tire m ys­
we occasionally find even th e g re a te st philosophers losing tery of natu re and of m an. To com prehend m odern m e­
themselves in tho labyrinths of speculations, th ereb y p ro­ dium ship it is, in short, indispensable to fam iliarize oneself
voking th e criticism s of posterity. B u t as all work for with the Y oga P hilosophy; and the aphorism s of PatAn-
one and th e sam e object, nam ely, tho d iso n th rallm en t of ja li arc even more essential th an the “ D ivine R evelations”
human thought, th e elim ination of superstitions, nnd tho of A ndrew Jackson Davis. W e can never know how
discovery of tru th , all are equally welcome. T he a tta in ­ much of th e m edium istic phenom ena we m ust a ttrib u te
ment of these objects, all agree, can b est be secured by to the disem bodied, until it is settled how m uch can be
convincing tho reason and w arm ing th e enthusiasm of th e done by the embodied, hum an soul, aud th e blind b u t
generation of fresh young minds, th a t arc ju s t ripening active powers a l work w ithin those regions w hich are y e t
into m aturity, and m aking ready to ta k e th e place of th e ir unexplored by science. N o t even proof of an existence
prejudiced and conservative fathers. A nd, as each,— th e beyond the grave, if it m u st come to us in a phenom enal
great ones as well iis sm all,— havo trodden th o royal road shape. T his will be conceded w ithout qualification, we
to knowledge, we listen to all, and tako both sm all and think, provided th a t th e records of history be ad m itted as
great into our fellowship. F o r no honest searcher comes corroborating tlie statem en ts we have made. .
back em pty-handed, and even he who has enjoyed th e Ih o reader will observe th a t tho prim ary issue betw oen
least share of pop u lar favor can lay a t least his m ite upon th e theosophical and spiritualistic theories of m edium istic
the one alta r of T ru th . phenom ena is th a t th e Thcosophists say tho phenom ena
m ay bo produced by m ore agencies than one, and th e la t­
T IIE D R IF T O F W E S T E R N S P IR IT U A L IS M . te r th a t b u t ono agency can be conceded, nam ely— the
disem bodied souls. T h ere are other differences— as, for
Late advices from various p a rts of tho world seem instance, th a t th ere can be such a th in g as the obliteration
to indicate th at, w hile th e re is an increasing in terest of tho hum an individuality as tho resu lt of very evil e n ­
ia tho phenom ena of Spiritualism , especially am ong em i­ vironm ent ; th a t good sp irits seldom, if ever, cause pbyaiv
 cal ‘ m anifestatio n s;’ ctc. I’u t th e first p o in t to settle is
th e one here first stated ; anil we have shown how and in
w h at directions the Theosophists m ain tain th a t th e in ­
vestigations should be pushed.
O ur E a st In d ian readers, unlik e thoso of W estern coun­
trie s who m ay see these lines, do n o t know how w arm ly
and stoutly these issues have been debated, these past
th re e or four years. Suffice it to say th a t, a p o in t having
been reached where arg u m en t seem ed no longer profitable,
th e controversy ceased ; and th a t th e p re se n t visit of th e
N ew Y ork Theosophists, and th e ir estab lish m en t of the
Bom bay H eadquarters, w ith th e library, lectures, an d this
journal, are its tangible results. T h a t th is step m u st have
a very g re a t influence upon W estern psychological science
is apparen t. W h eth er our C om m ittee arc them selves
fully com petent to observe and properly expound E astern
Psychology or not, no ono will deny th a t W estern Science
m u st inevitally bo enriclicd by th e contributions of th e
Indian, Sinhalese, and oth er m ystics who will now find in
th o T h e o s o p h is t a channel by which to reach E uropean
and Am erican stu d en ts of Occultism , such as was never im a­
gined, n o t to say seen, before. I t is our earn est hope
and belief th a t after th e broad principles of our Society,
its earnestness, and exceptional facilities for g ath erin g
O riental wisdom arc well understood, it will be b e tte r
th o u g h t of th a n now by S p iritualists, and a ttra c t into its
fellowship m any more of th e ir b rig h te st and b est intellects.
Theosophy can bo styled th e enem y of S piritualism
w ith no m ore propriety th a n of M esmerism, or any other
branch of Psychology. In th is wondrous o u tb u rst of phe­
nom ena th a t tho W estern world has been seeing since
1848, is presented such an o p p o rtu n ity to investigate th e
h idden m ysteries of being as th e world has scarcely known
before. Theosophists only urge th a t these phenom ena shall
b e studied so thoroughly th a t o u r epoch shall n o t pass
away w ith tho m ighty problem unsolved. W hatever ob­
stru cts th is— w hether th e narrow ness of sciolism, th e dog­
m atism of theology, or th e prejudice of any o th er class,
should be swept aside as som ething hostile to th e p u b ­
lic interest. Theosophy, w ith its design to search back
into historic records for proof, m ay be regarded as the
n atu ral outcom e of phenom enalistic S p iritualism , or as
a touchstone to show tho value of its p u re gold. One
m u st know both to com prehend w h at is Man.
A N T IQ U IT Y O F T H E V E D A S .
A jo u rn a l interested like th o T itE o so rm sT in the
explorations of arclurology and archaic religions, as well as
th e stu d y of th e occult in nature, has to be doubly p ru ­
d e n t and discreet. To bring th e two conflicting elem ents—
exact science and m etaphysics— into direct contact, m ight
create as g reat a disturbance as to throw a piece of potassium
into a basin of water. T he very fact th a t we are predestined
and pledged to prove th a t some of th e wisest of W estern
scholars have been misled by th e dead le tte r of appearances
and th a t th e y are unable to discover th e hidden sp irit in the
relics of old, places us under th e ban from th e start. W ith
those sciolists who are n eith er broad enough, nor sufficient­
ly m odest to allow th e ir decisions to be reviewed, we are
necessarily in antagonism . Therefore, it is essential th a t
o u r position in relation to certain scientific hypotheses,
p erhaps te n ta tiv e and only sanctioned for w ant of b etter
ones— should be clearly defined a t tho outset.
A n infinitude of study has been bestow ed b y th e a r­
chaeologists and th e orientalists upon th e question of chrono-
logy— especially in regard to C om parative Theology. So
far, th e ir affirm ations as to tho relative a n tiq u ity of the
g re a t religions of tho pre-C hristian era are little moro th an
plausible hypotheses. How far back th e national and reli­
gious Vedic period, so called, extends— " it is im possible to
tell,” confesses Prof. Max M iillcr; nevertheless, he traces it
" t o a period anterior to 1000 B.C. ” and brings us “ to
1100 or 1200 B.C. as th e earliest tim e w hen we may
suppose th e collection of th e V edic hym ns to have been
finished.” N o r do any oth er of our leading scholars claim
to have finally settled th e vexod question, especially deli­
cate as it is in its bearing upon tho chronology of the book
of Genesis. C hristianity, tho direct outflow of Ju d a ism
and in m ost cases th e sta te religion of th e ir respective
countries, has unfortunately stood in th e ir way. Hence,
scarcely two scholars agree ; and each assigns a different
date to th e V edas and th e Mosaic books, ta k in g care in
every case to give th e la tte r th e benefit of th e doubt. E v en
th a t leader of the leaders in philological and chronological
questions,— Professor Mliller, hardly tw en ty years ago
allowed him self a p ru d e n t m argin by sta tin g th a t it will
be difficult to settle “ w hether th e V eda is ‘ th e oldest of
books,’ and w h eth er some of tho portions of th e old T e sta­
m en t m ay not bo traced back to the saino or even an earlier
date th an th e oldest hym ns of tho Veda.” TheTiiEOSOPiiiST,
is, therefore, q u ite w arranted in eith crad o p tin g o rrejectin g as
it pleases th e so called au th o ritativ e chronology of science.
Do we err then, in confessing th a t we ra th e r incline to
accept th e chronology of th a t renow ned Vedic scholar, Swa-
m i D ayiinund Sarnswati, who unquestionably knows w h at
he is talk in g about, has tho four Vedas by heart, is perfectly
fam iliar w ith all S an sk rit literature, has no such scruples
as the W estern O rientalists in regard to public feelings,
nor desire to hum our the superstitious notions of th e m a­
jority, nor has any object to gain in suppressing facts?
W e are only too conscious of th e risk in w itholding our
adulation from scientific authorities. Y et, w ith th e common
tem erity of th e heterodox we m ust tak e our course, even
though, like tho T arp eia of old, we be sm othered u n der a
heap of shields— a show er of learned quotations from these
“ authorities.”
W e are far from feeling ready to adopt tho absurd chro­
nology of a Bcrosus or even Svncellus— though in tru th
th ey appear “ absurd only in the lig h t of our preconcep­
tions. B ut, betw een the extrem e claim sof the B rahm ins and
th e ridiculously short periods conceded by our O rientalists
for th e developm ent and full grow th of th a t gigantic liter­
atu re of th e A ntc-M ah.'ibhdratan period, th e re ought to
be a ju s t m ean. W hile Swam i Day&nund Sarasw ati asserts
th a t “ Tho V edas liavo now ceased to be objects of study
for nearly 5,000 years,” and places th e first appearance of th e
four Vedas a t an im m ense a n tiq u ity ; Professor Miillcr, assign­
ing for th e com position of even the earliest am ong th e Brah-
m anas, the years from about 1,000 to 800 B.C., hardly dares,
as we have seen, to place tho collection and th e original
composition of th e S an h ita, of Rig-V edic hym ns, earlier
th a n 1200 to 1500 before our era!* W hom ought we
to believe; and which of th e two is th e b e tte r inform ed?
C annot th is gap of several thousand years be closed, or
would it be equally difficult for eith er of th e two cited a u ­
thorities to givo d a ta which would be regarded by science
as thoroughly convincing ? I t is as easy to reach a false
conclusion by th e m odern inductive m ethod as to assume
false prem ises from which to m ake deductions. D oubt­
less Professor Max M iillcr has good reasons for arriving a t j
his chronological conclusions. B u t so has D ayanund Saras­
wati, P an d it. T he gradual modifications, developm ent arid
grow th of th e S an sk rit language are sure guides enough
for an ex p ert philologist. But, th a t th ere is a possibility !
of his having been led into error would seem to suggest 1
itself upon considering a certain arg u m en t bro u g h t for­
ward by Swam i D aydnund. O ur respected friend and
T eacher m aintains th a t both Professor M iiller and Dr.
W ilson have been solely guided in th e ir researches and con­
clusion by tho inaccurate and untrustw orthy com m enta­
ries of Sayana, M ahidhar, and U vata ; com m entaries which |
differ diam etrically from those of a far earlier period as .
used by him self in connection w ith his g rea t work th e *
V eda Bhdshya. A cry was raised a t th e o u tset of th is !
publication th a t Sw aini's com m entary is calculated to re- f
fute Sayana and th e E nglish interpreters. “ F o r th is” >
very ju stly rem arks P a n d it D ayanund “ I cannot be b la m e d ; i
if Sayana has erred, and English in terp reters have chosen i
to tak e him for th e ir guide, the delusion cannot be long ;
m aintained. T ru th alone can stand, and Falsehood before
growing civilization m u st fa ll.f” A nd if, as he claims, his
V ed aB hashya is entirely founded on th e old commentaries
•Lecture on tho Vedas.
+Answer to the Objoctiona to tho Ved&-Bh£sby«, ;
of th e an te-M ah ab h aratan period to w hich t.lic W estern i e le p h a n t; ” and th e best calculations so tar assign a period
scholars have had no access, then, since his were th e surest of tw o-hundred-and-fbrty thousand years', since tho b i ­
guides of th e two classes, we can n o t h e sita te to follow j g in ning of th e Lust gfe'eial peri'od. M aking a propor-
him , ra th e r th a n th e b est of our E uropean O rientalists. i tion betw een 240,000 years— th e least ago we can accord
B ut, a p a rt from such jir im a f a d e evidence, we would j to the hu m an race,— and 24 years of a m an ’s life, we
respectfully req u est Professor Max M uller to solve us a rid -j find th a t th ree "thousand years ago, or th e period of the
die. Propounded by him self, it has puzzled us for over : com position of Vedic hym ns, m ankind would be ju s t tw enty-
tw enty years, and p ertain s as m uch to sim ple logic as to i one— the legal age of m ajority, and certainly a period
th e chronology in question. C lear and undeviating, like I a t which m an ceases using, if. he ever will, the jx irle r cit-
th e R hone th ro u g h th e G eneva lake, th e idea runs through \f a n tin or childish lisping. But, according to th e views
th e course of his lectures, from th e first volum e o f " C hips” of the Lecturer, it follows th a t m an was, th ree thousand
down to his la st discourse. W e will try to explain. years ago, at tw enty-one, a foolish aud undeveloped—
All who have followed his lectures as a tte n tiv e ly as o u r - ! though a very prom ising— infant, and a t tw enty-four,
selves will rem em ber th a t Professor Max H iillc r a ttrib u tes has become th e brilliant, acute, learned, highly analytical
the w ealth of m yths, symbols, and religious allegories in and philosophical m an of th e nineteenth century-. Or,
the V edaic hym ns, as in G recian m ythology, to th e early still keeping our equation in view, in o ther words, the
worship of n a tu re by man. “ I n th e hym ns of th e V edas” Professor m ight as well say, tlia t an individual who
to quote his words, “ we sec m an left to him self to solve was a nursing baby a t 12 M. 011 a certain day, would
th e riddle of th is world. H e is aw akened from darkness a t 12,-20, p.m., on the same day, have bccome an adult
aud slum ber by th e light of th e sun ”...a n d he calls it— speaking high wisdom instead uf his j'a rler e n fa u tin !
“ his life, b is tru th , his b rillian t Lord and P rotector.'’ H e I t really seem s th e duty of the em inent Sanskritist
gives nam es to all the powers of nature, and after he has and L ecturer 011 C om parative Theology to g e t out of this
called th e fire ‘ Agni,’ th e su n -lig h t ‘ In d ra ,’ th e storm s dilem m a. E ith e r th e Rig-V eda hym ns w ere comjxised
‘ M urats,’ and th e dawn ‘ U slia,’ th e y all seem to grow n a­ b u t .‘},000 years ago, and therefore, cannot be expressed in
tu rally into beings like himself, nay g re a te r th a n himself. th e language of childhood ’’— m an having lived in the
•T h is definition of th e m en tal sta te of jv i m it i v r man, in glacial period— b u t th e generation which composed them
the days of th e very infancy of hum anity, and when m ust have been composed of adults, presum ably as philo­
hardly o u t of its cradle— is perfect. T he period to which sophical and scientific in the knowlego of th e ir day, as
lie a ttrib u te s these effusions of an infantile m ind, is the we are in our own ; or, we have to ascribe to them an
Vedic period, and th e tim e which separates us from it is. as im m ense a n tiq u ity in order to carry them back to the
‘claim ed above, 3,000 years. So m uch im pressed seems days of hum an m ental infancy. Aud, in th is la tte r case,
th e g reat philologist w ith th is idea of th e m ental feeble­ Professor Max M uller will have to withdraw' a previous
ness of m ankind a t th e tim e w hen these hym ns were rem ark, expressing th e doubt " w hether some of th e por­
composed by th e four venerable R ishis, th a t in his in ­ tions of th e Old T estam en t may not be traced back to
troduction to th e Science of R eligion (p. 278) we find the the same or even an earlier date th a n th e oldest hymns
Professor s a y in g : “ D o you still w onder a t polytheism or of th e Vedas.”
at m ythology ? W hy, they are inevitable. T hey arc, if
you like, a p a rle r enfant in of religion. B u t th e world
has its childhood, and when it was a child it spake as a
child. (nota bene, 3,000 years ago), it understood as a child,
ARYA PRAKASH.
it th o u g h t as a ch ild ....T h e fault rests w ith us if we insist
T H E A U T O B IO G R A P H Y O F D A Y A N U N D
on hikin g the language o f children fu r the h n x jv n g e o f
?»eji...Tlie language of a n tiq u ity is th e language of child­ S A R A SW A T I, SW AM I.
hood.. .the fa t-le r e n fu n tin in religion is not ex tin ct...as, [ W r i t t e n l*v h im e x p r e s s ly f o r t h j T h e o s o p h is t.]
lor instance, th e religion of In d ia .” It was in a B rahm in family of th e'O u d ich y a caste, in a
H avin g read th u s far, we pause and think. A t th e town belonging to th e Riijiili of Monvee, in th e province uf
very close of th is able explanation, we m eet w ith a tre m en ­ K attiaw ar, th a t in th e year of Sam vat, lS.Sl, 1, now known
dous difficulty, th e idea of which m u st have never occurred as Dayiinund Sarasw ati, was born. I f I have from the
to the able advocate of th e an cien t faiths. To one fam i­ first refrained from giving the nam es of my fath er and of
liar w ith th e w ritings and ideas of th is O riental scholar, th e tow n in which m y fam ily resides, it is because I have
it would , seem th e h eig h t of ab su rd ity to suspect him of been prevented from doing so by my duty. H ad any of
iiecepting th e B iblical chronology of 0,000 years since my relatives heard again of me, th ey would have sought,
th e appearance of th e first m an upon earth as th e basis me out. A nd then, once more face to face w ith them , .it,
of his calculations. A nd y et th e recognition of such would have become incum bent upon m e to follow them .
chronology is inevitable if we have to accept Professor I would have to touch m oney again,* serve them , and
M uller’s reasons a t a l l ; for h ere we ru n against a purely atte n d to th e ir wants. Anil th u s th e holy work of the
arithm etical aud m ath em atical obstacle, a gigantic m is­ Reform to which I have wedded m y whole life, would have
calculation of p ro p o rtio n ... irretrievably suffered through m y forced w ithdraw al from it.
N o one can deny th a t th e grow th and developm ent I was hardly five years of age w hen I began to study
of m ankind— m ental as w ell as physical— m ust be an a­ th e D evnagari characters, and m y parents and all the
logically m easured by th e grow th arid developm ent of elders com m enced train in g m e in th e ways and practices
man. A n anthropologist, if he cares to go beyond the of m y caste and fa m ily ; m aking m e learn by rote th e long
sim ple consideration of th e relations of m an to other series of religious hymns, m antram s, stanzas and commen­
m em bers of th e anim al kingdom , has to he in a certain taries. A nd I was b u t eight w hen I was invested with
way a physiologist as well as an a n a to m is t; for, as m uch as the sacred B rahm anical cord (triple thread), and ta u g h t
E thnology it is a progressive science which can be well G ayatri S andliya w ith its practices, and YajCiv V eda S an h ita
treated b u t by those who are able to follow u p retrospec­ preceded by th e study of the Iiu d n id h y a y a .-f As m y fa­
tively th e regular unfolding of h u m an fiiculties and powers, m ily belonged to th e Siva sect, th e ir g reatest aim was to
assigning to each a certain period of life. Thus, no one g et m e in itiated into its religious m y ste rie s; and thus I
would regard a skull in w hich th e w isdom -tooth, so called, was early ta u g h t to w orship the uncouth piece of clay re­
would be apparent, th e skull of an infant. Now. accord­ presenting Siva’s emblem, known as th e l'a rth u ca L in g am.
ing to geology, recent researches “ give good reasons to B ut, as th ere is a. good deal of fasting and various hardships
believe th a t u n d er low and base grades th e existence of m an connected w ith th is worship, and I had th e h ab it of taking
can be traced back into th e te rtia ry tim es.” In th e old early meals, m y m other, fearing for m y health, opposed
glacial d rift of Scotland— savs Professor W, D rap er “ the
relics of m an are found along w ith those of th e fossil • Xo Swnml orSftiiy.\*i enn touch m oney, o rp e rso u a llv tran sact nay mono*
tnry IttiMUQM. [Ed. T hcov]
• C h ip s fro m a G e rm a n W o r k s h o p Y o l I, p. 03 . , (+» li t < u ^ c ’laptj.* a b x tt Ru Ira ^ r a m : of Si a), [I id,]
my daily practicing of it. Hut my father sternly insisted
11}him its necessity, and tliis question lin.'illv became a
source >>f everlasting quarrels betw een them . Meanwhile,
.1 studied I lie S an sk rit ■grammar, learned tlie Vet las liy
lieart, ami, accompanied my tatlier t<> the shrines, te m ­
ples, and places of Siva worship. His conversaticin ran
hi variably u| m>ii mu ; t<>| >i<": t i n; highest devotion and rever­
ence m ust 1mr paid to Siva, his w orship being th e most
divine of all religions. It w ent on th u s till I had reach­
ed my fourteenth year, when, h a v i n g learned by heart
th e wliole of th e Vajur Veda Sanliita, part.s of oth er Ve-
das, of the Slinbda Rupavali and th e gram m ar, my studies
Were com pleted.
As my father's was a banking house and held, moreover,
tho office— hereditary in my fam ily— of a .lanuuhlr* we wen;
far from being poor, and things, so far, had gone very
pleasintlv. W herever there was a Siva I’uraii to he read
and explained, there my fath er was sure to tak e me along
w ith him ; and tinallv, unm indful of my m other's rem on­
strances, lie im peratively dem anded that. I should begin
practicing l ’/irtlilu'n J ’S'jn.'f’ W hen th e great day ol gloom
and fa stin g —called Siva rat ree— had arrived,* this day follow­
ing on th e l.'Uh o f Vadya of Magli § my father, regard­
less o f the protest th a t my stren g th m ight fail, comm anded
me to fast, adding th a t I had to be initiated on th a t night
into the sacred legend, and p articip ate in th a t n ig h t’s long
vigil in the tem ple of Siva.. Accordingly, I lollowed him,
along with o th er young men, who accom panied th e ir pa­
rents. T his vigil is divided into four parts called jiritlmnt.«,
consisting of three hours ca.eh. H aving com pleted my
task, nam ely, having sat up lor th e tirst. t wo jirnhiirax fill
the hour of m idnight, I rem arked that t,he I'ttjiirix, or tem ­
ple dcssorvants, and some of th e laym en devotees, after
having left, the inner tem p le had fallen asleep outside.
H aving been tau g h t for years th a t bv sleeping on that par­
ticu lar night, the worshiper lost all th e good effect of his
devotion, 1 tried to refrain from drowsiness by b athing my
eves, now and then, w ith cold w ater, liut my father was
less fortunate. Unable to resist fatigue lie wa.s th e first to
fall asleep, leaving me to w atch a lo n e ...
T ho u g h ts 111hiii thoughts crowded upon me and one ques­
tion arose a fte r the other in my disturbed m ind. Is it
possible — I a.sked myself,— that, this sem blance of man,
the idol of a jic r n n iK tl God, th a t I see bestriding his bull
before me, and who, according to all religious accounts,
walks alMiut, eats, sleeps, and d rin k s; who can hold a
trident iu his hand, l>eat, upon his iltim roo (drum ), and
pronouncc curses u|xiu m en,— is it possible th a t he can
be the Mahudeva, the g reat D eity ' T h e sam e who is
invoked as th e Lord of Kailasa, ’{ tin; Suprem e B ring and
the divine hero of all th e stories we read of him in his
P u ran as (Scriptures) ! U nable to resist such thoughts
any longer, 1 awoke my father, ab ru p tly asking him to
enlighten m e ; to tell me w h eth er th is hideous emblem
’V . . .
o fS iv a in th e tem ple was identical with the Mahmleva.
(great, god) of the Scriptures, or som ething else. " W h y
do you ask ( " said my father. “ Because,” I answered,
“ I iecl it impossible to reconcile th e idea of an Om-
nijNiteiit, living God, with th is idol, which allows the
mice to run over his lmdy an d th u s sutlers his im age to be
|N)llutcd w ithout th e slightest protest." T hen my father
tried to explain to me th a t th is stone representation of the
M ahadcva of Kailasn, having been consecrated by th e holy
B rahm ans, became, iu consequence, the god him self; and is
worship|>ed and regarded as such ; adding th a t as Siva can­
not he perceived personally in th is K ali-Y uy— the age
of m ental darkness,— hence we have th e idol in which the
Malmdev of Kaililsa is im agined by his votaries; this kind
of worship pleasing the g re a t D eity as m uch as if, instead
of the cm bie n, lie were th ere himself. But, the explana-
* Tho ollieo of u JuiiM'Mr” answers to th a t of a town Kevuime Collector, father,
com bining Hint of a M a^i^trate, a t the snmo time.
f /*»»/«/ is tho cerem ony connected with the worship of a ling*
Ii:tin of H av^-tlie emblem «»f Siva.
X Thu Vlnhr.uvite-s or w orshiper' of V ishnu- the ^rejite>t enemies of the
Kivifitutf or w orshipers of S iv a -h o ld on this day a festival, in derision of
tb .'ir religion* opponents*. [ lb ]
£ Thu eleventh month of the Hindu year.
*f A m ountain (w ukuf th e H im alaya,--w here Siva's heaven is believed U be
fiU a tc d . [lb. |
♦ion fell short, of satisfying me. I could not, young as I
was, help su.s|H*ct,ing m isinterpretation and sophistry in all
this. Feeling faint with hu n g er and fatigue, I begged to
be allowed to go home. My father consented to it,, and sent
me away with a Se]x>y, only reiteratin g once more his
command th a t 1 should not eat. But, when, once home, I
had told my m other of my hunger, she fed me with sw eet­
meats, and I fell into a profound sleep.
In th e m orning, w hen my father had returned and
learned th at I had broken my fast, he felt very angry.
He tried to im press m e w ith the enorm ity of my sin ;
but do w hat he could, 1 could not bring mv.seIf to believe
th a t th a t idol and M alidacv were one amf the sam e god,
and, therefore, could not com prehend why I should lie m ade
to fast for and worship th e foamer. I had, however, to con­
ceal my lack of faith, and bring forward as an excuse for
abstaining from regular worship my ordinary study, which
really left me little or ra th e r no tim e for any thing else.
In this I wa.s strongly supported by my m other, and even
my uncle, who pleaded 1113’ cause so well that my father had
to yield at last and allow me to devote my whole attention
to my studies. 111 consequence of this, I extended them to
“ N ighanta,"* “ N iru k ta ”-f- “ Purvam inm nsa,”} and other
Shastm s, as well as to “ K am akand" or th e Kitmil.
■ T here were besides m yself in th e family two v (lunger sis­
ters and two brothers, th e youngest of whom was Imiiii
when I was already sixteen. On one m em orable night, as
we were a tten d in g a 110.ltlch§ festival at the house of a
friend, a serv an t wjls despatched after us from home, with
the terrible news th a t m y sister, a girl of fourteen, had been
just, taken sick with a, m ortal disease. ‘N otw ithstanding
every medical assistance, my poor sister expired w ithin four
after we had returned. It, wa.s my first, bereave­
ment,, and the shock m y h e art received wa.s great. W hile
friends and relatives w ere sobbing anil lam enting around
me, I stood like- one jietrified, and plunged iu n profound
revery. It resulted in a series of long and sad m editations
u | m>i 1 the instability of hum an life. ‘ Not one of the beings
that ever lived in this world could escape.the cold hand of
d e ath '— I thought,; ‘ I, tix>, m ay be snatclicd away at any
tim e, and die. W hither, th en shall I turn for an exjiedient
to alleviate this hum an misery, connected with our d e a th ­
bed ; where shall I find th e assurance of, and m eans of
attain in g M uktco. || th e final bliss........It was there, and
then, th a t I cam e to the determ ination th a t I v m th l find
it, cost w hatever it m ight, and thus save m yself from the
untold m iseries of th e dying m om ents of an unbeliever.
Tin; ultim ate result of such m editations wa.s to m ake me
violently break, and for ever, with the m um m eries of e x te r­
nal m ortification and penances, and the more to appreciate
the inward efforts of th e sold. B u t I k e p t my determ ination
secret, and allowed 110 one to fathom my innerm ost thoughts.
I was just, eighteen then. Soon after, an uncle, a very
learned man and full of divine qualities,— one who had
shown for me t he g re atest tenderness, and whose favorite
1 had been from my birth, expired also; his death leaving
me in a sta te of u tte r dejection, and with a still profounder
conviction settled in my m ind th a t th ere was nothing sta ­
ble in this world, nothing w orth living for or caring for iu
a worldly life.
A lthough I had never allowed my parents to perceive
w hat was th e real sta te of my mind, I yet had Irm.mi im ­
prudent. enough to confess to some friends how repulsive
seemed to me the bare idea of a m arried life. T his was
re|M)rte<l to my parents, and they im m ediately determ ined
th a t 1 should be betrothed a t once, and the m arriage
solem nity performed us soon as I should he tw enty.
H aving discovered this intention, I did my utm ost to
thw art th e ir plans. I caused my friends to intercede 011
my behalf, and pleaded my cause so earnestly with 7ny
th a t he promised to postpone my betrothal till the
end of th a t year. 1 then began en treatin g him to send me
* A medical work. T here u a treatise entitled N ighuta in tho Vedas. [ lb ]
+ A nother Vedic treatise.
X F l'$t mim:insn
§ Sinrfintf and dancing by professional women, [ lb ]
*1 Atxmt hidf an hour, [lb.]
II *Ihe liunl bli?5 of a liberated eoul j ubsorptiuu iuto UrMilb*.
to Benares, whens I m ig ht com plete m y know ledge of tlio succeeded in g ettin g him self informed of my future in te n ­
S anskrit gram m ar, and study astronom y and physios until tions. I told him of my desire to join in the Mella* of
I had attain e d a full proficiency in these difficult sciences. * K artik, held th a t year a t Siddhpore, and th a t I was on my
B ut this once, it was my m other who opposed herself way to it. H aving parted with him, I proceeded im m e­
violently to m y desire. She declared th a t I should not go diately to th a t place, and ta k in g my abode in the tem ­
to Benares, as w hatever I m ight fuel inclined to study ple of M ahadcv a t N oelkantha, when; D aradi Swami and
could be learned a t home, as well ;us a b ro a d ; t h a t I knew o th er lirahm acharis, already resided. For a tim e, 1 enjoy­
enough as it was, and had to be m arried anyhow before ed th e ir society unm olested, visiting a num ber of learn­
th e coming year, as young people th ro u g h an excess of ed scholars and professors of divinity who had come to
learning were a p t to become too liberal and free som etim es the Mella, and associating with a num ber of holy men.
in th e ir ideas. I had 110 b e tte r success in th a t m a tte r with Meanwhile, th e Bairagi, whom I had m et a t K outha-
my father. O 11 th e c o n tra ry ; for 110 sooner had 1 reiterated gangad had proved treacherous. H e had despatched a lette r
th e favour I begged of him, and asked th a t my betrothal to my family inform ing them of my intentions and p o int­
should be postponed until 1 had retu rn ed from Benares a ing to my whereabouts. In consequence of this, m y
scholar, proficient in arts and sciences, th a n my m other father had come down to Siddhpore with his Sepoys, tra ­
declared th a t in such a case she would not consent, even to c e d me step by step in th e Mella, learning som ething of
wait till th e end of th e year, b u t would see that, m y m ar­ line w herever 1 had sat am ong the learned pandits, and
riage was celebrated im m ediately. Perceiving, at, last, th a t finally, one fine m orning appeared suddenly before me.
my persistanee only m ade things worse, I desisted, and | His wrath was terrible to behold. H e reproached me vio-
declared m yself satisfied w ith being allowed to pursue my I lentlv, accusing me ol bringing an eternal disgrace upon
studies a t home, provided I was allowed to go to an old my family. N o sooner had 1 met his glance though, than
friend, a learned pandit who resided ab o u t six miles from knowing well th a t there would be 110 use in trying to resist
our town in a village belonging to our .laim idaree. T h ith er him, I suddenly made up my mind how to act,. Falling
then, w ith m y p arent's sanction I proceeded, and placing 1at his feet with joined hands, and supplicating tones, 1
m yself u n d er his tuition, continued for some tim e quietly | entreated him to appease his anger. I had left, home,
with my study. Hut w hile there, I was again forced into through bad advice, I said ; I felt m iserable, and was ju s t
a confession of th e insurm ountable aversion I had for I mi the point of retu rn in g home, when he had providen-
marriage. T h is w ent hom e again. I was sum m oned back t.ially arrived ; and now I was willing to follow him home.
at once, and found upon retu rn in g that, ev ery th in g hail | again. N otw ithstanding such hum ility, in a fit of rage
been prepared for my m arriage cerem ony. I had entered lie tore my yellow robe into shreds, snatched a t my iu m -
upon my tw enty-first year, and had no more excuses to h/i, and wresting it, violently from my hand Hung it far
offer. 1 fully realized now, th a t 1 would n e ith e r he allowed away ; pouring upon my head at, th e sam e tim e a volley
to pursue any longer my studies, nor would my parents of b itter reproaches, and going so far as to call me a mal-
ever m ake them selves consenting p arties to my celibacy. rieide. Regardless of my promises to follow him, he gave.
]i, was when driven to th e last extrem ity th a t 1 resolved to ■ me in the charge of his Sepoys, com m anding them to
place an etern al barrier betw een m yself and m arriage. watch me night and day, and never leave me out of their
* • • • * * #
sight for a m om ent__
On an evening of th e year Sam vat ]!)():{, w ith o u t lettin g B ut my det.ermiua.tion was as firm as his own. I was
any one this tim e into my confidence, 1 secretly left my bent on my purpose ami closely watched fur my opportunity
home, as I hoped forever. Passing th at first night in the of escaping. 1 found it on the sam e night. Jt. was three
vicinity of a village about eight miles from my home, I in the morning, and the Sepoy whose tu rn it was to watch
arose three hours before dawn, and before night had again me believing me asleep, fell asleep in his turn. All was
set in I had w alked over th irty m iles; carefully avoiding still ;and so, softly rising and taking along w ith me it tum ba
the public thoroughfare, villages, and localities in which 1 full of water, 1 crept, out, and m ust have, run over ft mile
m ight have been recognized. T hese precautions proved before my absence was noticed. On my way, 1 espied a
useful to me, as on th e th ird day after 1 had absconded, I large tree, whose branches wen; overhanging the roof of a
learned from a G overnm ent officer that, a large party of pagoda ; on it J eagerly climbed, and hilling myself' am ong
men including m any horsem en, were d iligently loving about its thick foliage upon th e dome, aw aited w hat fate had in
in search of a young man from th e town of— who had fled store for me. About, 4, in the m orning, 1 heard and saw'
from his home. I hastened fu rth er on, to m eet with other
through the a p ertu re s of the dome, the Sepoys enqu iring
adventures. A p arty of begging Brahm ans hail kindly after me, and m aking a diligent search for me inside as well
relieved m e of all th e money I had on me, and m ade me as outside the tem ple. 1 held my breath and rem ained
part oven w ith my gold and silver ornam ents, rings, bracelets, motionless, until finally, believing they were 011 the wrong
and other jew els, 011 th e plea th a t tin; more I ga ve away in
track, my pursuers reluctantly retired. Fearing a new e n ­
charities, th e more m y self-denial would benefit me in the
counter, 1 rem ained concealed on the dome th e whole day,
after life. Thus, having parted w ith all 1 had, I hastened
and it was not till darkness had again set in that,, alighting,
011 to till; place of residence ol a learned scholar, a man I Hed in an opposite direction. More than ever 1 avoided
named 1/da Bliagat, of whom I had m uch beard on my the public thoroughfares, asking my way of people as rarely
way, from w andering Sanyasis and BaiWigces (religious
as 1 could, until I had again reached Aliniedabad, from
mendicants). H e lived in th e town of Sayale, w here 1
whence 1 a t once proceeded to Baroda. T here J settled ful­
met with a B rahm achari who advised m e to jo in a t once
some tim e ; and, a t ( 'lictan Math (tem ple) 1 held several
their holy order, which I did ......................................................
discourses with B ram hanand and a num ber of B rahm acharis
A fter initiating me into his order and conferring upon me
and Sanyasis, upon the Vedanta, philosophy. It was Braniha-
tho name of Shuddha O haitanya, he m ade m e exchange my nanil and o th er holy m en who established to my entire
clothes for the dress worn by them — a reddish-yellow satisfaction th a t Brahm , th e deity, was no o th er than my
garment. From thence, and in this new attire, 1 pro­ own Self— my E ijii. 1 am Brahm , a portion of Brahm ; J iv
ceeded to the small principality of K outhagaiigad, situated
(Soul) and Brahm , the deity, being one. j Formerly,
near Ahm edabad, where, to my m isfortune 1 met, with a
Bainlgi, the resident of a village in the vicinity of my * i s :i r e l i g i o u s ^ s i l l i u r i n g , n u m b e r i n g ’ a t t i m e s h m u lre iU of thou*
# m n l s o f jiiL 'rin ia .
native! town, and well acquainted w ith my family. H is as­ 1 A t o h o M wijt**r, n . ;;»!•; o f a <h ie*l i / o i m l
tonishm ent was as great as m y perplexity. H aving n a­ J a rrfc 3 ^ 0 1 3-
turally enquired how I came to be there, and in such :m 3T'.c srsfr | afa- h asr
attire, and learned of my desire to travel and see the
£ tjfi! :frrr
world, he ridiculed my dress and blam ed me for leaving
P W HI W f t ’W V l T ?f
my home tor such an object. In my em barrassm ent lie
a'i'fr j z < fm t f a S' 1
• Astronomy includes Astrology in India, a u d i t ii in U .n.ncs tln.t llio T h i s jkismhjjc i s o f s u c h m i p o i t - f t w u th o ori^iju;! is li CI T nnp CT xb' M l
s t i l l e s t o f uictnjiliv.-icii a n d i u c n llc d o c c u lt s c ic n c c s n re la n irlil. for • h*s c o i M ' k - r a t w i i o f i b c | Ki! Thco* |
la THE THEOSOPHIST. [October, 1870.

w hile stu d y in g V edanta, I had come to th is opinion to a th e order of m y in itia to r though, and m y pro p er 'desite,' I
certain ex ten t, b u t now th e im p o rta n t problem was solved, had to lay aside th e em blem atical bamboo— th e D and ,1re­
nnd I have gained th e c e rta in ty th a t I am B ra h m a ............. nouncing it for a while, as th e cerem onial' perform ances
A t B aroda h earin g from a B enares woman th a t a m e e t­ connected w ith it would only interfere w ith and ‘impede
in g composed of th e m ost learned scholars was to lie held th e progress of m y stu d ies......................... ..................
at. a certain locality, I repaired th ith e r at o n c e ; visiting ........................................... . i■ i1 i ' I i
a personage know n ns Satchidrtnand P aram ahansa, w ith A fter th e cerem ony of in itiation was over, th e y left us
whom I was p e rm itte d to discuss upon various scientific and proceeded to DwArka. For some tim e, I livca fit Cha-
and m etaphysical subjects. From him I learned also, that, noda K anyali as a sim ple Sanya si. B ut, upon hearing
th e re w ere a n u m b er of g re a t Sanyiisis and B rahm acharis th a t at V yasashram th e re lived a Swam i whom th ey called
w ho resided a t Ch&noda, K anyali. Tn consequence of Vor/aiiiiixl, a m an thoroughly versed in Yog,* to h im ''I
th is I repaired to that, place of sanctity, on th e b anks nf addressed m yself as an hum ble student, arid began learning
N u rb u d a , and th e re a t last m et for th e first tim e w ith from him th e theory as well as some of th e practical iriddes
re a l Dik»heets, or in itia te d Yogs, and such SanvAsis as ( 'lii- of th e science of Y og (or Yoga Vidya). W hen m y p relim i­
d&shrama ami several o th e r B rahm acharis. A fter some d is­ nary tu itio n was com pleted, I proceeded to C hhinour, as'on
cussion, I was placed u n d er th e tu itio n of one Parmsinand the o u tsk irts of th is town lived K rishna S hastree, under
Param hansa, and for several m o n th s stu d ied “ Veda.nt.silr,” whose guidance I perfected m yself in th e S a n s k r it1gram ­
“ A rya H arim id e T o tak ," “ V edant Paribhrtsha,” and mar, and again retu rn ed to Ch&noda w here I rem ained for
oth er philosophical treatises. D u rin g th is tim e, as a Brah- some tim e longer. M eeting there tw o'Y ogis-—Jw ulauand
machtfri f had to p rep are m y own meals, which proved a Pooree and Shiw anand Giree, I practised Y og w ith them ;
g re a t im p ed im en t to m y studies. To got rid of it, I th e re ­ also, and we all th ree held together m any a dissertation
fore concluded to enter, if possible, into th e +t.h O rder of upon th e exalted Science of Y oga; u n til fin a lly ,'b y th eir
th e Snnvftsis.* F earin g , m oreover, to be know n u n d er my advice, a m onth after th e ir departure, I w en t to m eet
own nam e, on account of my fam ily’s pride, and well aware them in th e tem ple of Doodheshwar, near A hm edabad, a t
th a t once received in th is o rder 1 was safe, 1 begged of a which place th e y had prom ised to im p a rt to me the
D e k k a n i pandit, a friend <>f mine, to intercede on m y behalf final secrets and m odes of a ttain in g Y oga V idya. They
w ith a D llsheet— th e m ost learned am ong them , th a t I m ight k e p t th e ir prom ise, and it is to them th a t I am indebted
b e in itiate d into th a t order a t once. H e refused, however, for th e acquirem ent of th e practical jiortion of th a t great
p o in t-b la n k to in itia te me, u rg in g m y ex trem e youth. science. S till later, it was divulged to m e th a t th e re were
B u t I did not despair. Several m o n th s later, two holy m any far higher and more learned Yogis th a n those I
m en, a Sw am i and a B rahm achitri cam e from th e D ekkan, had h ith e rto m et— y e t still not the highest— who resided
and took up th e ir abode in a, solitary, ruined building, in on the peaks of th e m ountain of Aboo, in ’ Rajputilna,
th e m idst of a ju n g le, n e a r Chilnoda, and about tw o m iles T h ith e r then, I travelled again, to visit such noted places
d ista n t from us. Profoundly versed in th e V ed an ta p h ilo­ of san ctity as th e A vra d n Bhtiwdnee and others ^encoun­
sophy, my friend, th e D ek k an i P an d it, w ent to visit them , terin g a t last, those whom I so eagerly sought for; on th e
ta k in g m e along w ith him . A m etaphysical discussion fol­ Ileak of Bhawilnee Giree, and learning from th e m various
lowing, b ro u g h t th e m to recognize, in each o th e r Dikshect* o th er system s and m odes of Yoga. I t was in th e year of
of a vast learning. T hey inform ed us th a t they had arrived S am v at 1!) 11, th a t I first joined in th e K u m b h a M ella at
from “ S h ru n g ire e M ath,” th e principal convent of S hanka- Hardwilr, w here so m any sages and divine philosophers
rachrirva, in th e South, and w ere on th e ir way to D w arka. m eet, often unperceived, together. So longias th e Mella
To one of th e m P urndnand S arasw ati— I got m y D ekkani congregation of pilgrim s lasted, I kept practising th a t science
friend to recom m end m e particularly, and sta te at the in th e solitude of th e ju n g le of O handee; and a fte r the
sam e tim e, th e object I was so desirous to a tta in and m y pilgrim s had separated, I transferred m yself to R huslieekesh
difficulties. H e told him th a t 1 was a young B rahm achiln, w here som etim es in th e com pany of good and puro Yogis*f*
w ho was very desirous to p u rsu e his stu d y in m etaphysics and SanyAsis, oftoner alone, I continued in th e stu d y and
unim peded ; th a t I was q u ite free from any vice or bad p ra ctise of Yoga. ! ■' ;
habits, for w hich fact he vouchsafed ; and th a t, therefore, • , ' ’ t
D A Y X S U N D 8A .nA S W A .T l S W A M I.
he believed me w orthy of being accepted in th is highest
probation ary degree, and in itiated into th e 4th order of ( T o be continued).
th e Sanystsis; ad d in g th a t th u s I m ig h t Ik- m aterially
helped to free m yself from all worldly obligations, and T H E L E A R N IN G A M O N G IN D IA N L A D IE S .
proceed u n tram m elled in th e coui'so o f m y m etaphysical [ W r it te n fo r tlio TnK O SorniST b y n N a tiv o P a n d it ]
studies. B u t th is Sw am i also declined a t first, 1 was too
young he said. Besides, lie was h im self a M aharashtra, Much has been sai'd al»out a certain B rad m an , lady
and so he advised me to appeal to a (lu ja ra th i Swami. It nam ed Ramnbai, and m uch surprise has b e e n ; expressed
was only w hen fervently urged on by m y friend, who re ­ th a t in such a society as th a t of th e natives of<this country
m inded h im th a t D ek k an i Sanynsis can in itia te even a learned lady like th is should have lived for so • m any
(io v'ilu x, and th a t th ere could exist, no such objection in years w ith o u t a ttra c tin g any a tten tio n . Not, onlylthe eriir
m y case, as I had been already accepted, and was one of the dit ion of th e lady, b u t h e r great, talents, h e r parentage,
five D ravith , th a t ho consented. A nd, on th e th ird day and her social position have all astonished foreigners, in
following he consecrated m e in to th e order, delivering unto and o u t of th e country. T he way in w hich th e news­
m e a B a n d ,f and n am in g m e D aynitund Sarasw ati. By papers announced h er appearance in C alcutta, ,aq..if they
lad m ade a w onderful discovery, is o n ly ' one among
* Situyd*. T here fire different conditions runl orders prescribed in tho
Shrtitrd*. (1) /ii'ahtmr/iAti— one who lend" sim ply n Hfo o f eelikacy, main* num erous exam ples th a t one may alm ost daily .observe
ta in in g him self b y begging while prosecuting his d uties ; (2) Hrnh<nikAthrxt' of w h at m ay be called a chief characteristic of A nglo-In­
wm—one who leadf a m arried b u t a holy lifo ; (3) —who lives d ian society in In d ia — m uch wisdom and teaching w ithout
th o life of a herm it : (I) SanyAt o r ChatHrtAathmuifi. T his is tho highest of
th e four • in which tho m em bers of e ith e r of th e o th e r th re e m ay en ter, tho knowledge, reg ard in g social m a tte rs and reform thereof
necessary conditions for it. boing tlio renunciation of oil worldly considera* am ong tho natives. W ith th e ir an cien t prejudices against
lions, follow ing nrn tho four different successive stages of this life : *A)
Kntf'echala —Living in a hut, or in a desolate pluee and w earing a ted*ochr<> th e social system of th e H indus, E uropeans do 'n o t ofteh
coloured g arm en t, carry in g a throe*knottod bamboo rod, and w earing the show m uch readiness to learn w hat accom plishm ents iand
bnir in tho cen tre of tho crow n of tho head, having th e sacred th read , ami d e ­
voting onosclf to th e contem plation of Parithnnnha ; (B) lU thvdahi—ono who v irtu es native ladies assiduously cultivate, and w hether
lives quito a p a rt from his fam ily and tho world, m aintains him self on alms
collected a t ferfn houses, and w ears tho m i me kind of reddish garm ent ; ((J) • A religious (t m agician,” practically. One who can ombraoo tho post
Jfanta —tho sam e as in tho preceding case except the carry in g of only a ono* ami th e fu tu re in ono nrrMnt ; a m an who has reached th e m ost p erfect ftteta,
kn o tted bam boo ; I) PttramaftahM — th e sam e as tho others ; but tho ascetic of clairvoyance, and lias a thorough knowlodgo of w hat Is now : known as
w ears tho snored th read , and his h air and beard are quito long T his is m esm erism , and tho occult properties of naturo, which sciences help tho
♦ho highest, of all those orders. A Paranm hansA who shows him self worthy stu d e n t to perform th e g re a te st phenom ena : such phenom ena m ost not
is on tho very threshold of becom ing a l»o confounded w ith mlrarttM, which aro au ab su rd ity . *
" Tho th ree an d *errn k n o tted hnm boo °f Sannyftsis given to them as a t One m ay Ik* a Yog, A n d y e t n o t a Dlk*ht*t, x e , n o t have received his final
pign of power, a fte r th e ir initiation. nUiatioti in to th e m vsterios Kogu Kirfjwi..
 T II K T II K 0 S 0 P II I S T . 13

then; is really m u c h ground for th a t universal belief th a t every grown u p m em ber, w h eth er m ale or female, can
H indu Indies are held in a state of thndldom . Exhibition, speak S anskrit. To this class belongs Ramluu, th e sub­
publicity and shining-out are things which our native ject, of this notice. T his young lady is of a Delckani
ladies generally- do not care lor, a n d 'h a v e no need to care ; Brahm an family, settled in th e Madras Presidency. AVe
for. Foreigners have an idea th a t H in d u ladies w ith have not y e t had the pleasure of seeing her. But she* is
whose very nam e they can b u t associate th e notions of snter, known to lie a very good S anskrit scholar, an o x tu n p o ic
of co-wives, of tynnm ieal husbands, of want of literary ac­ poetess, and one who knows m any thousands of S an sk rit
quirem ents anil fascinating refinem ents, cannot be tho | verses by h eart and is,in tiict, a repository of ancient S an sk rit
m istresses of th e ir households in an y th in g like th e sense i poetry. T he extent to which H indu hoys cultivate th e ir
in which th a t phrase is understood in Europe*. T hese and | memory is tru ly wonderful. T here are thousands of young
sim ilar notions are no doubt th e result of th e wide distance Brahm ans living a t this day in India, who have in the
which natives and E uropeans keep from each o th e r in all J course of some ten i.r more years learned, and retained,
b u t strictly official and business m atters. Bui th ere is in i and made thoroughly th e ir own, the text of ono or two,
fact a g re a t deal in H indu ladies that E uropeans would I or even th ree Vedas, and can repeat it all a t th e age of
adm ire if th ey but know how to sym pathize w ith good , twenty-five from end to end w ithout a single m istake in
things th a t are not th e ir own. T h ere is in a H indu lady the q u a n tity of the vowels or in the position or the pro­
a devotion, to begin with, to her husband and children of, per stress of th e a c ce n ts:— and all th a t in a language
which foreigners can have b u t little idea. T h is joined to of which they do not, understand a w ord! In this very
the co n ten tm en t which proverbially reign suprem e in a way, apparently, has Ram abai learned by rote all the. Bha-
H indu household, m akes th e H indu wife of a H indu m an a gavata I’urana ; and what is more, she can explain it,
source of continual happiness to all around w ith o u t any of and can hold a sustained conversation in S a n sk rit with
those hankerings after new pleasures, new fashions, and new learned scholars of the land, even native. Though Ra-
friends which we see are tin* cause of m uch unhappiness in J inabais are not to lie found in every household, they are
European fam ilies of m oderate incomes. T he devotion and . not such rare beings as W estern and Eastern foreigners
contcntcdness of a H indu wife enable h e r to rule easily ] may be inclined to im agine. But what is rare is th eir
over a family com prising not m erely husband and a few appearance in public. We have but a few days since
children, b u t also of relations of her husltand and h er own. heard of a n o th er B m lnnan lady who Iuls appeared at N a-
Thus a H indu household is an adm irable school where, th e 1sik, and who also expounds the Bhagavata. Doubtless
great virtues of th is life— unselfishness, ami living for Ramabai and her sisters, w hatever th eir num ber, arc m onu­
others— are very highly cultivated. H in d u ladies may not m ents of th e ir country, and all honour lie to them . Bui.
organize fem ale ch aritable societies for a tten d an ce on the ; we would earnestly ask w hether the English who rule
sick and th e dying in w ar-hospitals, and may not In­ the destinies of this vast continent, can conscientiously
preparing and m anufacturing articles for fancy Bazars, the say th a t they have h ith erto given, or even shown any in­
proceeds of which are applied tow ards th e m aintenance i clination to give in future, th a t encouragem ent to the
nf orphans. B u t they do practise a good deal of charity j cause of female education am ong the natives th a t it. d e­
in th eir own way — quiet, private, unobserved and nut j serves ( H ave individual E uropean gentlem en and ladies
intended to be observed and rem arked upon. T he lame, exercised ilieir vast personal inlluence with a view to e n ­
the dum b, th e infirm, and all others deserving of charitable , courage th e education and im provem ent of native fe­
support arc th e care of th e H in d u woman. It is through m ales/ It is b u t too tru e th a t the reply here, as to many
her care th a t th e poor of th e country are fed and fed t questions regarding the welfare of India, is that individual
without an)'o rg an ized relief societies for th e poor, or any Englishm en and Englishwom en in India cannot take any
poor-law m ade by m odern legislatures. ‘■••ally genuine interest, in such m atters because, one and all
N or is it correct to say th a t H indu ladies art; uneducated feel th a t they are here as m ere sojourners, enjoying even
or unenlightened. It is tru e they do not generally atte n d j (heir short holidays in Europe, and eagerly looking forward
schools as yet, k e p t by European ladies who leach m odern , to the day when they shall retire to th e ir English homes
languages and im p art a know ledge of m odern sciences and j with th e ir pensions. And as regards th e natives th e m ­
arts. It is tru e th ey do n o t cu ltiv ate th e a rt of letter- selves, those th a t blam e tlu-m for not prom oting female
writing so useful to W estern young ladies in q u est of education—of the m odern typo of coins.;— have to hear in
husbands. I t is tru e th a t they do not read novels, a kind | mind, th a t situ ated as the natives aie, they have not, much
of literature which goes to teach lig h ter sentiment,, studied , power to effect any g re a t reforms. Many of the motive
love, delicate forms of address, and a lik in g for romance, | forces necessary for the purpose are w anting in them , and
among o th e r things. B u t H indu ladies a re — a g reat tor ages to come natives will have to rem ain satisfied with
many of them , learned in a s e n s e ; certainly educated.! such results of th e cultivatioi. of the faculty of memory, as
.Many can read and explain th e Pinaiis, th e g reat reposi­ Ramabai, the M aratha Brahm an lady, so well exemplifies.
tory of legendry lore and moral precepts ; and m ost h ave!
rciul to them th e g reat epics, the I’uraus and th e H indu BR A H M A , IS W A ltA A N D MAYA.
mythology in general, in w hatever shape existing. All
IS ;/ I ' r u h u u l d I ) , ', m i M t t t r u .
mythology is poetry grown old ; and a fte r it has ceased to
lie recognised as poetry, it is b u t used to inculcate a code I.:tlu OllickiUni' IVnfevsor of An^lo fio w n iiiirn t
4 'olllViC, licilVlC*.
of morals which is always ill tau g h t by m eans of lectures. ;
’The love of H indu ladies for religious instruct ion is ancient, In a paper printed in th e “ P an d it,” * tho im proprie­
and S anskrit lite ra tu re is acquainted w ith m any nam es of ty was pointed out of conquering the Perfect and Suprem e
Hindu lady-scholars. T he readers of H in d u philosophical B rahm a of the U panishads to undeveloped thought, such
works know very well th e nam es of M aitreyi, (iargi, Ya- as the Idea of th e m odern transcendentalist is represen­
rlmknavi, CJautami, A ngiiasi, A trcyi, PraLithcyi, S ulabha, ted ■}■ by Mr. A rchibald E. (iou^li to be. Excluding,
Satyavat i, and a host of others. ( >f ladies tak in g p art in { however, the notion of progressive unfolding, Mr. (lough
Pnmnic teachings as interlocutors and teachers, th e num ber i continues to regard O Brahm a as a foreshadowing O of the.
is legion. A nd to this da}' H indu m atrons discussing phi­ Idea, and accounts tor the absence of th a t notion in th e
losophical and religious m atters w ith th e fervour of theolo­ Vedantic conception m erely by the fact th a t ‘ the stru c­
gians are by no m eans rare. Many know S a n sk rit b u t a | tures of positive and ideal science had not been then
larger num ber are well versed in M arathi religious and : reared.’ t T hus it is insinuated th a t the difference be­
moral literature, which they may often be found pro­ tween Brahm a and the Idea is only accidental not, essen­
pounding to little religious g atherings, in a q u ie t and tial. Now such a view' is alto g eth er op]>o.scd to the
unpretentious b u t not th e loss im pressive m anner. I*i- spirit of the V edanta. N ot only is the notion of progress
ilies knowing S an sk rit enough to be able to read th e great I • .ffiinmry 1st 13/0.
• . P • . • • I
epics of India in the. original are not few either. We have i f IMtomcr, Octulutr 1HU 1S78. lloprhito-l in I’nw lit, Pocom l.nr I>t 187#.
Iti-anl of families of learned S an sk rit Brahman*. of which ' ')■ Juno ‘2M I'4!’-1.
 u T H E T H E O S O P H I S T . [O ctober, 1873

or m odification entirely unconnected w ith th e conception lie a definition of th e undefinabl<\ an expression of tho
of B rahm a, b u t it is absolutely incom patible therew ith. in ex p re ssib le ...’
According to th e V edanta, B rahm a is precisely th e being I confess th a t I am not gifted with this m etaphysical
which does not undergo any developm ent or change, and sense which enables one to perceive the black-w hite, the
th a t which is developed is precisely what is not Hrahnia, lum inous darkness, the perfect-im perfect and per chance
viz, Maya. The Brahm avadin, again, places his highest the undivine God. B u t lot me express my confusion and
end, his suprem e bliss in being one w ith Brahm a. T he astonishment., for a th ird tim e, a t the idea th a t a half­
1ransecndentalist, on th e o th er hand, according to Mr. created being miiy he called ‘ G o d ,'an d Iswara only De-
(lough, already believes him self to he a h ig h er form of m iiirgus !
b e in ' than th e prim eval obscure idea out of which he is It may be well to rem ark hero that, were it n o t th a t
developed, and considers th e chief end of m an to be in Mr. Gough speaks of the Idea as on obscure th o u g h t tieve.-
th e progressive developm ent of social life. T h e former lop'uuj Itself into higher and higher concretions, were it, not.
looks u | hiii the pheni’iii-nal world, w ithin and w ithout. for his rem ark th a t ‘ it is only at a certain height that,
as a m ere appearance, as a m ere veil b u t dim ly showing th o u g h t fixe* into the th o u g h t of this or th a t th in k er,’ I
tho K ternal Light which lies behind it. T h e la tte r regards m ight a d m it its comparison to B rahm a, comparing, a t the
th e world as tin ever progressive unfolding of a thought sam e tim e, the ‘ im plicit forms’ of the world contained in
whose brightness or clearness shall never nevei be perfected the idea, to the ‘ undeveloped nam e and form’ (a n yd k rite
b u t ever be in the progress tow ards perfection. Mr. (lough mi m e-rt’ijic) of the Vedanta, designated, Maya, S akti
writes of the idea th a t this ‘ obscure thought is a th o u ght (power) and P rak riti (nature). As Mr. Gough, however,
to become clearly and distinctly hereafter, and that it has represented the theory,the idea itself corres]>onds to the
is obscurely and indistinctly now.' It is difficult to per­ Maya or P rakriti of th e V edanta, lor B rahm a is the Abso­
ceive the force of th e adverbs used here instead ol a d ­ lute T hought, perfect and im m utable. Mr. Gough says
jectives, unless it lie to disguise, in some degree, the I had " n o rig h t to replace th e term idea by ‘ thought, in
grossness of such a conception of th e origin of things. It its lowest and cru d est form, an em bryo-intelligence.’ " 1
is evident th a t tin* Idea is m eant to lie im perfect in its am glad to find th a t Mr. Gough seem s to have somewhat,
own undevelojied nature, though by a half-intelligible I modified his conceptions, b u t in justification of myself, 1
m etaphor, it is said to be ‘ th e locus for th e eternal veri­ ' have only to say th a t my expressions were precise equiva­
ties of reason.’ It is not declared to be th e Suprem e lents to bis own. W here is th e difference betw een an
Reality itself. Moreover it is to be noted th a t this idea em bryo-intelligence, of course m etaphorically speaking, and
is distinguished from God who is its perfection. In a n ­ an undeveloped or obscure th o u g h t ? T he em bryo is no­
swer to the question 1 p u t—‘ How has th is idea, this thing bill, the undeveloped anim al. Again, if th o u g h t must
im perfect intelligence suddenly helped itself to perfection rise to some height, to be the th o u g h t of th is or that
in the case of God ?’— Mr. (lough says th a t “ th e sta te ­ thinker, it follows clearly th a t th e prim eval . obscure
m ent of the transcendontalist is no more than this, th a t th ought before it had developed itself, was th o u g h t th a t
God is already in cKsencesi.il th a t he shall be in m anifes­ had • •
not risen to any» h eight
“
w hatever,’ or it was thought'
P
tation.” Is this ' God ’ then, as I suspected, really in the iu its lowest form. T he reader will readily perceive th a t
course of developm ent, like the idea of which it is the the Idea can no more be said to exist, now, than th e seed
perfect, y e t im perfect developm ent ? Is it th en m eant, in which has sprouted into a plant.
earnest., th a t God is in th e course of creation.? Is this Mr. Gough wishes me ‘ to rem em ber th a t B rahm a is Slid
1Iwii the lieing for which th e designation o f 1 God ’ is care­ to |H>rmcatc and an im ate all things from a clum p of grass
fully reserved, whilst, th e ( hnuiscien! R uler of N ature up to lirahm a,’ b u t this perm eation or anim ation of nil
(Sarviijna I swam) is held deserving of no higher nam e things by H ralnna is alto g eth er different from th e pro­
t han D em iurgus? Tin: distinction bet ween essence and gressive developm ent of the Idea. To p u t m atters in
m anifestation would not, as Mr. Gough b u t faintly hopes, a clear light., I would ask— are th e ‘ forms contained im pli­
save him from the aforesaid astounding conclusion ; for, citly in the idea, that are. to be progressively explicated
as we shall presently see, th e world was likew ise essen­ out of it in the universal fieri.' a part of the essential n ature
tially in the idea all that, it shall Ik; in m anifestation. Mr. of the idea ? If so, as Mr. G ough's language clearly in ti­
<lough w rites : ‘ T he idea of m odern philosophy already mates, such a theory is expressly condem ned by th e Ve-
contains im plicitly •» itself all th e forms th a t are to 1 e dantin as p o riu om orathi, the doctrine of modification.
progressively explicated out of it, in th e universal fie r i... To avoid the position th a t B rahm a is modified, (for d e­
All is in it im plicitly which shall be m anifested out of velopment. im plies m odification or change) the v in a r to -
it at any tim e explicitly, lisseiue has In be unfolded into r/uln or th e doctrine of m anifestation, is ta u g h t by
notion.’ W e th u s see that th e n a n two d istin ct series j the V edanta, which is an o th er nam e for th e doctrine
of developm ents going on— viz, th progressive unfolding i of in/nj/i. I ’arim rnui is illustrated by the developm ent
of the idea in th e shape of the world, and th e subordi­ of a germ into a tree or the transform ation of m ilk into
nate unfolding of God into his progressive nature, I curd, in each case the en tire natu re of the original thing
say ‘ subordinate,’ for God him self is an unfolding of the undergoing a change. Vinartu, is exem plified by the
idea. Has God tin mi no share in th e creation of the appearance of the m irage in the refracted rays of th e sun,
world, or is he th e G o sin o s or a portion th ereo f ? The or bv the reflection of th e sun itself iu the waters.
reader will note with astonishm ent th at such a being is H ere the fundam ental substance rem ains unchanged,
held deserving of the appellation of God which is denied though it seems to w ear a different aspect. T his aspect
to fswara. is unreal iu itself, b u t evidences a reality sustaining it.
1 w rote: ‘ T he idea in God with obvious inconsistency T he universt;, in all its progressive developm ent, is thus
is said to be perfect and proceeding tow ards th e perfect. an appearance of th e A bsolute which is ever th e same.
Process or progress pre-sup]>osos im perfection. How then Such is the broad distinction between the vino rtn -vu ila
can the perfect, proceed tow ards th e |>erfoct s’ Mr. Gough and the p 'riiiam a-vi’nlo,. I t may not be o u t of place
in reply tells m e to ‘ rememl>er th a t we are dealing with to m ention here th a t th ere are sects am ong Indian th in k ­
the concrete notions of th e reason, not w ith th e abstract ers too, who would reconcile th e la tte r w ith th e U pani-
notions of th e understanding. T he law of id en tity is a sliads, hut the V edanta under discussion, nam ely, the
logical, not a m etaphysical, principle. It applies to a b ­ philosophy as expounded by Sankara, is expressly op­
stractions of thought, not to concretions of th e reason. A posed to it. _
concrete notion, a m etaphysical idea is a synthesis of tw o| Mr. Gough w rites : “ I continue to regard Isw ara not
contradictory factors, and, <us such, holds position and ne­ as God h u t as D em iurgus. (1) W e are expressly told
gation in solution. T here is a h ig h er logic than th a t of that Isw ara is retracted into B rahm a at each dissolution
th e logicians. Try to define th e origin of th in g s how you of things, projected at each polingenesia. (2) T here m ore­
will, try to define God how you will, von will find y o u r over .... . with him, from tim e without, beginning, in­
expression eon I radictorv : and s o it ought l o be. f o r il will num erable personal selves or j!vn«, similnrlv protracted
 and retracted. (3) lsw ara m akes tlio world o u t of pre­ as th e present and the fu ture world are held to be unreal,
existing m aterials, o u t of M a y a ; mid (4) d istrib u tes to even w hile I speak and write, and you lead and hear.
the jiv as th e ir several lots of pleasure and pain, only su b ­ T his u n reality however is not m eant in its ordinary sense
je c t to th e inexorable law of retrib u tiv e fatality, (ulrixlitd. so as to refer to our concerns in life. T he Suprem e Being
(5) Isw ara is expressly declared to be p a rt of tlio unreal regarded in his own n atu re and not p u ttin g forth his
order of things, th e first figm ent of th e cosmical illusion, creative power , is th e A bsolute and the fact of the A b­
((j) Tin: sago passes beyond all fear of I Iswara, as soon solute com ing into relation, as Creator, of course belongs to
as lie gets real knowledge. Such a being is not Cod, as the province of the relative (uyavalm ra) and, ju dged by
will be p re tty clear to th e reader." the absolute standard, is false. It is never to be forgot­
W e reply, in order, and sis briefly as possible. (I) Is­ ten th a t this unreality is predicated from th e suprem e
wara is essentially B rahm a, therefore w hat is protracted stand-point of th e A bsolute, and has no practical bear­
out of, anil retracted into Brahm a, a t th e beginning and ing w hatever. T his unreality a m not and om jht not to
end of each cosmic cycle, is Maya, not lsw ara. (2) T he be acted up to, unless and until a person ceases to be a
personal selves, or jivas do n o t co-exist w ith j*w ura in personality, until all possibility of action and th in k in g
Brahm a. It is lsw ara, or Brahm a as C reator and Lord, ceases— which brings us back to saying th a t th is te n e t
th a t protracts o u t of him self th e jiv as and retracts them has no practical bearing, except, th a t a man may earnestly
again into himself. (It) lsw ara is said to create th e world endeavour to yet. rid of duality by subjugation of the
out of Mi'nj'i, or, in o th er words, to evolve it out of his passions, ab stract m ed ita ti.....and above all, devotion to Is-
power, since to say th a t th e world is evolved out of his wara. S o lsw ara in th e person ol K rishna is represen­
absolute self would be grossly derogatory, and involve ted to have ta u g h t:—
contradictions far more jwilpahle th a n w hat is im plied in
denying th e conceivability of Mai/tt, as e ith e r ex istent Hi’Ttiifrt |j
or non-existent, as being one w ith or distin ct from lsw ara.
“ Divine is My Maya, composed of qualities, hard to
It will be evident to th e reader th a t such a M<iy<i can
be surm ounted. T hey only do pass beyond this Mit</it,
hardly be s|M>ken of as pre-existent m aterials ( (4) A d - who fly to Mu for refuge.”
rishht is not adequately rendered by ‘ retrib u tiv e fata­
It Mr. (lough is lient upon regarding isw ara or the Ijord
lity.’ T here is no such thing in th e V edanta as fatali­
of all, as essentially distin ct from the Absolute, then, how­
ty i.e. an agency inde|tendent of C od., A d r is h la is con­
ever high he ma y raise his concept ions of a Personal Deity,
vertible w ith pi-arahilh'i, prior deed, isw ara regards prior
he should be prepared to abolish the nam e o f ' <;,«!’ alto­
deeds, or acts of m erit and d em erit done by creatures
gether, and universally use tin 1 term D em iurgus instead.
in previous births, in dispensing happiness and misery
B ut here, I see, the m etaphysical reason is sure to be
and in disposing of the (muses th ereo f in this world,
lighted up, aud by its aid, will be beheld in the Abso­
in the shape of moral dispositions and external cir­
lute, both the U nconditional and the C onditioned, b-in g
cumstances. A cruel and u n ju st caprice m aking crea­
aud not-being, the oi,e and the many, th e im m utable and
tures unhappy, and m orally and physically unequal, w ith­
the changeable, the perfect and the imperfect, the creator
out' any reason w hatever, is not regarded as com patible
and the created, and perhaps m any o th e r contradictories
w ith Cod-head. (.">) l>wara is never literally represen­
all equally tru e— held in solution.’ And this is th e only
ted as being ‘ p art of th e unreal order of things,’ as lie
alternative. Hold a host of contradictions as truly form ­
is tbe A bsolute itself seem ing to be conditioned as C rea­
ing the n ature of the A bsolute, or assert the Absolute
tor. T he un reality or illusiveness attach es to th e ajtp ntr-
alone to In; tine, and every thing else as untrue, tru e only
aiice of the U nconditioned as if it w ere conditioned by
relatively. I he V odantin pi'elerred the la tte r position and
the creative energy— MAya.* B rahm a is com pared to
saved his conception of B rahm a from being a bundle of
unlim ited space, and Isw ara to th e sam e u n l i m i t e d sjiace contrdictions.
seem ing to l>e lim ited by clouds. Now it is th is liini-
t at ion of sjwice which is unreal, and n o t th e space itself
which seem s lim ited Ms. <t»ough him self says th a t I>- : ............W '7 ^
wara created tb e world o y t oti MAyii. N ay is it not a 3U W t H-TffT JTT'Iff s f m q fm n'c
a palimble contradiction t,v 'lysuJt of lsw ara, th e C reator,
as being th e first figm ent oC th e cosmical illusion— “ 1 he om niscient, om nipotent Brahm a whose nature
which im plies th a t he is a p art of th e cosmos, i.e. the is P ure 1 bought, E ternal and Absolute, who is superior
world which he has created. T he very fact th a t in S an ­ to, and distinct from, the Embodied Soul— Him we d e ­
kara's C om m entary on tho VedAnta S utras, th e words clare the ( rcator of the w orld...W hen by the teaching
Brahm a, ParamAtmA, Parum osw ara and lsw ara are in te r­ of such tex ts a s “ T h a t thou art ” \ e . tbe id entity of th e
changeably used, shows th a t th ere is b u t a technical hum an and the Divine Soul is realized, off goes the ch a­
difference betw een Brahm a and liw ara. ((j) As a m atter racter of the anim al Soul by which he is subject to world­
of course, a m an passes beyond all fear of lsw ara, i.e. of ly evil, as well as the character of Braluna by which
retributive justice, as soon as he g ets real knowledge, i.e. H e is C reator.”
knowledge by which he loses his personality and is ab ­ S tn ik a n i’x Coin, ou H ntlrntu S u l ran, Bill. Mil. Edit.
sorbed into th e D eity. Vol. J. p. 472.
The real fact is th a t the conception formed by Mr. Cough Ilius, it we consider Mr. C ough’s position from the
of B rahm a being so low, th a t of lsw ara cannot b u t be pro­ relative point of view, tin; nam e D em iurgus applied to
portionally unw orthy. As th e L ight of lights itself Iswara, in fact, attach es to Brahma, as C reator and is
('SUffT^t 5*nf?T:) ' s regarded only as an obscure th o u g h t g ra ­ therefore absured. ( Considering the application from the
dually gainin*' in clearness, lsw ara is n atu rally viewed as absolute point of view, it is still more absurd. For iu
Dem iurgus. B u t th e chief source of tb e m isconception absolute reality, there is n eith er the function of the (Crea­
seems to be th e u n reality th a t is ascribed to everything tor nor the fact ol the creation— ( )ne Unconditioned
but B raluna— th e Absolute. Moreover in some modern B eing alone existing. In relative reality, the embodied
books such as th e Panchadasi, in stern regard to absolute Souls are distinct from Brahma, because they are subject
non-duality, Isw ara, by a trope, is said to have been created to ignorance. If Isw ara too were likewise subject to
by MiiyA, som ew hat in th e m anner th a t a person is said ignorance, he m ight l>e regarded ius 1)em iurgus, b u t ig­
to be created a lord. T he O ne U nconditioned Beatific norance, iu anim als is the etiect of th a t jiower by which
Thought, says th e V edantist, only exists. T h ere is n eith er Brahm a m anifests th e cosmos in itself, ;us tb e (Creator.
Creator nor created, n eith er v irtue nor vice, heaven nor Mr. ( iough m isunderstands me when lie th in k s th a t 1
hell, 1 nor thou. Passages of such im port are very a p t to ‘ view B rahm a jus (iod, and as (Jod conscious.’ These wore
be m isunderstood. I t is su]>])osed th a t th e C reator as well m y w ords:— “ N eith e r of the ep ith ets 'conscious’ and
‘ unconscious' can properly be applied to Braluna. The
* A** a ii la tte r ep ith e t is, however, liable to a gross m isinterprota-
tioii, more especially th a n th e former. I t m ig h t lend one ! the proposition th a t pressure and tension every where
to suppose th a t B rahm a is som ething lik e u n th in k in g J co-exist, yet we cannot tru ly represent to oursc-lves one
m atter" and so forth. I view B rahm a, as God. n o t in the ultim ate u n it if m a tte r as draw ing another while resisting
sense of a personal deity, b u t in th a t of th e S upem e Being, it. N evertheless th is la s t belief we are compelled to en ­
or H ig h est R eality, and I view Isw ara as th e Personal tertain . M a tte r can n o t be conceived except as m an ifest­
Brahm a, his personality, of course, being understood as ing forces of attra ctio n and repulsion.” T hese forces arc
tru e in a relative sense, and n o t as essential to is absolute spoken of “ as u ltim a te u n its through th e in stru m en tality
character. I t was m y object to poin t o u t th a t B ra h m a is of which, phenom ena are in terp reted .” F u rth e r on we
not a being, as Mr. G ough expressly said, in fe rio r to p e r­ r e a d : “ C entres of force attra c tin g and repelling each
sonality b u t superior to it. o ther in all directions are sim ply insensible portions of
I w ro te : T he u ltim a te inconceivability of all things m a tte r having th e endow m ents common to sensible por­
which all th e V edantius, thousands of years ago, and th e tions of m a tte r— endow m ents of which we cannot by any
profound B ritish th in k e r (H e rb e rt Specer) so late in the m ental effort divest them .” These rem arks are th u s con­
n in ete en th century, liave illu strated is w hat is m e a n t by cluded :— “ A fter all th a t has been before shown, and after
M aya.” O n th is Mr. G ough re m a r k s :— “ H as he th u s th e h in t given above, is needs scarcely be said th a t theHe
failed to un derstand his profound th in k e r ? T h e u ltim ate universally co-existent forces of attraction and repulsion
inconceiveability or in-explicability of things, he should m u st vot be taken as realities, but as our sym b o ls o f the
learn in H e rb e rt Spencer's philosophy, attach es n o t to re a lity .* T hey are th e forms under which th e w orkings
phenom ena b u t to th e reality th a t u nderlies phenom ena, of th e U nknow able are cognizable by us— modes -f- of the
not to th e fiuuioinil world, b u t to th e Idea, not to M aya, j U nconditioned as presented under th e conditions of our
so to speak; b u t to Brahma, I consciousness” (F irst Principles, pp. 223-22o). Is it possi-
Now w hat does Mr. G ough m ean by these rem arks ? I ble to read these lines and to assert th a t ultim ate lneom-
Does he m ean to say phenom ena are u ltim ately concei-1 prehensibility, in Mr. Spencer’s philosophy, does not attach
vable ? I t is to be observed th a t th e inconceivability to phenom ena ? A rc not th e u ltim ate u n its of sim ultane-
tlia t attaches to phenom ena is different from th e incon- ously a ttra ctiv e and repulsive forces, into which external
ceivability th a t attaches to th e phenom enon. Phenom e- phenom ena are analysed, spoken of only as inconceivable
na can not be conceived as e x isten t p e r se, as in d epen­ sym bols of reality ? Y e t Mr. G ough perem ptorily teaches
d e n t of som ething which forms th e ir basis m lhishthana me th e reverse; I have quoted th e above lines th e more,
or, in o th er words, w ith o u t p o stu latin g an A bsolute B e­ because th e re cannot be a clearer and more convincing
ing of which they are m anifestations. W h ilst th e A b­ elucidation of th e V edantic doctrine of th e ultim ate in ­
solute, far from being inconceivable as an in d ep en dent conceivability of th e world, c ith er as an e n tity or as • a
existence, can not b u t be conceived as positively exis­ nonentity. J How, asks th e V edantin, does this world
ting. Though its n atu re is superior to definite concep­ which can n o t be conceived as an entity, seem to be an
tio n , an ‘ indefinite conciousness ’ of it forms, according e n tity ? And he a n sw e rs: Because th ere is a R eality
to Mr. Spencer as well as th e V edantin, th e very basis u n d erneath, w hich lends its presentation to th e world,—
of our intelligence, of science, of philosophy, of Religion. through whose sole presence th e world is presented. S ir
In capability of beiug know n, coupled w ith positive p re ­ W illiam H am ilto n and Mr. M ansel regard th e A bsolute
sentation, is w hat is m ean t by th e e p ith e t ‘ self-lum i­ as th e negation of th ought. T he V edantin, quite in ac­
nous ’ TOijT) * as applied to B rahm a. Mr. cordance w ith Mr. S pencer’s elucidations, overturns th e ir
H e rb e rt Spencer shows th a t Space and Tim e, m atter, tenet, and holds th e conception of B rahm a as th e position,
m otion, force, th e m ode of its exercise, th e law of its va­ and th a t of th e world as th e negation, of th o u g h t; since
riation, th e tran sitio n of m otion to rest and of, rest to our notions of th e u ltim a te natu re of th e la tte r are found
motion, th e beginning and end of consciousness are nil to destroy each o th er and necessitate th e postulating of
inconceivable; H e concludes his elaborate arg u m en t by an unknow n R eality. T his conflict of notions and th eir
rem ark in g th a t ‘ he (the m an of science) realizes w ith consequent negation, w hich an analysis of phenom ena
a special vividness th e u tte r incom prehensibleness of the brings us to, is called by th e V edantin— 'ijn im a or u vidyd
sim p le st fa c t, considered in itself.’’ H is reasonings indeed (ignorance or nescience) in contradistinction to tru e know ­
serve as a com plem ent to those of S ri H a rsh a contained ledge w hich is one w ith th e Absolute. W e have thus
in his celebrated V edantic work, th e K h a n d a iu i-k h a n d a - th e an tith esis of K now ledge and Ignorance, R eality and
kh a d ya w herein t h e 'a u th o r shows th a t all our concep-1 U nreality, B rahm a and Miiyii. W hat is science-speaking
tions of th e four varieties of proof viz. Perception, ~ In relatively, is nescience speaking absolutely, tru e knowledge
ference, Comparison and Testim ony, of C ausation and being know ledge beyond th e antithesis of subject and ob-
even th e notions we attach to pronouns arc untenable. jeect. T he g reatest end of th e V edantist lies in the full
Spencer th u s rem arks on th e u ltim a te incom prehensibi­ realization of th is U nconditioned Consciousness, idential
lity of phenom ena ;— “ W hen, again, he (th e m an of sci- w ith U nconditioned bliss in which (he conditioned states
eucc) tu rn s from th e succession of phenom ena, external of pleasure and pain are annihilated.
or internal, to th e ir in trinsic n atu re, lie is ju s t as m uch I t will have been clear th a t, in theory, th e V edantic
a t fault.” I t need h ard ly be pointed out th a t ‘ th e in ­ doctrine of B rahm a and Muytl have an exact corres­
trinsic n atu re of phenom ena’ is not, any m ore th a n th eir pondence w ith Mr. Spencer’s doctrine of an A bsolute
succession, th e A bsolute which underlies phenom ena. I t R eality and a relative reality. In practice, however, th eir
is because “ objective and subjective th in g s” are “ alike system s are as m uch divergent as any two system s can
inscrutable in th e ir substance and genesis,” and y et * 'I’lio itiilic s tire o u r s . ■
ivre clearly manifested, th a t an U nknow nabe y et posi­ •f M o d e h o r e c x n c tlv c o r r e s p o n d s to v ! c u ria in S a n s k r it,
tively presented R eality is p o stu lated as th e ir basis. This m HTl'cT ( n '^ T f F 'T ’T R j
iiicoucivcable R eality is not idential, as Mr. G ough su p ­
poses, w ith th e inconceiveable u ltim a te n atu res of m a tte r and
m otion, which are p resent to us as relative realities. Such falSi 71^ :|
identification would m ake m a tte r and m otion them selves hi Ter ||
.absolutes. L e t us h ear Mr. S pencer h im s e lf : “ M atter £ “ '1 bis world appears d e arly , vet itf* explication is itnpowiblo ’ Do thou,
therefore, w ithout projudiee, view ’ tho woild as J/u.yd. W hcu the entire
th en in its u ltim a te natu re is as absolutely incom prehen­ body of wins mi?H a tte m p t to explain phenom ena, Nescience pvosenU itself
sible as Space and T im e .f F ram e w h at suppositions wc before them in some q u arters or o th e r.” ]'amhu*('js C'hap. 6.
“ J!e*rarding Science as n gradually incroasin*/ sphere, we m ay say th a t
imiy, we find on tracing out th e ir im plications th a t th ey ovory addition to i u #m*faco doos h u t brinjf it into wider co n tact with
leave us n o th in g b u t a choice betw een opposite ab surdi­ surroundin'/ nescience.” Spencor's F irst Principles p. lti
“ K urland's thinker* nro n«;um- W gimiinif to sco, what th ey had only
ties.” A gain : “ A nd however verbally intelligible m ay be tem porarily for^otton. th a t the difHcnlticK of m etaphysics Ho a t the root
of all Science ; th a t the diJHcultics can only bo quieted by beintf roolved,
« a m f t 6t?r 3 T 7 n$T c? | and th a t until they nro resolved, positively whenever possible, b ut a t any
rate nggntivoly, wo nro nevor assured thot niiy'kuow lfdge, even physical,
| T h e s e a re s h o w n to b o in c o n c e iv a b le e it h e r jw e n t it ie s w n o n - e n t it ie s stiutcU oil solk\ foundations." S tu art MUi. ' .
be, .for th is sim ple reason th a t th e possibility of the
hum an soul verging into th e A bsolute does n o t en ter
into th e Creed of Mr. Spencer nor does th e doctrine of
the transm igration, of sq u ls.. M oreover w hile th e Ve-
dantist devotes his th o u g h ts solely to th e A bsolute, Mr.
Spencer devotes them chiefly to th e R elative. W hile
holding w ith th e form er th e inscrutableness of th e con­
nection betw een th e conditioned forms of being and the
U nconditioned form of being * (P. G58), th e la tte r never­
theless differs from th e form er in declaring th a t th e ir
connection is indissoluble. H e says— “ T hough reality
under th e forms of our conciousness is b u t a Conditioned
effect of th e absolute reality, y et th is conditioned effect
standing in indissoluble relation w ith its "Unconditioned
cause and being equally persisten t w ith it, so long as the
conditions persist is to th e conciousness supplying those
conditions, equally real. T he p ersisten t im pressions being
the persisten t results of a. p ersisten t cause, are for prac­
tical purposes, th e same to us as th e cause itself and
may be hab itu ally dealt w ith as its equivalents.”
E xcepting th e indissoluble character of tho relation
betw een each ' conditioned effect ’ and ‘ its uncondition­
ed causes,’ even’ th e above rem arks, ap p aren tly so a n ta ­
gonistic to t h e , doctrine of Maya, can be perfectly re ­
conciled w ith S an k ara’s views. F o r in precisely th e
same sp irit S an k ara proves, in opposition to th e B aud-
dhas, or absolute idealists th e reality of external objects—
a procedure which, has been m isconstrued into self contra­
diction in some quarters.
Mr. G ough however m akes th e unqualified assertion th a t
“ any such notion as th a t ofM ayd is, of course, ab sen t from
his (Spencer’s) philosophy.” T hough th e passages I have
already quoted clearly contradict such an assertion, I would
cite a few m ore to show th a t tho doctrine of M(iyii is un-
m istakeably contained in his philosophy.
“ T hus by th e persistence of force we really m ean th e
persistence of some power w hich transcends our know ledge
and conception. T he m anifestations as occurring eith er in
ourselves or outside of us, do not persist, b u t th a t which
persists is th e unknow n cause of th ese m anifestations,
p. 180 :— “ a n d u n le ss we postulate A bsolute B eing or being
which persists, we cannot construct a th eo ry of external
phenom ena” p. 190
H ere A bsolute B eing is clearly defined to bo p ersistent
being and is contradistinguished from phenom enal being,
and the following words throw g re a te r lig h t upon th e ques­
tion;— "for persistence is noth in g m ore th a n continued ex ist­
ence and existence cannot be th o u g h t of as o th e r th an
continued.”
Now if phenom enal existence is different from absolute
or p ersistent existence and if existence can not be th o u g h t
of as other th a n continued or p ersistent, it clearly follows
th a t phenom enal existence can n o t be th o u g h t of as
existence a t all. T h a t which is real in, or ra th e r be-
neatli,*f* phenom ena is th e Absolute, and abstracted from
the A bsolute phenom ena can n o t be th o u g h t of as real.
This is th e clearest possible enunciation of th e doctrine
of M dyd. I t needs hardly be said th a t w h at in a for­
mer passage quoted here is spoken of th e persistence of
phenom ena is evidently m eant in a relativ e sense. Such
persistence being “ so long as th e conditions persist,” it
exactly corresponds to th e V y a n a h u rik a eatta (existence
to be dealt w ith) of th e V edantin.
Mr. G ough asks “ Is it necessary to rem in d tho Baboo
th a t H e rb e rt Spencer is a tran scendentalist, th a t he holds
the theory characterised by th e Baboo as m ore grovel­
ling th a n th a t of th e m aterialists ? O n th is no other
comment is needed th an th e following words of th e p h i­
losopher, referring to th e schools of Schelling, F ic h te and
H e g e l: “ E e ta lia tin g on th e ir critics, th e E nglish may,
and m ost of th em do, reject as absurd th e im agined p h i­
losophy of th e G erm an Schools,” p. 129.
Mr. Gough fu rth e r re m a rk s : To H e rb e rt Spencer th e
* : |
fT ^ : | > m jr 1<TT
11All tilings abide in Mo and I ftblds not hi them" JJ/w^uuJ GitA,
absolute is nothing else th an th e unshaped m aterial of
th ought th a t is shaped afresh in every thought, and its
progressive developm ent is traced in his works through
th e anim al series to man, and in m an to th e super-organic
products of th e social consciousness.
W ith reference to th e first portion of th is rem ark, I
have only to rem ind th e w riter of Mr. S p en cers interroga­
tion : “ Is it n o t ju s t possible th a t there is a m ode of being
as m uch transcending Intelligence and will, as these tra n ­
scend m echanical m otion ? Though these words are suf­
ficient to in tim ate th at, according to th e author, th e Abso­
lute is above developm ent or progressive modification,
I quote another passage which expressly bears upon th e
question.
“ On tracing u p from its low and vague beginnings th e
intelligence which becomes so m arvellous, in th e highest
beings, we find th a t u n d er w hatever aspect contem plated,
it presents a progressive transform ation of like n atu re w ith
the progressive transform ation we trace in th e universe as
a whole, no less th a n in each of its parts.” P rin cip les o f
Psychology I. 027.
I t is evident th a t th is low and vague beginning of in tel­
ligence,’ corresponding, as it does, w ith Mr. G ough’s ob­
scure th o u g h t’' w hich ‘ only a t a certain h eight rises into
the th o u g h t of th is or th a t th in k e r,’ is m istaken by him for
th e A bsolute of Mr. Spencer’s philosophy. T hus to th a t
great th in k e r is im puted th e absurd te n e t th a t th e Abso­
lu te is not th e sam e a t any two moments, th a t th ere is an
endless succession of an infinite num ber of absolutes; th a t
it is th e lowest beginning of in tellig en ce; though he ex­
pressly declares th a t it transcends Intelligence and W ill!
I t m ay be rem arked hero th a t the intelligence which
is progressively developed w ith th e nervous system, m ay
readily be identified by th e V edantin w ith his budithi
which is characterized as modilicable (p a rm d m in i) and is
the germ of th e in n er world of pronom eina, b u t it is n o t
the A bsolute T h o u g h t which underlies them and which.
Mr. Spencer calls the Substance of the Mind, or th e
U nconditioned Consciousness. W ould Mr. Gough say th a t
th e A bsolute is n o t modified in its essence ? T hen call
this im m utable essence th e Absolute. T he n ature of th e
A bsolute is One which is not divisible into th e essential
and non-essential. T he non-essential elem ent which aec'uts
to reside in B rahm a is M dyd, th e undeveloped germ , as it
were, of th e phenom enal— out of which are progressively
developed the conditioned forms of intelligence in th e
inner, and th e conditioned forms of force, in the outer world.
T he undeveloped germ of th e phenom enal is not to be m is­
taken for th e im m utable R eality which sustains it, nor is it
to be forgotten th a t th is germ can not be conceived either
as an en tity or a n o n -en tity — a circum stance which is far
from being ascribable.to th e Absolute, to doubt whose ex­
istence is to doubt th e m ost certain of all things one’s own
P ersisten t S elf— the self, m ind you, which is ap art from
the fluxional consciousness. T his consists of a succession
of cognitions, each of which ceases to exist before th e next
comes into existence. W ho then bears w itness to th e ir
b irths and deaths ? H e who abides am idst these b irths
and deaths, who is variously called th e sd k sh h i (W itness),
P ra tyu g d tm n (the presented self), h it astha-chit (the Im ­
m utable Conciousness). T he theory of absolute Idealism
involves th e absurdity th a t som ething can testify to its
own annihilation.
T he abstract noun ‘ self-lum inousness ’ and th e verbal
noun th e ‘ im p iirtiu ij of light to all tho cognitions of
personal intelligences,’ used to define Brahm a, were sup­
posed by one to have been due to a m isprint or inadver-
tancy, b u t w hen Mr. Gough repeats th e same phrases,
the question naturally arises— Is Brahm a a m ere abs­
traction, th e m ere sta te or a ttrib u te of som ething, to wit,
of som ething self-lum inous, or, stranger still, is it a mere
act of illum ination ? ‘ These phrases, unfornilately, do
not, as is alleged, answ er to V edantic expressions and
the latter, rendered into Sanskrit, would hardly convey
any m eaning to a V edantic pandit.
_ On grounds of personal esteem . 1 regret having had to
>oiu issue w ith a scholar ot Mr. G ough’s learning and ac-
 com plisbm ents, b u t I felt th a t I had a d u ty to perform to qr. ^o ^Tt^q-f^q m<T 1 %^^f%3rqtq-
llii' im eieut and sacred philosophy of India in clearing it
from misconceptions and m isin terp retatio n s which ap p ear­ q R f ^ q q r ^ ^ ^ 5 r a q r 5 ^ " 4 q rq rq i^ rq f^ ff^ ^ c
ed serious not only to myself, b u t to some of th e most
learned I’andits of Benares, am ong whom it would suflice to
?q I srnwrS qfer Brwsqqt^^ ^ srT^tqrf^i ^
m ention tho distinguished P an d it Bala S astri. A nnexed «r. « qr. ^ ^ ^ 1 er^^r^qf^q^crq-
nro the P an d it's short answers in brief to questions p u t
to him w ith reference to Mr. G ough’s views.
q p r ^ q ^ q q 1 g - q f o r f w r t a r ^ r r » q w ^ frrqerr?rql$T
m i ? q 1 f a s jf ^ =q B ^ -rr^ r^ q
r\ q iR jc W R r^ q ^ T 1
srr
\ •r q rq r^ rq c q q r^ q ? i^ T (T ir^ fr^ r« T
? ft q ^ i5 m q < T m q q q s ic r r q s q F q q I f ^ c q r q q q r ^ 1 q ? r^ q =q «r?q ^ 7 n ^ q 3 3 T r? q q ^ T rra ; 1
3 fa *r*!5T ^ R l f r q?T I ^ W T c ^ n iffi^ rq r: q ^ r f a ^ r m 5 ^ s q :q ;r-
\ fa ro * : wsuST s M s q s T a q r q;*qrsrf ^ 'q n ^ ^ rq r srw f^r ^ q r ^ w ^ f a f5r R J T q q ? T ^ ^ 'q R ? q r q -
=q cf’-rr i ^ q ^ J s q q f ^ q ? r c f tr 1 f t ^ q q f t q r ^ ?ir^ft
a fa sftqr ?*rT<q rrr.^ Rtei% it*t ^qqR-
T H E IN N R ll GOD.
rr^ r iV ^ q R ^ q r ^ w ^ R r o q p i r c T i ' q qN I
B y F e a r i) C h iin d M ilt r a .
<\ P fitfiX w q r q p i r : q r q f ir q ^ r q -
T he Arva te ach in g is th a t God is lig h t and wisdom.
i R 3 'iR i i The mission of m an is to know God ns far as wo can
\ ??r ‘ q?r<T qq;i5T T T F T q q w know. T he classes of w orshipers are innum erable. T he
more ex tern al man is, th e m ore external God is. As Ion"
<yq; : r - 4 T f a t s i : q - w < * lit \ » 7 3 w q a r t ns wo are w orshipers of th e external God, we are ido”
Inters and crecdm ongers. Tho fertility of tho m ind is
* q t j w w rc ^ rfl' ^ r R q ir ^ r i 3>r4*?rcq
called forth, and we have no end of forms, organizations,
^ ^ ’TMsri n 8 ? J ‘ ^ * n r ^ r ? r ^ r e « T ht ritualism and cerem onies, w ithout which we th in k we
liavo no salvation. Spiritualism , 01 tho developm ent of
=q- f% * R iR ’ % ^ \ \ & V|T»T3Tf * 7 3 ^ I
tho soul, b rin g s us before God, tho source of sp iritual
aicr^T q q ; r o w r q q l r r ^ sqqsrcT ST rqi qqq^T q^qr^qcq- lig h t and wisdom, and revealing to our in ternal vision ;
the boundless spiritu al -world, frees us from m undano
*h q q q i i s r a m q r ^ ' q ^ q q <*S' r q f r q q q r v r q R*N i w q
thoughts calculated to keep the soul in subjection to th e
*fc%q q ^ r w r q ^ q ^ r w i a ^ q ^ r r c - senses. If we realize w hat soul is, we realize w hat Theo­
sophy is. T h ere are inspired w ritings w here ideas of T heo­
q ^ q i^ q s r t t e w r f a 1
sophy m ay be g ain ed , b u t th e infinitude of God cannot
^ 3TcT *T f ia F T T rfa f R W 5 R « rro rc r *TST I be made know n to us in words or in evanescent ideas.
I t m u st bo acquired in th e infinite region— th e region
s q n m 'q i ^ r r H M r n r f l ^ i N
*rspq*r f^Bic^rqN 1 of soul. Tho ond of spiritualism is Theosophy. S p iritu ­
‘ q ^ n 1 =q ^ ^ R ^ i q f t ' q r f q q a f t e r # * ™ * ? qi*qq alists and T heosophists should, therefore, be u n ite d and
b rin g th e ir th o u g h ts to bear on th is g re a t end. As wo
.T q i^ q r a f t^ u q ii^ ir q R ^ q s q iq u q ^ q -iq W ?Rr progress in developing our souls, and bring otirseives nearer
\ \ a f z v rrir^r s q n K t - t q q ^ q f t ^ r q ? p q t t r T q <t and nearer God, our th o u g h ts and acts will bo p u rer,
and our lives, dom estic, and social, will bo in unison
E q n n r ? 3 1 ^ q ^ q q r q 'M ’r q < r< q f a f ^ q r £ q q.£qf- with tho lig h t w ith in . Wo should th in k moro of th a
substance nnd less of th e shadow.
/^cq^»rrcT«r ? r n ? q q 1 f i t q s ‘ qq
^ r f l c - i f q ’s r ir ^ q r 1
T E R S IA N Z O IIO A ST JIA N ISM A N D R U S S IA N
^ e f f q ^ q ^ i q i f t q f t ^ r q f l q M M t t q ^ q t f e i fl- V A N D A L ISM .
fo fa * %7?r ^ 3JE!n ^ ^ 5tN t w ^ ‘ q- B y I I . P . B la v a tsh j.

fq < fr.s;i q f ^ $ ;q%tT;:*t q r^ r^ < q T i;f 'i^ ^ rq T ;;qT?'q£q rr q q ir Few persons are capable of appreciating the tru ly b eau ­
tiful and esthetic ; fewer still of revering those m onum ent­
fto R rc ^ R r^ i' ^ <w ’ ?E r W al relics of bygone ages, which prove th a t even in the
VTf *Tc*qf ^ IFqrtfWTcl q ^ q ^ t f q - rem otest epochs m ankind worshiped a Suprem e Power,
and people were moved to express th e ir abstract concep­
ftfr q cR q f a < rq r^ q q ^ I tions in works which should defy the ravages of Time.
The Vandals,— w hether Slavic W ends, or some barbarous
2 q?r ’ «!• ^ qr. ?V9 h% 5if^orp«r ‘ ar- nation of G erm anic race— came a t all events from tho
w rn rr sfa rc q : f a ^ q f f a q ^ q r i q q s r q a rrs ir& T N orth. A recent occurrence is calculated to m ake ub
regret th a t J ustinian did not destroy them a i l ; for it a p ­
3 STTcq^Icr ’ ? R *T?<Tr pears th a t th ere are still in the N orth worthy scions left of
cqr^cir ^ i^ c r r ctst %- those terrible destroyers of monum ents, of arts and sciences,
in tho persons of certain Russian m erchants who have ju s t
h 1 < q ^ ^ t c q R g r ^ i » ,T c r r ^ r f f f r c q ; J j |f ^ f l i r s i r e « i r 5 ‘* perpetrated an act of inexcusable vandalism. According
•V ^ 7 \ s r. \ qr. ? r i^ w T r^ *rarft to late R ussian papers, th e Moscow arch-m illionaire,
Kokoref, w ith his TiHis p artn er tho A rm enian Crcesus,
tfiiqTCJTrtJT^: cT ^rrjrt n ^ r q r ^ c f «ftqr Mirzoef, is desecrating and apparently about to totally
destroy perhaps the oldest relic in the world of Zoroastra.
* jt 5 ^ ^ >TRc'm r r a ^ I ‘ ^ '^ r- nism — tho “A ttesh-G ag” of Baku.* 1
q r% ? -T ^ R ^ rT ^ ^ c f Few foreigners, and perhaps as fow Russians, know
anything of this venerable sanctuary of the Fire-w orship-
•7 c s f i w q r i ^ i ^ c T w ’i^ * r» O T r* rj * <rc5-
ers around th e C aspian Sea. A bout tw enty verstes froiq
w v t ^ T r n i r ' T r T r ^ ’i ^ ^ ^ s r. \ * A ttesh-K udda al«o, ■
■' 1.r.
O ctober, 1 8 * 0.1 Ip I I K
th e sm all tow n of B aku in th e valley of A bsharon in
R ussian Georgia, and am ong th e barren, desolated steppes
of th e shores of Caspia, th ere stands— alas ! ra th e r stood,
b u t a few m onths ago— a strange stru ctu re, som ething b e t­
ween a mediaeval cathedral an d a fortified castle, i t was
b u ilt in unknow n ages, and by builders as unknow n. Over
an area of som ew hat m ore th a n a square mile, a tra c t known
as th e “ F iery F ield,” upon which th e stru c tu re stands, if one
b u t digs from two to th ree inches into th e sandy earth, and
applies a lighted m atch, a je t of fire will stream up, as if
from a spout.* T he “ G uebre T em ple” as th e building is
som etim es term ed is carved o u t of one solid rock. I t com ­
prises an enorm ous square enclosed by crenelated walls, and
a t th e centre of th e square, a high tow er also rectan g ular
resting upon four gigantic pillars. T h e la tte r w ere pierced
vertically down to th e bed-rock and th e cavities were con­
tinued u p to th e b attlem en ts w here th e y opened o u t into
th e atm osphere ; th u s form ing continuous tu b es through
which th e inflam m able gas stored u p in th e h e a rt of the
m other rock were conducted to tn e to p of th e tower.
This tow er has been for centuries a shrine of th e tire-wor­
shipers and bears th e symbolical rep resen tatio n ot the
tria e n t— called icersoot. All around th e in terio r face of the
external wall, are excavated th e cells, about tw en ty in n u m ­
ber, which served as habitations for past generations of Zoro-
astrian recluses. U nder th e supervision of a H ig h Mobed,
here, in th e silence of th e ir isolated cloisters, they studied
the Avesta, th e V endidad, the Y aqna— especially th e latter,
it seems, as th e rockv walls of the cells are inscribed w ith
a g reat n u m b er of quotations from th e sacred songs.
U nder th e tow er-altar,' three huge bells were hung. A le­
gend says th a t they were m iraculously produced by a holy
traveller, in th e 10th century d u rin g th e M ussulm an p e r­
secution, to warn th e faithful of th e approach of th e en e­
my. B u t a few weeks ago, and th e tall tow er-altar was
yet ablaze w ith th e sam e flame th a t local trad itio n affirms
had been kindled th irty centuries ago. A t th e horizontal
orifices in th e four hollow pillars b u rn ed four perpetual
fires, fed u n in te rru p te d ly from th e inexhaustible su b te r­
ranean reservoir. F ro m every m erlon on th e walls, aa
well as from every em brasure Hashed forth a rad ian t light,
like so m any tongues of fire ; and even th e large porch
overhanging th e m ain entrance was encircled by a g a r­
land of fiery stars, th e lam bent lig h ts shooting forth
from sm aller and .narrowor orifices. I t was am id these
impressive surroundings, th a t th e G uebre recluses used to
send up th e ir daily prayers, m eetin g u n d er th e open tower-
altar ; every face reverentially tu rn ed tow ard th e settin g
sun, as they united th e ir voices in a p a rtin g evening hym n.
And as th e lum inary— th e “ Eye of A hura-inazda”— sank
lower and lower down th e horizon, th e ir voices grew lower
and softer, u n til th e ch an t sounded like a plain tiv e and
subdued m u rm u r...A last flash— and th e sun is gone ; and,
as darkness follows d ay-light alm ost suddenly in these
regions, th e d ep artu re of th e D eity ’s symbol was th e signal
for a general illum ination, unrivalled even by th e g reatest
fire-works a t regal festivals. T h e whole field seenul n ig h tly
like one blazing p rairie........
Till abou t 1840, “ A ttesh-G ag” was th e chief rendezvous
for all th e Fire-w orshipers of Persia. T housands of pilgrim s
come and w e n t; for no tru e G uebre could die happy unless
he had perform ed th e sacred pilgrim age a t least once during
his life-tim e. A traveller— K och— who visited th e cloister
about th a t tim e, found in it b u t five Zoroastrians, w ith th e ir
pupils. In 1878, ab o u t fourteen m onths ago, a lady of Tiflis
who visited th e A ttesh-gag, m entioned in a p riv ate le tte r
that she found th ere b u t one solitary herm it, who em erges
from his cell b u t to m eet th e rising and salu te the d e p a rt­
ing sun. A nd now, h ardly a y ear later, we find in th e
papers th a t Mr. K okoref and Co., are busy erectin g on the
Fiery F ield enorm ous buildings for th e refining of p e tro le u m !
All the cells b u t th e one occupied by th e poor old herm it,
half ruined and d irty beyond all expression, arc inhabited
by the firm’s w o rk m e n ; th e a lta r over which blazed the
• A bluUh IIftmo ia booh to arise th c i'o , b u t tliix tiro (looa not u o iim u n e, ‘‘nnd not oven a jan ito r to watch the poor shrine. Tho geologists have dcclarcd
ifftiiurson finds hlm m lfiii tbo niiilillu of it, lioia uotsim aililuof miy w anulli." th a t tho soil of the m ountain precludes th e possibility of having springs
&t>e Klrnioir'B Persia, pago 35. • concealcd in it, Who will explain the puzzle t
T nE 0 S 0 P III sf.
sacred flame, is now piled high w ith rubbish, m ortal
and mud, and the flame itself turned oft’ in a n o t h e r _direc­
tio n .. T he bells a r e now, d u ring th e periodical visits of a
Russian priest, tak en down and suspended in the porch of
the su perintendent's holise ; heathen relics being as usual
used— though abused— by th e religion which supplants the
previous worship. And, all looks like th e abom ination of
desolation........“ I t is a m a tte r of surprise to m e " w rites a
B aku correspondent in th e St. Petersburg Vjedoinoati who
was th e first to seud th e unwelcome news, “ th a t th e tr i­
dent, th e sacred tetrsoot itself, has not as yet been p u t to
some appropriate use in th e new firm’s k itc h e n ...! Is it th en
so absolutely necessary th a t th e m illionaire K okoref should
deBecrate th e Zoroastrian cloister, which occupies such a
trifling compound in comparison to the space allotted to his
m anufactories and stores ? A nd shall such a rem arkable
relic of a n tiq u ity be sacrificed to commercial greediness
which can after all n eith er lose nor gain one single rouble
by destroying it ? ”
I t m ust apparently, since Messrs. K okoref and Co., have
leased th e whole field from th e G overnm ent, and the la tte r
seems to feel qu ite indifferent over this idiotic ami useless
Vandalism. I t is now m ore th en tw enty years since th e
w riter visited for th e last tim e A ttesh-G ag. In those days
besides a sm all group of recluses it had the visits of m any
ilgrims. A nd since it is more than likely th a t ten years
ence, people will hear no more of it, 1 may ju s t as well
give a few more details of its history. <>ur Parsee friends
will, I am sure, t'eel an interest in a few legends gathered by
me on the spot. -
T here seems to bo indeed a veil drawn over the ori­
gin of A ttcsh-G ag. H istorical d ata are scarce and contra­
dictory. W ith th e exception of some old A rm enian C hroni­
cles which m ention it incidentally as having existed before
C hristianity w ashrnught into the country by Saint N in a d u ­
ring the .‘Ird century,* th ere is no other m ention of it any
where else so far as I know.
T radition inform s us,— how far correctly is not for m e
to decide— th a t long before Z arathustra, th e people, who
now are called in contem pt, by th e M ussulm ans and C hris­
tians Guebres,” and, who term them selves “ liohedin ”
(followers of th e tru e faith) recognized M ithra, the M e­
diator, as th e ir sole and h ig h est God,— who included w ithin
• Though 8 t. N ina appeared in Georgia in tho th ird , it is not before tho
fifth century th a t the idolatrous (irouziiu* vvoro converted to C hristianity
by tho th iitco n Syrian Fathers. T hey cam e under tho leadership of both
St. Antony nnd St. Jo h n of Zcdudzeu,—iso called, bocauso ho ia a l l i e d
to have travelled to tho Caucasian regions on purposo to fight and comjnei*
the chief idol X t t l n ! And thus, w hile,—a s incontrovertible proof of th e
existence of both,—tho opulent tresses of tho hlnck h air of St. N ina are
being preserved to thin day os relics, in Zion Cathedral a t Tilli.«,—the than-
m uturgie Jo h n lias im m ortalized his namo btill more. Xala, who was tho
Baa] of tho Trans-Caucasus, had children i>acritui-d to him, an tho legend
tells us, ou th e top of tho Zedadzeno m ount, about \er»ts from TitUs It
is th eie th a t th e S aint dolie<l the idol, or rath er tiatau under tho guize of
a stone sta tu e - t o singlo com bat, and com pared him ; 1 t threw
down, and tm m plcd upon the idol. But ho did not sto p there in tho exhibi*
tion of his powers. The m ountain peak is of an immense height, and
being only a l»arrcn rock a t its top, spring w ater i» m» whore to bo found
on its sum m it. Hut in com mem oration of his trium ph, the t'a iu t h;.d a
spring appear n t tho very bottom of the dt*oi>, a n d —as people as>crt—
futhomloes wel), dug down into the very bowel* of the m ountain, nnd tho
gaping m outh of which was sitiu.tcd noar the a ltar of th e ^od Zeda, ju st
in the centre of his tcmplo. I t was into this opening th a t the limbs of tho
m urdered infants were cast down a fte r the sacriiico. I ho miraculous spring,
however, was, soon dried up, and for many centuries there appeared u<>
water. But, when C hristianity was firmly established the w ater began re ­
appearing on the 7th day of every May, and continues to do #o till th e p r e ­
sen t timo. S trange to snv, this fact docs not pertain t>> tho domain of
legend b u t is ono th a t fms provoked an intense cm iosity <von iiinoi.^
men of science such as the em inent geologist Dr. Ahich, who resided f>>r
years a t Titlis. Thousand* upon thousands proceed yearly upon pilj'iim ago
to Zcdadzono ou tbo seventh of M ay; ami all witness th e •* miracle. ’
From early m oruiug, w ater is beard bnbldiug down at the lucky bottom
of the well ; and, a m noon approaches, th e parched-up walls of tho m outh
become moi»t, and clear cold, sparkling w ater mtcins to come out from
every porosity of tho rock ; i t rises higher and higher, bobbles, increases,
until a t last having reached to the very brim, it suddenly stops, and a
prolonged about of triu m p h an t joy b u rsts from tho fauaticul crowd. T his
cry sceuis to shake liko a sudden discharge of artillery the very detilh- of
th e m ountain aud awaken tho coho for miles around. Kveiy one hurries
to till a vessel with tho miraculous water. Thoro are ueeks w rung and
heads broken on th a t day a t Zcdadzono, b ut every ono who survives ta rrie s
homo a provision of tho crystal fluid. Toward evouiug the wntor begin*
decreasing as m ysteriously as it had appeared, ami a t m idnight the well
is A g a i n perfectly dry. Not a drop of w ater, nor a tiaco of any spring,
could bo found Dy tho ouginecrs and geologists bent upon discovering th e
“ trick.” For a whole year, th e sanctuary rem ains deserted ami th ere is
 T JI J*: T I I E 0 S 0 P II I S T . [O ctober, 18T9.

him self fill tb e good as well as th e had gods. M ithra re ­ W ith th e exception of th e Bom bay com m unity of P ar-
p resenting th e two n atu res o f Orm azd and A hrim an com­ secs, Fire-w orshipers are, th en , to be found b u t in th e two
bined, th e people fe a re d him. whereas, th ey would have places before m entioned, and scattered around Baku. In
h ad no need of fearing, b u t only of loving and reverencing P ersia some years ago, according to statistics th ey num ber­
h im as Ahura-M azda, were M ith ra w ith o u t th e A hrim an ed ab o u t 100,000 m en ; * I doubt though w hether th e ir
elem en t in him. religion has been preserved as pure as even th a t of the
Ono day as th e god, disguised as a shepherd, was w an­ Gujar&thi Parsees, ad u lterated as is th e la tte r by th e errors
derin g abo u t th e earth, he cam e to Baku, th en a dreary, and carelessness of generations of uneducated Mobeds. And
deserted sea-shore, and found an old devotee of his q u a r­ yet, as is th e case of th e ir Bom bay brethren, who are con­
reling w ith his wife. U pon th is b arren spot wood was sidered by all th e travellers as well as A nglo-Indians, as
scarce, and, she would not give u p a certain portion of h er th e m ost intelligent, industrious and w ell-behaved com­
stock of cooking fuel to be burned upon th e altar. So the m u n ity of th e native races, th e Fire-w orshipers of K erm an
A hrim an elem en t was aroused in th e god and, strik ing and Yezd bear a very high character am ong th e Persians,
tho stingy old woman, he changed h er into a gigantic as well as am ong th e R ussians of B aku. U ncouth and
rock. T hen, th e A h u ra M azda elem en t prevailing, he, crafty some of th em have become, owing to long centuries
to console th e bereaved widower, prom ised th a t n e ith e r he, of persecution and sp o lia tio n ; b u t th e unanim ous te sti­
nor his descendants should ever need fuel any more, for m ony is in th e ir favour, and th ey are spoken of as a v ir­
he would provide such a supply as should last till th e end tuous, highly m oral, and industrious population. “ As
of tim e. So he struck tb e rock again and then struck the good as th e word of a G uebre” is a common saying among
ground for m iles around, and th e earth and th e calcareous the Koords, who re p ea t it w ithout being in th e least cons­
soil of tho Caspian shores were filled up to th e brim w ith cious of the self-condem nation contained in it.
naphtha, To com m em orate th e liappy event, th e old d e­ I cannot close w ithout expressing my astonishm ent a t
votee assem bled all th e youths of tho neighbourhood and th e u tte r ignorance as to th e ir religions which seem s to pre­
set him self to excavating th e rock— which was all th a t vail in R ussia even am ong th e journalists. One of them
r e m a in e d of his ex-wife. H e c u t th e b attlem en ted walls, speaks of th e G uebres, in th e article of th e St. Petersburg
nnd fashioned th e a lta r and th e four pillars, hollow­ Vjedom osti above referred to, as of a sect of H indu idola­
in g th em all to allow th e gases to rise u p and escape ters, in whose prayers th e nam e of B rahm a is constantly
th ro u g h th e top of th e m erlons. T he god M ithra upon see­ invoked. To add to th e im portance of this historical item
ing th e work ended, se n t a lig h tn in g flash, which set A lexandre D um as (Senior) is quoted, as m entioning in
ablaze t.he fire upon th e altar, and lit up every m erlon upon bis work Travels i n the Caucasus th a t d u ring his visit to
th e walls. Then, in order that it should b urn th e b rig h t­ A ttesh-G ag, he found in one of the cells of.the Zoroastrian
er, ho called forth th e four winds and ordered them to cloister " two H in d u idols” 11 W ith o u t forgetting tb e cha­
blow th o flame in every direction. To this day, B aku ritable dictum : Do, m o rtu is n il n isi bonum , we cannot
is know n u nder its prim itive nam e of “ Baadey-ku-bfi,” refrain from rem inding th e correspondent of our esteem ed
which m eans literally tho g ath erin g of winds. _ contem porary of a fact which no reader of th e novels of the
T h e o th er legend, which is b u t a continuation of the brillian t F rench w riter o u ght to be ignorant of; nam ely,
above, runs th u s : F o r countless ages, th e devotees of th a t for th e variety .and inexhaustible stock of historical
M ithra worshiped a t his shrine, u n til Zarat.lmst.ra, descend­ fa c ts, evolved o u t of th e abysmal d epths of his own cons­
ing from heaven in th e shape of a “ Golden S tar,” tran s­ ciousness, even th e im m ortal Baron M unchausen was hardly
formed him self into a m an. and began teaching a new doc­ his equal. T he sensational narrative of his tig er-h u n tin g
trine. H e sung th e praises of th e ( )ne b u t T riple god,— the in M ingrelia, where, since th e days of N oah, th ere never
suprem e E ternal, th e incomprehensible; essence “ Zervana- was a tiger, is y e t fresh in th e m em ory of his readers.
A kerene," w hich em an atin g from itself “ Prim eval L ight,”
th e la tte r in its tu rn produced A hura-M azda. B u t this “ T H E L IG H T O F A S IA ” +
process required th a t the “ Prim eval O n e ” should previously
absorb in itself all th e lig h t from t he fiery M ithra, and thus A s TOI-D IN VERSE BY AN INDIAN BUDDHIST.
left th e poor god despoiled of a lib is brightness, posing A tim ely work in poetical form, and one whose subject—
his rig h t of undivided suprem acy. M ithra, in despair, and perfect though th e outw ard clothing be— is sure to pro­
instigated by his A hriinanian nature, an n ih ilated him self voke discussion and b itte r criticisms, has ju s t m ade its
for th e tim e being, leaving A hrim an alone, to fight o u t his appearance. I t is inscribed to “ T he Sovereign G rand M aster
quarrel w ith Ormazd, th e best way he could. H ence, the and C om panions of th e S ta r of India,” and th e author,
prevailing D u ality in n atu re since th a t tim e u n til M ithra Mr. Edw in A rnold C. S. I., late Principal of th e Deccan
re tu rn s; for he prom ised to his faithful devotees to come College a t Poona, having passed some years in India, has
back some day Only since then, a series of calam aties fell evidently studied his them e con amore. In his Preface
upon th e Fire-w orshipers. Tho last of these was th e in ­ he expresses a hope th a t th e present work and h i s “ ‘In dian
vasion of th e ir country by th e Moslems in th e 7 th century, Song of Songs’ will preserve th e m em ory of one who
w hen these fanatics commenced m ost cruel persecutions loved In d ia and th e In d ian peoples.” T he hope is well
against th e Behedin. D riven away, from every quarter, grounded, for if any W estern poet has earned th e rig h t to
th e G ucbrcs found refuge b u t in th e province of K erm an, grateful rem em brance by A siatic nations and is destined
and in th e city of Yezd. T hen followed heresies. Many to live in th e ir m em ory, it is th e au th o r of th e “ L ig h t of
of the Zoroastrians, abandoning th e faith of th e ir fore­ A sia”.
fathers, becam e M oslem s; others, in th e ir unquenchable T he novelty, and, from a C hristian standpoint, th e
h atred for th e new rulers, joined th e ferocious Koords and distastefulness of th e m ode of trea tm e n t of th e subject
becam e devil, as well as fire, worshipers. T hese are the seems to have already taken ono reviewer’s b reath away.
Yezids. The whole religion of (lies'! stran g e sectarians,— D escribing th e volum e as “ gorgeous in yellow and gold ”
w ith th e exception of a few who have more weird rites, he th in k s th e book “ chiefly valuable as...com ing from one
which are a secret to all b u t to them selves— consists in
th e following. As soon as th e m orning suu appears, they • Mr. G ra tta n Geary in his recen t highly valuable and interestin g work
“ Through A siatic T urkey" (London, Sampson Law & Co.) rem arks of th e
place th e ir tw o th u m b s crosswise one upon th e other, kiss Guebres of Yozd “ i t is said, th a t thero are only 5,000 of them all told.”
th e symbol, and touch w ith them th e ir brow in reveren­ Hut ns his inform ation was gleaned while travelling rapidly th ro u g h th e
tial silence. T h en they salute: th e sun and tu rn back country, he was ap p aren ty m isinform ed in this instance. P erhaps, it was
m onnt to convey the idea to him th a t there woro b u t 5,000 in and about
into th e ir tents. T hey believe in th e power of th e Devil, Yozd a t tho tim e of his visit. I t ie the habit of this people to sc atter them -
dread it, and pro p itiate th e “ fallen angel ” by every m e a n s; solves all over th e country in th o com m encem ent of th e sum m er se&son in
scarch of work.
g e ttin g very angry w henever they h ear him spoken of + “ Tho L ight of Asia : or th e G roat denunciation (Mnh&bhinislikramana),
disrespectfully by eith er a M ussulm an or a C hristian. M ur­ Tho Lifo nnd Teachings of G autam a, Prince of Judin and F ounder of Bud­
ders have been com m itted by them on account of such dhism. As told in verse by an Indian Buddhist. By Edwin Arnold, M. A ,
F. It. G. S ,C . S. I. F orm erly Principal of th e Deccan College, Poona, and
irrev eren t talk, b u t people have becom e m ore p ru d e n t of late. Follow of tho U niversity of Bombay. London : TrUbner U. Co.
O ctobcr, 1879.) T II E
who d u rin g a long residence in In d ia im bued his m ind
w ith B uddhistic philosophy.” This, he adds, “ is no cri­
ticism of a religion supposed to be false, b u t th e sym pa­
th e tic presen tm en t of a religion so m uch of w hich is tru e
as fr o m the m o u th o f a votary (sic).” By m any, Mr.
A rnold’s “ im aginary B uddhist votary ” of th e Preface, is
identified w ith th e au th o r himself’; who now— to quote
ngain his critic— “ comes out in his tru e colours.” W e
are glad of i t ; it is a rare com plim ent to pay to any w riter
of this generation, whose perem ptory instincts lead b u t
too m any to sail u n d er any colours b u t th e ir own. F or
our part, we regard th e poem as a really rem arkable spe­
cimen of literary talen t, replete w ith philosophical th o u g h t
and religious feeling—-just th e book, in short, we needed
in our period of Science o f R elig io n — and th e general
toppling of an cien t gods.
T he M iltonic verse of th e poem is rich, simple, y e t power­
ful, w ithout any of those m etaphysical innuendoes a t th e
expense of clear m eaning which th e subject m ig h t seem to
beg, and which is so m uch favored by some of our m odern
English poets. T here is a singular b eauty and a force in the
whole narrative, th a t hardly characterizes o th er recent
poems— Mr. B row ning’s idyl, th e “ Pheidippides,” for one,
which in its uncouth hero— th e A rcadian goat-god, offers
such a sad contrast to th e g en tle H in d u Saviour. J a r as
it may on C hristian ears, th e th em e chosen by Mr. Arnold
is ono of th e gran d est possible. I t is as w orthy of his
pen, as th e p oet has showed him self w orthy of th e subject.
T here is a u n ity of O riental colouring in tb e descriptive
portion of th e work, a tru th fu ln ess of m otive evinced in
the m asterly h andling of B u d d h a’s character, which are
as precious as u n iq u e ; inasm uch as th ey p resen t this
character for th e first tim e in th e history of W estern lite ra ­
ture, in th e to tality of its u n ad u lterated beauty. T he
moral grand eu r of th e hero, th a t Prince of royal blood,
who m ight have been th e “ Lord of Lords,” y et
“ .......................................... let the ricli world slip
O ut of hia grasp, to hold a beggar’s bowl,”
and th e developm ent of his philosophy, th e fru it of years of
solitary m editation and struggle w ith th e m ortal “ Self,” are
exquisitively portrayed. Toward th e end th e poem cul­
m inates in a triu m p h a n t cry of all n atu re ; a universal hym n
at th e sig h t of th e W orld-liberating soul
“ ............................. of the Saviour of th e W orld,
Lord Buddha—P rince Sidd&rtha styled on earth,
In E arth , aud H eaveu and H ell incomparable,
All-hououred, W isest, Best, most P itifu l;
The T eacher of NirvHua and tlio Law.”
W hatever th e subsequent fate of all th e w orld’s re li­
gions and th e ir founders, th e nam e of G au tam a Buddha,
or S akya M uni,* can never be forgotten ; it m u st always
live in th e h earts o f m illions of votaries. H is touching
history— th a t of a daily and hourly self-abnegation during
a period of nearly eighty years, has found favour w ith
every one who has studied his history. W h en one sear­
ches th e world’s records for th e purest, th e h ig h est ideal
of a religious reformer, h e seeks no fu rth e r a fte r read ing
this B uddha’s life. I n wisdom, zeal, h u m ility, p u rity of
life and th o u g h t; in ardor for th e good of u n an k in d ; in
provocation to good deeds, to toleration, ch arity an d g en ­
tleness, B uddha excels other m en as th e lliin m d lay as excel
other peaks in height. Alone am ong tb e founders of re ­
ligions, ho had no word of m alediction nor even reproach
for those who differed w ith his views. H is doctrines are
the em bodim ent of universal love. N o t only o u r p h i­
lologists— cold anatom ists of tim e-honoured creeds who
scientifically dissect th e victim s of th e ir critical analysis
—but even those who are prepossessed ag ain st his faith,
have ever found b u t words of praise for G autam a. N o ­
thing can be h ig h er or p u re r th an his social and m oral
code. “T h a t m oral code” says Max M uller, (“ B uddhism ”) -f-
taken by itself is one of th e m ost perfect which th e world
lias ever know n.” In his work “ Le B ouddha e t sa R eli-
• Ho belonged to th o fam ily of tho S&kyas, who wore descendants of v&ku by tho perm ission of tho sago K apila, whence tho name." He also
Ikskwlku and form ed one of tho num erous branchos of tho Solar dynasty ; gives another version “ to the effect th a t KapilavastA m eans yellow itacllhu/,
the rnco which enterod In d ia ab o u t 2,300 yoars B . 0. “ according' to the epic aud vellow...... is th e distinctive colour of tho principality ; and honce it
poems of India. M u n i m oans a saint or ascotic, honco—Sakyaim m i.”
f Chips from ft Gorman Workshop, vol. 1, p. 217.
T H E 0 S 0 P II I S T .
gion ” (p o) B arthelem y St. H ilaire reaches th e clim ax of
reverential praise. H e does not " hesitate to s a y ’’ th a t
“ am ong th e founders of religions th ere is no figure more
pure or more touching th a n th a t of Buddha. H is life
hus not a s ta in upon it. H is constant heroism equals
his convictions...H e is th e perfect model of all th e v ir­
tues he p re ach es; his abnegation and charity, his in a lte r­
able gentleness, never forsake him for an in s ta n t’’...A n d ,
when his end approaches, it is in tbe arm s of his disciples
th a t he dies, “ w ith th e serenity of a.sage who practiced good
during his whole life, and who is sure to have found—
the tru th .” So tru e is it, th a t even the early Rom an
Catholic saint-m akcrs, w ith a flippant unconcern for detec­
tion by posterity characteristic of th e early periods of
C hristianity, claim ed him as one of th e ir converts, and,
u nder the pseudonym of S t. Josaphat, registered him in
th eir “ Golden Legend ” and “ M artyrology ” as an ortho­
dox, beatified C atholic saint. A t th is very day, th ere
stands in Palerm o, a church dedicated to B uddha under
the nam e of Divo Josaphat. * I t is to th e discovery of
th e B u ddhist canon, and th e Sacred H istorical Books
o f Oeylon— p artially tran slated from the ancient Pali by
th e Hon. J. T u m o u r ; and especially to the able tra n s­
lation of “ L alita-V istara” by th e learned Babn R ajend-
r&lal M ittra— th a t we owe nearly all we know of th e tru e
life of this wonderful being, so aptly nam ed by our p re ­
sent author, “ T he L ig h t of A sia.” A nd now, poetry w reaths
his grave w ith asphodels.
Mr. Arnold, aa he tells us him self in th e Preface, has
tak en his citations from Spence H ard y ’s work, and has also
modified more th a n one passage in th e received narrative.
H e lias sought, lie says, “ to depict the life and character,
and indicate the philosophy of th a t noblo hero and refor­
mer, Prince G autam a of India,’’ and rem inds his readers
th a t a generation ago “ little or nothing was known in
Europe of this g re at faith of Asia, which had nevertheless
existed du rin g 2 t centuries, and a t this day surpasses, in
the num ber of its followers and the area of its prevalence
any other form of creed. F o u r hundred and seventy m il­
lions of our race live and die in th e tenets of G a u ta m a ...”
whose “ sublim e teaching is stam ped ineftaceably” even
“upon m odern B rah m an ism .. .More than a th ird of m ankind,
therefore, owe th e ir m oral and religious ideas to this
illustrious prince, whose perso n ality ...can n o t b u t appear
the highest, gentlest, holiest and m ost b eneficient...in th e
history of T h o u g h t...N o single act or word m ars tho perfect
p u rity and tenderness of th is Indian te a c h e r...” W e will
now explain some of th e sacred legends under review as
we proceed to quote them .
G autam a, also called S av arth a-S id d h a—abreviated to
Siddh& rtha according to th e T hibetans by his father, whose
wish (&rtha) had been a t last fulfilled (siddha)— was born
in G2-i B. C. a t Kapilavastu/f* I t was on the very spot on
which now stands th e town of N agara, near th e river
Ghoghra, a t th e foot of th e m ountains of N epaul, and
about a hundred m iles north of B enares th a t he passed
his early boyhood, and youth. H is birth, like th a t of all
founders, is claim ed to have been miraculous. B uddah—
th e highest W isdom, which w aits “ thrice ten thousand
years,” th en lives again, having determ ined to help th e
world, descended from on high, and w ent down—
“............................. am ong th e S&kyas
U n d er the southw ard snows of Ilim aluy
W here pious people live aud a ju s t king.
* See Spaculuoi IlistorlaU, by V incent do Roauvais, X III contury. Max
Miiller affirms tho sto ry of this transform ation of th e g reat founder of
Buddhism into one of the num berless Popish Saints. Soo Homan M aiiyro-
logy p 34 8 —Colonel Yule tells us {CunUiupoiuny H ttU v p. 688, Ju ly , 1870'i
th a t this btory of D&rlaarn aud Jo sa p h a t was set forth l>y tho com m and of
Pope Gregory X III. revised by th a t of Pope U rban V III. and tran slated
from L atin into English by G. K. of t i e Society of Jesus.
*t* The learned Dr. J . Gorson da Cunha, Member of tho Royal Asiatio
Society, Bombay, tells us in a 'M e m o ir of tho H istory of the Tooth*Relic
of Ceylon," th a t K apila. “ o f a p a r to f which tho fath er of Buddlm was king,
and trib u ta ry to th a t of Kosala, was b u ilt by tho departed sons of Iksh*
may havo boon adopted a.s the badge of tho B uddhist, who arc somotimca
spoken of as of tho yollow religion.”
 T h a t night the wife of king SuddhGdana,
Maya the Queen. asleep br«ide her Lord,
Dreamed a strange dream ; dream ed th at,a sta r from heaven—
Splendid, six rayed, in colour rosv-pear),
Shot through the void and, shining into her,
E ntered her womb upon the rig h t.....................”
T he A v a ta r is born turning n thousand wonders. Asitn
th e gray-haired snint, conics,— significantly like old S im ­
eon,— to bless tlic Divine Babe, and exclaims :
O Babe ! I worship ! Thou a rt H e !
....................................................... Thou a r t Bnddh,
Anil thou wilt preach the Law and save all flesh
W ho learn the Law, though I shall never hear,
D ying too soon, who lately longed to die ;
Jlowbeit 1 hate men Thee.............. *
T he child grows ; and his fu tu re ta ste for ail ascetic life
appears clearly in the contem plative mood winch he exhi­
bits from his very boyhood. A ccording to th e prophecy of
Asita, who tolls tho “ sw eet Q u een ’’ th a t henceforth she
has “ grow n too sacred for morn w o o "...th e m o th er dies
"o n th e seventh evening” nil or th e b irth of G autam a, a
painless d e a th ...
“ Queen Maya smiling slept, and walked 110 more,
Fassing content to T rfiyastrinshas—Heaven.
'Where counties? Devas worship her and w ait
A ttendant on th a t rad ian t M otiikkiiood . . . v
A t e ig h t years of age. th e young Gautam a, conquers
in learned disputations all th e (Inriis nnd Acharvas. H e
knows w ithout ever having learned th e Scriptures, every
sacred scrip t and nil the sciences. W hen he is eighteen,
th e king, his father, frightened a t the prophecy th a t his
only son is to become th e destroyer of all the old gods,
tries to find a rem edy for it. in a bride . Indifferent to the
hosts of beauties invited to the palace th e P rince “ to the
surprise of all. takes (ire a t first glance”of a radiant, Sakya
girl, his own cousin, Y asodhara, idso called “ Gopa,” the
(laughter of th e king of Koli. DandapAni ; because, as it is
ultim ately discovered by him self, they knew, and loved
each o th e r in a previous incarnation.
“............................. Wo were not strangers, as to us
A nd all it seemed : in ages long gone l>y
A h u n te r’s son, playing with forest girls
B y Y am un’s springs, whero X andadevi stands,
S ate um pire, while they raced beneath th e fir —
L ike hares.......................................................
................................. ...but, who ran tho Inst
Come first for him, and unto h er th e boy
Gavo a tam e fawn and his heart's love beside.
A nd in the wood they lived many glad years,
And in the wood they undivided died.
T h u s I was he and she YasOdliara ;
A n d while the wheel of b irth and dentil tu rn s round,
T h a t which h ath lieen m ust bo between us tw o.’’
B u t G autam a lias to win his S:\kya bride, for, we are
told th a t— “..................... it was law
W ith Sfikyas. when any asked a m aid
Of noble house, fair and desirable,
li e m u st make good his skill in m artial arts
A gainst all suitors who would challenge it.”
T he P rince conquers th em a l l ; and th e lovely In d ian girl
draw ing
“ The veil of black and gold across h er b ro w .......
Froud pacing past the youths................ ”
hangs on his neck th e fragrant w reath, and is proclaim ed
th e P rin ce’s bride. “ T his veil of black and gold” has a
sym bolic significance, which no one knows a t th e t im e ;
and w hich he learns him self b u t long a fte r w hen enlight-
m en t com es to him. And then, w hen questioned, he u n ­
riddles th e m ystery. T he lesson contained in th is n arra ­ B u t alas, for h u m an precaution ! G autam a’s destiny was-
tive of a P rince having every reason to be proud of his iin th e power of th e Devas. W hen th e K ing’s vigilance
birth, is as suggestive as th e verse is picturesque. I t relates was
’ relaxed, and th e Prince perm itted to go outside th e
to tho metem psychosis— th e evolution of m odern science! palaces] for a drive,
“ And the w orld-honoured answ ered................ “ ‘ Y ea ’ spake tlio careful K ing” 'Its time he see !
‘ I now remember, m yriad rains ago,
# Com pare Luke 11. Y .2 5 —30. “ f,or»l n n w lc tto st thou th y se rv an t d e p a rt
in pence.,..••for mine- eye* hive seen thy salvation," exclaims uld Simeonn,
W h a t tim e I roamed ITimAla’s hanging woods,
A ti«'er. with my striped and hungry kind ;
I, who am R uddh, couched in the K usa grass
A m id th e beasts th a t were mv fellows then,
M et in deep jungle or by reedy jheel,
A t igress, comeliest of the forest, set
The males a t war ; h er hide was lit with gold, ■
Blaek-broidered like the veil YasOdhara
W on for me ; h o t the strife waxed in th a t wood
W ith tooth and claw, while underneath n neem
The fair beast watched 119 bleed, thus fiercely wooed.
A nd I rem em ber, a t the end she came
Snarling pa-st th is and th a t torn forest-lord
W hich I nad conquered, and w ith fawning jaws
Licked m y quick-heaving flank, and with me w ent
In to the wild w ith proud steps, am orously............
The wheel of b irth and death turns low and high.’’
A nd fu rth er on, we find again th e following lines upon th e
same question, lines to which n eith er a ICabalist,Pythago­
rean, a S hakespeare’s H am let, nor vet Mr. D arw in could
tak e exception. T hey describe th e m ental state of th e
Prince when, finding nothing stable, nothing real upon
earth, and ever pondering upon the dreary problem s of life
and death, he determ ines upon sacrificing him self for m an­
kind ; none of whom, w h eth er V ishnu, Shiva, S u ry a or
any o ther god, can ever save from
“ The aches of life, th e stings of love and loss,
The fiery fever and the ague-shake
T he slow, dull, sinking into withered age,
The horrible d ark death - a n d w hat beyond
W a its—till the w hirling wheel conies up again,
A nd new lives b rin g new sorrows to be borne,
New generations for th e new desires ■
W hich have th eir end in tho old mockeries ?
... O ur S criptures tru ly seem to teach,
T h a t— once, and wheresoe’er and whence begun—
Life runs its rounds of living, climbing up
F rom mote, and gnat, aud worm, reptile and fish,
Bird and shagged beast, man, demon, (leva, god,
To clod and note again ; so are we kin
To all th a t is................ ”
D reading th e consequences of such a train of thought,
S uddhodana builds th re e luxurious palaces, one within
the other, and confines the princely couple in i t ; when,
“ The king commanded th a t w ithin those walls
N o m ention should be made of death or age,
Sorrow, or pain, or sickness.................................
A nd every dawn th e dying rose was plucked,
The dead leaves hid, all evil sights rem oved :
F or said th e K ing, “ If he shall pass his youth
F a r from such things as move to wistfulness,
A nd brooding 011 th e em pty eggs of thought,
T he shadow of th is fate, too vast for man,
May fade, belike, and I shall see him grow
To th a t g reat statu re of fair sovereignty
W hen he shall rule all lands—if lie will rule—
The K ing of kings and glory of his tim e.”
W herefore, around th a t pleasant prison-house—
W here love was gaoler ami delights its bars,
H ut far removed from sight— th e King bade build
A massive wall, and in the wall a gate
W ith brazen folding-doors, which b u t to roll
Back 011 th e ir hinges asked an hundred arm s ;
Also the noise of th a t prodigious pate
Opening, was heard full ha If a yOjana.
A nd inside this another gate he made, .
A ud y et w ithin another—through the three
M ust one pass if he q u it th a t l ’loasure-house.
T hree m ighty gates th ere were. 1Kilted aud barred,
A nd over each was set a faithful watch ;
A nd th e K ing’s order said, “ Suffer 110 man
To pass th e gates, though he should be the P rince ;
T his 011 your lives—even though it be iny so n .”
B u t let the criers go ab o u t and bid
My city deck itself, so thero be m et
N o noisome sig h t; and let 110110 blind or maimed,
None th a t is sick or stricken deep in years,
No leper, and no feeble folk come forth ...''
O ctober, 187!).] T IT li T II E 0 S 0 P I I I S T . 2.1

And yet, th e first th in g th a t m e t th e eye of G autam a, To tread its paths with p atient, stainless feet,
Making its dusty lied, its loveliest wastes
w as:— My dwelling, and its m eantst things my m a te s:
“ An old, old man, whose shrivelled skin, sun-tanned, Clad in no prouder garb than outcasts wear,
Clung like a beast’s hide to his flesldess bones ; Fed with no meals save w hat the charitable
B ent was his back with load of m any days, (live of th eir will, sheltered by no more pomp
Thau tho dim cave lends or tlio jungle-bush.
W agging w ith palsy.....................One skinny hand This will I do because the woful cry
Clutched a worn staff to prop his quavering limbs, Of life and all flesh living conietli up
In to my ears, and all my soul is full
‘A lm s ’! m oaned he, ‘give, good people ! for 1 die Of pity for the sickness of this world ;
To-morrow or the next day ........ W hich I will heal, if healing may be found
By uttoim ost renouncing and strong strife ...
I t was a Deva, who had assum ed th a t form of suffering
hum anity. H orrified a t th e sight, th e P rince rode back, Oh, sum m oning stars ! I come ! Oh, m ournful earth !
and cave him self entirely to bis sad reflexions. A nd th a t For thee and thine I lay aside my youth,
night, My throne, iny joys, my golden days, my nights,
M y happy palace and thinu arms, sweet Queen !
“ Lulled on tlie dark breasts of Yas6dhnrn, H ard er to p u t aside than all the re st!
H er fond hands funning slow his sleeping lids, Y et thee, too, 1 shall save saving, this e a rth ........
H e would sta rt up and cry, *My world ! Oh, world ! M y child, the hidden blossom of our loves.
I hear ! 1 know ! 1 come ! ’ A nd she would a-sk, W hom if I wait to bless my mind will fail.
‘ W hat ails my Lord i ’ with large eyes terror-struck ; W ife ! child ! father ! and people ! ye m ust share
F o r a t such tim es the pity in his look A lilt.'c while the anguish of th is hour
W as awful and his visage like a g o d 's....... ” T h at light m ay break and all flesh learn the Law ! ........
“ T he voices of th e spirits," th e “ w andering winds,” and
the D evas ever sung to him, m u rm u rin g softly in his ears
Thou to the saddle lightly leaping, he
df the sorrows of m ortal life, which is— Touched the arched crest, and K nnlaka sprang forth
" A moan, a sigh, a sob, a storm, a strife." 1 W ith arm ed hoofs sparkling on the stones and rin<<-
Yea ! " who shall .shut out F a te .1 Of cham ping bit ; but none did hem- that sound,
For th a t the Suihlha Devas, gathering nour,
G autam a is again moved to see the world boyond the , l'luckcd the red mohra-flowers and strewed them thick
gates of his jialaces, and m eets with a [toor w retch stricken U n d er his tread. ..w h ile bauds invisible
by a deadly p la g u e ; and finally, w ith a bamboo bier, on Muffled the ringing b it and bridle chains.
which lay stretch ed — B u t when they leached th e gate
Of tripled brass—which ln rd ly livescore men
“........S tark and stiff, feet foremost, lean, Served to unbar and open—1<> ! the doors
Chapfallen, flightless, hollow-flunked, agrin, ltolled back all silently, though ono m ight hear
Sprinkled with red and yellow d u st—the D ead,........” In daytim e two koss oil' tho thounderous roar
whom tho m ourners curried, to w here a pile was b u ilt Of those grim hinges and unwieldy plates.
near a stream , and im m ediately set— Also th e m iddle and outer gates
“ The red flame to the cornel's four, which crept, Unfolded each th eir m onstrous portals th u s
A nd licked, and flickered, finding out his flesh In silcuco os Sidd&rtha and his steed
A nd feeding on it with sw ift hissing tongues, Drew n ear ; while underneath th eir shadow lay,
A nd crackle of parched skin, and snap of jo in t; Silent as dead men, all those chosen guards_
Till tho fat smoko thinned and th e ashes sank Tho lance and sword lot full, the shields unbraced
S c a rh t and grey, with hero and there a bona Captains and soldiers- for there camo a wind,
W hite m idst the grey—Tnu totai. of tiik man ... Drowsier than blows o’er Malwa’s fields of sleep.
Then spake the l ’rince : ‘ Is this th e end which comes Before tho P rince's path, which, being breathed
To all who live ? Lulled every sense uswoou ; and so he passed
‘This is the end th a t comes, Freo from th e pulace.’’
To nil ’ quoth C hanna ;........th e P rince’s charioted-.
«.................. .............. Oh suffering world,
.............. I would not let ono cry A sacred legend is interw oven in the poem, which does
W hom I could save ! How cau it be th a t Br.dim not belong properly to th e lilb of G autam a B uddha b u t
W ould make a world and keep it m iserable, p ertains to tho legendary m yths of the m onastic poetry
Siuce, if all-powerful, he leaves it so, of B uddhism — th e J a takas, or the previous transm igrations
H e his not good, and if not powerful, of th e Prince S id dhartha. It is so touching, and the Indian
H e his n o t god ! ... C hanna! lead homo again !
It is enough ! mine eyes have seen enough !”................drought so m asterfully described th a t we quote a few lines
from it. A spot is yet shown a t A ttock, near Benares, where
During th a t night, tho Princess Y asodhara, has a fearful th e Prince moved to an inexpressible pity by the lium 'cr
dream— of a tigress and her cubs and, having nothing else to give—
“ In slum ber 1 beheld three sights ofd ren d , gave her his own body to d e v o u r! ...
W ith thought whereof my h eart is throbbing y et,"........
“ D rought w ithered all tho land : the youii" rieo died
She tells h e r lord she beard a Kre it could liido a tpiail ; iu forest glades
“ ................................. voice of fear A fierce suu suoked the pools ; grasses anil herbs
Crying ‘ T he tim e is nigh ! the tim e is nigh ! Sickened, and all the wuodland creatures fled
T hereat the third dream came ; for when I sought Scattering for sustenance. A t such a time,
T hy side, sweet Lord ! ah, ou our bed there lay Between the hot walls of a nullah, stretched
An im pressed pillow and an em pty ro b e -- On nakod stones, our Lord spied, as he passed
N othing of thee but those ; ........................................ ” A starving tigress. H unger in her oil*s ’
Tho tim e was come indeed. T h a t very night, the Prince (liar, d with green flame ; her d ry tongue lolled a span
Beyond the grasping jaw s and shrivelled jowl ;
is represented as giving up for m ankind more th a n his H er [minted hide hniig wrinkled on her ribs,
throne and glory— more than his m ortal life, for he sacri­ A s when lietween th e rafters sinks a thatch
fices his very h e a rt’s blood, tho m other of his unborn babe. Dntteii with rains ; and a t the poor lean ihi"s
The scene of th e d ep artu re is one of th e m ost m asterly of Two cubs, whining w ith famine, tugged and°suekcd.
M um bling-those milkless tea ts which rendered noii'dit
tho whole poem. Siddh&rtha has q u ieted his young w'ife W hile she, th eir g aunt dam, lieketl full m otherly ° '
and watches over her, b u t Tho clamorous tw ins, yielding her (lank to them
“ .............................with tho whispers of the gloom W ith moaning thro at, and love stronger than want
Cornu to his ears again th a t m orning song, Softening the first of th a t wild cry w herewith ’
A>i when tho Dovas spoke upon tho wind ! She laid her fam ished muzzle to the sand,
And surely gods were round aliout the place And roared a savage thumler-|>eal of woe.
W atching our Lord, who w atched the shining stars. Seeing which b itte r strait, and heeding uought
‘ I will depart,’ he spake ; ‘ th e hour is came ! “ .Save the immense compassion of a liuddh
Our Lord bethought, “T here is no other w ay ’
My Chariot shall not roll with bloody wheels To help this m urderess of the woods but one,
From victory to victory, till earth By sunset these will die, having no meat ; ’
Wears the ltd record of my lmnie, I choosy There is uo living heart will pity her, ’
 I’.looily with ravin, lean for lack of blood.
Lo ! if I feed her, who shall lose b u t I,
A nd how can love lose doing of its kind
Kven to the utterm o st !” So saying, J!uddh
Silently laid aside sandals and stall',
N is sacred thread, turban, and cloth, and ram c
Forth from behind the milk-bush on (lie sand,
Saving, “ No ! mother, here is m eat for th e e !'1
AVliereatthe perishing beast yelped hoarse and shrill,
Sprang from her cubs, and, hurling to the e arth
T h at willing victim, had h e r feast Jof him
"With all the crooked daggers of h er claws
Bonding his flesh, and all her yellow fangs
B athed in his blood : tlio g reat cat's bu rn in g b reath
M ixed w ith tho last sigh of such fearless love. ...”
“ Purify the m in d : abstain from vice ami practice virtue’
is the essence of B uddhism . G au tam a preached his first
.sermon in the Gazell-grove, n ear Benares. L ike all other
founders,"lie is tem pted and comes out victorious. The
snare of M ara ( th e deity of sin, love, and d e a t h ) are u n ­
a v a ilin g . H e comes off a conqueror.
The ten chief Sins cam e—M ara's m ighty ones,
Angels of evil- A ttavftda first,
T he Sin of self, who in th e U niverse
A s in a m irror sees h er fond face shown,
A nd crying " 1 " would have the world say “ I,”
A nd all things perish so if she endure.
B u t quoth our Lord, “ Thou h ast no p art with me,
False Visikitcha, subtlest of m an’s foes.”
A nd third came she who gives dark creeds th eir power,
Sllabbat-paramilsa, sorceress.
D inped fair iu many lauds as lowly Faith.
H ut ever juggling souls w ith rites and prayers ;
Tho keeper of tluiso keys which lock up lle lls
A nd open Heavens. “ W ilt thou dare,” she said,
“ I’ul t>v our sacred books, dethrone our gods,
Unpeople all the temples, shaking down
T h at law which feeds th e priests and props the realms ?’’
B u t Buddha answered, “ W hat thou bidd’s t me keep
Is form which passes, b u t the free T ru th sta n d s;
(le t thee unto th y darkness.'1 N ex t th ere drew
(iallantly nigh a braver Tem pter, he,
Kama, the K ing of passions.
. « * * # *
B u t even K am a-dhatu (the love principle) has no hold
upon th e holy ascetic. R ested for seven years, by the river
N airanjan a, entirely abstracted in m editation under bis
B adhi-tree, in th e forest of Uruwela, lie had already half­
raised him self to th e tru e condition of a Buddha. H e
has long ceased paying a tte n tio n to th e m ere form— the
R u p a........ And, though the "L ords of H e ll” had descended
them selves
“ To tem pt the Muster.
l!u t Buddh heeded not,
S ittin g serene, w ith perfect virtue walled,
lor, on th is very night.
............................. “ In th e th ird watch,
The earth being still, the hellish legions fled,
A soft air breathing from the sinking moon.
O ur Lord attained ,Samma-&ambiul<l/< ; he saw
By light which shines beyond our m ortal keu
The lino of all his lives in all the worlds,
F a r back and farth er back and farthest yet,
Five hundred lives and fifty..................................
.......................................................Also B uddha saw
llo w new life reaps w hat tho old life did sow ...
..........................................A nd iu the middle watch
O ur Lord attained A bhidjna—insight vast
B ut when the fourth watch came the secret camo
Of sorrow, which with evil m ars tho law ........... ”
A nd then follows the m agnificent enum eration of all
the evils of life, of birth, growth, decay, and selfishness ; of
A v id y a — or D e lu sio n ; S an h lid ra— perverse tendencies;
N a r n a r d p a or th e local form of th e being born, and so on,
till ka rm a or th e sum total of th e soul, its deeds, its
th o u g h ts ............ I t was on th a t n ig h t th a t th e Reformed,
though alive and y et of th is world reached th e last P ath
to N irvana, which leads to th a t suprem e sta te of th e m ind
w hen.................
“ The aching craze to live ends, nnd life glides—
Lifeless—to nameless quiet, nameless joy,
Blessed N irvana—Biuless, stirless rest —
T h at change which never changes !”
................ Lo th e Dawn ?
S prang with B uddli's Y ietory...
So glad the W orld w as—though it w ist not why—
T h a t over desolate wastes w ent swooning songs
Of m irth, th e voice of bodiless P rets and B liuts
Foreseeing Buddh ; and Devas in the air
Cried “ I t is tinished, finished ! ” and the priests
Stood with th e wondering people in th e streets
AVatching those golden splendours flood the sky
A nd saying “ T here h ath happed some m ighty thing.”
A lso in Ran and Ju n g le grew th a t day
F riendship am ongst th e creatures ; spotted deer
Browsed fearless where the tigress fed her cubs,
A nd elieethas lapped the pool beside the bucks ;
U n d er th e eagle’s rock the brown hares scoured
W hile his fierce beak b u t preened an idle wing ;
Tho snake sunned all his jewels in the beam
AVith deadly fangs in sheath ; the shriko let pass
The nestling-finch ; the emerald halcyons
Sate dream ing while tho fishes played beneath,
N or hawked th e merops, though the butterflies—
Crimson and blue and am ber— flitted thick
A round his perch ; the S p irit of our Lord
Lay potent upon man and bird and beast,
Even while he mused u n d er th a t BAdhi-tree,
Glorified w ith th e Conquest gained for all
A nd lightened by a L ight greater th an Day's.
“ Then ho arose—radiant, rejoicing, stro n g —
Beneath the Tree, and lifting high his voice
Spoke this in hearing of all Times and W orlds......
M any a house of Life
H a th held me— seeking ever him who wrought
These prisons of th e senses, so rro w -frau g h t;
Sore was my ceaseless strifo !
B ut now
Thou B uilder of this Tabernae.lc—Thou !
I know Thee, never shalt thou build again
These walls of pain,
Broken thy house is, and the ridge-jKilo split.!
D elusion fashioned it !
Safe pass I thence— Deliverance to obtain.
“ I t is difficult to be rich and learn the w a y ’’...used
say th e m aster. B u t “ my law is one of grace for all,...for
rich and poor...com e to mo, and I will raise A rhats above
th e gods”...O b e d ie n t to bis call, m illions upon millions
have followed th e Lord expecting th e ir rew ard through
no o ther m ediator th a n a course of undeviating virtue,
an unw avering observance of th e p ath of duty. W e m ust
bear in m ind th a t B uddhism from its beginning has
changed the m oral aspect of not only India b u t of nearly
the whole of A s ia ; and th a t, breaking up its m ost cruel
customs, it becam e a blessing to the cotitless m illions of
the E ast— of our brothers. I t was a t th e ripe age of
three score and ten, th a t B uddha felt his end approach­
ing. H o was then close to K usinagara (Kasia) near one
of the branches of th e Ganges called A teliiravati, when
feeling tired he seated him self u n der a canopy of sal trees.
T urning his eyes in th e direction of R&gagriha th e capi­
tal of M agadha lie had m urm ured prophetically th e day
b e fo re: “ T his is tb e last tim e th a t I see th is city and
th e throne of diam onds,” and, his propheey becam e ac­
complished a t th e following dawn. H is vital stren g th
failed, an d — he was no more. H e had indeed reached
N irvana.
II The B uddha died, the great Tathflgato,
Even as man ’niongst men, fulfilling all :
A nd how a thousand thousand crores since then
N avo trod th e P a th which leads w hither ho w ent
U n to N i r v a n a where the Silence Lives,"
N o need of rem ark in g th a t Mr. A rnold’s views are
those of m ost of th e O rientalists of to-day, who have, at
last, arrived a t th e conclusion th a t N irv an a— w hatever it
may m ean philologieally— philosophically and logically is
an ything b u t a n n ih ila tio n . T he views ta k e n in th e poem
— says th e au th o r— of “ N irvana,” “ D ltarm a,” “ K h arm a”
and the o th er chief features of Buddhism , a r e ...th e fruits
of considerable study, nnd also of a firm conviction, th a t a
third of m ankind would never have been b ro u g h t to b e­
lieve in blank abstraction, or in N othingness as th e issue
and crown of B eing.” Tho poem, therefore, cornea ' to a
close w ith th e following fervent a p p e a l:—
“ Ah ! Blessed Lord ! Oil, High D eliverer !
Forgive th is feeble script, which doth thee wrong,
M easuring with little wit th y lofty Love !
All ! L o v er! B ro th e r! (Snide ! L am p of th e Law !
I tak e m y refuge in T hy name anil Thee !
1 lake my refuge iu thy Law of Good !
1 take m y refuge in th y O rder ! OM J
The dew is on the lotus !—Bise great Sun !
A nd lift my leaf and mix me w ith th e wave.
()m MANi p a DME h u m , the sunrise comes !
T he Dewdrop slips into the shining sea !”
T H E W O R K S O F H IN D U R E L IG IO N A N D
P H IL O S O P H Y M E N T IO N HD IN T H E
B R A H M A Y O JN A .
[W ritte n fo r tlio T hkosoim iist , l>y “ P. ']
One of th e chief objects of th e T heosophist being to ex­
plore the secret wisdom contained in the religious unci philo­
sophical lite ra tu re of th e H indus, it m ay not be useless to
know definitely w hat th e H in d u s consider to be th e princi­
pal works containing th e ir religion and philosophy; works
which, according to trad itio n al belief, are believed to con­
tain “ secret wisdom concealed u n d er pop u lar and often re ­
pulsive m yths,” and to em brace th e philosophy of m uch
th a t is now considered as foolish superstition.
E very tw ice-born H in d u householder or g rih a sth a is re­
q u i r e d to perform every day Punch Mahftyognah, th a t is the
live solemn offerings or devotional acts. T hese are acts of
homage: directed 1. to th e gods; 2. to all beings; to departed
ancestors; 4. to th e R ishis or authors of th e V eda; and .5. to
m en ( 1 . deva-yayna, 2. blm t-yagna, If. p itri-y u t/n a , 4. hrak-
m a-yagna, 5. nutuusltytigiiu ). Of these th e fourth or the
h m h n i'i-ya g n a consists chiefly of th e rep etitio n of the
Veda and o th er recognized works,
T he original in ten tio n appears to have been th a t every
householder should consider it his d u ty to go over a portion
of th e V eda and of oth er works th a t he had studied from
his preceptor durin g th e sta te of Brahm a-ciirin, or bachelor
student. W h at is done a t p resent is th a t a lte r repeating a
portion of th e p articu lar V eda to w hichthc devotee belongs,
the first words of th e o th e r Vedas and of o th e r works are
repeated by him. T hese first words, however, indicate w hat
works have been recognized as necessary to be studied in
the orthodox system of learning th e religion and philosophy
of th e H indus. W e will take th e details of th e B rahm a-
yajnu as repeated by a R ig-vedi B ra h m a n :—
A fter m entally repeating th e sacred syllable Om, the
three V yahritis, and th e Q dyatri, th ree tim es, in a certain
manner, th e w orshiper commences w ith th e ltig-veda
Sam hita, and repeats th e first beginnings of th e u n d er m en ­
tioned works in th e order set forth below: —
] The Big-veda Sam hita.
2 The Rig-veda B rahm ana.
3 The Rig-veda Upauislmds.
4 The Y ajur-veda.
6 The Sim a-veda.
(t The A tharva-veda.
7 T he ASuvalilyana Kalpa Siitra*((Jerem onial directory.) worship” th an is shown in the Vedas as he expounds them ,
8 T he N iru k ta (exposition.)
0 P a n in u VySkarana (grammar.)
10 diksha (phonetic directory.)
11 Jyotisha (astronomy.)
1:2 C'iiaudn (metre.)
]!J N ig h an tu (synonyms.)
14 Indra-giltha.
]3 NSrilsamsi.
16 The V alkya Smi'iti Yfijua.
17 The M filiftbhSrata.
18 Jaim ini Sfltra (The I’flrva MltmTnsil.)
IS) The B rahm a SQtin (The U tta r Mlmausa..
C ertain tex ts of th e R ig-veda are repeated a t th e end, and Veda B hashya should be a t least read by every educated
the B rahm a-yajna is concluded by p ouring out a libation of H indu.
water to th e sp irits of th e departed.
The above list shows w hat th e H in d u s them selves regard
as necessary studies for th e rig h t and com prehensive u n ­
derstanding of th e ir religion and philosophy. * In the
present tim es, a tendency is observable to catch hold of
some one portion of th e H in d u religious literatu re, and to the father of trigonom etry, although they confessedly know
• Mow iimuy of o u r E u ro p o au c o m m u ta to r s c o u ld p n s j th e te s t '.'f c ritic a l
j ro-cioucy |
try to m ake it the sum total of the religion of the H in d u s
Some scholars tak e to th e S am h ita portion of the V edas
b u t discard th e R riihm anannd U panishad portions. T he
B rahm ana portion especially is neglected. I t is looked upon
as “ childish and foolish,” though according to orthodox b e­
lief it is th e only key to the m ystical know ledge contained
in the Vedas. T he au th o r of “Isis U nveiled brings out
this tru th very prom inently. T he U panishads are b e tte r fa­
voured than the B rahm anas, b u t even they do not escape the
epithets of “ puerile” from some quarters. A gain; in the ef­
forts m ade by m odern (W e ste rn ) scholars to in te rp re t tho
Vedas, th ere is too m uch tendency observed to discard old
interpretations, which do not accord w ith modern id<'as. T he
orthodox H indus protest against this. T hey th in k th a t
this is not th e way to do ju stic e nor to arrive a t tru th .
T here ou g h t to be a com prehensive study in the tru e h u m ­
ble S p irit of discovering th e tru th , of all the branches, if
H indu religion and philosophy are to be known in th e ir
true light. T he T iiiiosopnis'r, a t any rate has this aim,
and it is therefore appropriate, a t th e very com m ence­
m ent of its career to point out th e works th a t in th e ortho­
dox system are considered necessary to be known for tho
right understanding of H in d u religion and philosophy.
■A G R E A T M A N ”
W e copy from th e C alcu tta A m r ita U m a r Palril:a, ono
of the ablest anil most influential papers iu India, th e fol­
lowing brief description of th e visit of our revered P an d it
D ayanund Snrasw ati Swami, to A jm ere, as given by Dr.
Husband, the C hristian medical m issionary of th e place :—
“• Large crowds gathered each evening to listen to tho P a n d it’s
exposition of the Ved.is ;a n d although the orthodox H indu was not
a little shocked and the M ussulm an .soon became furious, still all
felt they were in tho presence of a man of rare intellectual powers
— one clear in intellect, subtle iu reasoning, and powerful in appeal.
H is lectures produced a g reat im pression, and the N atives were
excited about religious m atters in a way I have never seen during
my connection with A jm ere ; and it became evident th a t fealty to
tru th dem anded th a t th is supporter of th e Vedas and assailant, of
the C hristian system .should not be left unansw ered. Many young
men in our public oflices and advanced stu d en ts in our colleges, a­
d rift from th eir own religion and not yet safely anchored in another,
were eiilhusiiiatic over the advent of th is new teacher ; and we felt
a solemn and boumlen du ty rested on us to show them and others
th at the P andit's objections could be satisfactorily answered, and
with (Jod’s blessing, to lead them to a [ H ir e r faith and nobler wor­
ship."
T he A m r ita Ba~.ur P atril.a has good reason tor a d d in g :
“ P an d it D ayanund Sarasw ati appears to be really a great
m an,”— even more, perhaps, than it imagines. A nd, since
long experience has so clearly shown th a t B rahm ins re ­
quire only th e average H indu su b tlety uf intellect to g et tlie
b e tte r of th e C hristian m issionary in m etaphysical debate,
it is bold in Dr. H usband, and bis tem peram ent m u st be
of a highly sanguine type, to dream of showing th a t “ tho
P an d it’s objections could be satisfactorily answered.” As
to convincing an actual follower of the Sw am i’s th a t th e
m issionaries can “ lead them to a pu rer faith and nobler
th a t is sim ply impossible.
Those who would be convinced of Swami D ayanund’s
greatness as a scholar and a philosopher should read his
Veda Bltttiihy/i, an ad vertisem ent of which is given else­
where. T he direct and indirect influence of this work in
reviving a taste for Vedic study is very m arked. This, of
itself, en titles its au th o r to th e national g ra titu d e ; for India
will never recover her form er splendour until she retu rn s to
th a t pure religion of the Aryas, which equally ta u g h t w hat
duties man owes to his neighbour and to himself. The.
•
A R Y A N T R IG O N O M E T R Y .
B y D iitu n u th A h n a r a m D alci, M .A., L L .B .
W estern m athem aticians call H ipparchus, the Nica:an,
nothing w hatever about him beyond w hat they find in tho
works of his disciple Ptolem y. B u t H ipparchus is ass’gnetl
to the 2 nd century B. C., and we have th e b est reason in
th e world for know ing tlint trigonomct.y was know n to tlie
ancient. H indus, like m any an o th er science claim ed by ig­
n o ran t W estern w ritera for E gypt, G reece or Rome. These
pretended authorities suggest th a t H ipparchus “ probably
em ployed mechanical contrivances for th e construction of
solid angles” (Art. M athem atics N ew Am. Cyc. X I, 28,‘J ) ; 011
the presum ption th a t th e infant science of trigonom etry was
th e n just being evolved in its ru d est beginnings. B u t I
shall give th e T h e o s o p h i s t ’s readers an an cien t Indian
trigonom etrical rule for finding th e sine of an angle th a t
long an ted ates H ipparchus, and th a t is superior even to
some of th e E uropean rules of o u r days. I have used in
certain places th e Greek letters P i and T hcta for angles,
agreeably to modern custom. T h e professional reader will, of
course u n d erstan d th a t it is n o t m e a n t th a t th e H indu
m athem atician s employed th e G reek le tte rs them selves a t a
p e rio d when, as yet, there was 110 such th in g as th e Greek
alphabet ; b u t only th a t they were aw are of th e num erical
values represented by these sym bols a t th e p resen t time.
The H in d u rule is as follows:—
Sin g = o (l - J , ) (> - 4?w.) ( l — (&c- )
ft-' | 9
+ &c.
0 ~ 1-2-3 ^ 1-2-3 4-3 1-2 3-4-& (1-7
7r.c x- \ / x'J
IK! :rr^ jw I 1 0-180
, s 7T (I80+.1)
“ -')ibo3' lki (>- 41«U
( l icTi'tl**)! &c-
■t- ( Iso , jm ji+ iho ( V - O i180a
■ K i a - ’i’ + O ' lHd1
— (18° — •' ) | JO HO (101)2 X M U ■I
1 — r-vil-j-Tii.’i- 4 I su b stitu tin g fractioiml uppi-ox-
J<|()() InP“
iiiu ilio im f o r H ie e x p r e s s i o n s i n v o l v i n g n .
( 1 . .<-( 160 — c 1
= . r ( l t U — •>•) j HrUlO+ 4 :( 1 0 lM lO U ) + &t' I
, 1 j 4..:
— .<•' (1 •’') | loll)U-.>.(lSO— '■) j 40100—.i(180— v)
4 keeps all th is ta le n t in e rt : th e clim ate is the sam e as it
1 ever was, and In d ia was once great. T he fault is with
~ "ioioo 1‘
X (I N I —.») 4 and along w ith th e ir grand ancestral notions of religion
T his is an ancient H in d u expression ap proxim ating to
(Lte sine of an angle in term s of th e degrees in num bers ol
th a t ainde. T he expression is to be m et w ith in H indu
works on a stro n o m y ; etc. g ra tia : T he G raha-laghava, not
in its original, pure form. Its help is tak en in th e H indu
expressions for finding the equation of th e centie. Ih o
above is a regular proof for th e satisfaction of professed Ma-
thcm aticians°and shows th a t m y H in d u ancestors, before
th e beginning of th e C hristian E ra, w ere in possession of the
supposed recent trigonom etrical discoveries of E uler. I t
is notew orthy th a t n o tw ith stan d in g th e g re a t u tility of
th is expression in H indu trigonom etry, and astronom y,
its a u th o r is unknown, or a t least its au th o rsh ip cannot be
t raced to a p articular an cien t H in d u a t present. T his would
alm ost imply a pre-historic a n tiq u ity for th is branch of the
“ D ivine Science ’ of M athem atics.
T he approxim ative fractions used in th e above proof are
tru e to two decimal places, and consequently th e expression
is exactly tru e to two decimal places. I t is therefore su­
perior in'accuracy to the common expressions Sin o = 0— O*t
Sin 0 — j — tf’to be m et w ith in E uropean works on T rig ­
onom etry, which are barely tru e to one place of decimals-
It. will please even a. beginner in trig o n o m etry to find th e
■•real.er accuracy th a t distin g u ish es th e H in d u expression
from its Kuropcan compeers, 'lo ta k e th e sim plest ex­
am ples, viz: the sines of 1K)°, 30° and 45®.—
. 1 1 _»24 _1__
11UO’ lolro l I<1 1 1 323 323
yoAfKt- 4 M 1
180 1, ,
Sin 30 ’= - — ---- nearly
1 359 2
1 972
Siu 4 0 ° =
i —404 r ; 1373= 1-412
4 243 4
The first exam ple shows th a t th e m istake lies one in three
hundred and tw e n ty -th re e ; th a t is, the expression is true
to two decim al places, and the second exam ple is open to
a sim ilar rem ark ; th e third clearly points out th a t th e e r­
ror lies in the th ird decim al of the denom inator of th e re ­
su ltin g fraction. T he expression is m oreover n e a t and
easily rem em bered. T he expression for the cosecant will
become sho rter and n ea te r still, t h u s :
,, 10100 1
Cosec a- _ r ( 180_ ,.) — 4 -
T E C H N IC A L E D U C A T IO N .
B y E , W rmhr'uhje, F. T. >S'„ G raduate o f the llo y a l
I n s titu te o f B r itis h A rchitects.
T h a t is an old and noble proverb— 'H e a v e n helps those
who help them selves.’ In one form of expressoin or
another, it has stim ulated thousands to g rea t th o u g h ts and
g reat achievem ents. A h ! if the educated y o uth of In d ia
would b u t recall and apply it. I f they would b u t cease to
( 1— 1(3-180 look upon hireling service, especially public service, as the
,.a s u m m u n bonum, w h at m ig h t they not do for them selves
O'lBO1') and th e ir starving countrym en ! W hy will they n o t p u t
th e ir shoulders to th e wheel, and ta k e a leaf o u t of tho
books of th e ruling nations of the W est ? T hey are ed u ­
cated enough, b u t not in th e rig h t direction. W h at th ey
need is n o t g reat titles, b u t g re at fam iliarity w ith useful
arts, th a t would give them a good livelihood, respectable
position, in d e p en d e n ce ; th a t would m ake them em ployers
instead of servants, “ M asters of A rts,” indeed. I f they
would b u t do this each young H indu, besides w inning
success in life, would be able to boast th a t ho was helping
his country to find again th e path which, in the bygone
j
ages, she trod, and which led her to pre-em inence in arts
and sciences as well as philosophy. W h a t India has done
once, In d ia can do again. She only requires th e sam e
(ISO-.v) kind of men, and proper train in g for them . I t is not the
fault of clim ate, as some native publicists have said, th a t
the men, who are suffering them selves to be denationalized
are losing th e ir ancient artistic originality and m echanical
skill. T his fatal tendency m u st be stopped. How can it
be, done ? _
T he first, m ost potent,, agency to help effect this
“ consum m ation devoutly to be wished,” is technical ed u ­
cation. T his education is acquired in different countries
by various means. I n some it is by long apprenticeships
to th e several a rts and industries ; in others by the
establishm ent of technological schools or institutes. W e
favor th is la tte r plan for India, as, owing to th e degenera­
tion of th e in d u strial a rts in this country, little could he
expected from an apprenticeship to th e H indu artizan
of to-day, b u t a p erp etu atio n of his lam entable inefficiency
and lack of progressive spirit. __ _
I t is curious to note how th e traditional conservatism of
the H indu has tenaciously held to m any of the supersti- t
tious and effete custom s of his forefathers, sacrificing the
sp irit for th e le tte r in religious m atters, while in th e A rts,
Industries, and L iteratu re he has conserved nothing. Is
it not high tim e th a t all who love th e ir country took these
things seriously to heart, and realized th a t in th is nin e­
tee n th century such a sta te of things is a sham e and dis­
grace ? R ealization in such a case begets resolve, and
w ith th e earnest m an, to resolve is to act. L e t th is be tho
case w ith our H indu b ro th e r; it shall be our d u ty and
our pleasure to hum bly endeavour to point the way.
R ejecting, for reasons alxive stated th e apprentice­
ship system , we favor tho establishm ent of Technologi­
cal schools, w ith or w ithout governm ent Bupp^rt.
 governm ent can be induced to favor th e project, well and
good ; if not, no m atter, lot th e peoople do it them selves.
The cred it will then be all th e ir own, and th ey m ay at
least b e free from tb e danger of having incom petent pro­
fessors imposed upon them w ith o u t any rig h t of appeal.
I t would be well if one such school could be established
in every large town th ro u g h o u t India. S urely in every
such place can be found one or m ore w ealthy and p h i­
lanthropic' natives— princes, m erchants, or zem indars—
. who would supply sufficient funds to sta rt th e enterp rise ;
and once started , it should be nearly if not q u ite self
supporting.
S peaking of th e g re a t need of In d u stria l schools in
England, a late w riter in tho Q u arterly Jo u rn a l of Science
reviewing a recent A m erican work,* says : “ S e ttin g on
one side th e palpable fact th a t all persons in E ngland who
really wished for elem entary instruction could have ac­
quired it even before th e passing of th e E ducation Act,
we cannot see th a t eith er o u r ‘ Board ’ or our ‘ D enom i­
n atio n a l’ schools will greatly increase th e in d u strial or
the inventive capabilities of o u r population. W hat ive
want is a system o f tra in in g which shall f i x tho attention
o f the stu d e n t u jto n th in g s ra th er than upon w ords.”
I f this is tru e of E ngland w ith h e r num erous A rt schools
and Mechanics’ In stitu tes, how m uch m ore is it th e case
with In d ia ? If (quoting from th e work u nder review) we
find th e com m issioners declaring “ all E urope is a g ene­
ration in advance of u s ” (A m erica.); if Am erica, the
country p a r excellence of progress, feels this, is it not
indeed tim e th a t In d ia was u p and doing ? l» o k a t the
little republic of Sw itzerland ; we find th a t one of her
cantonm ents (Zurich) possesses a Polytechnicum having
about one hundred professors and assistants, and n u m ­
bering nearly one thousand students, ft has an astro ­
nomical observatory, a large chem ical laboratory, labo­
ratories of research and special investigation, collections
of models of engineering constructions, m useum s of na­
tural history, architecture, & c.; all extensive and rapidly
growing. T h is im p o rtan t establishm ent is supported by
a population of only three m illio n s o f people, a t a yearly
cost of £14,000 only. T his in some m easure explains
the reason why, despite g re a t n atu ral disadvantages, such
as dear fuel and distance from th e sea, Sw itzerland figured
so honorably a t th e Paris E xhibition. O f course, such
an In stitu tio n as th e one above m entioned does n o t spring
up, m ushroom -like, in a day, and it m u st necessarily be
many years (oven u n d er th e m ost favorable conditions)
before In d ia can hope to possess in d u strial schools of
like value.
If In d ia is ever to be freed from h e r p resen t h u m ilia­
tion of exporting th e raw m aterial and im p o rtin g it agaA
lifter m anufacture, she m ust com mence by im p artin g to
her youth a system atic knowledge of those industrial arts
and sciences th e lack of which com pels h e r to purchase
in foreign m ark ets goods which should in m ost cases be
m anufactured to advantage a t home. To persist in the
present course, w hile m illions of h er people arc starving
for want of em ploym ent, is m ore th a n a m istak e— it is a
crime. I t is th e more unpardonable w hen we consider the
characteristics of h er labouring class, a people of sim ple
habits, docile and obedient, contented w ith wages th a t
would n o t suffice for a bare subsistence in th e W est, and
patient in th e extrem e. H ere, surely, one would suppose
i m anufactures of all kin d s could be carried on so in ex pen­
sively as to defy com petition. T h a t such is not th e case
is, we believe, entirely owing to th e lack of technical edu­
cation ; and poorly as m ost of th e In d ian work of to-day
is executed, it will inevitably bo worse ten years hence
unless tim ely steps are tak en to introduce a system of edu­
cation which, in th e future, will not only elevate the
Hindu artizan to th e level of his W estern b rother, b u t
in some p articulars surpass h i m : a system ten d in g to
revive th e glories of th a t an cien t tim e w hen In d ia held a
place in th e front rank of In d u strial science and art.
* Report of tb e Now Je rse y S tato Communion Appointed to devise a
J>)nn for tho encouragement of Manufacturers of 0roamontal and T extile
■ibrics, Trenton : Naar, p .iy , and Knar, 1876*
And now a word of advice as to th e p articular k in d of
training-school we conceive to be tho crying w ant of I n ­
dia to-day. W e would n o t suggest a too am bitious com­
m encem ent, feeling sure th a t if th e beginning is only
m ade iu th e rig h t way, it will not be m any years before
th e country possesses Polytechnic In stitu tio n s bidding tair
to rival th e ju s tly celebrated schools of th e W est. W e
would desiro to see a school where the young H in d u s could
at least acquire, u n d er com petent professors, the arts of
design. Such are th e draw ing of pattern s for the calico
printer, th e carpet weaver, and the m anufacturer of shawls,
and tex tile fabrics in g e n e ra l; designing for m etal work,
wood work, and wood c u rv in g ; draw ing 011 stone (L ith o ­
graphy) ; draw ing and engraving on wood, and engraving
on m etal. T here should also be classes for chem istry and
mechanics.
W e m ay be told th a t m ost if not all of th e above are
already ta u g h t in the various art-schools scattered th ro u g h ­
o u t th e country. All we can say in reply is th a t, w hatever
these schools may profess to teach, th e result, is a m iserable
failure. H ow m any ex-pupils can th ey point to as ea rn ­
ing a living by th e exercise of professions the know ledge of
which was gained w ithin th e ir walls ? So far as we are
able to judge, very few, even in cases where th e school has
been in active operation (H eaven save th e m ark !) for a
num ber of years. 'Phis sta te of things cannot be caused
entirely by the in a p titu d e of the pupils. W e are th e re ­
fore driven to th e conclusion th a t eith er the systeil. or
the professor is a t fault. W h a t In dia needs is a system
of instruction which, while directing her attention to w h a t­
ever is best in m odern m achinery and im plem ents, shall
a t the sam e tim e, tak e care to lead her footsteps bark
over th e beaten paths of her own glorious past,. W e would
have especial care taken th a t she should not be led to im i­
ta te the a rt (excellent as it may be) of the ancient Roman
or (ireek. H er A rts and In d u stries should be national
and pure, not m ongrel and alien.
Since th e foregoing rem arks were in type th e Tlieo-
sophical Mission have been highly gratified by the visit
of a young H in d u artizan nam ed V ishram Jetlia, who
exhibited to us a sm all portable high-pressure engine of
his own m ake, driving a plastor-m ill, eircular-saw, wood-
drill, and force-pum p. N o visitor th a t has called upon
us in In d ia has been m ore welcome or respected. His
n atural m echanical genius is of a high order, com paring
with th a t of tho m ost ingenious W estern artizans. H e
has raised him self from th e hum blest condition in life
to th e m anagem ent of the large engine and fitting-shop
of a w ell-known Bom bay firm, lie is n eith e r a 15.A. nor
LL.B., nor does he know S a n sk rit or English. W hat
education he has, w hether theoretical or practical, has
been gained a t the cost of sleep and comforts, and in
spite of every discouragem ent. H is testim onials show
th a t he has m ade him self a skilled w orkm an in carpentry,
(plain and ornam ental), wood-carving, gilding, plating,
m etal-w orking, and horology. H ero is a H indu who m ight,
w ith proper patronage, be of g re at service to bis coun­
try. W hen we hear th a t his talen ts are appreciated and
suitably rem unerated by some native! prince or capitalist,
who shall em ploy him at the sam e wages, a n d w ith as
much honor as a E uropean o f equal capacity, we will be
satisfied th a t th ero is still left som e real patriotism in
India.
A W O R L D W IT H O U T A W O M A N *.
B y R . Bates, F. T, »S*.
Ages ago, in a tim e long past and forgotten, whose only
records lie hidden in m ouldering tem ples and secret a r­
chives, th ere bloomed, surrounded by inaccessible m oun­
tains, a lovely valley. Since then th e convulsions th a t
have heaved earth 's bosom, have so changed the aspect of
the place, th a t if some of its earlier in h a b ita n ts could
• It tfhoiild bo sta te d th a t tlio a u th o r of this Mory has never rend Dr.
Johnson's ta le of “ Raflselas: P rince of A byssinia," which it distantly resem ­
bles io plot. E ditor ,
 T It K T IT H O S 0 P I I I R T .
retu rn , th e y would fail to recognise th e ir form er home.
W hen th e y lived, in th e far-away days of which our his­
to ry speaks, the valley was a t once th e loveliest of nests
and th e m ost secure of p riso n s; for tlio surest foot could
not, scale th e perpendicular m ountain side, nor tho keen­
est eye detect any fissure th a t opened a way to th e outer
world. And why should th ey desire th e o u te r w o rld ;
were th ey not happy here, th e th ree hoys, who w ith an
old m an and half a dow n d eaf and du m b slaves, were
th e only dwellers in Rylha. ? T hey could not know, poor
children, th a t kingly and parental ty ran n y had placed them
th e re for life; th a t th ey were th e g u iltless victim s of a
tim id and short-sighted policy, and th a t th e ir fath er’s
exam ple was destined to be followed by th e succeeding
kings of th e ir native land. P erhaps th e ty ra n t him self
h ardly realized th e cruel wrong he did in doom ing the
younger sons of his race to a life-long prison. T ho valley
was a fair and sm iling abode ; th e slaves were diligent.,
and necessarily discreet, since speech was denied th e m ;
th e tu to r of th e boys was a good man, and reputed wise,
and he too was discreet. T h e children would not miss a
m other’s care, or. later on, a wife’s caress, since they need
never know th a t th e world held a woman. T h e restricted
area of th e valley had m ade it easy to destroy all the
larger anim als. N oth ing would tell them th a t creatures
on a lower plane of being were m ore blest than they.
T hey would see no fox in her den lick h er cubs, no doe
lead h er fawn forth to pasture. T h e confidential servants
of tho k in g had token care of th a t, w hen they visited
th e valley to p lan t tho crops and build th e h u t s ; when
th ey had fixed on its pivot, the great, stone in th e cave,
th a t could bo opened only from th e outside, and sh u t off
all egress from Rylba. Yes th e boys were happy, they
had th e ir s |H > r ts and gam es, th e ir canoe for th e lake, th eir
bows and arrows; th e earth yielded fruit and grain, there
was no lack of honey and wine, stran g e m ysterious gifts
arrived som etim es, and yet, when th e se ttin g sun threw
his last beam s over th e ir huts, they, lying on th e grass,
would eagerly question their old friend and guide about
th e o u ter world.
Hesod acknow ledged th ere w ere o th e r valleys and other
worlds than theirs, ruled over by th e sam e g re a t being—
th e S uprem e Life lie called h im — who sent th e shower
and th e sunshine, th e fru it and grain to Rylba. H e it
was who had set a p a rt th e grove a t th e o th er end of the
valley, where the cave was, as a sacred place never to be
visited betw een sunset and dawn, and who rew arded th eir
obedience by th e clothes and im plem ents, th e unknow n
fruits and toys they had more th an once found, when they
w ent all to g eth er to worship a t dawn. T hey could know
no world but. Rylba, and death when it came to carry th eir
life-spark back to the Su|irem e, woidd find them there.
D eath ! T he word had a new significance to th em since
th e infant found one day in th e grove, w ith n u m b er four
branded 011 his little arm , bail died and been laid under
th e flowering tree by th e lake. W ould d eath come to
Hesod, to tho slaves, to them solvs, and leave none to pluck
th e fruits of R y lb a? Ilesod rem inded them th a t.il' one
in fan t had been sent others might, follow, and th a t, though
th e birds died, th e ir race never becam e extinct. “ A h !
but," th e children answered, “ new birds cam e from the
liests am ong th e leaves ; and lie had told them m an made
ho n est in which to feed and rear his young. Man then
was different from th e birds ?"
“ Yes, different,” Hesod said, as his gaze fell before the
innocent young eyes fixed upon his face. “ Endow ed with
loftier powers, m an draw s his being d irect from th e S u ­
prem e, from him he comes, to him he will letu rn . Tho
G reat Life is m an’s fath er and his friend.”
“ A fa th e r!” said one of th e boys, “ w hat is th a t ? W as
th e bird th a t fed th e young one in th e nest a fa th e r?
W ere you a father w hen yon tended th e little m an from
th e grove ? W ill th e bird re tu rn like us to th e Suprem e ?
T he little brook, as well as th e big stream , runs into the
lake, and th e lake receives th em bo th .”
And old Hesod, when th e ir q u estions w ent deeper than
his philosophy, or w hen he feared to sow in th e m the seeds
[October, 1870.
of some desire or aspiration th a t R ylba could not satisfy,
would bid them sleep th a t they m ig h t be ready for th e
morrow's toil and pleasure.
T he morrow led peacefully on to others, th e flowers
bloomed and faded, m any ^ears glided by them into the
m isty past. R ylba boasted nearly th irty in h ab itan ts now;
for m any children, each m arked ineffaceably w ith its n u m ­
b er— had been found in tho grove. OKI H esod’s grave
m ade one of five by th e lake side, one of the boys who
had come with him to Rylba, slept by his side, and the
o th er two were gray-haired m en; b u t worse things th an gray
hairs, or graves had entered the valley. T here had come
discontent, evil passions, loss of faith in the suprem e Life,
disregard of all th e m inor courtesies and graces of life,
and above all an ever-grow ing sense of som ething w ant­
ing, a longing for some u n attain ab le and ill-defined good.
Som e stilled this longing by ta k in g care of th e younger
m em bers of th e baud, some by a rd e n t friendship, and
love for birds and fishes. O thers grew stern and morose,
hard and selfish; for them were th e choicest portions of
th e fruits of the valley, and of th e gifts still occasionally
found in the grove. B u t they m urm ured loudly w henever
another infant greeted th eir sight, and w hispered th a t
it was useless to rear new m ouths to feed, since th e rem ain­
ing slaves were grow ing past th e ir work, and th e valley
hardly yielded enough food for all its inhabitants. I t was
fortunate th a t the older men still rem em bered th a t Hesod
had inculcated th e ten d e rest kindness to the infauts.
A lready, in spite of th e m aterial aid supposed to come
direct from him, th e sim ple hom age formerly paid to
the G reat Life was dying out, and if his grove was still
respected, it was sim ply because bold spirits venturing
there a t n ig h t had been terrified by strange sights and
sounds.
T hings were in this state when two young men, Soron
and Lyoro by name, struck up a warm friendship. Lyoro
was a zealous disciple of the patriarchs, listening to them
a t tw ilight and labouring during th e day. P ure in m ind
and fragile in body, tho protection of his stronger and
rougher friend had more th an once been useful to him,
and th e co ntrast th e two presented to each o th e r proba­
bly formed th e chief charm and advantage of th e ir union.
Lyoro had grown bolder, Soron m ore m ild and laborious, and
he who had dared to violate th e sanctity of th e grove,
k n e lt before a little field-mouse suckling her young, because
she, like th e Suprem e, gave sustenance to o ther beings.
S till Soron was liable to fits of passion and melancholy,
which not all Lyoro’s influence could calm, and he avowed
the restlessness th a t possessed him, and his burning desire
to see o th er worlds th a n Rylba. “ How could th a t be ?”
said the start led Lyoro, “ Had not God him self walled in
the valleys with m ountains, so th a t th e in h ab itan ts of
ono could not pass to an o th er ? W hen th e S uprem e recalled
them to himself, th ey m ig h t perhaps from his dw elling
place in th e stars look down 011 all th e v a lle y s; b u t even
then, how could th ey look from one sta r into another since
th e stars were walled about by th e blue sky ? W as it not
then im pious to wish to overstep th e bounds set by tho
Suprem e h im se lf? " Soron could n o t refute his friend’s
argum ents, h u t th ey did not change his resolution to visit
th e sacred grove and m ake know n his desire to th e G reat
Life.
T h a t n ig h t Lyoro slept alone in th e h u t th e friends
usually occupied together, b u t a t day-break Soron re tu rn ­
ed, having seen n o th in g in th e grove. A n other and a n ­
o ther night-w atch brought the same result, and th en the
w orshipers a t dawn found bales of stuff, and dried fruit
and grain ; and Lyoro, seeking his absent friend, found
a little pool of blood am ong th e grass, and n o thing more.
Y ears passed, and in Lyoro's h e a rt no o th e r• replaced
Soron. V ainly he called on the Suprem e to re u n ite them .
V ainly he sought to p en etrate the m ystery th a t shrouded
his com rade’s fate. T he dw ellers in R ylba had progressed
from bad to worse. H elpless infancy and venerable
age excited 110 com passion in th e m ajority, and Lyoro had
drawn upon him self a relentless persecution, because he
had dared to harbor in his h u t a sickly infant his neigh-
 bora bad abandoned in th e grove, “ to show th e Suprem e
th ey would have none of it.” From th a t tim e th e re was
no peace for him , his h u t had been confiscated, his work
was often destroyed, and he could tu rn to no one for
re d re ss; for th e weak could not help him , th e strong would
not, to th e S u p rem e alone could he appeal.
N ig h t after n ig h t he watched in th e grove, an d saw no­
th in g b u t th e stars tw inkling th ro u g h th e leaves, heard
nothing b u t th e cry of th e night-bird. T ired o u t a t last he
c re p tb en eath aledgeofrock n e a rth e e n tra n c e o f tb e cave,and
fslept soundly and long. Suddenly a lig h t flashed in his
face, a voice pronounced his nam e, and w ith a beating
h ea rt he started up. Before him stood Soron ; changed,
nobler, illum inated by a som ething unknow n in th e old
days, b u t Soron still, unchanged in h e a rt and Lyoro soon
understood th a t. “D id th e Suprem e send you because I
could endure no more, and k e p t th e w atches of th e n ig h t
-m th e grove ?” he asked when he had grown calm enough
to speak. “ No, I come to -n ig h t because th is is th e first
tim e I have had th e pow er to come. A g re a te r and a
tru e r m an sits on th e throne of our fathers, a m an who
would m ake of his kindred th e su pporters of bis dynasty,
and not m iserable deluded prisoners. T h a t m an is m y elder
b ro th e r; I am his friend, even as I am yours, and he has
sen t me to give to you all th a t d earest boon to m an,
Liberty. N o longer these m o u n tain walls shall bound
your horizon. You shall know th e wide earth as it really
is. You shall see strange plants, strange anim als, and
look on fairer faces th a n you ever dream ed of.”
“ P erhaps th ey will not follow you ; M oucar still leads,
nnd th ey have grow n fiercer th a n ever,”
“ F ierce !” said Soron “ Is it th e ir fa u lt ? T h ey never
even knew they had a m other.”
“ A m other ! W h a t is th a t ?’’ asked Lyoro
" Come to our old h au n t by th e grotto and I will tell you.
My people can rem ain near th e cave.”
A nd now for th e first tim e, Lyoro perceived th a t th e cave
was full of m en, habited in strange and gorgeous attire, b u t
he had as y e t no eyes for th e m ; he only cared to look on
Soron, and Soron w ithL yoro’s eyes on him , spokeofhis escape;
•first, of th e hand th a t struck him down in tho grove, then
of the p ity th a t h ad spared him and conveyed him in se­
cret to his brother, th e hope and h e ir of th e kingdom
then, now its reigning sovereign. H e spoke of th e g reat
world, of its cities, forests and arm ies ; of treasu res to be
found in books and a r t ; of huge anim als,^and fishes far
larger th a n th e largest canoe th ey h a d ever launched
upon th e ir lake. H e told Lyoro of th e m ig h ty Power
th a t rules th e universe, th a t sends rest after fatigue,
consolation to grief, and death after life, as a preparation
for the life beyond. A nd then, th a t he m ig h t u n derstand
th a t th e Suprem e Life and L ig h t is also th e Suprem e
Love, h e spoke of th e m other he had found a t his b ro th er’s
house, of h er caresses and h er affection.
“ A M other ! ” said Lyoro. “ Twice you h av e used th e
word and I do not u n derstand it. Is a m o th er a m an ? ”
No, fathers are men, and they can be cruel, or they
would n o t have sh u t us up in R ylba. A m other is all
pity, all love. From h er m an draw s h is life ; h er face is
the first he looks upon, th e last ho should fo rg e t; around
her clusters all th a t is good and m erciful, holy and pure.
She is th e living sm ile upon earth of th o S u p rem e Love ? ”
“ A nd when I go w ith you, you will show me a m o th er ? ”
asked Lyoro. , so vast as to em brace every branch of Occultism w ithin
“ M any of them , and b e tte r th a n all, I can show you
your own. W e talk ed of you b u t yesterday. She is long­
ing for yo u r coming, and she is a noble woman.”
“ W h a t are women ? ” said Lyoro.
“ T he sex from which m others are draw n. Y ou will find
about an equal num b er of men an d women in th e world
you are going to.”
“ W hy then, if women are good, did th e y send us from
them to R ylba ? ” “ Ah, you have y e t to learn th a t there
are unhappy lands w here m en, ta k in g advantage of wom an’s
feebler fram e and g re a te r tim idity, have w rested from her
her equal rights even in h er offspring. W oe to th e land th a t
stints h er portion of know ledge and honor ! T h a t n a ­
tion’s sons m u st degenerate, for how can those be g reat
who draw th e ir life from a v itiate d source, from beings
crippled and enfeebled, dwarfed below th e statu re th a t
God and N a tu re gave them ? T he sons of nobler m others
shall rule th e m ; th e conqueror's foot shall tread upon
th e graves of th e ir fathers ; th e ir ships shall be sw ept from
tbe sea; th e ir nam e from off the face of th e earth, for
tho Most H igh by his unalterable la ws has decreed it so.”
“ Ours be th e task to av ert the curse from our c o u n try ;
to respect our m others and in stru ct our daughters ; to raise
woman to th e pedestal her very weakness gives h er a rig h t
to occu p y ; to honor ourselves in honoring her.”
“ A nd has woman none of th e faults of m a n ; is she
alone perfect ?”
" How should she be perfect,” answ ered Soron, “ since
she is after all b u t fem ale m an ?”
“ B ut she is superior to him ? ”
“ No, n e ith e r superior nor inferior, b u t different. H e r
faults are n o t as his, n e ith e r are her qualities. She cannot
boast his courage, nor he h e r gentleness. S he has not his
power of dilig en t application, and he lacks h er quick
intuition. H e leans to the m aterial side of life, she has a
deeper feeling for its poetry and aspirations. She relies
on his strong arm and strong will, and he tu rn s to her
as the tran q u il light th a t illum ines bis h ea rt and his home.
Rivalry betw een th e sexes is worse th a n useless, for th e ir
interests are identical, and n atu re designed them to form
b u t the two halves of one harm onious whole.”
“ I will not tell you now, how often hum an passions m ar
N a tu re ’s fairest work. How in th e g re at world as in
Rylba, evil and good are perp etu ally w arring for th e m astery;
b u t I do tell you to cling to th e love from which you have
been too long divorced, .and with its help, you will learn
to understand the g re a t world and shun its snares.”
T he day hail come by th is tim e, and th e band of wor­
shipers approaching th e grove, saw th e new-com er and
stooil spell-bound in silent surprise. H ad th ey come before
dawn ? No, for th e sun already glanced above the m oun­
tain top and th e birds were singing loudly, S till they
hesitated till Soron’s voice called on them to receive th e ir
heritage of know ledge and of liberty. N o t into th e ir ears
did he pour all th a t had perplexed Lyoro, b u t he told them
of th e ir m others, and th e children laughed for joy, th e
hau g h ty M oucar bowed him self to th e ground, and down
th e w rinkled cheeks of th e patriarchs th e tears crept silently,
when th e y heard th a t in th e g rea t world outside they
should find only th e ir m others’ graves.
T H E M A G N E T IC C H A IN .
W e have read w ith g re a t in te re st th e first n um ber of a
new F rench jo u rn al devoted to th e science of Mesmerism,
or, as it is called, A nim al M agnetism , which has been k in d ­
ly sen t us by th a t venerable and m ost illustrious p racti­
tioner of th a t science, th e Baron du P otet, of Paris. Its
title is L a C hatne M agnetlque ( the M agnetic, Chain).
A fter long years of com parative indifference, caused by the
encroachm ents of skeptical science, this fascinating subject
is again absorbing a large share of th e atten tio n of W estern
stu dents of Psychology. M esm erism is th e very key to
the m ystery of m an’s in terior n a tu re ; and enables one
fam iliar w ith its laws to und erstan d not only th e pheno­
m ena of W estern Spiritualism , b u t also th a t vast subject—
itself—of E astern Magic. T he whole object of th e H in d u
Yog is to b rin g into activity his in terio r power, to m ake
him self ru ler over physical self and over everything else
besides. T h a t th e developed Yog can influence, som e­
tim es control, th e operations of vegetable and anim al life,
proves th a t th e soul w ithin his body has an in tim a te re la­
tionship w ith th e soul of all o th er things. M esm erism
goes far toward teaching us how to read th is occult secret,
and Baron R eichenbach’s g re at discovery of Otlyle or 0 d
force, to g eth er w ith Professor B uchanan’s P sychom etry,
and the recent advances in electrical and m agnetic science
com plete th e dem onstration. T he T h k o s o p iiis t will give
g reat atte n tio n to all th e se— M esmerism, th e laws of Od,
 Psychom etry, etc. In this connection wo give translated
extracts from L a Chafno M aqnetigue th a t will repay p eru ­
sal. T here is a g reat tru th in w hat Baron du P o te t says
ab o u t th e M esmeric fluid : “ I t is no utopian theory, b u t
a universal Force, ever th e sam e; which we will irrefu ta­
bly pro v e............ A law of n a tu re as positive as electricity
y e t different from i t ; as real as n ig h t and day. A law of
w hich physicians, n o tw ith stan d in g all th e ir learning and
science, have hitherto been ignorant. O nly w ith a know ­
ledge of m agnetism does it become possible to prolong life
and heal the sick. Physicians m u st study it some day or—
cease to I k ? regarded as physicians.” T hough now almost a
nonogcnarian, th e B aron’s intellect, is jus clear and his
courageous devotion to his favorite Science as a rd en t as
when, in th e year 182(J, he appeared before th e French
A cadem y of M edicine and experim entally dem onstrated
th e reality of anim al m agnetism . Franco, th e m o ther of
so m any g reat m en of science, has produced few g reater
than du Potet.
A disciple of th e Baron’s— a Mr. Snladin of Tarascon-
fiur-Rhone— reporting to him th e results of recent m agnetic
experim ents for th e cure of disease, say s: “ Once, while
m agnetizing m y wife, I m ade a powerful effort of my will
to project thi! m agnetic fluid ; when I felt stream in g from
each of my finger-tips as it were little th read s of cool
breeze, such as might, come from th e m outh of an opened
air-bag. My wife distinctly felt th is singular breeze, and,
w hat is still more strange, th e servant girl, when told to
interpose her hand betw een m y own hand and m y wife’s
body, and asked w hat she felt, replied th a t ‘ it seemed as
though som ething were blow ing from the tips of my fin­
gers. ’ Tho peculiar phenom enon here indicated has often
been noticed in th erap eu tic m agnetization ; it is th e vital
force, intensely concentrated by th e m agnetizer's will, pour­
ing out of his system into th e p a tie n t’s. T h e blow ing of
a cool breeze over the hands and faces of persons present,
is also frequently observed a t sp iritu alistic ‘ circles.’
M A G N E T ISM IN A N C IE N T C H IN A .
li y l)r. A n iltr n ) P a la d in , Fils, M .l).
All C hinese m edecine is based upon th e stu d y of the
equilibrium of th e y n and th e yang i ■>', e.— to use Baron
Reichonbach’s language— upon th e positive and th e nega­
tive oil. T h e healers of th e Celestial E m pire consider all
rem edies as so m any conductors, e ith e r of t he y n or th e y a v g ;
and use them w ith th e object of expelling disease from the
body and restoring it to health. T here is an instance in
th e ir medical works of a cure being effected w ith o u t the
em ploym ent of any d rug w hatever, and w ith no ot h er con­
ductor of hum an m agnetism th an a sim ple tube, w ithout
th e doctor having eith e r seen or touched th e p atien t, We
tran slate th e following from a work w ritten d u rin g the Soui
dynasty, or a t any rate not later than tho T h an g dynasty.
T he S o u l dynasty reigned from th e V lth to th e V llth
century of our e r a ; and th a t of Thang, which succeeded
th e o ther in 018, rem ained in pow er till th e y ear 907. T he
event in question occurred, therefore, some ten centuries
«g°- _ _ _
A m andarin of high rank had a dearly beloved wife,
whom he saw failing in health m ore and m ore every day,
and rapidly approaching her end, w ith o u t h er being able to
indicate or complain of any p articu lar disease. He tried
to persuade her to sec a p h y sician ; b u t she firmly refused.
U pon en te rin g her husband’s home she had taken a vow,
she said, never to allow any o th e r m an to see her, and she
was determ in ed to keep h er word, even were she to die as
th e conseouence. T he m andarin begged, wept, supplicated
her, b u t all in vain. H e consulted doctors, b u t n eith er of
them could give any advice w ith o u t having some indication,
a t least,, of h er dissase. Ono day th e re cam e an old scholar,
who offered th e m andarin to cure his wife w ith o u t even
en terin g th e ap artm en t in which she was confined, provided
she consented to hold in her hand ono end of a long bam ­
boo, th e o th er end of which would bo held by th e healer.
T h e husband found th e rem edy curious, and though he had
no faith in th e experim ent, he y e t proposed it to his wife,
ra th e r as an am usem ent than a n y th in g e ls e ; she w illingly
consented. T he scholar cam e w ith his tube, and passing
one end of it th ro u g h th e partition of th e room, told her to
apply it to her Ixxly, m oving it in every direction u n til she
felt a sensation of pain in some particular spot. She followed
tho directions, and as soon as th e tube had approched the
region of the liver th e suffering she experienced made
her u tte r a loud groan of pain. " B o not let go y o u r hold,'’
exclaim ed th e sc h o la r; "I,cep the end applied to the spot,
and you w ill certa in ly be cured.” H aving subjected h er to a
violent pain for ab o u t one q u a rte r of an hour, he retired
and prom ised the m andarin to retu rn on the nex t day, a t
the sam e h o u r ; and th u s came back every day till the
sixth, when the cure was com pleted."*
T his n arrativ e is an adm irable instance of m agnetic tr e a t­
m en t effected w ith a tu b e to serve as a conductor to the
vital fluid ; tho application being m ade for a short tim e
every day, and at the .same hour. H e re th e hom ieopathic
aggravation was produced from th e first., The inference
from this docum ent is that, ancient, Chinese m edicine was
well acquainted with tho fact, th a t every man possesses in
degree a fluid— part of and depending upon the universal
m agnetic fluid dissem inated throughout all sp ace; as they
gave the nam es yn, and yv.ng to the two opposite forces
(polarities) which are now recognized in th e terrestrial fluid,
as well as in th e nervous fluid of man. T hey knew besides,
th a t each individual could dispose a t will of this fluid, pro­
vided he had acquired th e necessary knowledge ; th a t they
could, by judiciously directing it, m ake a certain q u a n tity
pass into an other's body and unite w ith th e particular fluid
of this o ther in d iv id u a l; and th a t they could, finally, employ
it to tho exclusion of every o th er m eans for the cure of dis­
eases, re-establishing th e equilibrium betw een the opposite
m odalities of tho nervous fluid ; in o th er words, betw een
the positive od and th e negative od, betw een the t/nand the ‘
yang. A still more rem arkable th in g — they hail, then, the
secret, little known even in our days am ong magnetizors,
of sending a t will e ith e r positivo fluid or negative fluid into
tho body of a p atient, as his system m ig h t need e ith e r the
one fluid or th e other.
(To be continued)
S P IR IT U A L IS M A T SIM LA ,
An esteem ed young English lady of Sim la interested in
Occultism, sends us some interesting narratives of psycho­
logical experiences which may safely be copied by our
W estern contem poraries. O ur correspondent is perfectly
trustw orthy and has a place in th e highest social circle.
W e hope to give from tim e to tim e m any exam ples of
sim ilar m ystical ad v en tu re by Europeans in E astern coun­
tries.
A m ong o ther papers prom ised for th e Til EOSOPHTST is one
by a B ritish officer, upon a curious phase of h liu ta worship
am ong a very prim itive Indian trib e ; and another upon the
same custom, in an o th er locality, by a well-known N ative
scholar. T he value of such articles as these h itte r is th a t
th ey afford to th e psychologist m aterial for comparison with
th e c u rre n t W estern m edium istic phenom ena. H eretofore,
there have been, we m ay say, very few observations upon
E ast Indian spiritualism ol’any scientific value. T he ob­
servers have m ainly been incom petent by reason of either
bigotry, moral cowardice, or skeptical bias. T he exceptions
have b u t proved th e rule. Few, indeed, are th ey who,
seeing psychical phenom ena, have the moral courage to tell
th e whole tru th ab o u t them .
T h e Y o u n g L a d y 's S t o r y .
T here is a bangalow in Kussowlie called “T he A bbey,” and
one year some friends of m ine bad taken this house for a
season, and I w ent to stay with them for a short while. My
friends told me th e house was haunted by the ghost of a
lady, who always appeared dressed in a w hite silk dress.
T his lady did really live, a g re at m any years ago, and was a
very wicked woman, as far as I rem em ber the story. W he-
•T his narrativo was tran slated from tho Chinese by F ather Amiot, Mission*
nry in China, n K icat Hcholar, and com m unicated by him to th e Fieldnmr*
shal. Count de Mcllet. T his case is aIko m entioned in th e Count de Puysogur**
volume “ On anim al m agnetism , considered in it* rotations to the rarious
branches of physics.” (ovo—P aris, 1807, p. 392)
 tlier she was m urdered, or w hether she p u t an end to h e r­ w ent to th e ball. Som e little tim e after, the father was
self, I cannot say, b u t she was n o t buried in consecrated aw akened one night, by th e curtains a t the foot of his bed
ground, and lbr th is reason, it was said, h er sp irit cannot being draw n aside, and there, to his astonishm ent, stood
rest. H e r grave m ay bo seen by anybody, for it is still at his daughter, in her lancy dress. H e could not move, or
Kussowlie. W hen iny friends told m e th is I laughed, and say anything, b u t he looked at her attentively. She smiled,
said I did not believe in ghosts ; so they showed me a small closed th e curtains, ami disappeared. H e ju m p ed up in g reat
room divided from tho draw ing-room by a door, which they agitation, p u t down tin; date and th e hour, and then wrote to
told m e was an especial p e t of th e g h o st's; and th a t after it Italy, asking a lte r his d a u g h te r’s health, giving a descrip­
got dark, they always lmd to k eep it shut, and th ey dared tion of her dress and ornam ents. Poor m a n ; the next
m e to go into th a t room, a t 10 P. M. one night. 1 said* th in g lie heard was th a t the young lady had cau g h t cold,
I w ould; so a t 10 P. M. I lig h ted a candle, and w ent in ­ and died tho very night she appeared to him in London.
to th e room. I t was small, had no cupboards, and only T he friends said th a t even had lie seen th e dross, he could
one sofa, and one table in th e centre. I looked u n d er the not have described ev erything more m inutely.
table and und er th e sofa, th e n I sh u t th e door, and blow­
ing out my candle, sat down to aw ait th e appearance of T U B M ID D IE 'S STOKY.
the ghost. In a little while I heard th e ru stle of a silk Since th e T i ik o s o h j i s t is collecting auth en ticated stories
dress, though I could see nothing. I got up, and baekeil of ghosts, I may tell you of a personal adventure of m ino
towards tho door, and as I backed, I could i'eel som ething when I wa.s a m idshipm an on board H e r M ajesty’s frigate
coming tow ards me. A t last I got to th e door and threw -------.One of the sailors in th e larboard w atch had been
it wide open and rushed into th e draw ing-room , leaving washed overboard iu a storm , as ho was clinging for life
the door wide open to see if th e gho st would follow after to one of th e boats. T h e a ffu irh a d b e e n q u ito fo rg o U .c n ,
me. I sat down by th e fire, and in a little while, my w hen a hue and cry was raised th a t th ere was a ghost
courage returning, I th o u g h t I would go again into the near this boat, and none of the men would go near the
little room ; b u t upon try in g th e door, 1 f o u n d it u a s f u s t place after dark. Several, if not all of the m en had seen
bhut, a n d I could not open it, so I w ent to bed. A no ther it. I laughed a t th e story, however, for I hod not a w hit
evening, a lady friend and I were sittin g at a sm all round of confidence in these nonsensical tales of ghosts. So,
table with a lam p, re a d in g ; all of a sudden th e light was some of our mess who pretended to have seen the ap p a­
blown out, and we were left in th e dark. As soon as rition, dared mo to go up to it a t night and accost it.
lights could be procured, it was found th a t th e ^lobe of the I agreed to go, and took my revolver, loaded, with me.
lam p had disappeared, and from th a t day to this, it has never W hen a t th e appointed hour, I came near th e boat, there
been found. 'I he ghost walks over th e whole house a t certainly did seem to bo a m ist, or shadow which looked
night, and has been seen in different rooms by different like a man, and this shadow turned and looked a t mo.
people. Kussowlie is betw een ;S0 and 40 m iles away from I did not give it tim e to look twice before I fired two shots
Simla, iu th e direction of the plains. a t it. Im agine, if you can, my feelings, when the shadow
1 m ay also tell you of som ething th a t came und er the g ently glided u n der the boat, (which was bottom upwards,)
observation of my m other, some tw en ty ycais ago. An and disappeared. W hen th is th ing looked a t me, 1 cannot
acquaintance of hoi's, a young Mr. W — , was on a ship tell you why, b u t I felt q u ite cold, and odd, and if it was
which in a terrific gale was wrecked on an island off the not a ghost, it looked very like one. A t any rate, 1 had had
coast of Africa, New s of th e d isaster was b ro u g h t to E n g ­ enough of shooting a t it. My ad venture of course g re a t­
land by ano th er ship, and it was supposed th a t every soul ly deepened th e su p erstitio u s feeling am ong the sailors;
on board had been lost. Mr. W — ’s relatives w ent into and so, as th e spectre was seen again th e n e x t night, they
mourning, b u t his m other would not, for she was convinced ju s t tossed th a t boat overboard, and th en th ey w ere never
th at lie had escaped. A nd as a m a tte r of record she p u t troubled further.
into w riting an account of wliat she had seen in a dream .
The whole scene of' th e shipw reck had appeared to h er as Y O G A V ID Y A .
though slio were an eye-witness. S he had seen her son B y F . T . , S'.
and another m an dashed by th e su rf upon a rock whence ...L ook where wo will around us, in every direction Hie sources of
they had m anaged to crawl u p to a place of safety. F or pure spiritual life appear to he eith er altogether stagnant, or else
two whole days th ey sat th ere w ith o u t food or w ater, not trickling feebly in shrunken anil turbid streams. In religion, in poli­
tics, in the arts*, iu philosophy, in poetry even—w herever the grand­
daring to move for fear of being carried off again by the est issues of H um anity are a t stake, man's spiritual a ttitu d e to­
surges. F in ally they were picked u p by a foreign vessel wards them , is one either of hopeless fatigue and disgust, or tierce
and carried to Portugal, whence th ey were ju s t th e n ta k in g anarchical im|Kitience. A nd this is th e more deplorable, becuuse it
ship to E ngland. T he m other’s vision was shortly corro­ is accompanied by a feverish m aterialistic activity. Yes, this age of
ours is m aterialist ; and perhaps the sadde.-t and dreariest th in " iu
borated to th e very le tte r; and th e son, arriv in g a t home, the ever-increasing matei ialsm of the age, is the ghosth/ tijuea£iag
said th a t if his m other had been p resen t in body she could u u d gibbering o f he!{item lam entation made oca- it bg the theologints,
not have more accurately described th e circum stances. who croalc about their old d ig tcclh wherein no spiritual life it left.
Meanwhile society appears to be everywhere busily organizing
A K A T H K i t 'S W A R N I N G . anim alism . [Lonu L y tto n —in Fortnightly Review for 1671?] °
T he events I shall now relate occurred in a family of H is lordship paints the spiritual darkness of Kali Y u "
our acquaintance. A Mr. P — had lost by consum ption a with realistic fidelity. • T he reading of this paragraph has
wife whom he devotedly loved, and, ono after another, suggested tho m aking of an effort to bring back to India, to
several children. A t last b u t one d au g h te r rem ained, and some ex te n t a t least, the ancient light of A ryavarta. W ith
upon her, natu rally enough, centered all his affections. She his lordship’s sym pathetic cooperation, m uch would be possi­
was a delicate girl, and being th reaten ed w ith th e same ble. L et us begin w ith an a tte m p t a t explaining w hat is
fate which had so cruelly carried aw ay h er m other and the alm ost forgotten science of Yogism.
sisters, h e r fath er took h er to live in Ita ly for change of N o m an can u n derstand th e m eaning of P utanjali’s
climate. T his girl grew to bo ab o u t 17 or 18, w hen th e Aphorism s of tho Yoga Philosophy, who does not perfectly
liithcr had to go over to London on business ; so he left com prehend wlmt the soul and body are and th e ir respective
her with friends, and m any and strict wore his injunctions powers. T he lucubrations of com m entators, for the m ost
to them as to how she w;is to be looked after, and taken part, show th a t when th e ir au th o r is thinking of th e one
care of. W ell, he went, and w hilst lie was away, a fancy they fancy he m eans the other. W hen he describes how
ball was to tak e placo, to which these friends were going, the la te n t psychical senses and capabilities may bo
and which of course, the girl also wished to atten d . So brought o u t of the bodily prison and given free scope, he
they all wrote over to th e fath er and begged and en treated appeal's to them to be using m etaphorical term s to express
she should be allowed to go, prom ising th a t they would an utopy of physical perceptions and powers. The ‘ orga­
take great care of her, and see th a t she did not g et u chill. nized anim alism ’ of tho 1!)th century, which Lord l.yttou
Jluch against his will, th e poor m uu consented, uud she stigm atizes, in tho paragraph from th e Fortnightly ttceicui
above q u o ted — would have totally obi iterated, perhaps, our
capacity to grasp the sublim e idea of Yoga, were it not for
th e glim pses th a t thediscoveries ofiMesmer and Reiehenbach,
and th e phenom ena of m edium ship, have afforded of the
n a tu re of th e In n er W orld and th e In n er Alan. W ith
these helps most of w hat would be obscure is m ade plain.
T hese give us a definite appreciation of th e sure and
g re a t results th a t the Yor/i ascetic strives for, and obtains
by his self-discipline and privations. F or th is reason, the
Theosophical Society insists th a t its Fellows who would
com prehend alike th e hidden inclining of an cien t philoso­
phies, and th e m ysteries of our own days, shall first study
m agnetism , and then e n te r the ‘ circle-room ’ of th e sp i­
ritualists.
May we not compare the unveiling of th e soul’s senses
of sight, hearing, smell, taste and touch, and th e aw aken­
ing of its will-power, which re su lt from Yog training,
w ith th a t change which comes to th e bodily senses and
will, when th e child em erges from its fo-tal home into the
o u ter world ? All th e physical faculties it will ever exercise
were potentially in the babe before birth, b u t latent. Given
scope and exercise, they becam e developed in proportion
to th e ir innate energies— more in some people than in
others. How vastly different they arc iu p o s s e and in
e a s e ! And y e t th is contrast ado n is b u t a very meagre
idea of th a t betw een the dorm ant powere of the soul in the
m an of m atter, and tho tran scen d en t reach of these sam e
powers in th e full-trained Yogi. Iia th e r com pare the
shilling sta r w ith a j’cllow taper. T h e eye of th e body
can a t best see only a few miles, and its ear hear b u t w hat is
spoken near b y ; its feet can carry it b u t ploddingly along
th e surface of th e ground, a step a t a tim e ; and its hands
;rasp noth in g th a t is more than a yard off. If securely
S ocked in a closet, th e bod}’ is powerless to effect its deliv­
erance, and can n eith er see, hear, touch, taste, nor smell
w hat is outside its prison wall. R u t th e unbound soul
of th e Yogi is lim ited by n e ith e r tim e nor sp a c e ; nor
obstructed by o b stacles; nor prevented from seeing, hear­
ing, feeling or know ing an y th in g it likes, on th e in sta n t;
no m a tte r how d istant or hidden th e th in g th e Yogi would
sec, feel, hear or know. T he soul has potentially, in short.,
th e qualities of om niscience and om nipotence, and the
object of Yoga Vidya is to develop them fully.
We have a g reat desire th a t th e Yoga philosophy should
bo fam iliarized to stu d en ts of psychology. It is p a rti­
cularly im p o rtan t th a t sp iritu alists should know of i t ; for
th e ir num bers are so large th a t they could, by united action,
counteract in large degree th e ‘organized an im alism ’ th a t
Lord L ytton com plains of. Give th e cen tu ry a worthy
ideal to aspire to, and it would be less a n im a l: teach it
w hat the soul is, and it will w orship th e body less. As a
com m encem ent iu th is direction, we begin in this num ber
of th e T h k o s o I’IIIS T . a translation of p art of the lo th
ch ap ter of th e eleventh K kandha of th e S h rim u d Bhoijn-
vtila. T he au th o rsh ip of th is im jiortaiit S a n sk rit work is
so disputed as by some to be ascribed to Bopadeva, the
celebrated gram m arian of Bengal, th u s giving it an age of
only eigh t centuries, by o thers to Vyusa, a u th o r of the
o th er Puraniis, and so m aking it of archaic origin. B ut
e ith e r will d o ; our object being only to show m odern
psychologists th a t the science of soul was b e tte r u n d er­
stood, ages ago, in Ind ia th an it is to-day by ourselves.
S an sk rit literatu re teem s w ith proofs of th is fact, and it
will be o u r pleasure to lay th e evidence supplied to us by
our In d ia n brothel's before th e public. Forem ost among
such w ritings stands, of coui'se, P a ta n ja li’s own philoso­
phical teachings, and these we will come to later on.
T he stu d e n t of Yoga will observe a g re a t difference in
S id d h is (‘ S up erh u m an faculties,’ th is is re n d e re d ; b u t not
correctly, unless we agree th a t ' hu m an ' shall only m ean
th a t which p ertains to physical man. 'P sy ch ic faculties'
would convey th e idea m uch b e tte r: m an can do nothing
tw)>crhum«n,) th a t are said to be a tta in a b le by Yoga.
T h ere is one group which exacts a high train in g of the
sp iritu al pow ers; and an o th er group which concern the
lower and coarser psychic and m ental energies. In the
(jh r iv ia d fifuujavata, K rishna say s; " H e who is engaged in
the perform ance of Yoijo, who hiis subdued his senses,
and who has concentrated his m ind in me (K rishna), such
Yogis [allj th e S iddhis stand ready to serve.”
T hen U d h a v a a sk s: “Oh, A chyuta ( Infallible O ne) since
thou a rt the bestow er of [ all 1 the Siddhis on th e Yogis,
pray tell m e by what, d M ru n u * and how, is a Siddhi a tta in ­
ed, and how m any Siddhis there are. Bhagavun replies :
'• Those who have transcended the dharana and yoga say
th a t th ere are eighteen Siddhis, eight of which contem plate
me as th e chief object of atta in m e n t (or are attainable
through m e ), and th e [ rem aining ] ten arc derivable from
the g u n n s ;”— th e com m entator explains— from th e pre­
ponderance of m itwa <jmji'i. These eight superior S id ­
dhis a r e : A n n u o , M u h im d , Lotjhiino [of th e body],
P r n p ti (a tta in m en t by th e senses), P m la s h y o m it, Inhitd,
V a m ita , and an eighth which enables one to attain his
every wish. “ These," said K rishna, “ are my Siddhis.’’
(T o be co n tin u e d .)
FO O D F O R T H E S T A R V IN G .
Col. O lcott has ju s t received a lette r from th e Hon.
Edward A tkinson, an em in en t A m erican political-econo-
mist, which contains th e im portant news th a t a simple
m ethod of converting cot ton-seed into a n u tritiv e articlc
of food has been discovered. Mr. A tkinson says:
“ If you win obtain light nnptha, or gasoline, in India, you may
do good to the poor classes by leaching the kernel of cotton-seed w ith
it. It removes all tho oil, which can then be separated from the
liaptha in a very pure state. T hen dry off the kernel w ith hot
strain, and you have a sw eet and very n utritious food. I mip|ioso
they have hulling-machincx in India. The hulls make good paper. I
expert to rce our crop o f cottonseed worth h a t/ a t much as the crop
o f cotton."
Col. O lcott has w ritten for fu rther particulars, a.s to the
process aud m achinery required, and will com m unicatc
Mr. A tk in so n ’s reply to tin.! public through these columns.
O U R B U D D H IS T B R O T H E R S .
A cable dispatch from R t. Rev. H. S um angala, confirmed
by subsequent le tte rs from bis Secretary, th e Rev. W. A.
D ham m ajjoti, informs us th a t the prom ised contributions
ti]K)ii the subject of B uddhism are on th e ir way, b u t will
arrive too late for insertion in this issue. T he papers com ­
prise articles from the pens of th a t peerless B uddhist schol­
ar, S um angala h im self; of th e brave “ M egittuw attc,"
Cham pion of th e F a ith ; and of Mr. D ham niajjoti whoso
them e is “ T he F o u r S uprem e V erities.”
I t will bo observed th a t th e T h k o s o p i i i s t is not likely
to abate in in terest for lack of good contributions.
^ I f any whose nam es have been handed in as subscribers
do not receive th is n um ber of th e T iikoso I'HIkt, th ey may
know th a t it is because they have not com plied w ith tho
advertised term s, by rem ittin g the money, nor paid a tte n ­
tion to the polite notices th a t have been sen t as rem inders.
T his jo u rn a l is issued exactly as announced, ami no excep­
tions will be m ade in individual cases.
TADLE O F C O N TEN TS.
r#£0
N am nsU ;! .............................. i The W orks o f H indu Reli­
Wlmt i* Theosophy 1............ 2 gion and Philosophy Men.
W hat are the Theosophi.sts I 5 tinned in the B rahm a
The D rift of W estern S p iri­ Ynjim .................................... 23
tualism ............................... 7 “ A G reat M an” ....................... 2it
A ntiquity of the Vedas........ 8 Aryan T rigonom etry............ 25
Autobiography of Dynnund Technical E d u catio n ............ 2(1
Saraswati ......................... 9 A World W ithout a W oman. 27
The Learning among Indian The M agnetic C hain............ 2!)
L a d ie s.................................. 12 Magnetism in A ncientC hiua :}<>
Braluna, Jshw ara and .Mayu. 13 Spiritualism at Sim la............ 30
l ’am lit 13ala Sastri’s Views.. 18 Vogn V idya............................. Ill
The In n er God ..................... 18 To Subscribers ..................... 32
Persian Zoroastrianism and O ur Ituddhist 15rothern........ 32
llussiau Vandalism ........ 18 Food for the Starving ........ 32
The Light of A sia................. 20
• 'I’ll© intou*c nml | crfect concentration of th e miml nj>on ono
in terio r o b j e c t; —accom panied by complcto abstraction from things of th e
external world.
P rin t* ! a t the / m J'lms by B. Curnntji & Co., ami j>uhlii<hc$
by th e Theosojihlcal Socicty, a t No. 10S, Uirgaum Uack Road, D oailny,
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to S h a r e — l o c o p y , d is trib u t e a n d t r a n s m it t h e w o r k

©
to R e m ix — to ad ap t th e w o rk

U n d e r t h e f o l l o w i n g c o n d i t io n s :

CD
A t t rib u t io n — Y o u m u s t a ttrib u te t h e w o r k in t h e m a n n e r s p e c if ie d b y t h e a u t h o r
o r l i c e n s o r ( b u t n o t in a n y w a y t h a t s u g g e s t s t h a t t h e y e n d o r s e y o u o r y o u r u s e o f
th e w o r k ) .

N o n c o m m e r c ia l — Y o u m a y n o t u s e t h is w o r k f o r c o m m e r c i a l p u r p o s e s .

S h a r e A lik e — I f y o u alter, t r a n s f o r m , o r b u ild u p o n t h is w o r k , y o u m a y d istrib u te

© th e r e s u lt in g w o r k o n l y u n d e r t h e s a m e o r s im ila r l i c e n s e t o t h is o n e .

W it h t h e u n d e r s t a n d i n g that:

W a i v e r — A n y o f th e a b o v e c o n d it io n s c a n b e w a i v e d if y o u g e t p e r m i s s i o n f r o m th e c o p y r ig h t
h o ld e r.

P u b lic D o m a in — W h e r e t h e w o r k o r a n y o f its e le m e n t s is in t h e p u b l i c d o m a i n u n d e r
a p p lic a b le law , t h a t s t a t u s is in n o w a y a ff e c t e d b y t h e lic e n se .

O th e r R ig h t s — I n n o w a y a r e a n y o f t h e f o llo w in g r ig h t s a ff e c t e d b y t h e lic e n se :

• Y o u r fa ir d e a lin g o r f a i r u s e rig h ts , o r o t h e r a p p lic a b le c o p y r i g h t e x c e p t i o n s a n d

lim itations;

• T h e a u t h o r 's m o r a l rig h ts;

• R i g h t s o t h e r p e r s o n s m a y h a v e e ith e r in t h e w o r k its e lf o r in h o w t h e w o r k is u s e d , s u c h
a s p u b l i c i t y o r p r i v a c y rig h ts.

N o t ic o — F o r a n y r e u s e o r d istrib u tio n , y o u m u s t m a k e c le a r to o t h e r s th e l i c e n s e t e r m s o f
th is w o r k . T h e b e s t w a y t o d o t h is is w it h a lin k t o t h is w e b p a g e .