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THE THEOSOPHIST
A

MO NTH LY J O U R N A L D E V O T E D TO O R I E N T A L P H I L O S O ­
PHY, ART, L I T E R A T U R E A N D OCCULTISM.

COHtttfCTED KY

H. P. BLAVATSKY.
U N D E R T H E A U S P I C E S O F T H E T H E O S O P H IC A L SO C IE T Y .

Y O L U M E I. 1 8 7 9-8 0.

BOMBAY:
P U B L IS H E D B Y T H E T U E JO S O P fJIC A L S O C IE T Y , 108, OIRCIAUM B A C K B O A P .
 g o nt.I> » y ;
PRINTED AT T ill? I.N’blfSTRIAI, PRESS.
Sassoon BuiMing*, Klpliin.stoiio Circle.
 THE THEOSOPHIST.
V O L U M E I.
1 8 7 9 - 1 8 8 0 ( O C T O B E R T O S E P T E M B E R ) ,

CONTENTS.
P iQ I P-iQE

N a m a ste ................................... Ancient Opinions upon Psychic ... True and False Personality ............ 137
Wlmt is Tlieosophy................ Bodies............................................ 63 j Dnyaneshwari....................................... 142
Wlmt are the TheosophisU Indian Juggling ........................... 65 How best to bccomo a Theosophist 143, 213
Drift of Western Spiritualism J a in is m '............................................ *'5 | Buddhist Idea about Soul ... 144, 21^
Antiquity of the Vedas ... . Hindu Ideas about communion with j Jewel in old Rubbish ..................... 144
Autobiography of Dayanand S uiub- the Dead ................................... 68 j Madras Yogi Sabhnpnty Swaini ... 145
wati, Swaini ............................. 9, CO Soundings in the Ocean of Aryan Society’s Fourth Anniversary ... 147
Learning mnong Indian Lndics.......... 12 Literature .................... 70, 205, 253 Our *• American Pundit.” ............ 151
Brahma, Iswara and Maya ... 13, 87 Sankarachurya, Philosopher and Mys­ ; Shradhu and Pinda............................. 151
Pandit Bala Shastri on brahma, Ac 18 tic.......................................... 71, 89, 203 j Turkish Eflcndi on Christendom and
Inner God............................................ 18 Phantom D o g ................................... 73 I I s l i i i 'i ............................................ 152
Persian Zoroastriauism mid Russian East Indian Materia Medien 74, 114, Gesture Speech ................... 157, 273
168, 237, 267 Vedanta Philosophy ... 15S,201, 287
Vandalism ... 18
Strange Reverie................................ 76 Laud of Mystery ... 159, 170, 224, 277
L ight of A s i a . .................................... 20
Old Book and a New one ......... 77 Puzzles for the Philologists 161,205, 305
Works of Hindu Religion nnd Philo­
Nocturnal T h o u g h ts........................ 79 Which first, the Egg or the Bird ? 162
sophy nicutioned in tlio Brahma
Book N o tic e s ................................... 81 Cup-Mark In scrip tio n s................... 163
^ ojna .. ••• ... ... 25
Yoga Philosophy ........................... 86 Silent Brother .................... 166, 200
Groat Man............................................ ... 25
Aryan Trigonometry .....................
... 25 Swainf of Akalkot .............................. 90 Hindu or Aryn ... 170, 211,222, 25C
Technical Education ...
.................... 20 Badrinatli the Mysterious ............. 92 Theosophical Society or Universal
World without a Woman ............
... 27 Theosophical Jubilee ....................... 93 Brotherhood ............ 171, 214, 240
Magnetic Chain .............................
. . 29 Ensouled Violin................................. 95 Tnutrie Philosophy ................... 173
Magnetism in Ancient Chinn... ... 30 Swaini vs. Missionary ............ 98, 141 Radiant Matter................................... 174
Missions in India ........................... 100 Brahmoism ft. Hinduism ... 176, 255
Spiritualism at Simla ..................... 30
Yoga Vidya ................... Machine Telegraphy ................... 11)1 Haunted Castlo in tlio Nineteenth
31, 44, 84
Our Buddhist Brothers...................... Edison’s Telephono ................... 103
:»2 Century ................................... 177
Pood for the Starving .................... ... 32 Nuturo Worship ........................... 104 Oilice of R e lig io n ........................... 178
Buddhiitic Exegesis .................... Necromancy ................................... 106 State of Christianity .................. 181
... 34
Thunder Cloud with Silver Lining 34 Devil is d e a d .................................... 106 Kaliya Mardami, or the crushing of
Cross and Fire ............................. 35 Brethren of the Rosy Cross............. 108 Kuliyu—the Great Serpent of
Man-show at Moscow. ............ 36 Our Duty to Iudiu............................ Ill lvi ishua ... ... ... ... ... 183
Aryan M u s ic ...................................... 3‘J S o n n e ts ............................................. 112 Another iE th ro b a t........................... 184
Socioty’s B u lle tin ............................ 39, 06 Lo ! The “ Poor Missionary. ” ... 112 Mind is Material .................... 184, 254
War in Olympus ............................. 40 Indian Patriot’s P r a y e r.................. 113 Ode to I n d i a .................................... 185
Ruin of I n d i a .................................... 42 English Ghost Stories ................... 114 Physiology of M arriage.................. 186
Nature nnd Oilice of Buddlm'a Reli­ Baron du Potet Hon. F. T. S. ... 116 Cremation in A m e ric a ................... 187
gion ............................. 43, 122, 211 Ilassan Khan Djinni ................... 117 Mr. W hitworth’s Statement of Reli­
Law of the Lord Sakya Muni............ 43 Zoroastriauism and Theosophy ... 117 gious Belief.................................... 189
Hints to the Students of Yoga Indian JEthrubat ........................... 120 Cock and Bull.................................... 191
Vidya............................................46, 175 India ............................................. 121 New Prophet in India ................... 194
Hindu M u s ic ...................................... 46 Case of Geuuine Hindu Mediumship 123 Pnrsee A scetic................................... 194
Veda. Tlio Origin and History of G reat L ight under n Bushel ............. 125 Castes in India ........................... 196
Religion] .................... ...50, 09 Magnetic Prescience .................. 129 Spiritualism and T heo so p h y .......... 198
Brahmachari B aw a............ ... 50 Musalman Abdal (Yogi) ......... 1:»0 Real Buddhism.................................. 109
Indian Forest Question ... ...52, 93 Mystic Syllable Onkara : its Meaning, Children of the Sun......................... 201
Gary’s Magnetic Motor ... ............ 54 Antiquity, and Universal Application 131 Journalist vs. Missionary ...... 202
Christinas Then and'Christmas Now 58 Medal of Honour ... 134, 165, 193, 303 Prisoner Feigning Death ...... 204
Popular Idea of Soul-survival 60 Z o ro a s te r........................................... 135 Case of Obsession ............................ 207
Licutcnnnt-Colonel St. Anthony 62 Visitors from Shndow-land ......... 136 Welcome Theosophy .................... 209
 Taoe TAQK FAOE

Jail) View of Om................................ 212 Spectre Guide ............ .............. 245 Buddhist Hymn ............................. 284
Poona Exhibition, 1880.................... 212 Synopsis of Aryan L iterature.......... 24G O110 Theosophist’s view of Man's
Mr. W hitw orth’s Gauntlet ............ 214 Philosophy in Sanskrit Names and Position nnd Prospects ............ 285
Grip of u Friend.................................. 217 W ords... •«• ... ... I*. ... 248 Health of the Eyes .................... 28G
Enthcnsm.............................................. 218 Word of Honor ............................. 349 T lieosophists...................................... 28g
Mystery of Magnetism....................... 220 Study in Vegetarianism.................... 251 R aliatship............................................ 289
Official Despatches from tlie American Mysterious Sloue-Throwing at Plum- Solar Volcanoes ............................. 289
Government..................................... 221 J stead ................... . .................... 254 Spread of Buddhism in Western
Revival of Mesmerism .................... 221 • Spiritual Commandments ............ 2.34 Countries ..................................... 290
Modern Seer of Visions .................. 223 Prarthana Samaj vs. Christianity ... 255 Ionian Thcosophical S o c ie ty ............ 297
London Calls for Buddhist Missionaries 227 Agni-IIolro Philosophy..................... 25G Inaugural Address. Bombay Tlieoso*
028 O ur Delegates in Ceylon.......... 258, 200
Dissolved Soul...................................... phical S o c ie ty ............................. 208
People's Monthly................................ 22 !) Our Second Year .....................2fil, 205 Wooden God ............................. 301
Long Li I’o .....................................
220 Fruits of the CeylonMission.............. 262 Nanga Babn of G walior..................... 304
Drama of Raja Mann and his Wives 230 Occult Sciences................................... 204 Russian Superstitions .....................
308
Christ inn A rt of War......................... 230 Zoroastrian Religion as represented Decadencc of Protestant Christianity 300
Bewitched M i r r o r ............................ 230 l>y M. Hang ............................. 2G8
Notes on the Beej Mantras ............ 309
Number Seven.................... 232, 311 “ Spirit” Pranks Intra Caucasus ... 271 Astrology.............................................. 310
What the West expects ? 233 Study of Theosophy .................... 274
Stone throwing by S p ir its ............ 310
Jain Notion of the Creator 231 Light from the Missionaries wanted.
............ 27G
Treatise on Yog P hilosophy............ 312
Improvement in Iudiau Agriculture 231 Notes 011 ‘ a Laud of Mystery ’ ... 278 How they fast in I n d ia .................... 315
Some things the Aryans knew. ‘236, 217 Hindu Bengal. ... ..................... 280
Scorpion Poison Antidote. Official
Buddhist 1'amily or Village Religious B11<1<1hi.*t Mission to the United
Report from Baroda .....................
Life in I n d ia ..................;. 2 ?»J) ...
Slate> ... ... ... ... ... l(. 283
Dr. Tanner and the Vcdio Doctrine
Theory of C y c le s ................. 242
Testing the Bewitched Mirror Theory 284
about F a s t s ................................... 318
Glimpse of Tuutrik Occultism 211
Solis, Sods and Posies .................... 284
 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.
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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 p ostulate 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,
 /Ocreativ
^com m ons
Attribution-NonCom m ercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported

Y o u are free:

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 .
 HEOSOPHIST
A MONTHLY JOURNAL DEVOTED TO ORIENTAL PHILOSOPHY, ART, LITERATURE AND OCCULTISM: EMBRACING
MESMERISM, SPIRITUALISM, AND OTHER SECRET SCIENCES.

Vol.. I. N o. 2. BO M BA Y , N O V E M B E R 1*7!).

SPEC IA L NOTICES them As we cannot obligate ourselves to return rejected

It is QTultiiit th a t th e TiiKOSorinsT will offer lo advertisers unusual ad com m unications, tlic au thors will do well to preserve copies.
tau tag es in circulation. We have already subscribers in every |>nrt of
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moderuto rate* liavo bcou adopted : treatm en t of natives in conncction with the Civil Service
AuvEnTiaiNG H ates
m anagem ent of the Indian G overnm ent, though very able
and convincing', is unsuitable for these columns. Ours is
F irst in se rtio n ...........16 linos and u n d er............1 Kupco
For ench additional liu e ....................................... 1 Anna. strictly a religious philosophical, and scientific journal
Spaco in charged for a t th e rate of 12 lines to the inch. Spccial arrange and it would be im proper for us to eith er discuss political
m euts can bo uuuio for large advertisem ents, and for longer and tixed questions ourselves or p erm it it to lie done l>y others. Fur
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paper and inscribed it “ Press MSS. for publication,” it
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bslle S t American subscribers m ay also ordor th e ir papers through W. Q. Before our jo u rn al was published some natives— perhaps
Judge, Esq., 71. Broadway, New York. not over friendly— expressed th e ir incredulity th a t the
Ceylon : Isaac W corcsooriya, D eputy Coroner, Dodauduwa.
promise of the Prospectus would be kep t at the appointed
time. W hen it actually appeared, prom ptly on the day
tixed, they hinted th a t m any such jo u rn als had been
THE THEOSOPHIST. h ith erto started only to fail before the year was out, and
leave th e ir subscribers to m ourn th eir flitting rupees. For
BOM BAY, N O V E M B E R 1 s t , 1 8 7 0 . the comfort of such doubters let us now say th a t th e T h k o -
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good faith. N am es will not be disclosed w ith o u t permission. ; pledged for its accom plishm ent. Before even the Prospectus
was printed, the en tire cost of th e u n d ertak in g was provided
Persons having business wTith th e E ditors or P u b lisher for irrespective of all considerations of patronage*. B u t it
will please apply a t th e new office, which has been fitted may surprise, as doubtless it will also gratify, editorial
irp iu th e com pound of th e Theosophical Society’s L ibrary, friends who forewarned us to wait two years for th e paper
adjoining th e llc a d -q u a rte rs resilience. T h e peon in a t ­ to m eet its own expenses, to learn th a t they were false
tendance will answ er questions and report th e nam es of prophets.
visitors. As regards our "bold innovation'' of introducing the
A m erican and English system uf "cash paym ent in a d ­
Articles intended for insertion in th e following num ber vance,” it would seem as if its superior m erits have already
of this journal, should reach th e Editors by th e 10th of the struck even the Indian public. In fa d it is no more agree­
current m onth, never later than th e l.r>th, if avoidable, able, and even less honorable, for a man to be dunned
A careful discrim ination has to be exercised, and when the m onth after m onth for his p etty arrearages to his publisher
sulections are once m ade, it is very inconvenient to change than for his ’ g re ate r ones to .....................
his lamllor "S hort paym ents
 is every way favorably disposed towardfc ^oti.” Such' m eii ;
inal<c long friends.” T he d eb to r is always t.lic slave of the
as these tw o w orthily exem plify th e divine doctrines of j
creditor, and iu th e n a tu ra l order of th in g s comes to hate
him ,as soon as th e la tte r's necessities m ake him im portunate. S ak h y a M uni. •_ - . :
In th e whole experience of th e officers of th e Tbebso-' ^
pliical Society, no incident has -been more, cheering an d !.'
» B U D D H IS T IC E X E G E S IS . d e l i g h t f u l , th a n the. friendliness w i t h w hich th e ir a d - .<
W e' feci honored in being able to lay before W estern vaiices have been m et by th e B uddhists. I f we h a d 1
th in k ers prelim inary con trib u tio n s from two of the been b rothers long separated, our g reeting could n o t have
m ost em inent priests of th e religion of B uddha, now living. been w arm er. Says th e venerable C hief P rie st S u m an a- 1 ,
T h e y a r c H. • Sinnnngala, H igh P rie st of A d a m s Peak,- tissa, of th e Pn-ram ananda V ihare, near P o in t de G alle—
C e y l o n , the m ost venerated of B uddhistic m o n a ste rie s; now in his sixty-sixth year.— “ To use an O riental simile*
and M ohottiw aito G unaiianda, superior of th e Vihare I and m y m any disciples anxiously w ait your arrival, ad a-
D ipadutta.ina, a t Colombo, Ceylon. T ho form er is recog­ s w a r m of peacocks joyously long for th e dow npour of a
nized by European philologists as th e m ost learned of shower.” W e tru s t th a t our duties will p erm it us before
all the represen tativ es of his faith ; in fact, Dr. M uir of long to m eet all our Sinhalese brothers in person, and
Edinburgh recently called him a polyglot, so extensive exchange congratulations over th e encouraging prospects
ami accurate is his know ledge of languages and philoso­ of our peaceful hu m an itarian mission. '
phies. ] I is em inence as an in stru cto r is also, shown in his
occupancy of the position of P resid en t of tho Elu, Pali A T H U N D E R C L O U D W IT H S IL V E R L IN IN G .'
and S anskrit, College Vidyodaya. As a preacher and
expositor of doctrine he is no less distinguished, w hile his “All comes in good tim e to him who klioWR to Wait,"
personal character is so p u re and winsome th a t even says tho proverb. flic slnalI plill,y of- New Y ork Theo-
the bigoted enem ies of his religion vie w ith-each other sophists who arrived a t Bombay eight m onths ago, had
in praising him. In th e y ear 1.807 a synod of the B ud­ scarcely enjoyed th e friendly g reeting of th e natives when
d h ist clergy, called to fix th e te x t of th e titU ras and they received th e m ost u n m erited tmd b itte r insu lt of an
P itnkas, was presided over by him . W hen it was deci­ accusation of political intrigue, followed by a shower of
ded to reorganize th e Theosophical Society upon th e basis abuse and s la n d e r! W e had coine w ith th e best and
of a Universal B rotherhood of hum anity, u n itin g men purest of intentions"—however utopian, exaggerated, and
of all creeds iu an effort to spread th ro u g h o u t th e world even ill-tim ed, th ey m ay have seemed to the indifferent.
the basic principles of a tru e religion, he cheerfully gave B ut lo ! who h a th “ believed our re p o rt? ’! L ike Israel, the
his adhesion to th e m ovem ent, and accepted a place in allegorical m an of sorrow of Isaiah, we saw ourselves for
th e G eneral Council : thus dignifying th e Society and no fault of ours “ num bered w ith th e transgressors,” and
securing it th e good will of B uddhists, th e world over. “bruised for th e in iq u itie s” of one for whose race we had
F a r from asking th a t it should be given a sectarian cha­ come to offer our m ite of work, and were ready to devote
racter and made a propaganda of B uddhism , he sent his our tim e and our very lives. T his one, whose nam e
“ respectful and fraternal salu tatio n to o u r b reth ren in m ust uever pollute the columns of this journal, showed us
Bom bay ” in his le tte r of acceptance, and 1ms shown from his g ratitu d e by w arning the police th a t we were come
first to last th e disposition to assist, unreservedly and cor­ with some dark political purpose, and accusing us of being
dially our labours. _ spies— th a t is to say, th e vile of th e vile— th e m anga of
Who our other contributor is, th e C h ristian world, or a t th e social system. B u t now, as th e hist thunder-clap of
any ra te th a t portion of it w ith which tho M issionaries in the monsoon is dying away, our horizon too is cleared of its
Ceylon have relations, very well know. F o r years he has dark clouds. T h anks to th e noble and unselfish exertions
been the bravest, subtlest., wisest, and m ost renowned of an E nglish friend a t Sim la, th e m a tte r has been brought
cham pion of B uddha’s D octrine, in Ceylon. Six, or more, before H is Excellency, th e Viceroy. T he sequel is told in
tim es ho has m et th e chosen d eb aters of th e M issionaries the A llahabad Pioneer, of O ctober l l t l i , as follows:
before vast assem blages of natives, to discuss th e respective “ I t will be rem em bered th a t iu the beginning o f'th is y ear their
feelings were deeply h u rt on th e occasion of n trip th ey luado up-
m erits ol' th e two religions, and Was never y et worsted. country by an insulting espionage se t on foot against th em by the
In fact, it is only too evident, in th e adm issions of C hristian police. I t appears th a t some groundless calum ny had preceded
papers th a t he silenced his adversaries by his searching them to th is country, and th a t th e police p u t a very clum sy con­
analysis of Bible history and doctrines, and his exposition struction upon certain orders they received from G overnm ent res­
of th e Law of Buddha. A p am p h let edition of th e report pecting th e new arrivals. However, since th e n th e su b ject has
been b rought especially to th e Viceroy’s notice, and, satisfied th a t
of one of these great, debates was published a t London and the Theosophists were ■misrepresented in the first instance, he has
Boston, two years ago, u nder th e title “ Buddhism and given formal orders, through the Political D epartm ent, to th e effect
( -hristia.nity Face to Face, ’ which should be read by all th a t they are n o t to be any longer subject to interference.”
for whom th e subject has an in terest. W e are prom ised a From th e bottom of our hearts we th a n k his Lordship
t ranslation of an o th er sim ilar d ebate from th e careful report for having w ith one single word rubbed th e vile stain
m ade a t th e tim e in the Sinhalese language. In all, Priest off our reputations. W e th an k Lord L yttoli ra th e r th an
Mohot.tiwa.tte— or, as he is popularly term ed in Ceylon, th e Viceroy, th e gentlem an, who hastened, to redress a
M effUlmvalte— has preached over 5,000 discourses upon the wrong th a t the Viceroy m ig h t have overlooked. T he high
B uddhist ic religion, and devoted th e whole stren g th of his official has b lit done an act of justice, and would not
noble heart, to his sacred mission. His in te re st in our have been wholly blam eable if, un d er th e tem porary pres­
Society is as sincere as Suinangala s, and his ardor in pro­ sure of political w ork of th e hig h est im portance, he had
m oting its influence characteristic of all he does. H e lm s p u t it off to th e G reek kalends. We love to feel th a t
no reluctance w hatever to cooperate w ith our A ryan, Brali- we owe th is d e b t of g ratitu d e to the son of one whose
niauic, Parsi, Jain , and H ebrew m em bers in carrying on memory will ever be dear and sacred to the h e a rt of eVety • >
our work. “ W e feel h ap p ier th a n can be described,” he tru e th e o so p h ist; to the son of the' au th o r of Zanorii,”
writes, "t,o learn about, th e cordial receptions given you by “ A S trange S tory,’’ “ T he Coining Race,” and, th e " Hoube,
the b rothers in London and by th e natives of India. 1 and the B rain ; one who ranked higher th a n any' other
am sorry th at, w ith o u t p u ttin g m y congregation and m y­ in th e sm all n um ber of genuine m ystical w riters, for.
self to g reat inconvenience, I can not be p resen t in person he knew what, he was ta lk in g about, which id m ore th an
a t tho m eeting w ith Sw am i D ayanund. B u t I enclose a can be said of o th e r w riters in th is dep a rtm en t of lite ra tu re ..
le tte r signed by th e llevd. Sum angala, th e H ig h Priest, Once more we th a n k Lord L y tto n for having prom pted
and myself, recording our unqualified approbation of your the Viceroy.- . . . . . . .
kind suggestion to place us as rep resen tativ es of our faith A nd now, for the last tim e in these columns, as we hope,
in your O riental Council.” In an o th er le tte r to Col. O lcott we will say a. few words more iu reference to this sad
lie says, “ W e are rejoiced to know th a t such a learned, good page in the history of our Society. W e first wish to
and influential gentlem an as D ayan u n d Sarasw ati Swami, th an k those m any outside friends, as well as Fellows of
 th e T heosophical Society, who, regardless of th e danger of zation long a n terio r to th e G reek__say from two to th ree
associating w ith strangers so m uch ostracized, k e p t tru e thousand years B. C." B u m o u f calls it tb e oldest form of
to ua th ro u g h o u t th e long trial, scorning to abandon us j the cross known, and affirms th a t “ it is found personified
even a t th e risk of loss of em ploym ent, or of personal d is­ in th e ancient religion of th e G reeks under th e figuro of
grace.' H ono u r to th em ; m ost gladly would wo, were it p er­ P rom etheus “the fire-bearer,” crucified o d m ount Caucasus
m itted, w rite th e ir nam es for th e inform ation of our W es­ while tho celestial bird— th e C yena of th e Vedic hym ns —
te rn Fellows. B u t we can never forget, on th e other daily devours his entrails. B oldetti, ( Osservazioni I., If,
hand, tb e two or th re e instauces of sham eful, cowardly p. 60) gives a copy from th e p a in tin g in th e cem etery of
desertion, th a t have occurred. T h ey w ere am ong those St. Sebastian, rep resen tin g a C hristian convert nud grave
who had talk ed th e most, who had m ost loudly protested digger, nam ed Diogenes, who wears ou both his legu and
th eir changeless and etern al devotion to u s ; who called rig h t arm th e signs of th e <S’iuasticu. The Mexicans and
us “ brothers ” near and d ear to th e ir h e a rts ; h ad offered th e P eruvians had it, and it is found as the sacred T an in
us th e ir houses, th e ir carriages, and th e co n ten ts of th uir th e oldest tom bs of Egypt.
purses— if we would only accept th e m — w hich we did not. I t is, to Bay th e least, a strange coincidence, rem arked
A t th e tirst apprehension th a t idle ru m o u r m ig h t become even by some C hristian clergym en, th a t A g n u s Dei, the
a reality, these were th e sw iftest to desert us. One, Lam b of God, should have th e symbols, ideutical with
especially, whose nam e we will refrain from m entioning, tho H indu God Agui. W hile A g n u t D ei expiates and
though we would have a perfect rig h t to do so, acted to ­ takes away th e sins of tb e world, in one religion, the God
wards us in th e m ost disgraceful way. A t th e first h in t A tjni in th e other, likew ise expiates sius against th e gods,
from an official superior, cowering like a w hipped hound man, th e manes, th e soul, and repeated s in s ; as shown in
before a danger m ore im aginary th a n real, be hastened to th e six prayers accom panied by six oblations. ((’olebrooke—
repudiate not only his “ brothers,” b u t even to pointedly i Unsays, Vol. 1, p. 190)
disclaim th e rem otest connection w ith th e Theosophical If, then, we find these tw o—the Cross and tho F ile —
Society, and conspicuously published th is repudiation so closely associated iu th e esoteric symbolism of nearly
an A nglo-V ernacular p ap er ! every nation, it is because on the combined powers of
To him, we have no word to siy, b u t as a lesson for the two rests the whole plan of the universal laws
such others as iu th e future m ay feel like im ita tin g him, In astronom y, physics, chem istry, in the whole range
we will (|iiote these words of an English gen tlem an (not of natural philosophy, in short, they always come out
the lowest am ong Govt, officials) who has since joined as the invisible cause and th e visible I CSll and only
our Society, who w rites us in reference to th is personage : m etaphysics and alchem y— or shall we say metarltcinifih t r y,
“ If I were you, I wuukl bless my sta rs th .it siu h a nue ik since we •refer coining a new word to shocking skepti-
left our Society of his own accord bot'ore lie p u t us to tlie tro u ­ eal ears > -c a n fully and conclusively solve the m ys­
ble of expelling him. F aints in u no, f a i t us in omniljut. A Fellow terious m eaning. An instance or two will suffice for
who, lifter pledgiug his io j n l o f honour *to p rotect tbe interest
of hi* Society, ‘ also the honour of si B rother Fellow ,’ even "a t those who are willing to th in k over hints
the peril of his life,’ (Hales, A rt. II.) breaks it and tu rn s tra ito r I ^ 1 he C entral Point, or th e great central sun of the
w ithout any other cause th an his own uhameful cowardice, Kosmos, us the K abalists call it, is the D eity It is the
ott'efw but a poor guarantee for his loyalty even to thu U ovein point of intersection betw een th e two great conflictin''
uiuut th a t he has sworn allegiance to ............’’ 1
powers— the centripetal and centrifugal forces, which!
In all th e ir search after strong words to lling u t it, our drive th e planets into th eir elliptical orbits, th a t m ake them
enemies never once th o u g h t of charging th e Theosophical trace a cross iu th e ir paths through th e Zodiac. These
Society w ith harboring and honoring poltroons. I two terrible, though as y e t hypothetical and im aginary
powers, preserve harm ony and keep the U niverse iu steady,
C R O S S A N D E IR E . unceasing motion ; and th e four b en t points of the
Syvastiea typify th e revolution of tho E arth upon its axis.
P erhaps th e m ost w idespread and universal am ong Plato calls the U niverse a "blessed god " which m ud
the symbols in th e old astronom ical system s, w hich have in u circle u m l decussated in the fo r m o f the Utter X. So
passed down th e stream of tim e to our century, and have m uch for astronom y. In Masonry the Royal Arch d e­
left traces everyw here in th e C h ristian religion as else­
gree retains th e cross as th e triple E gyptian Tau. I t is
where,— are th e Cross and th e F ire — th e hit ter, th e em blem th e m undane circle w ith th e astronom ical cross upon it
of the Sun. T h e ancient A ryans had th em both as th e
rapidly revolving ; th e perfect square of th e Pythagorean
symbols of Agui. W henever th e an cien t H in d u devotee m athem atics in the scale of num bers, as its occult m ean­
desired to w orship A gui— says E. B u rn o u f (Science dea ing is in terp reted by C ornelius Agrippa. F ire is heat,
Religionf, c. 10)— he arranged two pieces of wood in the — the central p o in t; th e perpendicular ray represents the
form of a cross, and, by a peculiar w hirling and friction male elem ent, or s p irit; and th e horizontal one the
obtained fire for liis sacrifice. A s a symbol, it is called female elem ent— or m atter. S p irit vivifies and fructifies the
Syottioq,, a,nd, as an in stru m e n t m anufactured o u t of a sa­ m atter, and ev erything proceeds from th e central Point,
cred tree aud in possession of every B rahm in, it is know n th e focus of Life, aud L ight, and H eat, represented by the
*a A rani. terrestrial fire. So much, again, for physics and chemis
T he Scandinavians had th e sam e sign and called it try, for th e field of analogies is boundless, aud U niversal.
T h o rs H am m er, as bearing a m ysterious m agneto-electric Layvs are im m utable and identical in th e ir outw ard aud
relation to Thor, th e god of th u n d er, who, like J u p ite r inward applications. W ith o u t in ten d in g to be disrespect­
armed w ith his thunderbolts, holds likew ise iu his h and ful to any one, or to w ander far away from tru th , we
this ensign of power, over n o t only m ortals b u t also the th in k we m ay say th a t th o re are strong reasons to believe
mischievous sp irits of th e elem ents, over which he p re­ th a t iu th e ir original sense th e C hristian Cross— as tb e cause,
sides. Iu M asonry it appears in th e form of th e grand aud E tern al to rm e n t by H ell F ire —as tb e direct effect of
m aster’s m a lle t; a t A llahabad it m ay be seen ou tb e F o rt negation of th e form er— have m ore to do w ith these two
as th e J a in a Cross, or th e T alism an of tb e J a iu a K in g s ; ancient symbols th a n our W estern theologians are p re­
and th e gavel of th e m odern ju d g e is no m ore th a n this pared to adm it. I f F ire is th e D eity w ith some heathens,
erux disaim ulata — as de Rossi, th e archudogist calls i t ; so iu th e Bible, God is likew ise th e Life and tho L ig h t
for th e gavel is th e sign of power and stre n g th , as th e of th e W orld ; if th e H oly G host and F ire cleanse and
ham m er represen ted th e m ig h t of Thor, who, iu th e N orse purify th e C hristian, on th e o th er hand L ucifer is also
legepds splits a rock w ith it, and kills M edgar. D r. Schlie- L ight, and called th e “ S on of th e m orning star.’’
mttnn foun(} j t in terrOf cotta disks, oq th e site, as he b e ­ T u rn w herever we will, we are sure to find these cou-
lieves, of ancientT roy, in tb e low est s tra ta of hjs ex cav atio n s; jo in t relics of an cien t w orship w ith alm ost every nation
which iqdipated, according to D r. Lundy, " an A ryan civili- and people. F rom th e A ryans, tho Chaldeans, th e Zoroas-

* The Theoeophioal Society require* do oattia, » it deems ao pledge more

trians, Peruvians, M exicans, Scandinavians, Celts, aud au-
tiludins; than the word of honour. Kit. cient G reeks and Latins, it lias descended in its com plcteness
to th e m odern Parsi. Tho Plia;iiieiun Cabiri and the
G reek D ioscuri arc partially revived in every tem ple,
cathedral, and village church ; while, as will now be shown,
th e C hristian Bulgarians have even preserved th e sun
worship in full.
I t is m ore than a thousand years since th is people, who.
em erging from obscurity, suddenly ln-oame fam ous through
th e late R usso-T urkish war, were converted to C h ristia n i­
ty. A nd y et th ey ap p ear none th e less pagans th a n they
were before, for th is is how they meet. C hristinas and the
New Y ear's day. To th is tim e they call this festival Sourj-
vaki, as it falls in with th e festival in h o n o u ro f th e ancient.
Slavonian god Sourja. In th e Slavonian m ythology this
deify— Sourja or Soiirva,— evid en tly identical w ith the
A ryan S u ry n — sun— is the god of heat, fertility, and a b u n ­
dance. T he celebration of th is festival is of an im m ense
antiquity, as, far before the. days of C hristian ity , tho Bul­
garians worshiped Soiirva, and consecrated New Y ear’s day
to this god, praying him to bless th e ir fields with fer­
tility, and send them happiness nnd prosperity. This
custom has rem ained am ong them in all its p rim itive
heathenism , and though it varies according to localities,
vet the rites and cerem onies are essentially th e same.
O n th e eve of New Y ear’s day t he B ulgarians do no work,
and are obliged to fast. Y oung betrothed m aidens are
busy preparing a large p h d iy (cake) in which they place
roots and y o u n g shoots of various forms, to each of which
a nam e is given according to th e shape of th e root. Thus,
one m eans th e " house,” an o th er represents th e “ garden
o thers again, th e mill, th e vineyard, t,Ik; horse, a cat, a hen,
and so on, according to th e landed property and worldly
possessions of tho family. Even articles ot value such as
jew ellery and bags of money are represented in th is em blem
of t he horn of abundance. Besides all these, a largo and
ancient silver coin is placed inside th e cake ; it. is called
biibha and is tied two ways with a red thread, which forms
a cross. T his coin is regarded as the symbol of fortune.
A fter sunset,, and o th e r cerem onies, including prayers
addressed in th e direction of the d ep artin g lum inary,
the whole family assem ble about a large round table
called paralyti. on which are placed th e above m entioned
cake, dry vegetables, corn, wax taper, and, finally, a
large censer containing incense of the. best q u ality to
perfum e th e god. T he head of th e household, usually
the oldest in th e family— e ith e r th e gran d fath er, or the
father him self—tak in g up th e censer w ith th e g reatest
veneration, in one hand, and th e wax ta p e r in th e other,
begins w-alking about th e prem ises, incensing th e four
corners, beginning and ending w ith th e East, and reads
various invocations, which close w ith th e C hristian “ O ur
F a th e r who art in H eaven,” addressed to Sourja. T he
ta p e r is th en laid away to be preserved th roughout the
whole year, till th e n ext festival. I t is th o u g h t to have
acquired m arvellous healing properties, and is lighted
only upon occasions of fam ily sickness, in which case
it, is expected to cure th e p atien t.
A fter this ceremony, th e old m an tak es his knife and
cuts th e cake into as m any slices as th ere are m em bers of
th e household present. Each person upon receiving his
or h er share m akes h aste to open and search th e piece.
T he happiest of th e lot, for th e ensuing year, is he or she
who gets th e p art containing th e old coin crossed w ith the
scarlet th read ; he is considered th e elect of Sourja, and
overy one envies the. fo rtunate possessor. T hen in order
of im portance come th e em blem s of th e house, th e vine­
yard, and so 011 ; and according to his finding, th e finder
reads his horoscope for th e com ing year. M ost unlucky
he who gets th e c a t ; he tu rn s pale and trem bles. W oe
to him and misery, for he is surrounded by enem ies, and
has to prepare for g re a t trials.
A t th e sam e tim e, a large log which represents a fla­
m ing altar, is set up in th e chim ney-place, and fire is applied
to it. T his log burns in honoiu- of S ouija, and is in te n ­
ded as an oracle for th e whole house. I f it b urns tho whole
n ig h t through till m orning w ith o u t th e flame dying out,
it is a good sign ; otherwise, tho fam ily prepares to see
death that, year, ami deep lam en tatio n s end th e festival.
N e ith e r th e m om ttee (young bachelor), nor the mom m eo
(the maiden), sleep th a t night. A t m idnight begins a series
of sooth-saying, magic, and various rites, in which tho b u rn ­
ing log plays th e p a rt of the oracle. A young bud throw n into
the fire and b u rstin g w ith a loud snap, is a sign of happy
and sjieedy m arriage, and vice versa. I .King after m id­
night, th e young couples leave th e ir respective homes, and
begin visiting th e ir acquaintances from house to house,
ottering and receiving congratulations, and rendering th an k s
to th e deity. T hese d eputy couples are called th e Sour-
yakiiri, and each m ale carries a large branch ornam ented
with red ribbons, old coins, and the image of Sourja, and
as they wend along sing in chorus. T heir ch ant is as ori­
ginal as it is peculiar and m erits translation, though, of
course, it m u st lose in being rendered into a foreign lan ­
guage. T he following stanzas are addressed hy them to
those th ey visit. -
SAurvo, Rofirvn, Lord of the Season, ■
H a p p y N o w Y enr n i a y s t t l i o u R en d ; . ,
H ealth nnd fortune on th is household,
Success am i blessings till uext year.
W ith good crops and full ears.
W ith gold and silk, nnd grapes and fruit. ; •
W ith barrels full of wine, and stom achs full.
You and your house he blessed l>v the (!o d ...
H is blessing 011 you all.—Amen ! Amen ! Amen !
T he singing Souryakari, recom pensed for th e ir good
wishes w ith a presen t a t every house, go home a t early
d aw n ...A n d th is is htiw the symbolical exoteric Cross and
F ire w orship of old A ryavart go hand in hand in C hris­
tian B ulgaria.........
T H E M A N -S H O W A T M OSCOW .
B y H er E r r y .Y. A . Fiuleyef, F.T.S.
H alf Asiatic, w hite walled Moscow, the tim e-honoured
capitnl-m etropolis of our “ S ainted Russia,” is ju s t now
having the best of her fashionable m odern rival— St. P eters­
burg, and even of th e o th e r capitals of Europe. If we
m istake not, her presen t Anthropological Exhibition is the
first of th e kind ever held, as it is also th e most unique of
all expositions. Tho design was to present a t one view,
with the help of the geologist, paheontologist and ethno­
grapher, all th at is known or suspected as to the origin of
man and his history upon th e planet ; more particularly to
show the physical condition, th e dress, m anners, and customs
of the diverse races and tribes of the world, especially
those, so little know n and studied yet, th a t- acknowledge
tho sway of H .l.M .— our Czar.
So problem atical seem ed tlie issue of this scientific e n te r­
prise, th a t th e em in en t Russian n atu ralists who were its
•rejectors k e p t th e ir purpose very q u ie t for a tim e. They
lad even decided, for fear of a failure, to m ake 110 display
of th eir invitations to various m en of science, but, as soon
as the m ain preparations had been thoroughly achieved, to
privately send cards to a lim ited num ber of th e ir colleagues
th ro u g h o u t Europe. M useums were ransacked, and private
collections p u t u n der contribution, and th e governm ent
itself helped by sending specialists to various p arts of the
Em pire to collect inform ation. A nd now th e exhibition
has proved a thorough success.
T he m ost in terestin g specim ens in the palaeontological
d e p a rtm e n t are th e im plem ents and arm s of the stone age-^-
tlio best being the priv ate collections of M essieurs Anout-
chine, d ’Assy, and M artillier. A m agnificent specim en of
a well preset ved skull of th e m an of th e stone age, found by
C ount O uvarof a t M ouromsk (governm ent of V ladim ir), and
a few of th e bones of th e skeleton, a ttra c t general attention
as being th e first perfect specim ens of th a t age ever found.
The in terest is divided betw een these and th e adm irable
m odels of dolm ens, th e ancient tom bs of the second neolitty
period of th e stone age. T he specim ens of . th e fossils of
the cave m an, bear, boor, bull and deer, from tb 6 caves of
Swabia, sen t by th e Leipzic A nthropologico-Ethnographi-
cal M useum (M u se u m f i l r V o lk rrk u v d e ), are Very firfe
also. N e x t to these in interest, b u t on an ascending scale,,as
it touches directly the philanthropist as well as th e ethiiogra-
 pher, oiul may serve as a key to u n rid d le th e m ystery of uses'; and th e E squim aux Tchookchis, w ith th e ir neigh-
f
many d istin ct and strange characteristics of th e peoples _of ours, th e Coriaks. A ll th e se ‘are d istributed in several
the world, are th e m odels of th e cradles and in fa n t h ead ­ large com partm ents, living in th e ir respective te n ts and
dresses of nearly all th e n ations and trib es— civilized as well dwellings, and su rro u n d ed by a scenery fam iliar to each,
as savage. T he full details of th e ways of n u rsin g a baby an8 even by th e anim als th e y have been accustom ed to.
from its birth , are given here. C radles of m ost various forms, For, living and stuffed specim ens of th e reindeer, the
— R ussian, Georgian, T artar, Persian, R ed In d ia n of A m e­ roebuck, th e elk ; of th e wild sheep, and th e arctic or
rica, Asiatic, A ustralian an d A frican— m ost of th em con­ stone fox ; of sables, erm ines, m artens, m arm ots and s q u ir­
trived so as to give a certain form to th e head of th e grow ­ rels, are brought, to g e th e r w ith th e w hite bear, th e wolf,
ing in f a n t; and th e curious tig h t-fittin g head-dresses, and th e lynx. E ven th e p a tie n t camel has found room
crowd, a wh6le com partm ent. B eginning w ith th e narrow in a corner, w here h e shares his food w ith th e strange
ap ertu re of th e Georgian C aucasian cradle, which com pres­ looking sp o tted little w hite horse of Siberia.
ses th e head so as to p rev en t its grow ing in bread th , b u t As, of all th e nations of th e world, th e tribes of N o r­
forces its grow th upw ards th a t th e p a p a h a (fur cap) th e rn S iberia are th e least known, I m ay as well des­
m ight fit it th e better, and down to th e oourrelet of th e cribe some of th e m ost curious of th e ir strange ways,
Bordelese o f S outh ern France, w hich m ade a fam ous F rench customs, and religious beliefs. T he inform ation was all
anthropologist who has ju s t delivered a lecture upon derived from th e catalogues of th e E xhibition, and the
th e effects of these .various modes, affir-m th a t th is custom, official R eports of th e m en of science purposely sent to
while throw ing a mass of good singers and artists upon these far-aw ay countries, and eye-witnesses. L e t us begin
the world from B ordeaux,-nad p revented th e ir raising one w ith
good scholar in th a t p a rt of his own cou n try — all th e fash­ T h e I n tra c ta b le S a m o yed es,
ions are rep resented h e re ; little m anikins lying in the
cradles, and m anikin m others a tte n d in g on them . who ‘w ill not be converted to C hristianity, do w hat the m is­
T he whole in terio r of th e vast E x h ib itio n H a ll is m ade sionaries may. T heir m ulticolored tchoum (tent), the
to resem ble a gigantic grotto, divided by tw o hillocks, re ­ n um ber of sm all bells decorating th e dresses of th e ir chil­
presenting in m ih iatu re th e various s tra ta of our earth 's dren, and th e ir own parti-coloured queer garm ents, pro­
fo rm atio n ; w hile each of a series of im m ense squares, voke th e adm iration of th e Moskvitch. A funny anec­
presents a scene of some geological period— fancy and h y ­ dote is told of him self by Professor Zograf, who travelled
pothesis having, as a m a tte r of course,, h a d a lf\i'ge share last year am ong th ese people for th e purpose of col­
in th e arrangem ent.. T h e glory of th is charm ing plan lecting his data. W h ile on th e peninsula of K aninsk,
belongs to M. K am eief, our celebrated architect. A nd desirous to ascertain th e average h e ig h t of th is people,
now, th a n k s to his ingenious idea, in one square, th e p u b ­ he began by m easuring an old Samoyede. Seeing this,
lic can stare a t cleverly executed m anikins of th e m en of his friends took into th e ir heads th a t his operation had
th e bronze age, w ith th e ir im p le m e n ts ; in th e next, a t the som ething to do w ith recru itin g soldiers, and raised an
resum able in h a b ita n t of th e glacial period, crouched near o u tc ir ; pouring upon th e m an of science a shower of choice
is den, in dangerous proxim ity to th e fossil elep h an t and half-R ussian and half-vernacular abuse, which was follow­
cave-bear. A t th e foot of one of th e hillocks is a pond, ed up w ith a volley of stones. T hey confiscated his
fed by th e w aters of a sm all cascade which falls from th e reindeer and lu g g a g e ; and would have killed him b u t
to p of th e adjoining rocks, and in it sports a h uge plesi­ for his presence of m ind. T ak in g o u t a revolver he show­
osaurus, in com pany w ith o th er an ted ilu v ian m onsters. ed them th a t it could kill five m en a t once. T hen they
All these are m ost cleverly executed auto m ata. Over got th e ir revenge o u t of his collection of insects and rep ­
th e slim y surface of artificial banks, creep, crawl and tiles. E very drop of th e spirits-of-w ine in which th e spe­
wriggle stran g e organic forms of th e D evonian t i m e ; th e cim ens were k e p t having been drunk, th e y becam e very
. motion being given to th em by a clever m echanism of caressing, ten d erly stroked th e Professor’s beard, and then,
wires, w heels and springs. T h e idea suggested by these as he n arrates himself, began dancing around him , rep eat­
varieties, including th e gigantic m astodon, th e w alking ing in chorus : " Pig, p ig .. .R ussian pig !.. .B lack beard !...
fish, and ru d e rep tilian birds, is th a t th e m ain concern of P ig !...D og, good old d o g !...” u n til finally th ey fell around
all was, on th e one hand, to devour, and on th e other, to him in prom iscuous heaps, dead drunk. O ne ^ld S am o­
escape from being 'devoured, by th e ir neighbours. T he yede lay th e re insensible, w ith an em pty b o ttle in his hand
“ survival of th e fitte st” is, in short, th e ‘ lay serm on’ th ey and th e rem ains of a m agnificent “ collection of insects ”
preach. . . strew n over his m outh and b reast...B efore his departure
from th e tu rb u le n t trib e Mr. Zograf had another adventure.
T he living types of T u ran ian trib e s and races— in h abi­
T he old hostess of th e tchoum he was allowed to in h a ­
ta n ts o f-S ib e ria and o th er far-aw ay provinces* of A siatic
b it for th e consideration of a barrel of whiskey, saw him
R ussia— aro also creating a reg u lar fu ro re . E v ery people
once w ashing his face w ith a piece of rose-coloured gly­
and n ation is represented h ere— e ith e r b y living specim ens
cerine soap. Im agining it to be a universal panacea
or dressed figures— so tru e to life in every p articu lar th a t
against every m ortal ailing, she begged of him and re ­
this has led to th e m ost ludicrous m istakes in th e public.
ceived a piece. A t th is m om ent her husband, happening
An artificial w oolly-headed Kaffir g listen in g like a freshly
to e n te r th e tchoum, snatched th e soap from his wife's
blackened boot, glares a t a liv in g Z ulu who th re a te n s him
hand, sniffed it, and rem arking th a t it “ stan k good,”—
w ith his a s s e g a i; and, close by, a living w iry A fghan, fol­
swallowed it as if it had been a piece of pork!
lows w ith a so rt of dream y gaze th e ever m oving stream
L e t us m ove on further, to th e far, far N orth, toward
of ladies and gentlem en, belonging to a civilization which
th e river Lena, w here live scattered about in solitary
he n e ith e r appreciates nor adm ires. • N
groups, the Y akoots. A piteous tribe, th at, and -
Curious specim ens of th e A borigenes of S iberia a ttra c t
th e general attention. H e re we see th e Sam oyedes of A D r e a r y , n e v e r - t h a w in g , i c y L a n d !
th e N o rth W estern p a rts of th e land of e x ile ; and th e In its S o u th ern portion th e re is a sem blance of Sum m er
O stiaks of th e river Yenisei. -T h e barb aro u s B ashkir, th e so m etim e s; b u t in its n o rthern regions th e sun, though it
mild Y akoot, an d th e K irgheez from th e d reary steppes of never sets d u rin g a period of fifty-two days, can barely call
Irtish and Ishim . T he Calm ucks, clean and shining forth w ith its oblique rays a few m eagre bushes, and here
in th e ir gold-cloth- chalats, caps, an d long queues of and th e re some blades of grass, on those fields covered
hair ; th e tribes of Sagai, B eltires, B eruisses an d K atchi- w ith perp etu al ice,, and frozen so hard th a t to th e depth of
nes; th e M ongolian Bouriiats of lake B aikal, and th e a yard th e ground never thaw s. In Ju ly , appear clouds of
T unguses from th e frontiers of C hina. G reat h u n te rs and m osquitoes, w hich literally darken daylight. These mos­
• the m ost civilized- am ong all th e se tribes, th e se Siberian quitoes are th e plague of m an and c a ttle ;' in th e form er
N im rods are now ex hibited to g e th e r w ith th e fire-arm s of th ey produce a cutaneous fever, th e la tte r they to rtu re to
th e ir owp m anufacture. N e x t come th e pastoral, horse death. . . r
and cattle breeding, nom ads— th e T artar-lo o k in g Tun- W ith th e first days of N ovem ber begin th e fearful
 Si ben'a n frosts, and th e sun sets, to reappear only alter
th irty -eig h t days. .Tliis polar n ig h t is terrific. D arkness
is m o d e ra te 1 but by th e reflection of th e w h ite snow, and
occasionally dispersed by th e flam ing splendors of th e
aurora borealis. It isn ex t to an im possibility foryour H indus,
a t least, the inh ab itan ts ol C entral or S o u th ern In d ia to
conceive of such a cold, and yet, at th a t tim e, th e cold
reaches <S(i degrees Kali, below zero ; and even th e en d u ­
ring, patient, reindeer hide them selves in th e thickets,
and stand motionless, closely huddled to g e th e r to keep
from freezing. Clear <lays are rare even in th e so-called
Slim m er, for the wind chases th e vapours, th e sun is
darkened, nnd all the sky is covered w ith mirages. D uring
such colds, a spoonful of soup tak en d irectly out. ol the
pot lwiiling o n the lire, freezes before one has tim e to
carry it to th e mouth.
T he surrounding,s o f a Y akout are d isg u stin g : the
stench and dirt, are beyond expression ; for m en and c a t­
tle live together. There is n e ith e r tim e, nor need, nor
yet possibility to wash, as the w ater is constantly frozen ;
consequently th e Yakout never washes. B u t ho has few
prejudices. He will drink w ater from th e d irtiest pool,
in which his beast had ju s t rolled itself. W h en there
is food, he eats much ; b u t he is very en d u rin g and can go
w ithout any food lo r a long while. T h e \a k o iita are
hospitable, obliging, respectful, and subm issive to the
a u th o ritie s ; little addicted to cheating, they have no ex-
|K*rience o f courts o f ju stice, b u t a t th e sam e tim e they
are lazy and careless. T h an k s to this la tte r fault, they
often die of accidents, but regard death w ith perfect in­
difference. “ T h eir life is no life,” says a correspondent
of Nova? V yyn n ru it is a half-sleepy vegetation am idst
ices. T heir num bers dim inish w ith every year, and n o t­
w ithstanding th e care of th e Russian G overnm ent to help
this race while studying it, th e eth n o g rap h er feels th a t
lie is w riting it.s obituary." F a r m ore jjoetic.il, and con­
soling from a moral stand-jioint, ap p ear
'I'll K N o .MADK! TUNfiUSK.
The ethnologists paint, q u ite an ideal p ictu re of them .
The T unguses are described by them as, “ gentle, brave,
obedient to th e ir chiefs, and serviceable; no q u arrels or
st rifes arc ever heard of am ong them . T hey have not the
slightest, idea of a law-suit, aud malice, envy, hatred and
obstinacy are feelings q u ite unknow n to them .” D uring
the last, half-century the only cases th a t ever cam e before
the m agistrates, were a few m anslau g h ters com m itted by
the T unguses when drunk. In every instance, th e poor
culprits come forward voluntarily to su rren d er them selves
to th e authorities, ami then su b m it to th e ir sentence
w ithout.on e word of com plaint. In vivid contrast to the
Tunguse stands the passionate,
Til K I''K lin e KM'S A N D V IN D IC T IV E , T C H O O K T C H A ,
who never forgives an offence. W hen insulted he seeks
to kill his enem y on th e sly. I f revenge fails d u rin g his
own life-tim e, lie will bequ eath it to his son, and th u s it
passes from one generation to an o th er u n til th e o p p ortu­
nity arriv es; for revenge can be satisfied b u t w ith the
death of th e offender. A T chooktcha who p repares for
m urder does it with a g reat so lem n ity : he dons a new
garm ent, all covered w ith b its of w o lfs fur, a sim ilar fur
cap, and provides him self w ith th re e knives ; th e largest
he conceals behind his back (near th e neck) u n d er th e
upper garm ent, the two sm aller he hides in his sleeves.
H e arm s himself, moreover, w ith a spear, and goes about
arm ed and prepared in this wise till th e desired catastro ­
phe happens. In the bosom of his fam ily a Tchooktcha
is no less a ty r a n t;— enraged ag ain st his wife, he will of­
ten chop off her ears or th e left arin as far as th e shoulder.
A t the sam e tim e, ho w illingly lends his wife to friends
and a c q u a in ta n c e s; b u t delib erate unfaithfulness on her
part, is punished w ith d eath .
T h k F e m a l e T c h o o k tu h i
are far from handsome, th o u g h th e y have even a more
passionate love of personal a d o rn m en t th a n our E u ro ­
pean ladies. Kor instance, th ey embroider their h a n d t
/n n d ^ a c e s , em ploying for th e purjiose th read s m ade of
anim al tendons and veins— th u s presenting a m ost original
style of decoration of a deep blue color in high-relief upon
th e ir bronzed countenances. F rom th e p a tte rn one can
recognize a m arried woman from a girl. T he form er has
her nose em broidered in two rows, w hile th e virgin is
denied th e beau ty of such delicate adornm ent. A t the
exhibition, th e re are some women whose noses look like
a mass of varicose veins !........
T h e i r M a r r ia g e C e r e m o n ie s
are sim plified to th e utterm ost. A young m an on th e look­
o u t for a wife goes to th e fam ily of th e bride, and says :
“ I w ant y o u r-g irl."— " G o and feed th e flock ” is th e p a ­
triarchal answ er, Jaco b like, he goes and tends th e c a t­
tle for three, som etim es four, years, living a t th e same
tim e w ith th e girl a9 though she were his wife. In case
a m utual lik in g springs up betw een them , she becom es
his wife bona fid e s ; if otherwise, th e bridegroom is asked
to decamp, and th e bride w aits for an o th er pretender.
D uring th is te n ta tiv e wedlock, th e a tte n tio n s And lit­
tle presents bestowed by th e young m an who courts
his beloved are very original. T hey consist n eith er of
flowers nor jew ellery, for nothing of th e sort is know n in
those regions. B u t they have instead th e ir reindeer,
which afford them verm in enough for a whole, zoologi­
cal garden. Tow ards Spring, a large, w hite, fat and ex­
ceedingly succulent worm m akes its appearance in the fur
aud u n der th e skin of th e reindeer. I t is these worms
th a t th e T chooktcha g allan t squeezes o u t and brings to
his beloved. De guttibuB n o n eet d isp n ta n d u m . N one the
less original, and still gloom ier is th e picture given of
T h e H o u r ok D ea t h
of these eccentric, gloomy, vindictive savages. S trange to say,
a T chooktcha dreads above everything to die a natural
d eath ; for it am ounts w ith him to allow ing th e devil to
devour him ! Old people who feel tired of life and reluc­
ta n t to becom e a burden upon th e ir fa m ilie s; or young
ones who are e ith e r sickly, or who sim ply desire to join
th e ir deceased relatives or see th e ir departed friends as
soon as th ey can,— voluntarily p u t an end to th e ir earthly
peregrinations. T h e nearest of kin, or in his absence, a
friend, or a sim ple acquaintance, obligingly takes upon
him self th e good office of dispatching th e volunteer to a
b e tte r world. H aving arrayed him self in his b est clothes,
th e candidate falls into th e best of hum ours, becomes ra ­
d ia n t w ith joy, and cracks jo k es while bidding good-bye
to his fam ily and acquaintances. T he la tte r in th e ir tu rn
overload him w ith m essages and com plim ents for th e ir
friends in th e " o th e r world.” T he day of the k illing of
a T chooktcha is a day of rejoicing and a general fe stiv a l;
as for th e self-doomed man, he keeps his te n t from early
m orning, and aw aits d eath w ith im p atien ce; while all
around th e te n t th e h u b b u b of m any voices is heard, the
wife and children of th e dep artin g one going about in the
crowd, w ith the u tm o st indifference. A nd now comes the
last m om ent. T h e hum of th e spectators hushes, and
they solem nly prepare. T he victim bares both his sides,
anil seating him self on his bed, behind th e tent-w all of
skin, braces his rig h t side against th e log of wood which
serves him for bed-pillow. T h en th e chosen executioner,
piercing th ro u g h th e fur tent-w all w ith his spear, directs
its sh arp p o int tow ards th e dying m an, who, placing it
carefully over th e region of th e heart, shoutB to him :
“ K il l qu ick ly I P u s h !!...”
T he executioner th e n strikes a blow w ith his palm on
th e head of th e spear-liandle, and th e sh arp blade passing
through th e m an ’s h e a rt em erges from th e back covered
w ith gore, and nails him to th e lo g ; a feeble groan, 4ome-
tiines a piercing shriek, is all th a t th e crowd b e a r s ' frohi
w ithin th e t e n t ; th e weapon is pulled o u t and th e corpse
rolls to th e g ro u n d ; th e wife and children, exiled: from
th e te n t d u rin g th e ceremony, re-en ter th e ir abode and
coolly exam ine th e dead m an. A fter th a t, a k in d of g e­
neral " w ako” commences, w ith joyouB songs and drinking.
T h e su b sequent disposal of th e deceased v a rie s: he is
e ith e r crem ated, or cem ented w ithin a heap of stones, in
com pany w ith four sacrificed reindeer, and th e grave is
November, 1870.J TH E T H E 0 S 0 P H 1 S T . :(!)

left (o th e wild beasts. H is tom b is soon forgotten, even critics, th e abovem entioned Mr. Rice, shows narrowness
by his family, an d b u t for occasional passers-by, who of this conception. H e properly says th at “ music is not
throw a few tobacco leaves upon th e cairn as a m em orial a hum an invention, it is a p a rt anil pa reel o f N a tu re .
tq th e brave suicide, no one would d istin g u ish th e m o nu­ T he laws o fv ilb ratio n u re ...a s im m utable as thoseof gravity
m ent from un o rdinary heap of stones. ...T h e re is the hum an throat with its rem arkable arran g e­
W e m ig h t search th e whole world in vain for th e p aral­ m ent for th e purpose of song alone. A far inferior con­
lel to this T chooktcha contem pt for life and d eath. struction would have served the purposes of language, or
for th e production of sound incidental to m uscular excite­
m ent.” O ur H indu contributor shows us how the Aryans
A R Y A N M U SIC . caught and classified the sounds of nature ; and so, too,
An additional in terest and value is given to th e p resen t Mr. Rice scntentiously asks, " Did not singing-birds
num ber of th e T h e o s o p h is t by th e able essay upon Indian exist before the tim e of man ? Did they evolve th eir
Music, contributed by th e Uayan Sam&j, or M usical R e ­ singing from speech ; or did they develop it from m uscular
form Society, of Poona, through th e ir respected Secretary, e x c ite m e n t; or did they sing because it was -natural for
Mr. Bulw ant. T hough much has, we believe, been done them to sing? No, music is not a hum an invention. The
iu Bengal by un em in en t native m usical am ateu r, to m ake proijress in m u sic is of th e same nature as the progress in
the m erits of A ryan music know n to our generation, and science, it is based 011 discovery. T he o th er a rts are im i­
he has been decorated by th e kings of P o rtu g al and Siam , tativ e of things in N atu re, b u t music is a very [iart of
we, being strangers here its yet, are not inform ed th a t bis N a tu re itself.”
essays have had vogue in th e E nglish language. But, W hile b u t few W estern composers can ever enjoy the
w hether our p resent p ap er is or is n o t th e first formal opportunity of com ing to In dia to study the beginnings of
challenge from a H in d u to th e W est to recognize th e claim th e ir ennobling art, yet th ey may a t least avail of the
of In d ia to th e m atern ity of m usical science, th e challenge patriotic assistance of th e Poona Gayan Sam aj, to procure
is here m a d e ; and it will be our d u ty and pleasure, alike; to proper musical instrum ents, ami to explore the ancient
see th a t it comes to th e notice of som e of th e best critics S an sk rit lite ra tu re ; in which th e germ s of musical science
of E urope aud Am erica. have been preserved, like flies iu am ber, to surprise and
L ast m onth, Mr. D in a n a th A tinarom , M.A., LL.B., th a t in stru ct us. T he sym pathy of every lover of the tru th
great contem porary H in d u m ath em atical genius, who— aud of In d ia should be unstiu tin g ly given to Mr. B ulw ant
according to no less an a u th o rity th a n Mr. J . B. Peile, and his honorable colleagues.
D irector of P ublic In stru ctio n , B om bay P residency— “ pro­
ved his point th a t S ir Isaac N ew to n ’s R id e for im aginary Som e interestin g results on the hereditary transm is­
roots is not universally true, b u t th a t it is perfectly easy sion of artificial injuries have been obtained by Dr. Brown-
to form E quations having im aginary roots, th e existence Sequard. H e concludes that I,lie young of parents abnor­
of which would not be m ade m anifest by th e application of m ally constituted in h e rit external lesions, but not the cen­
New ton's R u le’— showed us th a t an A ryan geom eter, and tra l anom aly which determ ines such lesions.
not the G reek H ip p arch u s— as h ith e rto com m only believed
—was th e au th o r of Trigonom etry. iA ud now we see the
most conclusive evidence th a t M u sic,'the ‘ H eav en ly M aid,’ M. (J. Ponchet states th a t Averroes is the first w riter
was begotten n eith er by G reek nor R om an, nor E gy p tian who gives an approxim ately tru e account of the sensation
inspiration, b u t sprang, a m elodious infant, o u t of the caused by the touch of electrical fishes. H e com pares it
Aryan cradle. T he fa c t of the A ryans and C hinese hav­ to m agnetism , while Galen tilid others had considered it
ing had a system of musical notation, is conceded by the analogous to colil.
C h ristia n s; b u t th a t it fui an ted ated th e epoch of the
fabulous Ju b al, “ th e fath er of ull such its h andle th e harp T he first money iu the British Isles coined by the
and the organ,” of th e Bible, is not a d m itte d by them , or,
Rom ans a t C am alodunum (C o lc h ester) '>■"> B. C.
at all events, has not been u n til recently, if such be th e fuct
even now. T he peculiar poetical ch aracter of th e ancient
H indu showed itself in th e question, “ W h a t is m usic ? ” T H E S O C IE T Y ’S B U L L E T IN .
as p a rt of th e question, “ W h a t is N a tu re f rem arks Mr.
Rice, tre atin g upon H in d u m usic.*. T h e T h e o s o p h i s t re ­ The increasing d u ties of the several m em bers of the
presenting E astern and not W estern views and interests Theosophical Mission, compel the strict, enforcem ent of the
in all th a t concerns O riental history, it is o u r a rd e n t wish rule th a t on w eek-days no social visits can be received un­
til after (i P.M . except by sjiecial a p p o i n t m e n t . On S u n ­
to be helped in brin g in g out ull th e tru th about th e A ryan
priority in philosophy, science, and art, by every m an who days, from 2 to and afte r (J p . m .
can give us th e facts. W e fear n eith er th e frown of mo­
dern science, nor th e wry faces and abuse of th e tlieolo- Of the last edition of Col. Olcotl s Address at Frainji
j'tsts. Cowasji H all, on the “ the Theosophical Society and its
Mr. H erb e rt Spencer, tru e to liis m aterialistic instincts, Aims,”— to which are appended the Rules, n,s revised in
uttibutes th e p rim itiv e developm ent of m usic ty a correla­ G eneral Council a t Bom bay— the. few copies rem aining
tion of m ental and m uscular e x c i t e m e n t s t h e m uscles m ay be had, upon application to the Librarian, at the rate
that move th e chest., larynx and vocal chords, contracting of annas 4 per copy, free of postage. The P re sid en t’s a*I-
like other m uscles in proportion to th e in ten sity of the dress a t M eerut, N. W. P. upon “ T he Jo in t Labors of the
feelings,” and song being b u t an exaggeration of th e n a tu ­ Theosophical Society and th e A rya Sam aj,” can ho pro­
ral language of th e emotions. (7(lustrations o f U niver­ cured of Babli Sheo N arain, D epot Godown G um ashta,
sal Progreso, ch ap ter 011 ‘ T he O rigin and F u n ctio n of M eerut, a t the sam e price. .
Music). B u t 011c of th e best of our m odern musical
• IfAiif it J/m ic /, n cliartniiiK monouruph l>y Isaac L. Kice, A uthor of I t is never too late to do an act of justice, and therefore,
Analysis nnd Practice of th e Scales." (Now York., D. Appleton k Co., 649, in referring to Col. O lcott’s Bombay Address, the Council
Broadway). “ How .’difforently th e Cliinose nnd H indus accounted for the wishes to publicly acknow ledge the Society's obligations to
uuotivo power of m usic ! “ exclaim* th is au th o r." On tho one band, the
gloomy m ysteries of th e num bers and tho elem en t* ; on th e other, tbo b rig h t Mr. Sainuldass Jag in o h u n d ass aud his associates in the
fantastic gorgeous heaven of sunshine, m arriages aud pleasures ! And y e t m anagem ent of th e H indu D nyan Vurdhak Library, for
who knows b u t th a t th e H indu philosophers, who established such a flowery
■ysteni, were thinkers fully as deep as tho CTiineso sa^es—that tkeir original organizing th e splendid m eeting of welcome at Fnim ji
coHCtpitcH aud kultUn wraHiHy w n Mot us tpiritual a t tkote « / htoJtrR day* T’... Cowasji In stitu te , 011 the 23nl of March hist. I t was in ­
I t is our especial task to diipol such fatal errors ab o u t India as the ubove
)uusiige (underscored by ui>) contains. To u n d e rra te tho sp iritu a lity of th e tended th a t th is should be said in the Preface to the A d­
uid Hindu philosophers b u t proves th a t we do n o t know them . And if dress, b u t as the proofs were road, and the preface w ritten
knowing them , wo were to allow them 110 m ore th a n th e ipiriluattiy ex is­
ting l)iour “ modern day s"—tliut w oiilj b« to in tu it ttiutu arid tru th . £i>. while Col. O lcott was absent from Bombay, the m a tte r was
'iBtoa. . in advertently om itted.
 W A R IN O L Y M P U S . desperate, and evidently short o f’ ‘a m m unition, since they
are reduced to th e expedient, of try in g to ro u t th e enelny
B y II. I ’. B lavul'tky. with (lie most rem arkable paradoxes. T h e p ro and con
D ark clouds are g ath erin g over (lie h ith erto cold iiml of tho dispute are too interesting, and our posterity m ight
serene horizon of exact, science, which Ion-bode a squall. complain were t,lie incidents suffered to be left beyond the
A lready two wimps arc form ing am ong the votaries of I reach of English and Am erican readers interested iu Spiri-
scientific research. O ne wages war on the other, and hard j tualism by rem aining confined to the G erm an and Russian
words are occasionally exchanged. T h e apple of discori newspapers. So, H om er like, we will follow the comba­
in this case is— Spiritualism . Fresh and illustrious vic­ tan ts and condense this modern Iliad for the benefit ot our
tim s are yearly decoyed away Irom th e im pregnable strong­ friends.
holds of m aterialistic negation, and ensnared into exam ining A lte r several years of diligent research, and in vestiga­
and testin g th e alleged sp iritual phenom ena. And we tion of the phenom ena, Messrs. W agner and B utlerof, both
all know th a t when a true scien tist exam ines them w ith ­ distinguished savants and professors ill St. P etersb u rg U ni­
out p re ju d ic e ........well, he generally ends like Professor versity, became thoroughly convinced of th e rea lity of th e
H are. Mr. W illiam ( Jntokes F.R.S.. th e great Allred Russell weird m anifestations. As a, result, both wrote numei*ous
W allace, an o th er F.R.S. and so m any o th e r em inent men and si,long articles in the leading periodicals in defense ol"
of science— lie passes over to th e e n e m y ........ the " m ischievous epidem ic”— as in his m om ents of “ u n ­
W e are really curious to know what, will be the new conscious cerebration” and “ prepossession” in fa vour of his
theory advanced in the present crisis by the skeptics, and own hohbv, Dr. C arp en ter calls spiritualism . Both of the
how they will account for such an apostasy of several of above em inent gentlem en are endowed w ith those precious
th eir lum inaries, as lias just occurred. T he venet able ac­ qualities which are th e more to be respected as th ey are
cusations of non compos m e n tis, am i “ d o ta g e ” will not. so seldom m et with am ong our men of science. These
bear an o th er refu rb ish in g : th e em in en t perverts are in­ qualities, ad m itted by th e ir critic him self—M r.B ourenine,
creasing num erically so last, th a t if m ental incapacity is are : ( 1) a serious and profound conviction th a t w hat they
charged upon all of them who experim entally satisfy them ­ defend is tr u e ; (2) an unw avering coinage in sta tin g at
selves th a t tables can ta lk sense, and m edium s float every hazard, before a prcjudi .‘(1 and inim ical public th a t
through th e air, it m ight au g u r ill for science ; there m ight such is th e ir co n v ictio n ; (3) clearness and consecutiveneks
soon be none hut weakened b rain s in th e learned societies. in th e ir statem ents.; (4) th e serene calm ness and im partia-.
T hey may, possibly, for a tim e find some consolation in lity w ith which they tre a t th e opinions of th e ir opponents ;
accounting for the lodgm ent of th e extraordinary ‘•delu- (o) a, full and profound acquaintance w ith th e subject u n ­
sion” in very scholarly heads, upon th e theory of a ta v ism der discussion. T he com bination of th e qualities eniime-
— the m ysterious law of la te n t transm ission, so m uch fa- rated,..............................................
adds th eir critic, “ leads us to regard’ th’ e recent a rti­
•
voured by th e modern schools of D arw inian e v o lu tio n ism cle by Professor Butlerof, E m p ir ic is m a n d D o g m a tism
— especially in G erm any, as represented by th a t thorough­ in the D o m a in o f M ed iu m sh ip , as one of those essays
going apostle of “ m odern stru g g le for cultu re,” E rnst whose com m anding significance-cannot be denied, and
.Haeckel, professor a t Je n a . T hey m ay a ttrib u te th e he- which are sure to strongly im press tlie readers. S u c lia rti- .
lief of I,heir colleagues iu th e phenom ena, to certain mole- ,eles are positively, rare in our periodicals ; rare because of
cular m ovem ents of th e cells in I he ganglia of th e ir once ;th e originality of the a u th o r’s conclusions, and because of
powerful brains, h ereditarily tran sm itted to them by th e ir j th e clear, precise, and serious presentation of facts” ......
ignorant mediaeval ancestors. Or, again, they may split i T he article so eulogized m a y b e sum m ed-up in a few
th eir ran k s,an d estalilish in g an im p e riiu n -in irnprrio “ di- words. We will not stop to enum erate th e m arvels of spi­
vide and conquer” still. All this is possible; but. tim e ritual phenom ena w itnessed by Professor Z ollner with l)r.
alone will show which of the part ies will come off best. Slade and defended by Prof. Butlerof, since th ey are no
We have been led to these reflections by a row now more m arvellous th an th e la tte r g en tlem an ’s personal ex­
going on between Germ an and Russian professors— all perience in this direction w ith Mr. W illiam s, a m edium of
em in en t and illustrious. &m in ts . T h e T eutons and Slavs London, in 1870. The seances took place in a London hotel,
in the case under observation, are not, fighting according in th e room occupied by th e H onourable Alexandre
to th eir nationality b u t com form ably to th e ir respective Aksakof, R ussian Im p erial Councillor, in which w ith the
beliefs and unbeliefs. .Having concluded, for the occasion, j exception of this g en tlem an there were b u t two o th er per
an offensive as well as a defensive alliance, regardless of j sons,— Prof. B utlerof and the m edium . Confederacy was
race— they have broken up in two camps, one representing thus u tte rly impossible. A nd liow, w hat took place under
the spiritualists, and the o th e r th e skeptics. And now these conditions, which so impressed one of th e first scien­
war to th e knite is declared. L eading one party, an; Pro­ tists of Russia { S im ply th is : Mr. Williams, th e medium,
fessors Zollner, Ulrizzi, and F ichte, B u tlero f and W agner, was m ade to sit w ith his ha,nils, feet, and even his person
of the Leipzig, Halle and St,. P etersburg U niversities; the tightly bound with cords to his chair, which was placed in ■
other follows Professors Wundt,, M endeleyel, anil a host of a dead-wall corner of th e room, behind Mr. B u tlero f’s plaid,
other G erm an and Russian celebrities. H ard ly has Zollner Inmg across so as to form a screen. W illiam s soon fell in­
a m ost renowned astronom er and physicist— printed his fo a kind of lethargic stupor, known, am ong spiritualists
confession of faith in Dr. S lade’s m odium istie phenom ena a s 't h e trance condition, “ and spirits” began to appear
ami set his learned colleagues aghast, when Professor before; the eyes of the investigators. V arious Voices were
Ulrizzi of the H alle U niversity, arouses th e w rath of the heard, and loud sentences, pronounced by th e “ invisibles,”
O lym pus of science by publishing a p am p h let entitled from every part, of the mom ; tilings—‘toilet appurtenances
“T he no-culled Spiritualism a Scientific Q uestion,” intended and so forth, began Hying in every direction th ro u g h -th e
as a com plete refutation of th e arg u m en ts of Professor a i r ; and, finally, “Jo h n K ing”— a sort of king of the spooks,
W undt, of th e Leipzig U niversity, ag ain st th e m odern be­ who has been famous for years— m ade his appearance
lief. and contained in another p am p h let called by its author bodily. B u t we m u st allow Prof. B utlerof to tell his phe­
“sp iritu alism — the so-called scientific question.” And now nom enal story himself. " W e first saw m oving”— lie
steps in an o th er active com batant, Mr. Butlerof, P ro­ writes— “ several b right lights in the air, and im m ediately
fessor of C hem istry and 'N atural Sciences, of St. Petersburg, a fte r that, appeared the lull figure of ‘ Jo h n K ing.’ H is
who narrates h is experim ents in London, w ith the m edium apparition is generally preceded by a greenish phosphoric
W illiams, and th u s rouses up a m ost ferocious polemic. light, which gradually becom ing brighter, illum inates, more
T he hum oristical illustrated paper K ladderndatch, exe­ and more, the whole bust of Jo h n 'K in g . T hen it is th a t
cutes a war-dance, and shouts with joy, w hile th e more those presen t perceive th at the light em anates from some .
serious conservative papers are indignant. Pressed behind kind of a lum inous object held by tho “ spirit.” ' T he face
th e ir last en trenchm ents by th e cool and uncontrovertible of a man w ith a thick black beard becomes clearly distin ­
assertions of a most, distinguished n atu ralist, th e critics, led g u ish ab le; th e head is enveloped in a w hito turban. Tho
forward by th e St. P etersb u rg star-—Mr. Bourenine, seem figure appears outside th e cabinet (th a t is to say, -t h q .
screened corner where th e m edium sat), and finally ap­
proaches us. W e saw it each tim e for a few seco n d s; th en
rapidly w aning, th e lig h t was ex tin g u ish ed and th e figure
became invisible to reappear again in a m om ent or two ;
then from th e surrounding darkness, “ J o h n s " voice is
heard proceeding from th e spot on which lie had appeared
mostly, though n o t always, when lie had already disap­
peared. “ J o h n ” asked us “ w hat can 1 do for you ? ” and
Mr. A ksakof requested him to rise up to th e ceiling nnd
from th ere speak to us. In accordance w ith th e wish
expressed, th e figure suddenly appeared above th e table
and towered m ajestically above our heads to tho ceiling
which becam e all illum inated w ith th e lum inous object
held in the sp irit’s hand, w hen “ Jo h n ” was q u ite under
the ceiling he shunted down to us : “ W ill th a t do ? ”
D uring an o th er seance M. B utlerof asked “ J o h n ” to
approach him q u ite near, which th e “ s p irit ” did, and so
gave him th e o p p o rtu n ity of seeing clearly “ th e sparkling,
clear eyes of Jo h n .” A no th er sp irit, “ P eter,” though he
never p u t in a visible appearance d u rin g th e seances, yet
conversed w ith Messrs. B u tlero f and A ksakof, w rote for
them on paper furnished by them , anil so forth.
Though the learned professor m in u tely en u m erates all
the precautions he had tak en again st possible fraud, tlio
critic is not y et satisfied, and asks, p ertin e n tly enough :
“ W hy did not th e respectable nartnit catch “ J o h n ” in his
arms, w hen th e sp irit was b u t a t a foot’s distance from
him ? A gain, why did n o t both Messrs. A ksokof and B ut-
lerof try to g et hold of “ J o h n ’s” legs, when he was m o u n t­
ing to th e ceiling ? Indeed th ey o u g h t to have done all
tins, if they are really so anxious to learn th e tru th for
th eir own sake, as for th a t of science, which they struggle
to lead on tow ard th e dom ains of th e “ o th e r world" And,
had they com plied w ith such a sim ple and, a t th e same
time, very little scientific test, there would be no more
need of for them', perhaps, to ........ fu rth e r explain th e scien­
tific import.-mcc of th e spiritu al m anifestations.”
T h a t this im portance is not exaggerated, and lias as
much significance for th e world of science, as for th a t of
religious thought, is proved by so m any philosophical m inds
speculating upon th e m odern “ delusion.” T his is w hat
Fichte, th e learned G erm an savant, says of it. “ Modern
spiritualism chiefly proves th e existence of th a t which, in
common parlance is very vaguely aud in ap tly term ed ‘ a p ­
p a ritio n o f s p ir its ' If, we concede th e reality of such
apparitions, then th ey become an undeniable, practical
proof uf the continuation of our personal, conscious exist­
ence (beyond th e portals of death). And such a ta n g i­
ble, fully dem onstrated fact., cannot be otherw ise b u t
beneficent in th is epoch, which, having fallen into a
dreary denial of im m ortality, th in k s in the proud self­
sufficiency of its vast intellect, th a t it lias already happily
left iHjhind it every sujierstitioii of th e k in d .” I f such a
tangible evidence could be really found, and dem onstrated
to us, lieyond any doubt or cavil, reasons F ich te fu rth er
on,— “ if th e reality of the contin u atio n of our lives after
death were furnished us upon positive proof, in stric t ac­
cordance w ith th e logical elem ents of experim en tal natural
sciences, then it would be indeed, a resu lt w ith which,
owing to its n atu re and peculiar signification for hum anity,
no o th er result to be m et w ith in all th e history of civili­
zation could be compared. T h e old problem ab o u t m an’s
destination upon earth would bo th u s solved, and conscious­
ness in hu m an ity would be elevated one step. T h a t which,
hitherto, could be revealed to m an b u t iu th e dom ain of
blind faith, presentim ent, and passionate hope, would be­
come to h im — positive know ledge ; he would have ac­
quired the certain ty th a t lie was a m em ber of an eternal, a
spiritual world, in which he would continue living, and
th a t his tem porary existence upon th is earth forms b u t
a fractional portion of a future etern al life, and th a t it is
only there th a t he would Imj enabled to perceive, and fully
comprehend his real destination. H aving acquired this
profound conviction, m ankind would be thoroughly im ­
pressed with a new and an im a tin g com prehension of life,
and its in tellectual perceptions opened to an idealism
strong with incontrovertible facts. T h is would prove ta n ta ­
m ount to a com plete reconstruction of man in relation
to his existence as an e n tity and mission upon earth ; it
would be so to say, a ’ new b irth .’ W hoever has lost all
inner covictions sis to his eternal destination, his faith in
eternal life, w hether th e case be th a t of an isolated indivi­
duality, a whole nation, or th e representative of a certain
epoch, he or it may be regarded as having had uprooted,
and to the very core, all sense of th a t invigorating force
which alone lends itself to self-devotion and to progress.
Such a man becomes w hat was inevitable—-an egotistical,
selfish, sensual being, concerned wholly for his self-preserva­
tion. H is culture, his en lig h ten m en t, and civilization,
can serve him b u t as a help and ornam entation toward
th a t life of sensualism , or, a t best, to guard him from all
th a t can harm it.”
Such is thi! enorm ous im portance attrib u te d by Pro­
fessor F ichte and Professor B utlerof of G erm any and R us­
sia to the spiritual phenom ena and we may say, the feel­
ing is more th an sincerely echoed in E ngland by Mr. A.
R. W allace F.R.S. (see his “ Miracles and M odern S p i­
ritualism .”)
An influential A m erican scient ificjournal uses an equally
strong language when speaking of the value th a t a scien­
tific dem onstrat ion of th e survival of the hum an soul would
have for th e world. I f spiritualism prove true, it says, “ it
will become th e one g ran d event of the world’s history ;
it will give an im perishable lustre of glory to th e N in e ­
te en th C entury. Its discoverer will have no rival in re­
nown, and his nam e w ill be w ritten high above any other.
* * * If the pretensions ot Spiritualism have a rational
foundation, no m ore im p o rta n t work has been offered to
men of science than th e ir verification.” [Scientific A m e ri­
can, 1<S74, as quoted in O lcott’s “ People from the O ther
World," p. V. Pruf.)
And now we will see what the stubborn Russian critic
(who seems to be but, th e m ontli-piece of l'2iiropean m ateri­
alistic science), has to say in response to the unansw erable
argum ents aud logic of Messrs. Fichte and Butlerof. If
skepticism has no stronger arg u m en ts to oppose to sp iri­
tualism b u t tbe following original paradox, then we will
have to declare it w orsted in the dispute. Instead of the
beneficial results foretold by Fichte iu the case of the
final trium ph of spiritualism , the critic forecasts qu ite a
different sta te of things.
“ As soon,” he says, “ as such scientific m ethods shall
have dem onstrated, beyond doubt, nr cavil, to the general
satisfaction th a t our world is cram m ed with souls of men
who have preceded us, ami whom we will all join in turn ;
as soon as il shall be proven th a t these ‘souls of the
deceased ’ can com m unicate with mortals, all the earthly
physical science of the em in en t scholars will vanish like
a soap-bubble, and will have lost all its in terest for us
living ni(Mi. W hy should people care for th e ir propor­
tionately short life upon earth once th a t they have th e po­
sitive assurance and, conviction of another life to come after
the bodily d e a th ; a death which does not iu the least
preclude conscious relations with the world of the living,
or even th e ir pu.st-'inoiieui participation in all its in te r­
ests ? Once, t hat w ith the help of science, based on niedi-
um istic experim ents and the discoveries of spiritualism
such relations shall have been firmly established, they will
naturally become w ith every day more and more in ti­
m a te ; an extraordinary friendship will ensue betw een
this anil the ‘ o th e r’ w orlds; th at other world will beuin
• • . t • . •
divulging to this one th e most occult m ysteries of life and
death, and the h ith e rto most inaccessible laws of the
universe those which now exact the greatest efforts of
m an’s m ental powers. Finally, nothing will rem ain for
us in this tem porary world to eith er do, or desire, b u t to
pass away as soon as possible into the world of eternity.
N o i n v e n t io n s, n o o b s e r e u t inns, no x cicn cc t, w ill be a n y
m ore needed !! W hy should people exerciseth e ir brains,
for instance, to perfecting the telegraphs, when nothing
else will be required b u t to be on ...... 1 term s w ith spirits
in order to avail of th e ir services Ibr the instantaneous
transm ission of thoughts and objects, not only from E u ­
rope to A m erica, b u t even to the moon, if so desired ?
 T he following are a few of th e results w hich a com m u­
nion de fa c to betw een th is world and th e ‘ o th e r ’ th a t cer­
tain men of science arc hoping to establish by th e help
of spiritualism , will inevitably lead us t o : to th e com plete
extinction of all scicnce, and even of th e h u m an race,
which will be ever ru sh in g onw ard to a b e tte r life. T he
learned and scholarly .p h a n ta sists who are so anxious to
prom ote th e scicnce of spiritualism , i.e. of a close com ­
m unication between th e two worlds, o u g h t to b ear the
above in m ind.”
To w hich th e " scholarly p h an tasists ” would be q u ite w ar­
ran ted in answ ering th a t one would have to b rin g his own
m ind to th e exact m easure of microscopic capacity required
to elaborate such a theory as this, before lie could tak e it
into consideration a t all. Is th e above m ean t to be offered
as an objection for serious consideration ? S tran g e logic!
we are asked to believe (bat, because these m en of science,
who now believe in n au g h t b u t m atter, and th u s try to fit
every phenom enon— even of a m ental, and spiritu al cha­
racter,— w ithin th e Procrustean bed of th e ir own precon­
ceived hobbies, would find them selves, by th e m ere strength
of circum stances forced, in th e ir turn, to fit these cherished
hobbies to tr u th , however unwelcome, and to fa c ts w herever
found— th a t because of th at, science will lose all its charm
for hum anity. N ay— life itself will become a b u rd en !
T here are m illions upon m illions of people who, w ithout
believing in spiritualism a t all, y e t have faith in an other
and a b e tte r world. A nd were th a t blind faith to become
jw s itiv c knowledge indeed, it could b u t b e tte r hum anity.
Before closing his scathing criticism upon th e "credulous
m en of sciencc," our review er sends one more bom b in th eir
direction, which u n fo rtu n ately like m any o th e r explosive
shells misses th e culprits and wounds th e whole group
of th e ir learned colleagues. W e tra n sla te th e m issile ver­
b a tim , this tim e for th e benefit of all th e E uropean and
A m erican academ icians.
‘‘ T he em in en t professor,” he adds, speaking of Butlcrof,
nnd his article, "am o n g o th er th in g s m akes th e m ost of the
strange fact th a t spiritualism gains w ith every day more
aud more converts w ithin th e corporation of our great
scientists. Jle en um erates a long list of E nglish and G er­
m an nam es am ong illustrious men of science, who have
more or less confessed them selves in favour of th e spiri­
tual doctrines. Am ong these nam es wc find such as are
q u ite auth o ritativ e, those of th e g re a te st lum inaries of
sciencc. Sueli a fact is, to say th e least,, very striking, anil
in any case, lends a great, w eight to spiritualism . B u t we
have only to ponder coolly over it, to come very easily to
th e conclusion that it is j u s t a m o n g such great m e n o f
sciencc that sp ir itu a lis m is m ost lik e ly to spread a n d find
ready converts. W ith all th e ir powerful intellects and
gigantic knowledge, our g re a t scholars are, firstly, m en of
sedentary habits, ami, secondly, th ey are, w ith scarcely an
exception, men v;itli diseased a n d shattered nerves, in c lin ­
ed tow ard a n a b n o rm a l devclojnnent o f a n overstrained
brain. Such- sed e n ta ry m e n are the easiest to h o o d w in k ;
a clever charlatan will m ake a n ea sier prcij of, a n d bam -
booile v i t h f a r m ore fa c i li t y a scholar th a n u n u n le a rn e d
but p ractica l m an. H allucination will far sooner get
hold of persons inclined to nervous receptivity, especially
if th ey once concentrate them selves upon some peculiar
ideas, or a favourite hobby. This, 1 believe, will explain
th e fact th a t wc see so m any m en of science enrolling
them selves in th e arm y of spiritu alists.”
W e need not stop to enquire how Messrs. Tyndall, H u x ­
ley, D arw in, H erb ert Spencer, Lewes, and o th er em inent
scientific and philosophical skeptics, will like such a pros­
pect of rickety ganglionic centers, collective softening of
th e brain, and t he resu ltin g " hallucinations.” T he arg u ­
m ent is not only an im p e rtin e n t n a iv e //, b u t a literary
m onstrosity. • the ruin and ultim ate extinction of national power follow
W e are far from agreeing en tirely with th e views of Pro­
fessor Butlcrof, or even Mr. W allace, as to th e agencies a t
work behind the m odern phenom ena ; y e t betw een the
extrem es of spiritu al negation and affirm ation, th e re ought
to be a m iddle ground ; only p u re philosophy can establish
tru th upon firm principles; and no philosophy can be com­
plete unless it em braces both physics and m etaphysics.
Mr. Tyndall, who declares (“ Science and M an”) th a t “ M eta­
physics will be welcomed when it abandons its pretensions
to scientific discovery, and consents to be ranked as a kind
of poetry,” opens him self to th e criticism of posterity.
M eanwhile, he m u st not regard it as an im pertinence if
his sp iritu alistic opponents reto rt with the answ er th a t
“ physics will always be welcomed, when it abandons its
pretension to psychological discovery.” T he physicists
will have to consent to be regarded in a near fu tu re as no
m ore th a n supervisors and analysts of physical results, who
have to leave th e ■spiritual causes to those who believe,
in them . W hatever the issue of the present quarrel, we
fear though th a t spiritualism has made its appearance
a century too late. O ur age is preem inently one of ex­
trem es. Tho earnest and philosophical, yet reverent doub­
ters are few, and the nam e for those who rush to the
opposite extrem e is— Legion. W o arc th e children of
our century. T h an k s to that, sam e law of atavism , it
seems to have inherited from its p arent— th e X V I llth —
th e century of both V oltaire and Jo n a th a n Edw ards—
all its extrem e skepticism ,and, a t th e sam e tim e religious
credulity and bigoted intolerance. Spiritualism is an
abnorm al and p rem ature outgrow th, standing betw een the
tw o ; and, though it stands rig h t on th e high-w ay to
tru th , its ill-defined beliefs m ake it w ander on through
by-paths which lead to an y th in g b u t philosophy. Its
future depends wholly upon th e tim ely help it can receive
from honest scicnce— th a t science which scorns no tru th .
I t was, perhaps, when th in k in g of th e opponents of th e
latter, th a t Alfred de M usset w rote t h e ’following m agni­
ficent ap o stro p h e :— .
“ Sleep'st tliou content. Voltaire ;
Anil th y dread smile hovers it still above
T hy flesliless bones.......................................... I
Thino ago they call too young to u n derstand tliee ;
Thin one *)iould,Nitit tlice b e tte r —
Tliy men are born !
Anil the huge edifice th at, day and night, th y g reat hands
underiniiH'il,
Is f i i l l c n i)]x > n u s ................ ....................
T ill-: R U IN OK IN D IA .
W hile every p atrio t H indu bewails the decadence of his
country, few realize the real cause. It is n eith er in
foreign rule, excessive taxation, nor crude and exhaustive
husbandry, so m uch as in th e destruction of its forests.
T he strip p in g of th e hills and drainage-slopes of th eir
vegetation is a positive crim e against th e nation, and will
decim ate th e population ihore effectually than could the
sword of any foreign conqueror. T his question of forest-
conservancy has been thoroughly studied in W estern coun­
tries u n d e r t he lash of a dire necessity. In spite of the
opposition of ignorant and selfish obstructionists, nation
after nation lias taken the first steps tow ards restoring
the woods and ju n g les which had been ruthlessly e x tir­
pated, before meteorology and chem istry becam e deve­
loped, and polif ical-ecoimmy was raised to th e dignity
of a science. In A m erica, w here our observations have
been chiefly made, th e w anton destruction of forests has
been appalling. W hole districts have been denuded of
large timl>er, through th e agency of fire, m erely to obtain
cleared land for tillage. The [10,000 miles of railw ay and
80,000 of telegraph lines have caused th e denudation
of vast tracts, to procure th e ir supplies of ties and poles.
N o t a m om ent’s th o u g h t was given to th e u lterior con­
sequences, until, recently, the advancem ent of statistical
science rudely awoke A m erican publicists from th e ir care­
less apathy.
W e need only glance a t (lie pages of history to see th a t
the extirpation of forests as surely as n ig h t follows day.
N a tu re has provided the m eans for hum an develop m ent;
and her laws can never bo violated w ithout disaster. A
g rea t native p atrio t wrote us, some m onths ago, “ this poor
nation is slowly dying for lack of food-grams.” This is,
alas! too tru e ; and he who would learn one g re a t secret
 why food-grains fail, poverty increases, w ater courses dry th e proper object of m an ’s life. “ iikayano ayam bhikkave
up, ami fam ine find disease ravage th e land in m any parts, maggo sattAnam visuddhryil sokapariddavanani sam atek-
should read th e com m unication of “ F o rester,” in th is n u m ­ k a m ly a dukkhadom anassanam atthagam iiya, n ay assaad h i-
ber, to give place to which we gladly laid by o th e r m a tte r gam aya, nibbdnassa sachchikiriyaya yadidam cattaro sati-
already in type. O u r love lor our adopted co u n try moves p a tth a n a ’
us to give th is subject of forest-conservancy m uch consi­ SatipatthfU ui is th e ono and only way to holiness of
deration in these colum ns from tim e to tim e. O u r trip being, to destruction of sorrows, pain and sufferings; to the
N orthw ard last A pril, through 2,000 m iles of scorched p ath to nirw ana, and to its a ttain m en t.
fields, through whose quivering a ir th e dazzled eye was H erein are em bodied “ tho four sa tip a tth a n a s (starting
oidy refreshed here and th ere w ith th e sig h t of a green of m em ory) on body, on sensation, on m ind, and on tho
tree, was a m ost painful experience. It required no p o et’s tru e doctrines largely discoursed upon by our Lord, tho
fancy, b u t only th e trained forecast of th e statistician, to om niscient G au tam a B uddha.
see in this treeless, sun-parched waste th e presage of doom, “ Kaiimiam vijjA dliannnrtea”
unless tho necessary steps were a t once ta k e n to aid lavish “ Si la ni jl vita nuiltam am "
N a tu re to reclothe th e m ountain tops w ith vegetation. ■ “ rctuua maccA m ijjlm nti"
“ Na-gottflua dliaueuavA.”
(Men are sanctified by (their) deeds, th e ir learning, th e ir
BUDDHISM AUTHORITATIVELY religious behaviour, th e ir morals, and by leading a holy
DEFINED. lif e : they do not become holy by race or by wealth,)
(To be continued.)
T H E N A T U R E A N D O F F IC E O F B U D D H A ’S I I . S.
Colombo, Ceylon, 20th S ep tem b er 1879,
R E L IG IO N .
B y the li t. Ilcv. I I . S u m u n y a la , H ig h P r ie s t o f A d a m 's
P ea k, a n d P re sid e n t o f W id y o d u y a C o lleg e ; S e n io r [T ranslated from tho Sluhalcso for tho THEOsoFinsT.] *
B u d d h is t M em b er o f the G e n e ra l C o u n c il o f th e T h e o ­ T H E L A W O F T H E L O R D S A K H Y A M U N I.
so p h ic a l Society.
B y th e lie v . M o h o ttiw a ttc (lu n a n a n d e , C h ie f P rie s t o f D i-
W h at m u st a religion chiefly reveal ? A religion as p a d u ttu m u V i ha re, Colom bo, C eylon ; M em b er o f the
such, m ust for th e m ost p a rt propound w h a t is not g en e­ tic n e r u l C o u n cil o f th e T h e o s o p h ic a l S o ciety.
rally seen and felt in th e n a tu re of s e n tie n t beings. I t
U n d erstanding th a t even O riental folk-lore will find a
m ust also proclaim “ th e ways and m eans” by w hich th e
place in your new m agazine, T jiu T iikosoim iist, I purpose
good of th e world is attain ed . T hese teachinyx are essen­
to send you for publication from tim e to tim e “ E xtracts
tial to a religion or it would, a t bc9t becom e only a system
from the P ali B uddhistical S criptures of Ceylon," pro­
of philosophy or a science of nature. W e find these two
pounding the popular B uddhism of my countrym en th e
essentials fully treated in tho religion of B uddha.
Sinhalese, the N atives proper of Sri Lainka, My first
B uddha says
selections are from tho “ S addham m a Sam gaho.” I t is a
“ Tunhuyu uddito 16k6”
“ Jarfiya pari vArito” book very generally read in Ceylon, b u t it has never been
“ Maceuuft pibilo loko” translated into any European language. T he Book trea ts
“ Dnkkho loko p a tittliito ” in detail, and in regular order on T h irty Theses of B u d ­
The world has m ounted on th e passions and is su sp end­ dhism, each of which is a grand division in th e exoteric
ed therefrom (tho th o u g h ts of m en a re h an g in g down creed of the land : and, the denom inations of th e three and
from th e lusts and o th e r evils). T ho whole world is e n ­ th irty several subjects are em bodied in the following yitth a s:
compassed by d e c a y : and, D eath overw helm s us all. (Con­ 1 " L okuppatti k a th i ccva, ,c “ Dcvalokaasa, g.unano
sum ption and decay ever slowly b u t steadily creep iu and ■»-“ Atlio Hjitta kathil pH‘a, ' “ KatliAbhidliainma-ko KatliA,
3 “ Bodlii.satta katliAcapi, “ liodliipakkhika dhaimnAuam,
eat into each and every th in g in existence, and it is here *-•“ AbliisainbodliiyA katlia, “ K atluitha ditthiyA kathil,
likened to som ething like land encircled by sea). N a tu re v “ Dliaiiinia cakkappavatttca, *• Saraunganianatn ceva,
has subjected us to birth, decay, and death, and th e deeds 6 ‘- SiivakAunm katlia puna, “ O a lia tth a vinayam tatlia,
of our past lives are covered by th e terrors of d eath from 1“ K atlia viuaya dhammoca, “ K am m ablieda kathaceva,
our view, alth o u g h th e tim e of th e ir action is not far re ­ i LakauAllioim deniU', “ DAua stla katlillpica,
o “ Acclinnya katlia cAtlm,“ Sa^guisiya kathacai>i,
moved from our p resent s t a te 'o f existence. H ence it is ‘J ‘ Biiddluuli rataim Uaye, *• KAinAdiuAvaka katha,
th at wo do n o t view th e scenes of our post b irth s. H u m an *' '' liliavaiia rannanAcuva, “ I*ainkadtpaiisa sninbuddba,
life before it arrives a t its final destiny, is ever inseparable B raluna-loka katliA puna, “ M unim la silinmo tatha,
from Jilti, Jartl, M anilla, etc. (birth, infirm ities, death, &c.). T anliakkliaya katliA cApi, “ Mabimla yatinomassA,
, Parinil)l)AiiakA katliA, “ (iam aiiassa kathApana,
As wo are a t present, we are in sorrow, pain &e., and we - “ T atlia dliAtuvibibliAgns.sa,“ Mutt^yyii loka-nAtliasso,
have not yet obtained th e h ighest object of our being.* , Utlanuuuia niahusiiio, “ l)ayaH.sa dlpanA katlia,
I t behoves us therefore th a t we ex ert ourselves every tim e , K atlia KiiipyitiyAa'ipi, “ KatliA pakiunakacapi,
and by all m eans to attain to our s u m m u m u ltim u m , and . “ SAsanavnmsaka katlia, “ Tiinsatottlia bhavo kmiuA,”
c • • ’
we have to use and practise “ th e ways and m eans” reveal­ (1) T he Discourse on th e b irth (coming into being) of
ed in religion in earnestness and in teg rity . A nd w hat are th e W orld, (2) on C reatures, (3) on B odhisatva (B uddha
they as set, forth in B uddhism ? prior to his a tta in in g to Buddhahood), (4) on B uddha’s
“ SabbndA bll;i sampaimo" atta in in g to Buddhahood, (5) cm th e P reaching of his
“ PaniiavA mmainAliito” W heel of D harm a or Law, (li) on his Disciples, (7) on
“ Araddlia viriyo p ah itatto ”
“ Ogham taratl duttaram” Viuaya or Cerem onial Law, (8 ) on th e S u blim ity of the
T hree Gems, (9) on th e C elestial W orlds, ( 10) on A bhidliam -
(The m an who is ever fully in th e observance of th e m a or tho T ranscendental D octrines, ( 11) on the peculiar
precepts of m orality, who secs and u n d erstan d s th in g s well Dogmas of B uddhism , ( 12) on False Creeds, (13) on th e
and truly, who has perfect and serene com m and over his
tak in g of Refuge, (14) on L ay-V iuaya or Precepts reg u ­
thoughts, who has his ever contin u in g exertions already
lating th e conduct of Laym en, (15) on th e D estiny of m en,
in operation, and who has his m ind fixed well in proper (1G) on Alms, (17) on R eligious Life, (18) on H eaven, (19)
contemplation, I say, th a t such a m an alone will safely on Hell, (20) on Passions &c., (21) on M editation, (22) on
pass over th e dreadful to rre n t of m etem psychosis w hich B rahm a-W orlds, (23) on N irvana, (24) on P « n '-N irv a n a ,
is hartl to be gone over safely and w ith o u t m eetin g w ith (25) on Relics, (20) on (C ollation and) R ecitation of
great obstacles and difficulties.) D ham m a or Buddhtis Teachings, (27) on th e Im p o rta tio n
And, again, here is an o th er description of a tta in in g to of th e Religion into Ceylon, (28) on tho Prom ulgation of

•Tfcia ia tho explanation wo placo boforo boHovoni of a crontor who ask

th e D ispensation, (29) on M aittri B uddha, and (30) o u tlie
why a man cuiiuot rcmcin bor tho actions of any of liis fo rm er births. Miscellaneous Discourses,
 I t is necessary, T believe, to set forth, in lim ine, th e a u ­
th o rity for th e statem en ts oontnined in th e book I have
chosen from which to e x tract selections. R elative to the
genuineness anil orthodoxy of th e doctrines explained in
“ th e Saddham m a Sam gaho,” th e a u th o r sa y s:—
A tho lokaliitaltliaya, (ijilictwatnmlii siijana
ITildharitwa t.-itu into, U gganliatlia liitesino,
Pali A ttlia katliailtsu, Sam attiin*atim o illianimsl,
Siiraiiiiulay.i xuilhukam, L okii|i|m lti katlia<layo
Sadilliiuiima Samgalia'imlani, Saililliamm a Saingahe’inasmiui,
Kariwtama yatha bnlnm .Susmmna Kiiuigaliain gata
“ And lor th e good of the world, having carefully selec­
ted (sadlm kani udilharitva) th e im p o rtan t (saram ) teach­
ings found scattered “ up and down ” in (tato tato) in the
[volum inous] Pali A tth ak ath as &c., we now [shall] com­
pile " th e Saddham m a Sam gaho ”— () good m en ! Ye,
therefore, who strive to be good (hitesino sujana) learn
these T h irty D issertations, beginning w ith th e account of
“ T he com ing into being of th e W orld &■(;.” They are
well contained in tlii.s " Sadi Ilia in mft, Saiugaho.”
T he above declares that, th e a u th o r of th e D h a m m a
T reatise has tak en th e accounts contained in bis W ork
from th e Pali A tth ak ath as ; and, n o tw ith stan d in g au g h t
said to th e contrary by M issionaries and o th e r biassed
opinionatists of these tim es, th e A tth a k a th a s (com m en­
taries) have ever been held as m ost sacred by, a t least, the
generality of B uddhists of Ceylon, B urm ah and Siam.
T hey are received as equally infallible as th e T rip ita k a
V o lu m es; and, holy inspiration is u n grudgingly a ttrib u ­
ted to th e ir ra h a t authors.
T here is no d o u b t th a t exoteric B uddhism has them
all as " gospel t r u t h a n d th e generally prevailing reli­
gion in Ceylon is all made up of th e ir teachings as well
as of th e P ita k a volumes.
M. (1.
A llY A 1’ I >A K A S I I .
[Continued from tlio last m onth. |
Y<)(! A VIDYA.
Ih j F. T. S.
T he Siddhis of K rish n a may be th u s defined:
1. A v i m d — th e power to atom ize " tlio b o d y ;” to
m ake it become sm allest of tin; sm allest.
2. M ah'tm d— th e power to m agnify one’s body to any
dim ensions.
3. L a g liin u i— th e j>ower to becom e lig h te st of the
lig h test.
These three, th e com m entator says, relate to “ th e body; ”
b u t he does not enlighten us as to w h eth er th e o u ter or
in ner— th e physical or astral— body is m eant. T urning
to Bhoja R aja’s com m entary on P atan jali (O oviuda D cva
S astri’s translation, in P a n d it, Vol. V. p. *20G), we find
Anim u explained as “ M inuteness— a tta in m e n t of an ato ­
mic form ,or th e power of becom ing jus m in u te as an atom ;
[by this power th e ascetic can e n te r into a diam ond, etc.]”
G arim d — is th e obtaining of control over th e attraction
of gravitation, so th a t one’s body m ay a tta in such great
heaviness as to weigh tons if one chooses ; or acquire such
levity os to be like a (lake of cotton in lightness.
L e t th e reader observe th a t here are two Siddhis (anim d
.and m u h im d ) ; which can only refer to conditions of
th e astral body, and a third which m ay be applicable to
e ith e r tho astral or physical body of th e ascetic. W hen­
ever we have such instances com ing u n d er notice our first
th o u g h t m u st be th a t them is no stick thing possi'Me as
a m ira cle ; w hatever h a p p en s does so in strict com pliance
with n a tu ra l larv. F o r instance ; know ing w hat \vc do
of th e composition and stru c tu re of a m an's body,— a
mass of bioplastic m att er— it is u n th in k a b le th a t he should
m ake it small enough to e n te r into an atom or a dia-
m ond-grain. So, also, th a t he should illim itably swell
i t o u t and stretch it, so as to " occupy as m uch space
as he likes. ” A living ad u lt m an cannot be com press­
ed into a speck. B u t as to tb e in n er body, or soul,
th e case is different. By 's o u l ’ we mean, in this ins’
tance, the plastic, ethereal inner-self, th a t which corn'V
ponds to th e W estern idea of a “ double,”* and, in the
an cien t Indian philosophy is known as th e —
m d y u v i-r u jm — (illusionary form), and as —K dm a-
ru jxi— (W li.i,-lbrm ). These arc indentical, for the double
exists in its la te n t sta te in every living being, as it is
th e exact ethereal countci|>art of the o u ter body. The
difference in nam e but indicates the different circum stan­
ces u n d er which it is at tim es made to become objective—
th a t is visible. In th e case of mediums, or when, as a
resu lt and th e unconcious effect of an intense desire which
a ttra c ts a person’s thoughts to a certain place, or prom pts
him to a certain action, it thus oozes out of its envelope
of flesh, it th en is called M ai/avi-rupa (illusionary form).
I t m ade itself visible because compelled to it by the
law of intor-m ngnetic action, which, when left to itself,
acts blindly. B ut when it is projected by the trained
will of an adept, n Yogi, who directs it, at, his own con­
venience, then it is designated a.s K d vid -rttp tt,— Wll,l,-
form, or Desire-form ; i. e. so to say, created, or called
forth into objective shape, by the will, and a t th e desire
of its possessor.
T his " dual-soul,’’ must, not be confounded w ith either
Jiv d tm a (the vital principle resident in in ert m atter), or,
the L tn tj-S ttrir. T his last, nam ed is the subtile, ethereal
elem ents of th e ego of an organism ; inseparately united to
th e coarser elem ents of the l a t t e r ; it never leaves it but
a t death. W hile its functionary principle— th e L in g a -
Deha— is th e executive agent, through . which it works ;
th e objective form ation of K d im d -n tjx: being performed
by the power of Yoga-balht.
T his “ d uni soul” possesses properties peculiar to itself,
and as distinctly its own :is those of the physical body are
peculiar to it. A m ong these properties are com pressibi­
lity, th e power of passing through th e most solid sub­
stances, infinite expansibility, nnd m any more th a t m ight
be enum erated. T hese are not idle words, b u t facts d e­
rived from the experiences of m any Yogis, adepts, ascetics,
mystics, m edium s, etc. of many different classes, tim es and
countries. We may think, therefore, of the capacity of
th e K d m 't-rttp a to become a m ere speck or enlarge itself
to enorm ous dim ensions; en terin g a grain of diamond
dust, and the next m om ent filling every pore of the entire
g lo b e: for th o u g h t is unparticled and illim itably elastic.
And, we could apprehend how, when once in the grain
or in th e globe, our trained thought can act there as if it
were our own whole self. So, too, we may conceive of th e as-
tral-body— or kdmd-rujM t, which, although m aterial as com­
pared w ith pure spirit, is y et im m aterial in comparison
w ith th e dense physical body— having like properties, and
th u s come to an understanding of th e esoteric (secret)
m eaning of A n in id and M a h im d .
W hole libraries have been w ritten to define w hat
soul is, and y et for our practical purpose, it will suffice to
sum u p th e definition in a word : m an ’s soul is th e aggre­
gate of all th e above given subdivisions. T his “ s e lf”
through the L inga-D elta is ever conscious d u rin g the sleep
of th e body, and transfers the sense of this inn er con­
sciousness into th e w aking brain ; so th a t the Yogi may,
a t will, be inform ed of w hat is transpiring in th e outer
world, through his physical organs, or in th e in ner world,
through his soul ]>ercept,ions. W hile average m ortals
m aintain th e ir perceptions only during th e day, th e ini­
tiated Yogi has an equally real, undim m ed, and perfect
appreciation of his individual existence a t night, even
while his body sleeps. H e can go even f u r th e r : he can
voluntarily paralyze his vital functions so th a t his body
shall lie like a corpse, th e h e a rt still, the lungs collaps­
ed, anim al h e at transferred to the interior su rfa c e s; the
vital m achine stopped, as it were, like a clock which
waits only th e key th a t rewinds it, to resum e its beating.
W h a t n a tu re does for tho scores of hybernating quadru-
* T h e double which appear* umlor two a*pccts a t tim es a s—a dull non*
in tellig en t form or ainnm to ntntuc, nt o th er time* ns an intelligen t entity.
More th an any one olso, th e npirUunlinta ought to l>o awi.ro of tho tlifTcrencc.
 peds, rep tiles and insects, u n d er tlie spontaneous action centre. B u t if we double th e intensity of th a t a ttra c ­
of h er established laws, th e Yogi effects for his physical tion we becom e twice as heavy as we were before ; if we
body by long practice, and th e inten se concentration of quadruple it, four tim es iis heavy ; centiple it, one h u n ­
an u n d a u n te d ill. And w hat he can do for him self the dred tim es as heavy. In short, by a m ere alteration of
m agnotizer can do for Ins catalep tic s u b je c t; whose body our polarity we would be giving our flesh th e w eight of
in tho sta te of ecstasis, th e h ig h e st in th e range of an equal bulk of stone, iron, lead, m ercury, etc. A nd the
m esm eric phenom ena, presents all th e physical ap p ear­ Yogi has th is secret, or Siddhi, also.
ances' of death, including even rigor m o r tis ; w hile th e M any H indus who adm it th a t th eir sacred books contain
active vitality of th e soul is shown in th e descriptions accounts of th e phenom ena of levitation, th a t is, of walking
given by th e ecstatic eith er of d ista n t events on the or floating in the a ir— affirm th a t th e power has been lost,
earth, or th e scenes in which he is ta k in g p a rt in th e world and th a t th ere are none living who can exhibit it, or even
of the invisible. T bo records of a thousand such cases, oc­ th e appearance of it, save through the help of jugglery.
curring in every p a rt of the world, com bine to show (a) th a t T his false conclusion is assisted by the tendency of W estern
the soul lias th e capacity of a conscious ex istence sepa­ education, which b u t reflects th e m aterialism of modern
rate from th e body ; (b) th a t it is lim ited by n e ith e r tim e experim ental science— so m isnam ed, for it is b u t partly
nor space, it being able to visit and re tu rn in an in stan t experim ental and proponderatingly inferential guess-work.
from the farth est localities, and to reach such— th e tops F o rg ettin g th a t th e law of gravitation is after all, b u t an
of m ountains, for instance, or th e centres of deserts, or the incom plete hypothesis which holds its ground for th e ’want
bottom s of rivers or lakes, as th e w aking m an could eith er of a b e tte r one,— our young men say th a t science has
not exist in or could only visit w ith th e m ost tedious defined th e laws of gravity, hence levitation is an ab su r­
exertions and th e g re a te st p re c a u tio n s; (c) th a t it can dity, and our old books teach nonsense. T his would bo
p en etrate closed rooms, rocky walls, iron chests, or glass sufficient if th e prem iss were not false. Science has
coses, and see and handle w hat is w ithin. All these, if b u t noted th e more fam iliar phenom ena of gravity, and
it were particled and unyielding, like th e physical body, knows nothing w hatever of its nature, or its variabjo
would bo im possibilities ; and so, seing w h at o u r m odern m anifestations u n der tint im pulse of th e undiscovered
experience has ta u g h t us, we can readily com prehend Pa- prim al force. Op»sii any book on any branch of physical
tanjali’s m eaning and avoid th e absurd conclusions which science, aud th e author, if he have any professional re­
some of his m aterialistic and inexperienced com m enta­ putation to lose, will be detected in th e confession of his
tors have reached. “ H u nd red s of tim es ” says Professor ignorance of th e u ltim a te cause of natu ral phenom ena.
D enton, “ have I had th e evidence th a t th e sp irit (m ean­ Superficial readers will be deceived by g litte rin g g en e r­
ing ‘ soul 1— th e two words are m ost u n h ap p ily and we alizations from p artially proved data, b u t the th o u g h t­
fear inextricably confounded— Ed.) can sm ell, hear, and ful stu d en t will ever find the em pty void a t th e bottom .
see, and has powers of locomotion.” Cicero calls th e soul H uxley sum s it all up in the self-condem natory sentence,
sp iritu s (a breathing), iis also does V irgil, aud both re ­ “ w e ”— th a t is W2 scientists, we men who talk so glibly
gard it as a su b tile m a tte r which m ig h t be term ed eith er about ancient superstition and ignorance, and would im ­
aiii‘ii (a breeze), or ig n is (fire), or ivther. So th a t here press Indian y o uth w ith the notion th a t we are the very
again we are xssisted to th e conception th a t A n im a a p ­ H igh Priests of nature, th e only com petent instructors
plies only to a certain portion of th e sold— (paucM ) and of her m ysteries, th e key to which we all carry in our
not to th e hotly. And, we th u s find th a t th is Siddhi is vest pockets— “ we know nothing about th e com position
entirely possible for one who has le a rn t th e m anifold fa­ of any body w hatever, as it is.”
culties of th e in n e r man, aud knows how to apply and P u t supposing th a t not one w itness could be found
utilize th e manifold functions of jiv a tm a , lin g -sa rir, and in all our In dia to-day to prove the fact of levitation, would
the m dydua anti kdiua-rnpa. Plutarch m akes p retty n ear­ we have to let th e case go by d e fa u lt? By no m ean s;
ly the same division of the functions of th e “ Soul." T he for, to say nothing of th e unbroken chain of lay testim ony
ling-sarir lie c a lls . pxuchti (physical en tity ), and teaches th a t stretches from the earliest historic period to our times,
th a t it never leaves th e body b u t a t d eath ; m d yd u a and we can tak e th a t of em in en t W estern physicians who have
kdinn-rupa answ er to his dtem on, o r spiritual-double, one witnessed such levitations in the cases of patien ts atllic-
half of which is irra tio n a l and called by him eidolon, and ted with certain nervous dise:ises ;— Professor Perty, of
the o th er r a tio n a l and usually term ed “ blessed god.” Geneva, and Dr. K erner, of W urtem berg, am ong others.
P ut, w hile th e physical body m ay n o t bo atom ized or I f a phenom enon of such a n ature takes place in a dis­
magnified inim itably, its weight m a y be v o lu n ta r ily changed eased body, w ithout being regarded as a violation of the
without tra n sc e n d in g n a tu r a l law in the slightest degree. “ laws of natu re,” why should it not occur— provided the
Hundreds, if not thousands, are living in In d ia to-day same conditions i.e. a reversed polarity, are furnished it
who have seen ascetics, while in th e sta te of dhfirand, — in a body free from disease > T his testim ony of science
rise from th e ground and sit or float in th e a ir w ith o u t th e secured, we need not hesitate to cull from contem porane­
slightest support. W e d oubt if a phenom enon seen by so ous records th e m ass of available proof th a t the bodies
many reputab le persons will be seriously denied. A d m it­ of living m en can be, and are, floated through the air.
ting, then, th a t th is levitation does happen, how shall we W ho shall deny it ? Science ? No, for we have seen t hat
explain it ? T h a t hiis already been done in “Isis U nveiled,” it is attested by some of the most em inent scientific men
where tho au th o r shows th a t by sim ply changing th e polarity of our day ; and to these we may add Lord Lindsay, P re ­
of his body, so as to m ake th e la tte r sim ilarly electrified to sident of th e Royal Ast ronomical Society, and one of the
the spot of ground upon which he stands, th e ascetic can Council of the lloyal Society itself. One witness of his
cause him self to rise perpendicularly into th e air. T h is is stam p is enough, and he is on record (Loudon Dialec.
no miracle, b u t a very sim ple alYair of m agnetic polarity. Soc. “ R eport,’' p. 21.')) as saying th a t lie had seen a
The only m ystery is as to th e m eans by which these changes certain m edium , not only lloat through the air of a draw ­
of polarity m ay be effected. T his secret th o Yogi learns, ing-room, b u t carry w ith him the chair upon which he
and P atanjali’s nam e for th e Siddhi is G arim u, which in ­ had been sitting, and w ith it “ pushing the pictures out
cludes L a g h im d . I t follows, of course, th a t he who knows of th e ir places as he passed along the walls.” They were
how to polarize his body so as to cause him self to be far beyond th e reach of a person standing ou the ground.
“ light as a Hake of cotto n ” and rise into th e air, has only Ami he adds th e highly im p o rtan t fact, “ The lig h t was
to reverse th e process to m ake his body ab norm ally heavy. sufficient to enable m e to see clearly.” T his sam e m e­
We stick to th e surface of th e earth because o u r bodies dium he saw floated horizontally out of th e window in
are of an opposite polarity to th e ground on which we stand. one room of a house, in V ictoria S treet, London, and iu
Science explains th a t we are attracted tow ards th e cen tre again a t the window of th e adjoining room. " I saw him ,”
of the earth by gravity, and o u r w eight is th e m easure says Lord Lindsay, “ outside th e o ther window (th a t in
of the combined attractio n of all th e p articlcs of our the next room) floating in the air. I t was eighty-five
physical body tow ards tho central poin t a t th e e a rth ’s fe e t fr o m the gro u n d . T here was no balcony along the
 windows, * * * 1 have no theory to explain these things. H IN T S TO T H E S T U D E N T S O F Y O G A V ID Y A
I have trie d to find out how th ey .ire done, b u t th e more
lly Lallct R ultun Chttnd.
I studied them , the more satislied was I th a t they could
n o t be explained by m echanical trick. I have had the T he stu d e n t should realize th a t in order to render one’s
fullest opportunity for investigation.” W hen such a man self w orthy of an admission into tho sanctuary of Yoga, a
gives such testim ony, we m ay well lend an a tte n tiv e ear thorough regeneration of t he m ind is th e essential condition
to th e corroborative evidence which has accum ulated at imposed upon him . In teg rity of purpose and p u rity of in­
different epochs and in m any countries. tention lie has rigidly to observe in bis desires and actions
T he case of th e levitated ' m edium ’ of th e m odern sp i­ th ro u g h o u t life, and no sensual appetites or cravings of tho
ritualist, affords us an exam ple of a phase of L a y h im a of flesh can he be allowed to cherish in his bosom. In short,
which no m ention is m ade in t-lio portion of tho S h rim a d to keep his passions and anim al propensities in e n tire su b ­
B h a y a ra ta u n d er consideration, b u t m ay he found in jection, is the vow he has to m ake a t the very threshold of
m any o th e r m anuscripts. W e have seen th a t a Yogi th e sacred science of Yoga.
m ay reverse his corporeal polarity a t pleasure, to m ake E ver successful to abide by this vow arc they who have
him self lig h t as a cotton flake or heavy as lead : and th a t a determ ined w ill to do so: b u t it m ust be clearly un d er­
he acquires this Siddhi by long self-discipline, and th e sub­ stood th a t a violation of th is vow, 011 th e p art of the stu ­
o rdination of the general law of m a tte r to th e focalized d en t of Yoga Viilya, however advanced, will lower him in
pow er of spirit. It has also been affirmed th a t th e c a ta ­ his developm ent as much, a t least, as a decimal point lowers
leptic sim ilitude to death, which in 1mlia is called S a m a d h i, in value th e integer before which it is placed.
m ay be produced in the m esm erised, or m agnetized, subject T he sanctification of th e mind, to such an e x te n t th a t
by the m agnetizer. W e have th e rep o rt of th e late W illiam evil em otions and feelings may never be able to m ake th eir
Gregory, Professor of ( ,'hemistry in K dinburgh University, way into it, is m ost assuredly secured by a perfect con­
( A n i m a l M ayu ctism ; or M esm erism c u d its Phenom ena, centration of th e m ind 011 one single object; and th e proper
pp. 1o-l-, lf>">) of one of m any ex perim ents, a t his own house, object for th is purpose is( 3q,[) OM, which my im perfect know ­
by Mr. Lewis, a famous negro m esm erize)- : ledge of f lic E nglish language, or rather, perhaps, its own
“ Ciiso 5.— Mr. J . II., ii younj; anil heallhly m an, coulil lio ren­ poverty, constrains m e to tran slate .os th e “ Infinite One.”
dered iiiMtjmtly nnd com pletely cataleptic by a "lance, or a Hinkle I t is tru e th a t th e concentration of th e m ind upon one
pana. lie could be li.xed in any position, however inconvenient, nnd
would rem ain ten or fifteen m inutes in such a posture, th a t no man single object, and especially such object as th e ( afj) OM
in a n atu ral state could have endured it for h alf a m inute. * * * — D eity, is a difficult task ; but 110 difficulty however great,
W hen Mr. L. stood ou a chair and tried to draw M r. If., w ithout depend upon it, can stand in th e way of a re a lly deter­
contact, from the "round, ho gradually rose 011 tiptoe, making the m in e d m an. ■
most violent efforts to rise, till ho was li.icd by cataleptic rigidity
Mr. Lewis said that, had ho been still more elevated above Mr. If., Again, to a beginner, th is scicnce appears dry and u n a t­
ho could have raised him from tho lloor w ithout contact, and held tractive, and one th a t involves tho loss of tim e, app aren tly
him th u s suspended for a sh o rt time, while somo spectator should to 110 purpose ; b u t a few m onths’ practice of its principles
p.iss his hand under tho feet. A lthough th is was not done iu my is sure to secure to its devotee a com fort and bliss which
presence, yet the attraction upwards mis so strong that I see no reason
to doubt the statement made to me by Mr, /.firi'i, and by others who lie could not have obtained in years, from any o th er source.
sate it, that this experiment has been successfully performed. What­ Sidhis, i.e. psychic powers, which are certain to attend
ever be the influence which nets, it would seem capable, when very more or less every Yogi, should never be m oving cause to
intense, of overpowering the law of gravity." induce one to pursue this science ; for desires o th er than
L e t us first clearly com prehend th e m eaning of the th a t one of realizing OM in th e soul, are to be abandoned
word gravity, and then th e infer.-nce of Professor G reg­ a t tho outset.
ory will not seem so extravagant after all. In this A ttac h m en t to th e world and its pleasures, should ndver
pluuse of Latjhim ii, observe th a t th e changed polarity of be stronger, on th e p a rt of th e Yogi than th e attach m en t
tin; hum an body is effected by th e m agnet iser’s will. We which a traveller, bound homeward, has for an inn in
have, theicfore, one class of cases w here th e effect is sclf- which lie lia.s to stop for a fleeting night.
jtroduced by th e conscious will of th e Yogi ; an o th er whore Such tire the sacrifices ir/iich arc to be made by ever//
it occurs involuntarily in the su b ject as th e resu lt of an student o f this spir itual science; and none need attempt to
outside will directed upon him. T h e th ird class is illus­ approach it who are loth to nhtcrvc these terms. Namasti.
trated in th e exam ple of th e floating m edium which Lord Lahore, P u n ja b , Ocf. 1'Mh 1879. •
Lindsay attests. H ere th e mthrobat,— as air-w alkers were
called by th e G reeks— n eith er practices Y oga Viilya, nor is [W ritte n e x p re ss ly fo r th o T iik o b o n h p t .]
visibly depolarized by a living m agnetiser, and y e t his body H I N D U M U SIC .
also rises from th e earth, light as a cotton-flake or th istle ­
down. If th is happens, w here is th e c a u s e ; for cause B y B u lw a n t T rim b itk , H on. Sec. o f the P o o n a
thero m ust be, since m iracle is an im possibility ? Modern “ G dyan S a m a j."
S p iritualists as we are inform ed vaguely ascribe th e fact
W e wish to give our readers some idea of H in d u Music,
to the agency of th e disem bodied spirits of th e ir do;ul which is a p la n t of an cien t grow th, having beau ties of its
friends, b u t have given no sufficient explanation of the
own. . I t will require some tim e before a stran g er can
m ethod employed. One of th e ir m ost in tellig en t w riters
qualify him self to appreciate its m erits. T h a t it was d e­
— Miss Blackwell, who won th e gold m edal of th e B ritish
veloped into a sciencc ad m its of 110 question, as th e sequel
N.A.S. for her essay 011 S p iritu alism — a ttrib u te s it to " je ts
will prove. H indus, as a fact, do find beauties in , it, and
or curren ts of m agneto-vital force,” which sounds vaguely
they avail them selves of every opportunity for enjoying
scientific, to say th e least. To follow o u t th is branch of
this sort of am usem ent. T here arc various reasons why
th e subject would cause too wide a digression for our pre­
foreigners do n o t ta k e equal in terest in cu ltiv atin g it, of
sent purpose. Suffice it th a t th e m ed iu m ’s body is
which we will e n u m erate a few.
depolarized, or differently polarized, by some force external
1. N o standard work 011 the subject has as y e t been
to him, which we have 110 w arran t for ascribing to th e
presented to th e public in any of th e c u rre n t languages.
voluntary action of living spectators.
T here are several in S anskrit, it is true, b u t th a t is a .
A n other branch of this g re a t su b ject of L aghim a is re ­
language difficult to learn, and now,- unfortunately, alm ost
served for our n e x t article. T h e m ore it is studied, the
dead. ; . .
more cum ulative is th e proof th a t P a tm ja li was a m aster
2. T ho second reason is th a t th e notation for reducing
of Psychology.
m usic to w riting as given by ancient w riters on ,,H in d u
(To be continued.) Music is not generally known. •
U. T he th ird reason is th a t strangers pass a very hasty
In 1272, A.I)., 280 .Jews were executed for clipping the ju d g m e n t upon its m erits. T hey do not m ake th e best of,-,>
cu rre n t coin of th e realm. th e m any op p o rtu n ities th a t are presented to them whil<;:.
living in India. T h e y disdain to a tte n d singing and nautch science ; w ithout being charged w ith p artiality we th in k
parties a t th e houses of gentlem en, and declaim against we can cred it th e an cien t Ary&s w ith a great deal of both.
them as im m oral ; an d when they re tu rn to th e ir native Close observation of the h ab its of the m em bers of the
countries try to h id e th e ir ignorance by passing all m an ­ anim al kingdom m u st have shown them th a t a growl and
ner of bad r e m a r k s ; holding, tho while, th e jig s of such a shriek w ere respectively th e two sounds betw een which
low-caste people as are usually th e ir a tte n d a n ts, as types of all others m u st f a ll; and lo ! how ap tly th ey have illus­
H in d u Music. . trated them . In order th a t th e ir children m ig h t accustom
4. W e know of m any persons who can distin g u ish anthem selves to these high, low, mid m iddle sounds, th ey
individual and y e t cannot identify him in his photograph. advised them to rep eat 0) th e ir lessons in tho m orning
T his is due to th e ir w ant of fam iliarity w ith th e effects of in th e low note, which proceeds from the chest and resem ­
light and shade, on th e vision ; th e sam e is em phatically bles the growl of a tig e r; in tho afternoon in th e m id-tone,
true of any system of music. T h e E nglish, F rench, G er­ which proceeds from the th ro a t and resem bles th e cries of
man, and Ita lia n system s of m usic are d istin c t from one the Cltakra or round bird ; and a t nil other tim es in a high
another, having been separately develo p ed ; y e t each has tone, which proceeds from th e head and resem bles the
charm s peculiar to itself, and each school has its adm irers cries of a peacock and others of its kind.
and panegyrists who find it th e best of all rep resen tativ es They have divided sound into three classes— M a n d ril
of tru e harm onic science. C ultivation and ta ste are th e p rim ­ (lowr), M a d h y a (th ro at voice), and T a r (high). These go
ary perquisites for m usical criticism , and unless a man also by th e nam es (-) of U dutta, A n u d d tU i, and S w a rita ,
spend some years on any given system of m usic he will respectively. T hey say th a t in U dutta are recognized the
not come to realize its b eau ties and ap preciate its m erits. notes N i and Ga, corresponding to the E nglish notes E
I f an Englishm an, a Frenchm an, and an Italian sit in ju d g ­ and 15; th a t in A n u d atta arc recognized th e notes lli and
m ent upon th e m erits of our In d ia n Music, each will try Dha, or D and A ; and in the S w arita Sii, Mr, and Pa, or
to find som ething in it which he is accustom ed to and which C, F and G. *
he has from childhood le a rn t to look upon as th e best. It is w orthy of rem ark th a t E and B arc semi tones, D
N e ith e r of th em is used to th e softening influence of H in ­ and A are m inor tones, and C, F and O are m ajor tones.
du melody, and therefore each cries it down w ith a sep arate How nice m u st have been th e ir sense of hearing ! f
phrase. To expect therefore th a t H in d u Music will N a tu re is never stingy or cruel to her children, when
stand th e te st of every connoisseur whose e a r is accustom ­ they serve her earnestly. Tho sam e craving after know ­
ed to a different developm ent, is to forget tho theory of the ledge and spirit of p atien t enquiry which discovered to the
formation of ideas. A gain, if H indu Music had been a A njds th a t th e high, low, and m iddle notes had typical
growth of m odern tim es, containing all th e several charm s representatives in the anim al kingdom ; th e sam e m usical
of different m usical systems, it would p erh ap s liavo a n ­ ear which showed them th e sounds proper for repeating
swered th e expectations of these conn o isseu rs; b u t upon the the lessons in th e m orning, noon, and a t o th er tim es,— d is­
testim ony of w orks of g re a t a n tiq u ity lying around us closed to them th a t th e anim als produce certain notes,
(some 4000 to 8000 years old), we can safely nllirm th a t and no more. T hey <3> found th a t the peacock, ox, goat,
H indu M usic was developed into a system in very an cient crane, black-bird, frog, and elephant, uttered certain distinct
tim es; in tim es of which we have no g en u in e records; in notes, and th a t all th e notes of the denizens of the forest
tim es when all o th er nations of th e world w ere stru g g ling could he p u t down un d er one or o ther of these 7 heads. In
with th e elem ents for ex isten ce; in tim es when H in d u this way were th e 7 musical notes found and fixed upon.
R ish is were enjoying th e fru its o f civilization, anil occupy­ They also fixed m easures of tim e th u s (*>:— T he mangoose
ing them selves w ith th e contem plation of tho m ighty pow­ uttered .I m easure, the chdssbird cried in I m easure, the
ers of th e etern al Brahm a. crow in the double m easure, and th e peacock shrieked in
W e will therefore p resen t our readers w ith a bird's-eye thi) treble.
view of H in d u Music, leaving to them selves th e task of Thus, while the A n /d s w ere teaching th e ir children n e­
cultivating th e ir c a r; for w hile we can describe to a cessary lessons, they were im parting to them a sort of
person th e oxternal appearance of an orange, its colour, musical instruction and preparing th eir voices for it. T he
its odour, and nam e to him, its order in th e vegetable transcendental charm s o f m usic can not have fallen flat upon
kingdom, no words can convey to him an a d eq u ate idea of th e ir appreciative sense o f hearing, and th ey m u st have
its ta s te ; and so is it w ith respect to H indu Music. T hough set a p a rt a n um ber o f verses to lie snug, and th u s m ust
we m ake you m asters of its theory, nam e to you th e dif­ have sprung the Siiina Veda— a Veda which is recognized
ferent T u n a s and M urchhands, th e G ra m a s an d lh iy a s, by all to be very old and designed lor sin g in g ; a Veda
we cannot convey to you any idea of R a ld i or th e power ou t o! which verses are even to th is day sung m ost h a r­
of affecting th e heart, th e end of any m usical .system ; it m oniously by th e I ’di/atri, a priest who perform s the
must be tasted by th e ear. singing service a t th e tim e o f Vadiiya (Sacrifice).
S ound. • T he recognition of these 7 notcfi as all the alphabets of
Sound m ost n atu rally forms th e sta rtin g p o in t of a dis­
11 > w t : tfc m
sertation on music. T h e theory of sound as given in
Shihsha is as follows O :—• h | m rj m i
“ T he soul com prehends by m eans of its faculty of know ­ | fsT c fw ff |
ledge w hat is w anted, and, desirous of speaking out, " * ff a r r
enjoins th e m ind. T h e m ind upon th is excites the bodily
<2 > * '7 0 O T : | 3 ^ R iM lC I
heat, and th is h eat p u ts th e wind in m otion ; th is wind
moving in th e cavity of th e chest, produces a sound which
is recognized as M andra, or chest voice.” • “ Tho nj'i'rcjm to bound of N atu re, ns heard in tho roar of a ilistaiit clly.
or tho waving folinyo of a largo fore>t, is said to ho a single detiuito tone, of
In this theory which is very old, as th e work from which appreciable pitch. T his tone is h«M to bo tho m iddle V of ihc piau o fo rt'j,
it is extracted will show, we m ay recognize th e crude ex ­ which may, therefore, bo cointidcrcd tho key Dole of nnturc.” *-(/'»iiia'j/lts >\f
Phy&i’S), by IVof, D. Sillinmu. Tho 1‘hlncso renownizt?-1 it soino ‘thoiiMuudi
pression of tho principles of th e m odern u n d u lato ry theory of yoiu\s ago, by teaching th a t “ tho water? of tho lloungdio, n u llin g by,
of sound. iutoued tho 1‘HHff called, “ tho g ro a t touo," in Chinese music, and ono
which corresponds exactly with cur F, now* ** considered by m odern phy*
Observation and g eneralisation are tho two essential sieixU to ho tlia actual tonic of Nature.*' (Uico). Ki>. T»li:os.
things required in th e form ation and developm ent of a f “ Tho doctrine of sound is un<jucdtiouably the must Mibtilo ami abstruse
iu tho whole raugc of physical *cicucoM—says IVofcssor Ixdio. Ki>. 'l’UKo.i

t 1) aTTcm jw tt sfacin’frw T t f*pr$fm | im if iw ^ P c r (3 ) ^ | s p ir 'T ^ ftr n r ^ i c * f -

fW!TT?r WTfT | | W : fm ^ | <prai'Trc°r ^ | ^ | c r v-
qincr 'r r ^ r r if a c f | fV r g»i I fn c 'Tcf |
s t i ' H s tR c n g 'f I w f r n i m w w w r < r : ’| . (•»» R rat 'T R tf: | clicT h-
v f is s F P r a - I J> 3 f^ (
musical language nil over th e world, in th e n in eteen th T he relative n u m ber of vibrations of the notes of the
century, proves beyond all d o u b t th e nice appreciation of g am u t are : <' >— ”
the ancient Aryas. Hut, this was not all. W rite rs on H indu Sa, Hi, Ga, Ma, Pa, Dim, Ni, fca
Music even discovered th a t these seven notes had peculiar C, 1), E, F, G, A, P., 0
“ m issions” d> to th e hum an m ind ; th a t certain n o tes were 1, 0/8, /S/4, 4/3, .‘1/2, i/3 , 15/8, 2 .
peculiar to certain sentim ents, and th a t w ith o u t those th a t is 24, 27, 30, 32, 3(i, 40, 4-i, 48.
n o t e s these sentim ents could not be well expressed. AU who B ut th e lengths of th e wire arc inversely proportional to
have had occasion to h ear th e ad ap tatio n of mus\ctv\ notes th e s e :—
to different sentim ents can bear testim ony to th e fact th a t Sa, Ri, Ga, Ma, Pa, Dha, Ni, Sit
th e observations of these w riters wen? correct. I t m u st 1, S/0, 4/:>, 3/4, 2/3, .'{/.I, 8/1 a, 1/2
not how ever be considered th a t we m ean th a t so u n d s alone th a t is:—
can w ith o u t the assistance of language express a s e n tim e n t 180, 100, 144, 13.i, 120, 108, !)(!, 0 0 ;
to reality. N o : although, by association we com e to recog­ and th e intervals bet ween the two consecutive notes arc
nize “ a M arch” or “ a G a llo p ” as so m e th in g stirrin g ; 20, Ifi, 0 l . i , 12, 12. fi.
our point is t h at if ap propriate lingual expressions be as­
W hen these intervals are reduced to a length of 48
sociated w ith proper musical notes th e effect is m ore certain
u n its th e y becom e :—
and real.
Sii, Ri, Ga, Ma, Pa, D ha, N i, Sa
T he tab le given below will show a t one glance th e se­
r . n , 41 (>, 2 3, 3 0 , 3-12, 3-12, 3 1 2 , l r,.
veral notes, th e ir names, th e ir types in th e anim al kingdom ,
and the sen tim en ts to which th ey are ap p licab le: L et us w rite against these num bers th e t>hriifis or in te r­
vals according to S a n sk rit w riters, and it will a t once he
T a u i. h I. seen th a t they arc closely analogous’.
Sans­ En*« Kne- Type* in the T able 2.
krit H'h Sanskrit lish Animnl Bcntimcntn pccultnr to
Note*. Notes. N nines. Names Kingdom. E stim ated
Hindu Notes. Kn^lisli Note*. intcrvnls.
| Slirutis.

HT S:i e Shndjn Do 4 I'OACOC’k !loroi*m , W o n d er, T e rro r.

c
fl 1!i i> Itislmlilm Uo • Ox or clmlxik »» »> M r»- 3 4
1)
(!.\ K (•nitdliit in M i. (’(•at Compulsion. •W0 3
*
»T .12
*1 Ma r Mndliyntnn Fa O anc H u m o u r n n d Lovo. 2- 3 1
K
7 Pn (i Pniuhnnm Sol lilnck bird *» ft »* 3‘ !) 4
7 C,
*4 I>lm A Dlmivntn La Kiok D isg u st. A larm .
:!■12 4
n Si l!lc|ilinlit
V A
ft* ' Nifdntdlm l'om pn*M on.
3 12
r.
i- r> 32 1I
AT a
In the Veda itself sentences are found which go to
prove the same.
If a monochord w ith m oveable bridge be tak en , and How delicate and accurate m ust have been the organs
space equal to 44 u n its be m easured aud th e b ridge shifted of hearing of th e A n/<i .f, when th ey could reach so near
to this point, tho strin g when stru ck will yield a n o te ; if th e tru th unassisted by th e paraphernalia of modern
we sta rt with this note a.s tins tonic or key-note, and run science.
through the g a m u t by shiftin g th e bridge (the Sanskrit, A ccording to S a n sk rit w riters no sound is said to be
w riters affirm <•) the following facts will be observed. iSVi, perfect unless it goes through the S h rill in or intervals a t­
will be produced at the, distance 44 ; H i at 40, Ga a t 37, tached to it. T he 7 notes thus fixed form th e natural
M a nt, :i'>. Pa a t III, Dim. a t 27, N i at 24, and S a again scale, and th is is called by the Sanskrit w riters a Nhatlja
a t 22 : but. th e la tte r S a will be twice as intense as Grdmo, or a scale in which (J is the key-note.
th e former. B u t a singer m ay sta rt with any key-note, and the seve­
L e t us now see how far th is doctrine is correct accor­ ral succeeding notes will be affected consequently. Lot
ding to th e theory of vibrations as given by E nglish him s ta rt for instance w ith M adhyam a, or F, as his tonic,
physicists. and le t him transfer his gam u t to an in stru m e n t with
m oveable frets, he will find th a t th e positions which the
< f r c w j f r t 'f l : hci | crur sn^i frets were in in the natural scale will be of no use now.
ch II > * || I 3V - F or he will have to play his Sa on M u fret of the na­
v w || ^ a flHrfacr ?ti^ k : tural scale and Jii on the l'a f r e t ; Ga on th e Dim , Ma
( -) T h e S en tim en ts a r e : on th e N i fret, and so on ; b u t he will find th at he will
sTjfrr^c ^ o rrffT ? i^ r I € ih <p c i 5 R cm.- | not be able to play Ga and M a on th e ]Jha and N i f re ts ;
~ 3?»rr:
he will be obliged to push Dha one S tn u ti up and N i
two S h r u l is.
T he following diagram will m ake this clear—
(3 ) V i) A

I
HI j I la II*
T he reason of this is th at the interval betw een the
notes E and F is 2, and I) and E 3, whereas, on the na­
tu ral scale, th e interval betw een G and A is 4, and A
t o ’J i n : ^ f f r |
and B 3 slirutis, respectively.
R»W[ ^ 1 : SIlWcT: || || I t will therefore be seen th a t an in stru m e n t with its
■rifat frm h w \ y m 11 frets fixed for the natu ral scale will not do for any other
# *rp r : i| v» k e y ; we shall have to insert o ther frets for convenience,
Cfrrq-stivr: and those frets will give notes different from those of the
<S) iH ii y iv i : i t t ' T R ’THtfiT: || ^ ||
7 original fre ts; th e necessity of sharp and flat notes is
C R f W 'f : (1) Gnuot's Physics—Acoustics.
 therefore evident. I t is found th a t 12 such flat and sharp
notes are required to be added, m ak in g in all 19 notes ; and
these are found to answ er for tho purposes of H in d u M u­
sic. T hese flat an d sharp notes nro called th e V ilerita
or changed notes. Besides this, th e m oveable frets of our
m usical in stru m e n ts enable us to m ake provision for the
sharp-sbarp or flat-flat notes w hich are required in some
of our songs. In th e piano and th e several keyed E nglish
in stru m en ts th e n atu ral scale is dreadfully abused and dis­
torted by th e m ethod of w hat is called “ equal te m p e ra ­
m ent.” T hey divide th e scale into 12 equal sem ito n es;
it is th is th a t accustom s th e ear to false notes ; and m any
singers of note try to sing w ithout “ th e piano.” T h is lim i­
ted scope of E nglish in stru m en ts disqualifies th em to
perform m any of th e beautiful airs of H in d u Music of which
we will give some .in s ta n c e s :
K a ly a n a an d A b h i m n i t a are tw o of th e best and
choicest specim ens of H in d u R£g6s or scales.
K alyana requires ( 1 ) : —
Su Ri G a Ma a PP a D h a N i S a Sa
C D E F Q Q A B C C
Sharp. 2 b b
or C n a tu ra l and flat,
D sharp-sharp,
E F and A natu ral,
Q n atu ral and flat.
A g a in :—
A bhirantita r e q u ire s :—
Sn R i G a Ma P a D h a N i Sa Sa
O D E F G A B 0 (J
Slmrp. h b u t th a t at least some atte m p ts a t a system atic arrangem ent
or 0 F G A natural,
I) sharp-sharp,
. C natu ral and flat.
I t will th u s be seen th a t these m elodies will never
be executed on an in stru m en t w ith fixed keys and te m ­
pered sharps and flats.
How is it possible, therefore, to enjoy th e m elody of
the m usic of th e H indus unless our readers provide th e m ­
selves w ith in stru m en ts of very good m ake, such as are
made here to su it th e purposes of H indu Music ?
W ith respect to th e a p titu d e of different notes to p ro ­
duce a pleasing sensation, they are divided into :—
V a d i, S a m v d d i, A n u in 'td i and V i v i u l i; th e first are
styled sovereigns,' as form ing, th e principal notes in a
Rdga or s c a le ; th e second, or Sanivdtdi, are like m inis­
ters th a t assist th e first iu developing th e scale ; th e th ird,
or A n u i'iid i, are reckoned .as serv an ts th a t a tte n d upon
their superiors, b ear stren g th , b u t cannot com m and ; and
the fourth, or V iviu li, are d istin ctly set down as enem ies.
T he intervals which marjc th e positions of S a m vd d i,
are 12 and 8 sh rutin ; e.g. ;
dn I IO' I in i *h i i<f
1) ' E F G
i
O' A IT
c I) K F
4 sft'
(i A B C Puuuu U uynn Sa m a j,
—all those th a t lie in one row are atnnvadi.
Viv&di are such notes as m ar th e effect of any R uqa
by th e ir introduction; e.g. notes which are separated from
each o th er by one sliru ti (kiikali), and such as are conse­
cutive. C onsecutive notes, such as B and C, are ad m itted
among E nglish m usicians as discordant.
It will th u s be seen th a t in order th a t a pleasing effect
may be produced on th e ear by m eans of a species of a r­
rangem ent of th e m usical notes, it is q u ite necessary th a t
____________________________________________ ______ i _ proved. N inety-four per cent, of the Imr.sc-power is set
(1)
«<wrfa:ftcnff3<TC: I hi'Tic®!*
|| i |
w
(f; fnzrar: |i v * | O'TPHT'T:
account shall be tak en of notes th a t arc concordant, or
otherwise.
According to S a n sk rit w riters on music there m e six
principal Rdujds, and th e ir nam es are, (1) S liri Rdga, (2)
V usanta, (.‘5) P iiticliam a ( t) B h a ir a m , (o) M ejha and ((»)
N a t N d r a y an.
Each R u g a is said to have 5 wives, and each wife <S
children. T h u s it will be found th a t H indu m usicians
sing 270 different scales, each d istinct from the others,
and each having a charm in itself.
M urchhanas, Tdndts and Alan/cars are th e various orna­
m ents, or fio r itu r i, which are introduced by m aster singers
to give effect to and develop the scale, or Ruga, which
th ey sing.
M u rchhanas arc perform ed by going over 7 notes of
the selected scale (R dga), backw ards and forw ards: this is
ascending and descending A rohaua and A m rvhuna-, e.g.:—
C D E F (i A B 'C '
C B A G F E D (J
T dnds are h a lf M urchhandts, or motions in a single direc­
tion.
A la n k d rs arc several thousand in num ber, and are p er­
formed by grouping to g eth er and repeating the musical
notes in p erm u tatio n s : e.g.—
A N ish k a rsh a is C 0 , I) J), E E, & c.;
V is tin ia is (J 1) E, 1) K l1' ; E F G.
B in d a is C D, I) E, E F &e.
W e th in k we have laid before th e readers of the T iiko-
S O P H IST m aterials which will enable them to see that the
H indu Music is not liap-liazard work and a low caste jig,
have been m ade by w rit in's who m ade it th e ir specialty.
Nay, we find them so anxious to realize the g re at aim of
music, which we have nam ed above as R a lti, or the power
of affecting the heart, th a t not only have they inserted
various ingenious perm u tatio n s and com binations of har-
m onical notes, b u t have actually set down rules and m edi­
cines for the cultivation of the voice, the singer’s instrum ent.
T hey have been so careful to secure this aim th a t they
have prescribed certain seasons of the year and certain
hours ot the day for certain Rdga.s, and have most search -
ingly enquired into th e effect of each musical note on the
heart. D ancing they have reduced to rule, and keeping
tim e becam e a science under th eir watchful ami anxious
care, such ;us will vie iu its nicety with the S an sk rit g ra m ­
mar, which is recognized as alm ost the perfection of d e­
ductive logic.
I t is m usical notation which we want, and feel this the
more for we cannot p e rp e tu a te the melodious arrangem ents
of tunes, of perform ers of g en uine styles who, in the course
of nature, are fast fading away. It. is true we have a m usi­
cal notation which we can claim as our own, but we th ink
it is not sufficient nor elegant enough to m ark the various
graces of H indu Music wit h the rapidity of a. phonographer.
W e th in k tin; Knglish system of music, such as it is, cannot
be adopted by us w ithout m aking necessary ch an g es; this
we mean to do erelong, and so enable our friends living far
away from In d ia to share with us the enjoym ent of m elo­
dious graces richly fraught with H a iti. ' 1 )
20th Septem ber IS/V .
Mr. Edison says th a t since the p atents for his electric
light were issued, he has im proved the standard m eter for
m easuring th e electricity led to th e burners, and has p e r­
fected a m ethod ot in sulating and conveying the wires
from the g en eratin g stations to the houses of the consu­
mers. H e is satisfied th a t the generator cannot be im ­
free in th e electric cu rrent, and eighty-tw o is delivered in
| the wire outside the m echine. W ith the sam e resistance
of the wire the g en erato r has twice the electro-m otor of
6
any o th e r m achine yet made.
(1) ^ TO cN : B i w l Jt°I: ||
 T H E VEDA, T H E O R IG IN A N D H IS T O R Y O F g eth e r th e y certainly unfold the a u th en tic history— a u ­
R E L IG IO N . th en tic because w ritte n contem poraneously— of the rise
and fall, th e fall being g rea ter th a n th e rise, and th e sub­
B y Shankar Pandurang Pandit, M .A . sequent regeneration of th e H in d u m ind in its religious
M uch difference exists in th e ideas of people as to and philosophical aspects. T he popular saying, th ere
w h a t they should include in and w h at thoy should ex­ is no rise w ith o u t fall, and th ere is no fall w ithout rise,
clude from th e very com prehensive term Veda. A nd it is is n o t less applicable to the history of hum an th o ught
exactly in proportion to th e ex actitu d e of w hat we mean th a n it is to th e history of hum an action. T he highest
by th a t word th a t it can be ju s tly said to contain or not achievem ents of h um an th o u g h t and speculation are, his­
to contain such and such m atter. T h ere arc those, re­ tory teaches us, followed by a fall which is proportionate
p resen tin g one extrem e, th a t sto u tly m ain tain th a t the to tho rise. N o religion, howsoever pure, has been found­
Veda contains everything, i. c. b e i n g f]m record of God's ed b u t has been debased by those who followed its no­
own revolution it is tho repository of nil know ledge th a t ble propagator. A nd th e rise and decline of an edifice
m an has h ith e rto had or shall in fu tu re come to possess, should be stu d ied to g eth e r by those who wish to have
riot excepting th e latest discoveries and inventions con­ a full and correct idea of th e edifice. Such a study of
nected w ith th e telephone and th e m icrophone. On the history is especially necessary w hen th e rise is not simple
o th er side people, who represent tho o th e r extrem e,— rise b u t contains p a rts of the fall, and th e fall is not
and these th e vast bulk of foreigners in and o u t of the sim ple fall but contains p arts of th e rise.
country, native and foreign— who have heard of the T aking this view of th e A ryan Vedic th o u g h t we th in k
V eda, m ain tain th e ir belief th a t th ere is n o th in g worth th a t the Sniiihitiis, tho_ B rfihvutnas and th e U panishads
know ing iu it. th a t it is a book or set of books which should be allowed to constitute " th e V eda.” F or the
w herever intelligible are full of descriptions ami ordinances four SaiiihitAs contain m uch th a t is fit to be contained
of superstitious rites, and w herever u n in tellig ib le they in the B n'thnw nns, and the B dthm anas are not always
are so hopelessly m ystic as only to serve th e purposes of void of tilings w orthy of the Soiiihitas, and again the
designing and selfish p riestcraft th a t is always ready to Sanihitvs are not q u ite strangers to th e philosophical spe­
ta k e sheltcl' in w hatever is old and obscure, revered but culation, poetically clothed, of th e U p a n ish a d s, and these
not understood, believed in but. not exam ined. L ike other last are som etim es q u ite as sim ple and prim itive as the
extrem es the two just indicated are both tru e and false, contents of the Saiithitds.
n o t sim ply because " f differences of interpretatio n s, but T hus circum scribed wc believe th e V eda is th e origin of
also 1wcause of some m a tte r being included by the one all religion. T here can be no doubt th a t th e V eda is the
and the sam e being excluded by th e o th e r from the oldest Aryan book e x ta n t ; nay it is m ost probable th a t it
thing' signified by tbe term Veda. T he strictly orthodox is th e oldest, book in the world. T his can certainly be pre­
H indu not only understan d s by it all th e S a ilth ild s or dicated of parts a t least of the hym ns of tho SauihitAs.
collections of hymns, the Ih ah m an as and th e U panishads, And as such it is th e m ost reliable record of th e gradual
b u t even subsidiary Vedic treatises tre a tin g of th e g ra m ­ rise and developm ent of religious ideas am ong one a t least
m ar of th e Veda, the pronunciation of V edic words, the and th a t tho most im portant race of m ankind— the Aryans.
Vedic vocabularies and so on ; w hereas m any confine the The fundam ental tru th s of universal religion are there,
nam e to the ctillrcl i<ntx (Suiiih iliis,) tb e Brtihinanas, and and not sim ply th e bare fundam ental truths, b u t also th eir
th e Upnn ini'ad#, and s o m e classes of people would not history, th e history of th e ir prim eval rise and progress.
allow the word to apply to a n y th in g more th an th e S " m - Thus not only have we in the V eda— the Veda as we have
hitds. described above—one deity as th e creator, the preserver
Tho Sm 'nhi/ds are collections m ostly of hym ns, and and tho destroyer of all th e universe, b u t we possess in it
som etim es of religious formula', prayers, ritu alistic d e­ clear evidence of the m anner in which th e idea of a God
scriptions of sacrifices and o th e r rites and ceremonies. The was first conceived and a well-connected chain of the
Bnthmana-H are a class of com position th a t g reatly par­ stages through which th a t idea passed for m any ages
takes of the n atu re of com m entaries expounding but u n til it rose to the em inence of a belief in th e non-exist­
more frequently speculating on m any V edic things which ence of m any gods and th e existence of one single S u ­
though originally sim ple and com m only understood h;ul prem e l ’ower w ith o u t a second.
begun to be obscure long after th e tim e liad passed when (To he continued,.)
th e sim ple religion of th e au th o rs of th e num erous hym ns
prevailed. T he UjHinishndx represent a la te r period of
tim e when men had begun to perceive the uselessness T H E B R A H M A C H A R I BAW A .
of mere rites and cerem onies and com m enced generally B y an E nglish Admirer.
to philosophize on man and nature, and as being a re­ More than tw enty years ago, when the advocates of
cord o f the flights o f freedom o f th o u g h t, point to a very C h ristianity wore loss sensible th an thoy now are th at
difTeront epoch in tho intellectual history of th e H indu the ten ets of th e ir m ultiform religion, were things to Ik;
Aryan. screened from rude criticism , th e m issionary world was
Though, however, generally speaking th e StifithiUh. the startled by tin: arrival in Bom bay of a B rahm an, who did
B rd h m a w m and the V paniphnds point to th ree succes­ not shrink fiom applying such criticism. N ot th en ta u g h t
sive and different periods of tim e, still having regard to tho b e tte r part, of valour, as to tho open profession of a
the n ature of the three classes of books and of the Sttiit- knowledge of the unknow able, the missionaries m et this
hittix especially, there can be no doubt th at each contains rude person on th e sea shore, and there discussed, where
som ething th a t belongs to the periods of tb e o th er two. tho Bombay Baroda and C entral India Railw ay trains
T he fiaiitltihis comprise hym ns which em brace a very now run, the peculiar arithm etic, astounding morals, and
long period of tim e when doubtless th e hum an mind had queer history, which th ey were in the h ab it of propound­
passed through m any different stages of developm ent, as ing as C hristianity, T here they found th a t glib asser­
well a.s different phases of decline. tions of intim ate acquaintance w ith the inm ost counsels
The inclusion of th e Brfthm annx and th e U panishods of th e A lm ighty were easier m ade th a n proved ; and wider
both adds to an d takes aw ay from w hat we m ay call the and sadder men, th ey decided th a t public discussion of
fair reputation of th e Veda. F o r if we have in th e U pttni- the basis of w hat th ey professed 'as C hristian belief, was
shrnls some— if not indeed all— th e sublim i’st ideas which no longer opportune in Bombay.
m an has ever conceived, we have iu th e B rtihnw iw s From th a t date all prospect of th e conversion of any of
th e m ost puerile speculations on com m onplace m atters, the educated classes from H induism to any of th e forms of
and the most pitiable perversions of b eau ty an d carica­ C h r i s t i a n i t y presented to them for acceptance in Bombay
tu res of sim plicity. V et we th in k th a t th e ticimhitiis practically cam c to an end. M issionary enterprise has
th e Briihm anus and tho U jxuiishads to g eth er m ay fitly |gathered some harv est here and th ere am ong th e — from any
be styled tho V eda or tho Vedic literatu re, as tak en to­ Intellectual p o in t of view— riff-raff of th e p lace; b u t all the
 efforts of tho m any devoted, and some gifted, m issionaries, and tlie Vedas, was acquired in the interval betw een my
to attack, or m ay we say, to com prehend, th e e n tre n ch ­ seventh (the year in which I received the sacred Brahm i-
m ents of V edantic and oth er O rien tal Philosophy have nical thread) and eighth years. In my ninth year, as by
failed. practice my handw riting had considerably improved, I b e­
T his resu lt is doubtless due in p art to th e deadening gan to work as a candidate in th e British Land R evenue
effect of th e m aterialistic teaching of tho W est. E very D epartm ent. A fter a year and a ball of this service—
pupil in those longitudes is b ro u g h t up a practical m a te ­ my lath er had died in my lillli year I was obliged by
rialist. „ He is ta u g h t th at^io fJiin g exists beyond, th e cog­ my m other to retu rn home and engage in the care of
nisance of, his m aterial senses: th e reality of tho spirit our lands, * * * * * * * l-l-mntf thus worked l.urd for
world is m erely ta u g h t as a m ake-believe branch of a a period of two years, in the tw elfth year of my life I got
doubtful Archudogy : and any real belief in its existence myself em ployed iu a grain-ilealer’s shop in the m arket
is stifled in its birth . . H ow then can th e preacher 011 a place of JIalidd, a town of R aighud taluka, about tw enty-
m aterialist plane reach th e V edantic philosopher, to whom four miles from m y birth-pluce. T hus for a period of
the visible, th e tangible, and th e audible, are th e less two years I worked hard in selling things by w eight and
real en tities ab o u t him ? , measure. Ih e re I also sold d o th , changed monies, aud
B u t th e chief cause of th e dead stop p u t to th e C h ris­ k e p t accounts of bills of exchange and sales, as well as
tian propagnada am ongst th e b e tte r in stru cted classes, of interest on credit and d e b it accounts. At this tim e I
was um nistakeably th e effect produced on his co u n try­ becam e desirous to serve the B ritish G o v ern m en t; b u t
men by th e Brahm achdri Bawd. Som e account of his as m y m aster would not let me resign from his service,
personality will therefore in te re st our readers. I wits obliged to stop th e re as long as it was agreed upon
In person V ishnu P a n t was a fine exam ple of th e m ore betw een us. A fter th a t, iu th e fourteenth year of my
delicate M aratha B rahm an type. H is head was arched, life, I sailed from th ere in a ship to l!atuagiri, anil enga­
and the brain highly developed. H is figure was elegant ged m yself as a candidate in the British C ustom s R eve­
aud distinguished ; and his oratory was set off by th e nue d ep a rtm e n t at th e port of Sangam eshw ar, iu th e
graceful action w ith which it was accom panied. H is deli­ R atnagiri taluka. T h en I served the British G overn­
very was alm ost too rapid, as ho never had to pause for m ent for two m onths as a substitute' for an absent clerk,
the rig h t idea, and th e word to express it. B u t his g reat and after th a t w ent over to T hana. T h e n 1 I was exam i­
charm was th e expression of his face; cheerful conten tm ent, ned by appointed exam iners, and was found eligible for
a happy m irthfulness, and regard for o thers an im ated his G overnm ent service. Im m ed iately a lte r this, betw een
features. It was a rem arkable sensation to m eet him, my lo th and th e lGtli years, I obtained a position in the
draped in th e sim plest garb, w ith o u t purse or scrip, and to Custom s d e p a rtm e n t in the S alsettc taluka, of the T h d ­
trow th a t lie took literally 110 need for th e morrow, in th a t na Zilla. Thus, for a period of seven years subsequently
he depended for his food entirely upon th e free gifts of the I served w ith g rea t zeal, honesty, and independence in
day. Beyond his gourd and his staff, lie owned no “ pro­ the Sea-C ustom s R evenue departm ent, of ttalsotte, Bas-
perty.” In w estern climes th e com m unistic clauses of sein, Kallydn, Bhinw adee, etc.
Christian obligation are so thoroughly explained away, th a t _ D u rin g all this tim e, as from my childhood, I had been
a living em bodim ent of them was sufiiciently sta rtlin g to in the h ab it of m ed itatin g upon the Vedic religion aud
the E uropean m ind. I t becam e bew ildering to find th a t m y m ind always shuddered at even the idea of sin. In
as saints westward “ found J e s u s ” so th e B rahm achdri had m y tw entieth year I received the first w arning of, and was
“found Param &tm a.” As in th e west, his “conversion” in allowed a glim pse into my fu turity, through the divine
his tw entieth year, had a specific date. L onger a c q u a in t­ power m anifested under the form Sttkshtilktir.
ance w ith him m ade evid en t th a t th e in to leran t bigotry W henever before and a lte r my personal experiences
which woidd exclude him from a high place iu th e hierarchy in the seclusion of self-initiation I addressed any of the
of moral teachers, would have asked M elchizedek for his B rahm ins as to th is tru th , 1 was answered th u s ! “ If
certificate of ordination by an A nglican Bishop. H is pure you will woi’ship v s and learn oui' m antras and incanta­
and stainless m em ory is preserved by a sm all b u t affection­ tions from U.i, we will disclose to you the tru th about the
ate following, b u t as y et his m antle has fallen upon 110 one. ‘ S elf-existent’.” A nd so, in older to try them , I learned
Perhaps his special work was done : th o u g h tho search, for th e ir m antras and did all th ey bid me do, and th en d e ­
which he gave u p all, is still to m ake by each of us for m anded th a t the tru e know ledge should be divulged to
himself. W e m ay not all adopt his conclusions, b u t his me. T heir answ ers proved th e ir .selfish wickedness, foo­
m anner of seeking th e T ru th , his self sacrifice in its p u r­ lishness and often en tire ignorance upon the subject.
suit, and his p u rity of life, are beacons which all c(in see, M any proved them selves im postors ; some used intoxica­
and which convey a definite lesson to every one who wiU tin g liquors ; others again, pursued the sacred knowledge
open his eyes to see it. only w ith th e avaricious object of obtaining the secrets of
alchem y ; others again w ere in search of magic for selfish
The following translatio n has been m ade for us from motives, such as striving to gratify th eir sensual desires,
the M arathi, by a young Parsi, of to obtain filthy lucre by pecuniary g a in s ; and various
o ther as interested motives. A ll those I have come in con­
TDK U HAHM ACIIARI BAW A'S OWN ACCOUNT 01'’ IIIS L IFE . ta c t with I have tried them ; b u t most of these m en were
I was born a t sunrise, on th e 5th of Shrdvdn S huddha, in found by m e full of doubt and ignorance, and therefore,
the year 174G of S h d liv in era, or ] 882 of Suniv&t. My b irth ­ unable to teach others. H aving thus discovered th a t
place is th e gaum Sirvallee, which is a t tho confluence of m ost of them were only h u n tin g after lame and selfish
two rivers, in th e plain, a t th e foot of the Sayiidri range, in ends, and yet dared to brand those who questioned them
the ta ra ti (subdivision) of D evighdt. I t is in tho N izam - as to th e ir learning “ faithless infidels ” a g reat aversion
pura pet a (section) of th e R djdpur ta lu k a (division), at arose iu m y h eart for th em and T got fully convinced
present called th e M ungaon taluka, in th e zilla (district) th a t th ere was little in th is world beyond im posture and
of Thdna, B om bay Presidency. I was born in th e C hitpa- selfishness. T henceforth, I took a vow never to approach
van caste of th e Brahm ins. My g reat gran d -fath er's nam e again such men. A nd as I had learned from th e study
was R am chan d rap an t G okhle ; g ran d -fath er's M aliadajee of various religious works how to worship, reverence and
Pant Qokhle ; fath er’s Bhicdji P a n t G okhle ; m other's R a- com m une w ith th e only powerful universal Teacher, I
m&b&i P a n t Q okhle ; and m y own nam e is V ishnu P a n t th en resolved to act accordingly, and betook m yself to the
Qokhle. My m other gave b irth to eleven children, (six ju n g les of th e S aptsangi m ountains, relying fully on th e
sons and five daughters) of whom I was th e te n th . I am protection and om niscience of th e om nipotent M aster*
called B rahm achdri Bdwd because I am a celibate, and (Isliwar). I t was on th e 23rd day of th e St h m onth of the
also on account of m y stric t observance of tho laws of 23rd year of my life, th a t giving up every worldly tie
chastity. "
• See Bulwer'a Z anoni— the scene where Zanoni sou* and meets with his
W liatever I learned of reading, w riting, th e Shastras, “Adonni.” Ei>.
and possession, save a piece of loin-cloth, I retired to the th e flatterers and th e flattered, those foolish people who
dreary solitudes of Saptsangi and its ju n g le s to m editate h u n t after fame, though th e y undoubtedly know me to
in silence upon th e m ysteries of th e universe and try to be a m an of power, outw ardly ridicule m e in m y absence.
discover the tru th as to the n a tu re of our real inner- T hey dare not ridicule me in th e ir hearts, for they too
self........ well see and know th a t I am in th e possession of occult
T here, in those solitary and deserted places, for n num ber and un u su al powers. W hile th e im partial and indepen­
of days, months and years, I perform ed tins prescribed acts d e n t who burn w ith th e desire of obtaining the knowledge
of devotion (self-impi ovem ent). A nd, as th e effect of my of tru th , praise m e in exact proportion to th e ir abilities.
ardent desire, concent rat ion, and perscveivnco to learn by N evertheless I woidd im p art such knowledge as I have
personal experience the sta te of “ S ell-existence’ (/'. e. th a t of the. tru th w ith exact im p a rtia lity to my haters as well
sta te in which the astral m an, or l.d m a -r v p a is inde­ as those who applaud m e................. T his is my account of
pendent. in all its actions of the body) I finally succeeded myself. Now pass on me w hatever rem arks you will.
in seeing and know ing practically th e om nipotence of the
Lord (the divine I, or Spirit, th e perso n a l God of every
individual.*) T he Lord did m anifest him self to m e in a T H E IN D IA N F O R E S T Q U E S T IO N .
certain w a y which it is not lawful to describe— and reveal­
B y “ Forester
ed to mi! th e various ways of b ringing o u t m y own "S elf-
existent" into action. And it is th u s, a t last, th a t I was Y our m onthly jo u rn al professes to seek th e welfare
convinced of th e reality of th e “ E vor-existent.” In my of th e country and th e people— I tr u s t therefore th a t
ease, a t least, my only teacher of th e one T ru th , m y Sat- you will give space th erein to th e following few rem arks
{Ia n t was the Lord f upon th e influences of trees and forests, and th e disas­
Perfectly assured of His power to sustain m y life, I lived trous effects arising from th e denudation of hill and m oun­
on th e tuliers and roots of wild p lan ts and creepers and th e ta in slopes. Y o u r jo u rn a l will probably reach am ongst
w ater from th e sp rin g s ; going ab o u t in a sta te of en tire others, th e h an d s of nativ e K arbaries o f N ativ e S ta tes who
nu d ity and inhab itin g a solitary cave.... I th o u g h t and will, perhaps, u n d er your advocacy, be led to consider
m editated mid practiced perfect abstraction d lty d n and the su b ject deserving of far more atte n tio n th a n has yet
dhdrand and w ith th e help and protection of “ My Pow er” been given to it. T h e Bom bay G overnm ent are fully
— th e Self-existent, I acquired th e tru e know ledge of the aware of th e g ravity and im portance of th e subject, and
P aram atin a (the U niversal and H ig h est Soul.)* * * th e B o m b a y G azette has lately rem arked in its editorial
Som e tim e later I was ordered by th e M aster of the colum ns upon th e pressing im portance of th e forest ques­
universe to spread th e tru e know ledge am ong m an k in d ; tion connected w ith th is country, and enlarged upon the
and fo r this reason I go about from place to place, deliver­ benefits conferred upon ag ricu ltu re in th e plains and level
ing lectures to th e people to dispel th e ir ignorance (a d n y d n ). lands of a country by th e presence of forest vegetation
I have passed my tim e am ong various exoteric religious upon its hill and m o u n tain slopes, and also regarding
bodies and sects to discover w hat they possessed of tru th . the m an n er in which th e grow th of forests ten d s to in­
After testin g them , I was obliged to give th em all up with fluence rainfall. R egarding th e p ast heavy monsoon and
disappointm ent. I have seen various kinds of m en with the rain which fell in torrents, I would ask m y readers
(various) good and bud qualities. I have discussed the to consider how m uch of th is precious water, which is
philosophy of religion, i.e. of tru th , w ith lots of ignorant sen t by N a tu re to givo fertility to th e soil, to cause the
and presum ptuous men, aud have m ade them give up th eir germ ination of seeds, to irrigate crops, and in short to
false beliefs. S tan d in g surrounded by thousands of ques­ give life and health to vegetation for the food and benefit
tioners and inquirers, I could satisfactorily answ er ques­ of m an and beast, was p erm itted to escape and ru n ofl
tions and problem s of any nature, upon th e instant. j the land unutilised, and to retu rn to th e Ocean by th e
W hen I rise to lecture to th e public, w hatever is asked | m any rivers, stream s and w ater-courses intersecting the
of me bv any or all of th e audience to solve and clear country, sim ply because th e hills and drainage slopes sur­
away th e ir doubts, difficulties, and ignorance flows from rounding us lack th e power of stopping th e downward
m y m outh as if spontaneously. I possess th is m arked flow of w ater and of causing it to lodge in th e earth ?
faculty through th e special favour of D attutraya, J the T he restoration of vegetation to our hills would work a
universal Lord. In short I could answ er in a m om ent magical transform ation in th is respect. T he so-called
any question asked by any one a t any tim e. As I have “ w orthless scrub and brushwood ” which first appear
lteen th u s specially endowed by th e o m n ip o ten t Lord of un d er forest conservation on th e sides of denuded hills,
the universe, D attutraya, no m an can falsify w hat I say, play a -most im p o rtan t p a rt in regulating the ofi'-flow and
and thus silence me. M any have satisfied them selves storage of water, and th e consequent natural irrigation
respecting th is q u ality of mine, and w hoever come to of th e country ; each bush offers an obstruction to the
m e hereafter m ay be satisfied on th e point over and over dow nw ard flow of w ater, stopping it for a while, and in­
again. 1 fear uothing. N ot even th e m ost m ortal and ducing some portion of it to filtrate into th e ground, con­
fearful dangers and difficulties have tho pow er to pro­ ducted by its roots through th e holes and tunnels they
duce fear w ithin me. W hatever I m y or speak is based have excavated and worked, into hidden reservoirs below.
u p o n m y ow n perso n a l experience, a n d it a lw a ys tallies W hen scrub and brushwood have developed into “ tim ber
w ith reason, a n d the d o ctrin es o f the. tru e shdstrds (books and forests ” and undergrow th is suppressed by tall trees,
of the religion of tru th ) ; therefore no one will ever be able th en o th e r vegetable ag en ts come into play, in controlling
to defeat and refute me on any p o in t w hatever. As I the surface and sub-soil drainage of water, and in form ing
have served no one w ith a d ep en d en t and servile spirit, natural surface and sub terran ean reservoirs.
I am not in th e h ab it of flattering any one. Therefore T he first question has of late years been a ttra c tin g con­
siderable a tte n tio n all over th e world. Able, interesting
* By Uliwar and m aster isnofc m eant the piirsonaM lod, whom tho Rollovers
in such Ood suppo.se to ho tho creator of th e univorso, nnd outside tho uni* and instuctive le tte rs by correspondents have, from tim e to
verse —Hrnhmachrtri B<(wa dors not recognize such a god in relation to the tim e, appeared in our local papers on “ the influences atid
univcrso I li* god i* Brahm a, th e eternal and universal essence which pervades
every thing and every where nnd which in m an is the divine essence which uses of forests.” In America, as well as on th e C ontinent
is his moral guide, is recognized in ihc instinct* of conscience, m akes him of E urope, th e subject has been ably tre a te d by scientific
aspire to im m ortality and leads him to i t T his divine sp irit in man is
designated Isliwar and corresponds to the name Adonai -Lord, of tho Kuba- m en who have m ade it th e ir study. In t he B o m bay
JUts, if. tho I<ord w ithin man En. Gazette of th e 31st M arch last, I was inform ed th a t M.
t Known under th e generic nam e of Ishwar, or personal God.
£ In tho popular sense, /M Untrava is the T rin ity of Brahma, Vishnu, Barbie, a F ren ch savant, has recently presented to the
and Shiva, incarnato in an Jivi/aY —o f course as a triule essenco. Tho eso* F rench Society of A g riculture a long paper, which contains
tcric, nnd truo, m eaning is tho ad e p t’s own trin ity of body, soul, and s p i r i t ; a resum e of th e tim b er supply now existing in various parts
tho threo boingall realized by him as re il, existent, and potential. By Yo.»*
train in g , th e Itody become* pure as a cry stal casket, tho soul purged of nil its of th e w o rld ; and from a B lue Book it is gratifying to
groyne**, and tho sp irit which, l>oforc the beginning of his course of self­ learn th a t our own G overnm ent a t home has been in no
purification and developm ent, was to him b u t a dream , has now btcom o ft
rc*nlity--tho man has becomo a dem i-god. JSif. . way backw ard in g ath e rin g inform ation on th is very impor-
Novomber, 1870.] T II K T I I 13 0 S 0 P H I S T .
ta u t subject. So long ago as 1874, Lord D erby, then
Foreign Secretary, addressed a C ircular to H . M's. represen­
tativ es abroad, em bodying a series of ijuestions as to foreign
tim ber, including tim ber used for ship-building, and ra il­
way purposes, for furniture, fancy articles, firewood, lattice-
wood, shingles for roofs & c.: also as to tim ber, from which
valuable barks, gum s, dyes &c., are derived. A m ong others,
question No. 13 asked, ‘'H a v e any observations been
m ade or conclusions arrived at as to th e clim atic influence
of forests, or th e effect of th e ir clearance on th e rainfall,
Hoods &c. ? R eports were received from A ustria, H ungary,
Brazil, France, H esse, D a rm sta d t and B a d e n ; Russia,
Saxony, Sw eden and N o rw a y ; Sw itzerland, th e U nited
States, and W u rtem b erg ; C uba and Honduras. A few of
these I will now proceed to give. Mr. Percy French, for
A ustro-H u n g ary replied to th e above question as fol­
low s:— “ T he expropriation or d im in u tio n of th e forests iu
“ p arts of A ustria, and more especially in H ungary, has
"b ee n followed by effects of a serious and baneful nature,
“ such as long seasons of d ro u g h t and a perm anency of
“ trem endous winds, which come from th e C arpathians,
sweeping th e wholo of th e plains of H u n g ary ; filling the
“ air w ith unceasing clouds.of dust, and considerably in-
“ creasing th e developm ent of pulm onary disease, especially
“ in th e tow ns which are now totally unp ro tected ; am ong
“ these m ay be m entioned Pestli, P resburg and Vienna,
“ which aro perfectly intolerable iu spring, su m m er and
“ au tu m n on th is account. A m ple inform ation on this
“ point will be found in the storeographic and mcteorologi-
“ cal retu rn s.”
H ere in th e D eccan is experienced m uch of th e same
effects, resu ltin g from th e d estruction of forests and trees,
during a g reat p art of th e monsoon m onths. Fierce winds
from th e W est and S. W. sweep over th e country, driving
away th e vapour-laden clouds a t a rapid rate high over the
thirsty plains, w ithout p erm ittin g them to discharge th e ir
precious m oisture to benefit cultivation aud to m ik e the
soil yield its due increase ; w hile in th e d ry season equally
fierce b u t hot winds from th e opposite direction rush over
tho land, and assist th e untem pured rays of a tropical sun in
com pleting th e work of evapo.v.Von :v' ! <; >’.! exhaustion.
From Rio, Mr. V ictor D rum m ond reported, “ T h ere is
no doubt th a t th e destruction of forests has a g re a t influ­
ence on the clim ate, both in causing a decrease iu th e rain ­
fall and an increase in th e beat, and a consequent d im in u ­
tion of h ealth y atm osphere ; and these have been p a rticu ­
larly rem arked a t Rio Janeiro, w here form erly th e clim ate
was very good and healthy, w here th e tropical heat w<is
supportable, anil where no yellow fever was know n.”
In proof of these rem arks, I will give an e x tra c t tra n s­
lated from a speech made a t th e In tern atio n al Congress
at Vienna in 1873, by Senhor Jose de S aldauph de Gama,
who was one of th e Brazilian delegates there. He says
“ T he woods of Brazil now furnish com paratively so little
“ to w hat th ey used, th a t to fill th e reservoirs of Itio Janeiro,
“ a town of 3,00,000 inhabitants, the Brazilian G overnm ent
“ was obliged to bring w ater from th e m ountains at a long
distance off, anil a t a considerable cost. Is it absurd to
“ suppose th a t th is drying up of certain w ater-sources, and
“ the sm all q u a n tity to be found in others, is entirely
“ owing to th e d estruction of a g reat p a rt of th e woods
“ surrounding Rio de Ja n e iro ? I believe not. T h eir in-
“ Huence on th e clim ate is also clearly proved. In th e tim e
“ when th e vegetation w;ts h ealth y and vigorous, th e at-
“ mosphere was m uch softer, anil m uch p u re r in the
“ threo m onths after D ecem ber, and which all,hough na-
“ turally hot were certainly m uch cooler th a n they are
“ now. T here were th en constant storm s every evening
“ in sum m er ; th u n d e r was heard and th e rain fell d u ring
“ two or th ree hours w ithout exception every day. The
“ air becam e fresh, light, transparent, and agreeable. T hen
“ we enjoyed a p leasanter clim ate anil could su p p o rt w ith ­
o u t an effort th e tropical beat, w ithout fearing epidemics,
“ which a t th a t tim e were unknow n. L ittle by little,
“ and by th e destruction of th e forests, th e storm s so
“ healthy iu th e bad season, lost th e ir rem arkable re g u ­
l a r i t y ; tho h eat increased in th e sam e proportion, the
53
“ clim ate becam e less favorable to health during th e three
‘ sum m er m onths, and those in affluent circum stances,
“ retired from Itio till th e end of A pril.”
T he sam e influence, owing to the destruction of forests,
is noticed in o th er p arts of Brazil along the coast.
T he report from France stated th a t observations have
been made at different tim es with regard to the clim atic
influence of forests and to t he effect of th e ir clearance, and
particular a tte n tio n wa.s bestowed upon these questions in
1N">(I, after the inundations which took place in France in
th a t year. In ISoN the question was studied by Messrs.
Billand, C autegirl and Je a n d e l in th e D ep artm ents of th e
M curtlio ; and M. Becquerel, m em ber ol the A cadem y of
Sciences, continued these studies in the basins of the Loire,
and of the Seine, in the large forests of O rleans and of
Fontainebleau ; be, a t the sam e tim e, studied the iulluence
of forests upon atm ospherical phenom ena, such as upon
the am ount of rainfall, storm s &c. T he following are some
of the conclusions arrived a t by M. Becquerel :—
( 1) T h a t g re at clearances of wood dim inish th e num ber
of springs.
(2) T h a t forests while preserving springs regulate th e ir
course ; aud,
(3) T h a t cultivation in a dry and arid soil does away to
a certain ex te n t w ith springs.
These conclusions of M. Becquerel gave rise to contro­
versies, and the B otanical School a t N ancy (Ecole Fores-
tiere) was in consequence charged with studying tho ques­
tion ami with draw ing up reports upon it. These reports
are given in extciuto in a work en titled “ Met^orologie
Forestiere.” I t is stated herein th a t observations were
made in two places, the one wooded and the o ther devoid of
wood, situ ated in the sam e la titu d e and longitude, and at
no g reat distance from ono another, and it was found th a t
th e rainfall was greater in th e wooded th an in th e agricul­
tural district, that, the soil iu forests is as well w atered by
rain as the open country, anil th a t springs are more a b u n ­
d an t and regular in th e ir supply of w ater in a wooded th an
in an unwooded d is tr ic t; th a t it has been proved th a t forests
m oderate the tem p eratu re of clim ate both in dim inish­
ing cold and in m odifying heat.
In the Island of C uba it has been observed th a t in
proportion ;is the forests, especially in the plains and lower
uplands, have been destroyed and cleared away, th e rains
have dim inished and th e natu ral storage of w ater made
impossible.
T here can lie no d o ubt then, not only from these reports
b u t also from th e exam ples su rrounding us on all sides,
aud which un fo rtu n ately are continually forcing them selves
upon our observation, th a t th e destruction of th e forests
of a country is productive of most disast rous consequences.
Tho clim ate changes for th e w orse; the rainfall becomes
capricious ; the w ater supply gradually dries up and atm os­
pheric hum id ity disappears. Thus, while in th e W estern
districts of Poona cold-w eather crops are grown, yielding
th eir due increase, being irrigated by dew and the mois­
tu re th a t trees tran sp ire through th e ir leaves, in the E as­
tern D istricts, cold-w eather crops are b u rn t up by dry, hot
winds and th e absence of dew. N avigable rivers become
shallow stream s. T he ltatn ag iri D istrict offers rem ark­
able exam ples testifying to th is fiict. The C hiplun creek
has so silted th a t large native craft cannot now come w ith ­
in four miles of Goalkhot bunder, to which place the largest
vessels plied a few years ago. T he S hastri river affords
a strong illustration. T he largest native vessels could, w ith­
in tl i«j past 30 years, ply up to the quay a t Sungweshwar,
which town is now left high and dry, six miles from th e
nearest navigable point ! Brooks change into to rren ts d u ­
ring one p a rt of th e year anil stony tracts d u rin g th e
re m a in d e r: th e rivers in th e Poona districts, especially the
stream s th a t issue from the cross ranges of denuded hills,
are exam ples of this. L akes dry up and reservoirs are filled
w ith silt. The W adki tank, a few .miles from tho Poona
city, and th e P atu stan k , an old work d atin g from the
Peishw a’s tim e, 30 m iles east of Poona, prove th e correct­
ness of th is statem en t. T he subterranean w ater-level sinks
by gravitation, in th e absence of trees and th e capillary
attractio n of th e ir roots. W ells which form erly held w ater
all the year round, .arc now to be seen very inconstant
in m any villages in the Deccan. L andslips are of fre­
quent occurrence : the surface of once fertile valleys, in
litany parts of th e Deccan, is now covered w ith fallen
earth and stone, while in the K onkan it is very com ­
mon fur Ryots to seek remission of ren t ou th e plea
th a t th e ir rice fields have heen covered with avalanches
of soil brought by heavy ruins off u nprotected hills. Ri­
vers r u n )/ a iray the stoutest brill yes, as th e N ira, (lirna,
Tarla, Moosum and fifty oth er Deccan rivers have recor­
ded. D am s of irrigation reservoirs are breached, as Kore-
gaon iu th e S holapur D istrict and m any more can w it­
ness. T hese are some of th e evils which resu lt from ! m ade fast to a lever with a pivoted jo in t in the centre, tho
the destru ctio n of forests. It will be seen th en , how very iron becom ing a m agnet by induction when in the m agne­
necessary it is th a t forest conservation which, by res­ tic field of th e perm an en t m a g n e t; C, a small nail th a t
toring forest vegetation to th e hills and m ountains of drops oft' when th e iron, or induced m agnet, is on the
th e country, will m itigate, and in tim e rem ove these evils, neu tral line. By pressing the finger on th e lever a t D the
should he pushed forward w ith system nnd vigour. I t iron is raised above th e neu tral line. Now let th e nail
is possible th a t tem porary inconvenience m ay be occa­ be applied to th e end of the induced m agnet at E ; it
sioned to a few people by th e wholesale protection of clings to it, and th e p o in t is tu rn e d inw ard toward the
hills and drainage-slopes, b u t w hen it is considered th a t pole of th e m agnet directly below, th u s indicating th at
th e work is for th e country's welfare, an d th a t m u ltitu d es th e induced m agnet is of opposite polarity from th e per­
will benefit by it, then it m ust be acknow ledged th a t m an en t one. Nowr le t th e iron be gradually lowered
considerat ion of individual in te re st cannot for one m om ent toward the m a g n e t; th e nail drops off a t th e neutral line,
be allowed to stand in tho way of th e public good. b u t it clings a^ain w hen the iron is lowered below the
line, and now its point is turned outw ard, or away from
October 21 st, 1879. the m agnetic pole below. In th is way Mr. G ary proves
th a t the polarity of an induced m agnet is changed by­
passing over tb e n eu tral line w ithout coining in contact.
G A R Y 'S M A G N E T IC M OTOR. ! In th e ex p erim en t strips of paper are placed u n der the
W it h an ordinary horseshoe m agnet, a b it of soft iron,
soft iron, or induced m agnet, as shown in th e figure, to
and a common shingle-nail, a practical inventor, who for p rev en t contact.
years has been pondering over th e pow er lying d o rm ant T he neu tral line is shown to extend com pletely around
iu th e m agnet, now dem o n strates as his discovery a fact of th e m a g n e t; nnd a piece of soft iron placed upon th is line
the u tm o st im portance in m agnetic science, which has will en tirely cut off tho a ttra c tio n of th e m agnet from any
h ith erto escaped th e observation of both scientists and th in g beyond. T he action of th is cut-off is illustrated in
practical electricians, nam ely, th e existence of a neutral Fig. 2. T he le tte rs A and B represent, th e one a balanced
line in the m agnetic field— a line w here th e polarity of an m agnet nnd th e o th e r a stationary m agnet. T he m agnet
induced m agnet ceases, and beyond which it changes.
W ith equally sim ple appliances he shows th e practical
utilization of his discovery in such a way as to produce a
m agnetic motor, th u s opening u p a bew ildering prospect
of the possibilities before us iu revolutionizing th e p resent
m ethods of m otive power th ro u g h th e su b stitu tio n of a
w onderfully cheap and safe agent. By his achievem ent
Mr. W esley W. G ary has q u ite u p set th e theories of m ag­ A is balanced on a jo in t, and th e two m a g n e ts a re placed
netic philosophy h ith e rto prevailing, and lifted m agnetism w ith op|X)sitc ])oles facing each other. T he le tte r C is a
ou t from am ong th e static forces w here science has placed piece of th in or sh ee t iron, as th e case m ay be, m ade fast
it to the position of a dynam ic pow er. T he G ary M agne­ to a lover w ith a jo in t in th e centre, and so adjusted th a t
tic Motor, th e re su lt of Mr. G ary’s long years of study, is, th e iron will move on th e n e u tra l line in front of the polos
in a word, a sim ple contrivance w hich furnishes its own of the statio n ary m agnet. By pressing th e finger on tho
power, and will ru n u n til worn o u t by th e force of fric tio n ; lever at J) th e iron is raised, th u s w ithdraw ing th e cut-off
coming dangerously n ear to th a t awful bugbear, p erp etual so th a t th e m agnet A is a ttrac ted and draw n upw ard by
motion.
th e m agnet B. Rem ove th e finger, and th e cut-off drops
T he old way of looking a t m agnetism has been to regard betw oen th e poles, and, in consequence, th e m agnet A
it as a force like th a t of gravitation, th e ex p en d itu re of an drops again. T he sam e m ovem ent of m agnets can be ob­
am ount of energy equal to its a ttra c tio n being required to tained by placing a piece of iron across th e poles of th e
overcome i t ; consequently its pow er could not be availed m agnet 13 after th e m ag n et A has been drawn near to it.
T he m agnet A will th ereu p o n im m ediately fall a w a y ; b u t
of. A ccepting th is theory, it would be as idle to a tte m p t th e iron can only be balanced, and the balance not d istu r­
to m ake use of th e p erm an en t m ag n et as a m otive power bed, by th e action of th e m agnets upon each o ther when
as to try to lift one’s self by one’s boot straps. B u t Mr. th e iron is on th e n eu tral line, and does not move nearer
Gary, ignoring theories, toiled aw ay a t his experim ents or fa rth e r away from th e m agnet B.
w ith ex trao rd in ary patience and perseverance, and a t last I t may not, be found easy to dem onstrate these princi­
ples a t th e first trials. B ut it should be borne in m ind
m ade the discovery which seems to n ecessitate th e recon­
th a t it took th e inventor him self four vears after he had
struction of th e accepted philosophy. discovered the principle to a d ju st th e delicate balance so
To obtain a clear idea of th e G ary M agnetic M otor, it is as to g et a m achine which would go. Nowr, however, th a t
necessary first to com prehend th o ro u g h ly th e principle he has th o u g h t o u t th e en tire problem, and frankly tells
un derlying i t —th e existence of th e n e u tra l line and th e th e world how ho has solved it, any person a t all skillful
and p atien t, and w ith a little knowledge of mechanics,
change in polarity, which Mr. G ary dem o n strates by his may soon succeed in d em onstrating it for himself.
horseshoe m agnet, his b it of soft iron, and his common
T he principle underlying th e m otor and th e m ethod
shingle-nail. T his is illu strated in Fig. 1. T h e le tte r A by which a m otion is obtained now being explained, let us
represents a com pound m a g n e t; B, a p ie c e of soft iron exam ine th e inventor’s w orking models. T he beam move-
 m cnt is tlie simplest, and by it, it is claimed, th e most of th e m agnet A is p ush ed a little forward and over th e
.power can bo obtained from tho magnets. This is illus­ soft iron. This rotary m a g n e t is repelled by the magnets
trated in Fig. .‘J. T he letter A represents a stationary B, and also by the soft iron ; it turns around un til th e u n ­
magnet, and B th e soft iron, 01 induced magnet, fastened like poles of th e p e rm a n e n t m agnets become opposite ; as
to a lever w ith a jo in t iu the centre, and so balanced th a t they a ttrac t each other th e soft iron drops below the neu­
the stationary m agnet will n o t quite draw it over th e n e u ­ tral line, th e polarity changes and becomes opposite to th a t
tral line. T he letter C represents a beam constructed of of the magnets B aud like th a t of the m a g n e t A ; the mo­
a double m agnet, clamped together in th e centre and m entum gained carries the pole of A a little forward of B
balanced on a Joint. One end is set opposite the statio n­ and over th e soft iron, which, now being of like polarity,
ary magnet, w ith like poles facing each other. T h e b eam repels it around to th e starting-point, completing the revo­
is so balanced th a t when the soft iron B 011 th e m ag net A lution. T he magnets A and B now compound or unite
is below th e neutral line, it (the beam) is repelled down th eir forces, and th e soft iron is again drawn up over the
to the lower dotted line indicated by th e letter ]). The neutral line ; its polarity is changed, and another revolution
beam strikes the lever E with the pin F attached, anil is made w itho ut any other force applied th a n th e force of
drives it (the lever) against the pin G, which is attached the magnets. T he motion will continue until some outside
to tlie soft iron B, which is thus driven above the neutral force is applied to stop it, or until th e machine is worn
line, where its polarity changes. T he soft iron now a t ­ out.
tracts the beam m agnet C to the u pp e r dotted line, where­ T he result is the same as would be obtained were the
upon it (the soft iron) is again drawn down over the magnets B removed and th e soft iron coiled with wire, and
neutral line, and its polarity again changing, the* beam b attery force applied sufficient to give it the same power
th a t it gets from the m agnets B, and a currcnt-changcr
applied to change the polarity. T he power required to
work the current-changer in this case would be in excess
of the power demanded to move the soft iron over the
neutral line, since no power is required from the revolving
magnet und er these circumstances, it being moved by the
magnets compounding when like poles are opposite each
other, three magnets thus attractin g the iron. W hen
magnet 0 is again repelled to tho lower line, continuing opposite poles are near together, they attract cach other
so to move until it is stopped or worn out. T h is simply and let th e iron drop below th e line. The soft iron, with
illustrates tho beam movement. To gain a la rg e ''am o u n t its lever, is finely balanced at the joint, and has small
ot power the inventor would place groups of compound springs applied and adjusted so as to balance it against the
stationary magnets above and below the beam at each jiower of the magnets. T11 this working model the soft
Kide, and the soft iron induced magnets, in this case four iron vibrates less than a fiftieth of an inch.
in number, connected by rods passing down between the T1 lis rotary motion is intended for use in small engines
poles of the stationary magnets. A “ P itm a n ” connecting where light power is required, such as propelling sewing-
the beam with a fly-wheel to change th e reciprocating into machines, for dental work, show windows, etc.
a rotary motion would be the means of tra n sm ittin g the W h e n Wesley Gary was a boy of nine years, the electric
power. W ith magnets of great size an enormous power, telegraph was in its infancy and the marvel of the d a y ;
lie claims, could be obtained in this way. and his father, who was a clergyman in Cortland County,
One of tlie daintiest and prettiest of Mr. Gary's models New York, used to take u p m atters of general interest and
is that illustrating the action of a rotary motor. There is make th em the subject of an occasional lecture, among
11 peculiar fascination in watching the action of this neat other things, giving m uch a ttention to the explanation of
little contrivance. I t is shown in Fig. 4. T he letter A this new invention. To illustrate his remarks 011 the sub ­
represents an upright m agnet hu ng on a perpendicular jec t he employed an electro-magnetic machine. This and
sh a ft; B, the horizontal m a g n e ts ; (', the soft iron which his father’s talk naturally excited the boy's curiosity, and
is fastened to the lever I) ; E, the pivoted jo in t on which he used to ponder much 011 th e relations of electricity and
the lever is balanced ; and F, the thunib-screw for a d ju st­ magnetism, until he formed a shadowy idea that somehow'
ing the movement of the soft iron. This soft iron is so they m ust become a great power in the world. H e never
Imlanced th a t as the north pole of the u pright m agnet A lost his interest in the subject, though his rude experi­
swings around opposite and above the south pole of the ments were interrup ted for a while by the work of his
horizontal magnets B, it drops below the neutral line and young manhood. W h e n the choice of a calling was de­
manded, lie a t first had a vague feeling tha t he would like
to be an artist. " But,” be says, " my friends would have
thought tha t almost, as useless and unpractical as t o seek
tor perpetual motion." At last lie went into t he woods
a-lunil>oring, and took contracts to clear large tracts o f
woodland in W estern and Central New York, floating the
tinilM'r down the canals to Troy. He f o l l o w e d this busi­
ness for several years, when he was ton ed to abandon il by
a serious attack of inflammatory rheumatism, brought
about through exposure iu the woods. And this, unfortu­
nate as it must have seemed a t the time, proved the t u r ­
ning-point in his life. His family physician insisted that
he must look for some other means ot livelihood than lum ­
bering. To the query, “ W h at shall I do?” it was suggested
th a t he m ight ta k e to preaching, following iu the footsteps
ot his father, and of a brother who had adopted the pro­
fession. B ut this he said lie could never do : he would do
changes its polarity. As the m agnet A turn s around until his best to practice, b u t he couldn’t preach. “ Invent
its north pole is opposite and above the north pole of the something, then,” said the doctor. “ There is no doubt in
magnets B, the soft iron is drawn upward and over the my mind th a t you were m e a n t for an inventor.” This was
neutral line, so th a t its polarity is changed again. A t this really said in all seriousness, and Mr. Gary was a t length
point the polarity iu the soft iron (J is like th a t of the persuaded th a t th e doctor knew him b e tte r than he did
permanent magneta A and B. To start the engine th e himself. His thoughts naturally recurring to the experi­
magnet A is turned around to the last-named position, the ments and the dreams of his youth, lie determ ined to
poles opposite like poles of tho mugneta B ; th e n one pole <levote all his energies to th e problem. H e felt more and
more confident, as he dwelt on th e m atter, th a t a great m igh t tu rn o ut to be superior to any th in g then in use.
force lay imprisoned within the m a g n e t ; tha t some time A cting 011 this suggestion, Mr. Oary set to work, and within
it m ust be unlocked and set to doing t.lie world’s work ; a week had perfected a machine which apparently proved
th a t th e key was hidden somewhere, and th a t ho m ight a marvel of efficiency and simplicity. In all previous m a ­
find it as well as some one else. chines electricity is generated by revolving a piece of soft
A t Huntingdon, Pennsylvania, Mr. Clary made his first iron in front of th e polos of a perm anent magnet. B u t
practical demonstration, and allowed his discovery to be to do this at a rate of speed high enough to produce sparks
examined and the fact published. l i e had long been satis­ in such rapid succession as to keep up a steady c urre nt of
fied, from his experiments, th a t if he could devise a " c u t­ electricity suitable for th e light, considerable power is re­
off," the means of neutralizing th e atl.rncf.ive power of a quired. In Mr. O ary’s machine, however, the piece of soft
stationary m agnet on another raised above it and adjusted iron, or ai mature, coiled with wire, has only to be moved
on a pivot, unlike poles opposite, and so arrange this c u t­ across th e neutral line to secure th e same result. Every
off as to work automatically, he could produce motion in a tim e it crosses th e line it changes its polarity, and every
balanced magnet. To this end lie persistently exp erim ent­ tim e th e polarity changes, a 'sp ark is produced. T h e slight­
ed, and it was only about, lour years ago that, he made the est. vibration is enough to secure this, and with each vi­
discovery, the key to his problem, which is the basis of his bration two sparks are produced, ju st as with each
present motor, and upsets our philosophy. In e xp erim ent­ revolution in the other method. An enormous volume
ing one 'day with a piece of soft iron u p o n a m agnet he can be secured with an expenditure of force so diminutive
made the discovery of the neutral line and tho change of th a t a caged squirrel might, furnish it.. W ith the employ­
polarity. A t first, lie gave little atten tion to the discovery m ent of one of the smallest of the magnetic motors, power
of the change of polarity, not, th e n recognizing its singili- may be supplied and electricity generated a t 110 expense
cance, being absorbed entirely by th e possibilities th e dis­ beyond the cost of the machine.
covery of th e neutral line opened up to him. H e re was the T h e a nnouncem ent of th e invention of th e magnetic
point for his cut-off. F o r a while ho experim ented en tire­ motor was naturally received with incredulity, although
ly with batteries, but in September, I87+, be succeeded in tho recent achievements in mechanical science had prepa­
obtaining a m ovem ent in dependent of t.lie battery. 1.11is red the public for almost any thing, and it could n ot be
was done 011 the principle illustrated in Fig. 2. Tlie very much astonished a t whatever m ig h t come next.
balanced magnet, with opposite poles to th e stationary Some a d m itted that, there m ight be something in i t ; others
magnet, was weighted so th a t th e poles would fall down shrugged th e ir shoulders and said, “ W a it anil see while
when not attracted by th e .stationary magnet.. When it, the scientific referred all questioners to the laws of m agne­
was attracted up to tiie stationary magnet,, a spring was tic science; and all believers in book authority responded,
touched by the movement, and thus the lever with the “ It can’t lie so because the law says it. can’t.” A few
soft iron was made to descend between th e two magnets scientists, however, came forward, curious to see, and exam ­
0 1 1 th e neutral line, and so c u ttin g off the m u tu al a ttra c ­ ined Mr. Clary's m odels; and when reports went out of
tion. T h en th e balanced magnet, responding to the force the conversion of t wo or three of the most em inent among
of gravitation, descended, and, when down, stru ck another them, interest, generally was awakened, and professors from
spring, by means of which the cut-off was lifted hack to H arvard and from the Massachusetts In stitu te of Techno­
its original position, and consequently the force of a ttra c ­ logy called, examined, and were impressed. More prompt -
tion between the magnets was again brought into play. ly than the scientists, capitalists moved ;and before science
In .June, the following year, Mr. (lary exhibited this had openly acknowledged tho discovery and the principle
continuous movement, to a, n u m b e r of gentlem en, protect­ of the invention, men of money were after Mr. Gary for the
ing himself by covering th e eut-oB- with copper, so as to right, to use the motor for various purposes : one wished
disguise the real material used, and prevent, theft, ol his to use it for clocks, another for sewing-machines, others
discovery. His claim, as he formally puts it, is this : “ I for dental engines, and so 011.
have discovered th a t a straight piece of iron placed across I t is as y e t too soon to speculate upon w hat m ay result
the poles of a magnet, and near to th e ir end, changes its from the discovery ; b u t since it.' produces power in two
polarity while in the magnetic field and before it comes in ways, both directly by magnets and indirectly by the
contact with the magnet, the fact being, however, that generation of unlim ited electricity, it would seem th a t it
actual contact is guarded against. T he conditions are that really m igh t become available in time for all purposes to
the thickness of the iron must be proportioned to the which electricity m ight long ago have been devoted except
power-of the magnet, and that the neutral line, or line of for the great expense involved. W ithin olio year after the
change iu the polarity of the iron, is nearer or mom distant invention of the telephone it was in practical use all over
from the m agnet according to the power of the latter and the world, from the U nited S tates to Japan. And it is not in­
the thickness of the former. My whole discovery is based credible th a t in 1880 one may be holding a magnetic motor
upon this change of polarity in the iron, with or w ithout a in his'pocket, ru n n in g the watch which requires 110 wind­
battery.” Power can by increased to any extent, or dim i­ ing up, and, seated in a. railway car, bo whirling across the
nished by the addition or withdrawal of magnets. continent behind a locomotive impelled by th e same agency.
Mr. Clary is forty-one years old, having been born in I.S:>7. [ H a r p e r s d la g n .']
D uring the years devoted to working out his problem he
has sustained himself bv the proceeds from the sale of a few O ur th ank s are due to various authors and publishers
useful inventions made from time to time, when he was for copies of books and jo urna ls which they have contri­
forced to turn aside from his experim ents to raise fnnds. buted to the Society's Library, and of which due ac­
From the sale of one of these in ve n tion s—a. simple little knowledgment, will be m ade in our n ext issue.
tiling__he realized something like ten thousand dollars.
T he announcem ent of the invention of the magnetic mo­ T A B L E OK CONTENTS.
tor came at a m om ent when the electric light excitement r.ngc. ,. r»if«.
was a t its height. Tho holders of gas stocks were in a liuddliixliu Exegesis............ ... 34 '1 lie Law of the Lord Sakliyn
state of anxiety, and those who had given a ttention to the A. T hunder Cloud with Sil­ 34 Muni ............................... 43
ver billing ......................... Yo^'ii Vidvu ........................... 44
study of th e principle of the new light expressed the belief (/Yosm and t 'ir e ............................ 35 H int! to tiie Student of Yoga
th a t it was only the question of the cost of power used 1 1 L'lie Mau-sliow a t Moscow.. iso Yiilya .................................... 4(i
generate the electricity foi; th e light th a t stood in the way Aryan M u s ic .................................. 3!» Hindu Music ........................... 4(i
of its general introduction and substitution for gas. A L’lu; S o c i e t y ’s B u l l e t i n .......... 3!) Tlio Veda, the Origin and
War in Olympus ............. . 40 History of Religion ........ fio
|5?bminent electrician, who was one day examining Mr. The Ruin of In d ia ................ 42 'I lie Bralunnclmri P.awfi ... fiO
Gary’s principle, asked if in the change of polarity lie had The N ature and Oilice of The ludian Forest Question f>2
obtained electric sparks. H e said th a t he had, and tIn­ Buddha’s Religion............ 43 Gary's Magnetic Motor ... 54
former th en suggested th a t the principle he used in t ’n P riiiIe .I n t tlio / n</ 'L 'tI'' >il / 1 r-M 1>y H. C u r s e tj i k C o ., m id }<ul.)Ulicd
construct ioiM}f a magneto-electric machine, and th a t it b y tlio T lic o s o p liic iil S o c iu ly , a t N o . 108, ( ii r g a m n B u ck R o d 'l, B o n ib n y .
 /Ocreativ
^com m ons
Attribution-NonCom m ercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported

Y o u are free:

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 th e f o llo w in g c o n d it 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 ith th e u n d e r s t a n d in 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 .
 A MONTHLY JOURNAL DEVOTED TO ORIENTAL PHILOSOPHY, ART, LITERATURE AND OCCULTISM: EMBRACING
MESMERISM, SPIRITUALISM, AND OTHER SECRET SCIENCES.

Y o u I. N o. 3. B O M BA Y . D E C E M B E R , 1870.

SPEC IA L NOTICES. O ur revered brother, th e Swami D ayanund Saraswati,

I t U evident th a t th e T iikosoim iist will offer to advertisers unusual a d ­ continues in this num ber his autobiographical narrative,
vantages in circulation. W e have already subscribers iu ovary p a rt of
Imlin, in Ceylon, Burundi, and on tho Persian Gulf. Our p ap er also goes which th e whole Indian press ha.s declared the most in te r­
to G reat B ritain , F iance, Germ any, H ungary, G reece, Russia, C onstanti­ esting portion of our journal. W e hope the lesson of his
nople, Egypt, A ustralia, and N orth and South Am erica. Tho following very
m oderate rated liavo been adopted ; self-sacrificing quest after divine knowledge— th a t true
ADYKirriaisr. Hatks. wisdom which teaches man the nature of his inner Self, its
F irst insertio n ........... 16 lines aud u n d e r............1 Rupeo.
source and d e stin y — will not be thrown away ujion the
F o r each additional line........................................1 Anna. youth of his country. Happy, indeed, would we feel if we
Space id charged for a t th e rate of 12 lines to tho inch. Spcci.d arrange* could see the brig ht young men who are Hocking into his
mcnt* cau l*o made for largo advertisem ents, and for longer am i fixed A rya Samajes, emulating' his conduct as well as reverencing
periods. F or fu rth er inform ation and contracts for advertising, apply to
his person. N o W estern reader need be a t a loss to u n de r­
Mkssiis. COOPER k Co. stand the interest that attend s every movem ent in his
A dvertising Agents, Booksellers and Publisher*, Meadow S treet, F ort, preaching pilgrimage throughout India. And, object as
Bombay.
our pandits may to his constructions of Vedic texts, not
To SUBSCRIBERS.
even the most orthodox can lail in respect for one who
The Subscription price a t which tho T hkosopiiisT Is jm blUhed b are­
ly covers cost—tho design in establishing the journal having been rath er joins to a profound knowledge of S anskrit literature an
to roach a very wide circle of readers, th an to mako a profit. W o cannot absolute purity ol motive and of life, and a fervid sense of
atlord, therefore, to send specim en copies froo, nor to supply libraries, .so­
cieties, or individuals gratuitously. F or the samo reason wo aro obliged duty never surpassed by reformers. For Theosophists of
to adopt tho plan, now universal in America, of requiring .subscribers to every nationality the account of Ins adventures among
i»ay in advance, and of stoppiug tbe paper a t th e end of tho term paid for.
Many years of practical experience has convinced W estern publishers th a t adepts of the secret (and sacred) science will have a pecu­
this system of cash pay m en t is tho best and m ost satisfactory to both liar charm.
parties ; aud all rcsjioctable journals are now conductcd on th is plan.
4*iT Subscribers wishing a prin ted receip t for th e ir rem ittances m ust
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through tho journal.
C*** Tho T h k o so i’UIST will appear each m onth. Tho rates, —for twelvo oculist and botanist, of Bombay, gives iu the present n u m ­
num bers of n o t less th an 40 columns Koyal 4to each, of reading m atter, or ber of our journal the first of a proposed series of articles
4S0 colum ns in all - are as fo llo w s:—T o Subscribers in any p art of India,
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and A ustralia Rs. 8 ; in Africa, Kurope, and the U n ited S tates, Jl 1. H alf may say less, is known by Western science of this highly
year (India) Its. 4 ; Single copies annas 12. R em ittances in postal stam ps im portant subject tban of other'questions relating to the
m ust b e a t tho ra te of annas 17 to tho Rupco to cover discount. Tho abuvo
rates include postago. X o htntie will he eutirtd vn (fit boot* or jxi/x-r stut motherland ol our race. W ith them all researches prac­
u n til (f<e inoitt i/ i t rcuiitU d; and invariably the pufKV w ill In', discontinued tically begin with the period of Greek learning; if we e x­
at (fit txpirution o f tf,t U na whscribid for. R em ittances should be mado in
M onoy-orders, llu n d is, Bill cheijues, (or T reasury bills, if in registered cept. the very recent, d ata which the Egyptologists and Assy-
letters), and made payable to the P ito m tT o in j OF THE Tllfcoaol'UisT, 1U8, liologists have supplied from their excavations. Though
Girgaum Back Road, Bombay, India.
common sense would teach them th at men fell sick and
A g e n t s : Now York, S. U. W ells k Co., 787, Broadw ay ; Boston, Mass, were cured before the tim es of the Asclepiada;, the P y th a ­
Colby and Rich, 9, M ontgom ery Place ; Chicago, III. J. C. Bundy, U2, I*a goreans, or the Galcnites, th e absence of translations from
Salle St. Am erican subscribers may also o rder th e ir papers through \V. Q
Ju d g e, Ea<|., 71. Broadway, New York.
the Sanskrit, has compelled modem medical writers to say,
Coylon : Isaac W eorcsooriya, D eputy Coroner, Dodanduwa. with the learned autho r ol the article on “ Medicine,” in
A ppleton’s A c i v .-I n t c n c a n ( ' y t l i i j i i t i l t a : “ In what con­
sisted the medicine of the Egyptians, the 11 indus, &c.,
i s it h i a t t e r (if c o n j e c t tt i c n u ly.” To remove this necessity
THE THEOSOPHIST. for blind guess-work, and show modern science w hat the
Aryas knew of th e infirmities to which mankind are
BOM BAY, D E C E M B E R 1st, 187!).
liable, is tbe aim ol our contributor and fellow Theoso­
■■ --------- - ............... ....--------- ------- —— phist, Dr. Pandurang.
T he editors disclaim responsibility for opinions expressed
in the articles by contributors. G reat la titud e is allowed From many correspondents we have received letters e x ­
correspondents, and th e y alone are accountable lor their pressing deep regret tha t the majority ol H indus outside
personal views. the Givil Service are prevented from reading the TliEO-
s o l ’ll 1ST because o f its being published in English. The
only remedy th at occurs to us is the issue of an edition of
Though large editions of tho first and second numbers
of this journal were printed, the supply of copies is nearly the journal in one uf the vernacular languages. 'H u t this
is to undertake the management ol two publications in­
exhausted. I t would be prudent, therefore, for persons
stead ol one, a greater task than most societies would care
who may be contem plating subscription to re m it their
for. Still, as the success of our present venture is now an
money and th u s secure the enrollm ent of th e ir names at
assured fact, if it, t;an be shown us that a vernacular paper
once, provided th a t they care to have a complete file of
would support itself, we m ight consent, for the sake of
our first volume. Delays are dangerous where tho demand
India and of our brothers, the Hindus. We invite a gene­
of any desired thing is likely to exceed th e supply,
ral expression o f opinion upon the subject. A n d t h o w i l y
c o n v in c in g slu ice th a t s u c h cat c . r ^ r e s s i o n c a n t o s t 1.m e , iti
j'nr our fr in td s In say how tu nny copics o f Ihc ve.vnnrvlar C H R I S T M A S T H E N A N I) C H R I S T M A S N O W .
edition they a nil their friends w il l subscribe for, at Jis. (! Wc are reaching tho tim e of the year when th e whole
e a c h , i>er a n n u m , cash in <alrance\ writing the names Cnristian world is preparing to celebrate th e most noted of its
.mil addresses plainly, ainl stating in w hat language tliey so'.ci unities— th e birth of tho F o un der of their religion. When
will be satisfied I " have it. If we l i n d tliat :! ()( ) persons tl is paper roaches its W estern subscribers there will ho fcs-
will subscribe on these terms, and, alter notifying them th a t ti ity and rojoicinghioveryhouse. In N orth W estern Europe
th e ir oilers are accepted should . receive the subscription and in A m erica th e holly and ivy will decorate each home,
money of that number, we will then a t once issue such an a i d the churches be deckod with e v ergreens; a custom
e d i t i o n o f the TllKosniMtis'r, commencing with the Itrst di rived from th e ancient practices of tho pagan D ruids " th a t
number, taking the risks of publication upon ourselves. s) Ivan spirits m ig h t flock to the evergreens, and remain mi­
B u t we could not consent to allow present subscribers to ni pped by frost till a milder season.” In Roman Catholic
the English edition to transfer their names to tho verna- ci.untrics large crowds flock during the whole Ovcning and
C iila '" edition’s list, should such an edition be undertaken. night of ‘ C hristmas-cve’ to th e churches, to salute waxen
They and we are mutually bound by our present contract.: images of the divine Infant, and his Virgin mother, in her
if they wish a vernacular I’l l k o S o i m i i s t , they must sub ­ g rr b of "Q ueen of Heaven.” To an analytical mind, this
scribe for it. We are subsidized by no government, prince, hi avery of rich gold and lace, pearl-broidcred satin and velvet,
or patron, and therefore must see to it. th a t for every r u ­ and the bejewelled cradle do seem ra th e r paradoxical. When
p e e of ex penditure there are It! anna.s of assets forth­ oi o thin ks of the poor, worm-eaten, dirty manger of the
coming. J( wish coiiiitiy-inn, in which, if wo m ust credit the Gospel,
tl e future “ R ed eem er” was placed a t his birth for lack of
A recent num ber of the London S / d r d u a l i s t contains one a bettor shelter, wc cannot help suspecting th a t before the
of the most important ai ta lcs— from the standpoint of p h y ­ ill zzled eyes of the unsophisticated devotee the Bethlehem
sical M'iencc ever printed on the subject, of the medinm- stable vanishes altogether. T o p u t it in the mildest terms,
istic I'l iriiomciin. It is a detailed report, by Mr. \\ . tl is gaudy display tallies ill with the democratic feelings and
II. Harrison, of an experim ent with a self-registering the truly divine c on tem p t for riches of the “ Son of Man,”
apparatus to verify tin' weight of a medium while a “ m a ­ who had “ not where to lay his head.” I t makes it all the
terialised spirit,” so called, or, more properly, visible psy­ harder for the average Christian to regard the explicit state-
chic form, is being s e e n , felt, aud conversed with by the nient th a t— “ it is easier f o r a camel to go through the
observers present. V ' t h e t l e n t r o m l i t i o n s m e s u j > ] i h c d i" e of a needle, than for a rich man to en te r the kingdom
by t h e t i i f t r h i i i ’ r t / : and this e x perim en t has at once sug­ ol heaven” as a n ything more than a rhetorical threat. The
gested that the substance of the psychic form is taken I’nman Church acted wisely in severely' forbidding her
from the bull; of medium, the autom atic register show­ parishioners to either read or interpret the Gospels for
ing that his weight, is reduced the m om ent the form themselves, and leaving the Rook, as long as it was possi­
steps oil" tho floor of the suspended box in which he sits, ble, to proclaim it-s tru th s iu L atin— “ the voice of one
a n d recovers itself the moment it steps back again. Mr. ciying in the wilderness.'’ In that, she b u t followed the
Harrison's report is illustrated with a num ber of largo wisdom of the ages— th e wisdom of the old Aryans, which
and small drawings which— if the resources of Bombay is also “ justified of her child ren;” for, as n either the mo­
do not. prove utterly inadequate— we hope to reproduce, di rn Hindu devotee understands a word of the Sanskrit.,
together with the report, itself, in the .January num ber nor tho modern Parsi one syllable of the Zend, so for tho
of our journal. This experiment is b u t the beginning ol a -,erago Roman Catholic the Latin is no b e tte r than Hie-
a series which cannot tail to prove, in the most, striking n glyphics. T he result is th a t all the throe— Brahm ani-
and irrefutable manner, the truth of the Aryan hypothesis c r l l l i g h Priest, Zoroastrian Mobed, and Roman Catholic
of psychology. It would be prem ature to en te r into the PintitV. are allowed unlim ited opportunities for evolving
rellections liatuially suggested by this subject before lay­ ii';w religious dogmas o u t of the depths of the ir own fancy,
ing the report before our renders, so wc refrain. b u t wc for the benefit of their respective churches.
may say, at least, that tile idea instantly occurred to us To usher in t his g re a t day the hells are set merrily ring­
th a t the experimenters had omitted one most, im portant ing at midnight, throughout England and th e Continent.
detail— the V'riijh ni;/ o f the psychic Jorni itself while the In France and Italy, after the celebration of the ma-ss ill
autoinatie bidnnrc. was recordin'/ the altered v e h jh t of churches magnificently decorated," it is usual, for th e re­
the meilinm. N othing is easier. It needs only to place vellers to partake of a collation (reveillon) th a t they m a y be
an ordinary American ' platform-scale ’ a t a short distance bi tter able to su sta in thefa-tiijues o f the night,” saith a hook
from the suspended cabinet, and have the psychic form treating upon Popish church ceremonials. This night of
stand upon it long enough to be weighed by one of the Christian fasting reminds ono of the S i earn tree of the fol­
Committee, who could ad ju st the counterpoise, and read lowers of the god Siva,— the great day of gloom and fast­
the markings, by the light of an ordinary phosphoriis-lamp. ing, in th e 1 ltli m onth of flu; H indu year. Only, with tho
] f it should be found th a t the weight of the form tallied latter, th e nig h t’s lonir vigil is preceded and followed by
with the sum abstracted IVom the weight of the medium, a strict and rigid fasting. N o rercillmis or compromises lor
here would Ik; presumptive physical proof th a t tin; former tl em. True, th ey an; b u t wicked “ heathens,” and th e re ­
was exuded from the latter. And th e n — b u t perhaps our fore their way to salvation m u st be tenfold harder.
friends, tho S p iritualists will prefer to fill o u t the sentence Though now universally observed by Christian nations as
for themselves ! tl e anniversary of th e birth of Jesus, th e 2oth of D ecem ­
ber was not originally so acccptcd. The most movable of
A Wl',1,1, Pf.ACI'.l) PlKTV.— T he ('hn rir nri. deploring the the Christian feast days, during the early centuries, Christ-
growing infidelity of the day, gives as an instance of iiias was often confounded with the Epiphany, and conc­
mediaeval piety the following letter, from the collection of iliated in th e months of April and May. As there never was
autographs of liaron Girardot, which was recently adver­ any a u th e n tic record, or proof of its identification, whether
tised to be sold at auction. T h e m other of Cardinal in secular or ecclesiastical history, the selection of th a t day
Richelieu writes to a young married lady :— long remained o p tio n a l; and it was only during tho 4th
“ F o r t / c a r s / i n i s J c r c c i i i l y p r a y i n i / ^>'<></ t o . v o i d t o n t y o( litury that, urged by Cyril of Jerusalem, the Rope (Julius
n o n a m i s t r e s s l i k e y o u ; o n e t h a t h a s i d I ( h e d e s i r e d q u a ­ I.) ordered th e bishops to m ake an investigation and conic
lities. I now find that. God A lm ighty was pleased to Ii .tally to some agreem ent as to the presumable date of tho
accept, my humble prayer, since you have allowed my dear nativity of Christ. T h eir choice fell upon the 2.‘>th day
son to bo your humble servant.” ol December,— and a most, unfortunate choice it has since
C harm ing picture, forsooth, of mother, son,priest, church, j) 'oved ! I t was Dupuis, followed by Volnoy, who aimed tho
and Clod ! li -st shots a t this natal anniversary. They proved th a t for
ii calculable periods before our era, upon very clear ostrono-
 . ' . ' ' ' ' '
mical data, nearly all th e ancient peoples had celebrated the cred privacy than under the eyes of the dangerous, argu s­
births of their sun-gods on that very day. “ Dupuis shows eyed reporter. Yet the eating and drinking festivities are
th a t tho celestial sign of tlio V i i u j i n a n d ( U l l U ) was in e x ­ preserved th rou gh ou t tb e Christian world ; and, more
istence several thousand years before C h rist”— remarks H ig­ sudden deaths an* doubtless caused by gluttony aud inte m ­
gins in bis A imcalypsiu. As Dupuis, Yolney, and Higgins perance during the Christm as and Easter holidays, than a t
have all been passed over to posterity as infidels, and e n e ­ any other time of the year. Yet, ( ‘hristiau worship bccomes
mies of Christianity, it may he as well to quote in this every year more and more a false pretence. The lieart-
relation, tho confessions of the Christian Bishop of Itatis- Icssuess of this lip-service lias been denounced in num er­
bone, “ th e most learned man th a t th e middle ages pro­ able times, b ut never, we think, with a more affecting touch
du c e d ”— the Dominican, A lbertus Magnus. “ Tho sign of of realism than in a charm ing droam-tale, which appeared in
the celestial Virgin rises above the horizon a t the m om ent the X e w Yoih lie rah! about last ( ’hristmas. An aged man,
in which we f i x the birth o f the Lon I J e su s C h r i s t ’’ lie says, presiding at a public meeting, said lie would avail himself
in the llccherelies hlstoriques su r F uluise.jxir La tujcviii pre- of the opportunity to relate a vision he had witnessed on
tre. So Adonis, Bacchus, ( >siris, Apollo, etc., were all born on the previous night. “ H e thought, he was standing in the
tho 2oth of December. Christm as comes just at tho time pulpit of the most gorgeous and magnificent cathedral ho
of tho winter solstice ; tho days then are shortest, and had ever seen. lielore him was (he priest or pastor of
Durl'uess is more upon tho face of th e earth than ever. the church, and beside him stood an angel with a tablet
All the sun-gods were believed to be annually born a t th a t and pencil in hand, whose mission it was to make record
epoch ; for from this time its Light diapuls more nnd more of every act of Worship or prayer th a t transpired in his pre­
dark ness with each succeeding day, anil th e power of the sence and ascended as an acceptable offering to the throne
S u n begins to increase. of God. Every pew was lilied with i icldy-attired worship­
However it may be, the Christm as festivities th a t were ers of e ith er sex. T he most sublime music th a t ever fell
held by the Christians for nearly fifteen centuries, were of on his enraptured ear filled the air with melody. All the
a particularly pagan character. Nay, we are afraid that beautiful ritualislict !huivh services, including a surpassingly
even the present ceremonies of the church can hardly eloquent sermon from the gifted minister, had in turn tran s­
escape the reproach of being almost literally copied pired, and yet the recording angel made no entry in his ta b ­
from the mysteries of Egypt anil Greece, held in honour let ! The congregation were at lengt h dismissed by the pastor
of Osiris and Horns, Apollo ami Bacchus. Both Isis with a lengthy and beautifully-worded prayer, followed
and Ceres were called “ Holy Virgins,” aud a D i v i n k by a benediction, and yet th e angel made n o sign !”
B a i i e may be found in every " h e a t h e n ” religion. W e ii “ A ttended still by th e angel, I lie speaker left t lie door of
will now draw two pictures of the Merrie Christm as ; one the church iu rear of the richly-attired congregation. A
portraying the “ good old times,” and the other the poor, tattered castaway stood in the g u tte r beside the
present state of Christian worship. From the first days of curbstone, with her pale, famished baud extended, silent­
its establishment as Christmas th e day was regarded in ly pleading for alms. As the richly-attired worshipers
the double light of a holy commemoration and a most from the church passed by, they shrank from the poor Mag­
cheerful festivity : it was equally given up to devotion and dalen, tho ladies withdrawing aside their silken, jewel-
insane merriment. "A m ong the revels of the Christmas bedecked robjs, lest they should be polluted by her touch.”
season wore th e so-called feasts of fools aud of asses, grotes­ “ J u s t then an intoxicated sailor came reeling down the
que saturnalia, which were termed ‘ December liberties,’ iu sidewalk on the oth e r side. When he got opposite the
which every th ing serious was burlesqued, tho order of socie­ poor forsaken girl he staggered aeios; the street, to where
ty reversed, and its decencies ridiculed”— says ono compiler she stood, and, f.aking a few pennies from his pocket,, lie
of old chronicles. “ During tho Middle Ages, it was celebrated thrust them into her hand, accompanied with the a djura­
by the gay fantastic spectacle of dram atic mysteries, p e r­ tion. ‘ Here, you poor forsaken cii-^s, take this I ’ A ce­
formed by personages in grotesque masks and singular cos­ lestial radiance now lighted up the lace of tin; recording
tumes. Tho show usually represented an infant in a cra­ angel, who instantly en tered the sailor’s act of sym pathy
dle, surrounded by the Virgin Mary and St. Joseph, by and charity in his tablet, and departed with it as a sweet
bull’s beads, cherubs, E astern Magi, (the Mobeds of old) and sacrifice to God.”
manifold ornaments.” Tho custom of singing canticles a t A concretion, one m ig ht say, of the Biblical story of
Christmas, called Carols, was to recall th e songs of the shep ­ the ju d g m e n t upon l.lie woman taken in adultery, lie it
herds a t the N ativity. “ Tho bishops and the clergy s o ; yet it portrays with a m aster hand the state of our
often joined with th e populace in carolling, and the Christian society.
songs were enlivened by dances, and by th e music of ta m ­ According to tradition, on Christmas-eve, th e oxen may
bours, guitars, violins and o rg a n s...” W e may add tha t always be found on th e ir knees, as though in prayer and d e­
down to the present times, during th e days preceding votion ; anil, “ there was a famous hawthorn in the c hurch­
Christmas such mysteries are being enacted, with mario­ yard of Glastonbury Abbey, which always budded on the
nettes and dolls, iu Southern Russia, Poland, and G a lic ia ; 24th, and blossomed on the 2'>(h of D e c e m b e r ;’’ which,
and known as the KalUlotvki. In Italy, Calabrian m in ­ considering th a t t he day was chosen by the Fathers of the
strels descend from their mountains to N aples and Rome, church a t random, and th a t t.lu; calendar has been changed
and crowd tho shrines of tho Virgin-Mother, cheering her from the old to the new style, shows a remarkable perspi­
with their wild music. cacity in both the animal and the vegetable ! There
In England, the revels used to begin on Christm as eve, is also a tradition of the church, preserved to us by Olaus
and continue often till Candlemas (Feb. 2), every day being archbishop of IJpsal, that, a t the festival ol Christmas,
a holiday till Tw elfth-night (Jan. (»). In the houses of “ the men living iu the cold N orthern parts, are suddenly
great nobles a “ lord of misrule,” or “ abbot of u nreaso n” and strangely metamorphosed into wolves; and that, a huge
was appointed, whose d u ty it was to play the p art of m ultitu de of them m eet tog ether a t an appointed place
a buffoon. " The larder was filled with capons, liens, t u r ­ and rage so fiercely against mankind, th a t it suiters more
keys, geese, ducks, beef, mutton, pork, pies, puddings, nuts, from their attacks than ever they do from the natural
plums, sugar and honey”............ “ A glowing lire, made wolves.” Metaphorically viewed, this would seem to bo
of great logs, the principal of which was term ed the “ Yule more than ever the case wit It men, and particularly with
log,” or Christm as block, which m ight be b u rn t till Candle­ Christian nations, now. There seems no need to wait for
mas eve, k ept o ut th e cold ; and th e abundance was Christmas-eve to see whole nations changed into “ wild
shared by the lord’s te n a n ts " am id music, conjuring, b e a s ts ”— especially in tim e of war.
riddles, hot-cockles, fool-plough, snap-dragon, jokes,
laughter, repartees, forfeits and dances.” BtvtNf! Poult.— An American wag says— There is no dis­
In our modern times, tho bishops and th e clergy join grace in being poor. Tin; tiling is Io keep it quiet, ami
no more with the populace in open carolling and dancing; not let your neighbors know a ny th in g about it.
uml feasts o f " fools and of asses" are enacted more in sa-
 Till-: PO PlJLA .il I D E A OK S O U L -S U IIV IV A L .
A t what epoch the dawning intellect of m an first ac­
cepted the idea of future life, none can tell. But we
know that, from th e very first, its mots struck so deeply,
so entwined about hum an instincts, th a t t he belief has e n­
dured through all generations, and is imbedded in the
consciousness ot every • nation and tribe, civilized, simi-
civilized or savage. The greatest minds have speculated
upon it : and the rudest, savages, though having 110 name
for the Deity, have yet believed in the existence of spirits
and worshiped them. If, in <'hristian Russia, Wallachia,
Bulgaria and Greece, the Oriental Church enjoins th a t
upon A ll-Saints day offerings of rice anil drink shall be
placcd upon the graves; and in “ h e a th e n ” India, th e same
propitiatory gifts of rice a.re made to tin; departed ; so, like­
wise, the poor savage of New ( !alcdonia m akes his sacrifice
of food to the skulls of his beloved dead.
According to H erbert Spencer, the worship of souls anil
relics is to lie attributed to “ the prim itive idea th a t any
property characterizing an aggregate, inheres in all parts of
it ........Tin; soul, present, in the body of the dead man pre­
served entire, is also present in the preserved parts of his
body. H e n c e , the faitli in relics.” This definition, though iu
logic equally applicable to the gold-enshrined and bejewel­
led relic of tho cultured Roman Catholic diivot.ee, and to
th e dusty, time-worn skull of th e fetish worshiper, m ight
yet be excepted to by the former, since he would say th a t
he does not believe the soul to be p resent iu either th e
whole cadaver, skeleton, or part, nor does he, strictly spe a k­
ing, worship it. H e b u t honours th e relic as something
which, having belonged to one whom ho deems saintly, has
by the contact acquired a sort of miraculous virtue. Mr.
Spencer's definition, therefore, dot's not seem to cover the
whole ground. So also Professor Max Muller, in his
Science o f Religion, after having shown to us by citing
num erous instances, th a t the hum an mind had, from
th e beginning, a “ vague hope of a future life” explains
no more than Herbert. Spencer whence or how came origi­
nally such a hope. But merely points t,o an in herent fa­
culty in it nni.ltivateil nations of changing t he forces of
n atu re into gods and demons. H e closes his lecture upon
the T uranian legends and the universality ol this belief in
ghosts and spirits, by simply rem arking th a t th e worship of
the spirits of the departed is the. most widely spread form
of su pe rstition all over the world.
Thus, whichever way we I,urn lor a philosophical solution
of the mystery ; w hether we expect an answer from t heo-
l°gy which is itself bound to believe in miracles, an d teach
supernaturalism ; or ask it from the now do m inant schools of
m odern th o u g h t—the greatent. opponents of the m iracu­
lous iu n a tu r e ; or, again, turn for an explanation t'J th a t
philosophy of extreme positivism which, from th e days
of Epicurus down to the modern school of Ja m e s Mill,
adopting for its device the glaring sciolism “ n i h i l in i n ­
tellect tt, quod non a nte fu e r it in sennit," makes intellect
subservient to m a tte r— we receive a satisfactory reply from
none!
I f this article were intended merely for a simple collation
of (acts, A u th en ticated by travellers on the spot, and con­
cerning b u t “ superstitions ” born in the mind of the p ri­
mitive man, and now lingering only among the savage
tribes of humanity, then the combined works of such p h i­
losophers as H e rb e rt Spencer, might, solve our difficul­
ties. W e m ight remain co ntent with his explanation
that, in tho absence of hypothesis “ foreign to thou gh t
in its earliest sta ge...prim itive ideas, arising out of vari­
ous experiences, derived from the inorganic world ”— such
as the actions of wind, the echo, and m a n ’s own shadow
— proving to th e uneducated mind th a t th e r e was “ an
invisible form of existence which manifests p o w e r ” were
all sufficient to have created a like “ inevitable b e lie f ”
(sec Spencer’s Genesis o f Superstition.) I Jut we are now
concerned with som ething nearer to us, aud higher than
th e primitive man of the stone age ; the man who, totally
ingored "those conceptions of physical causation which have
Arisen only .as experiences, and have been slowly organi­
zed du rin g civilization.” W e are now dealing w ith the
beliefs of tw enty millions of modern S piritu alists; our
own fellow men, living iu the full blaze of th e enlightened
19th century. These men ignore none of the discove­
ries of modern science ; nay many am ong then, are th e m ­
selves ranked high among the highest of such scienti­
fic discoverers. N otw ithstanding all this, are they any
th e less addicted to the same “ form of superstition,” if
superstition it lie, than the primitive man ? A t least
their in terpretations of the physical phenomena, w he n ­
ever accompanied by those coincidences which carry to
th eir m inds the conviction of an intelligence behind the
physical Force— are often precisely the same as those
which presented themselves to tho apprehension of the
man of the early and undeveloped ages.
W h a t is a shadow ? asks Herbert Spencer. By a child
and a savage “ a shadow is th o ug ht of as an entity.” Bas-
tian says of the Benin negroes, th a t “ they regard m en’s
shadows as th e ir souls " ...th in k in g “ that they...w atch
all th e ir actions, and bear witness against them .” Accor­
ding to Orant.z, among the Greenlanders a m an’s shadow
“ is one of his two souls— the one which goes away from
his body a t night." By the Feejeeans, the shadow is
called “ the dark spirit, as distinguished from another
which each m an possesses.” A nd the celebrated author
of th e “ Principles of Psychology ” explains th a t “ the com­
m unity of meaning, hereafter to bo noted more fully,
which various unallied languages betray between shade
and spirit, show us th e same thing.”
W h a t all this shows us th e most clearly however, is
that, wrong and contradicting as the conclusions m ay be,
yet the premises on which they are based are no fictions.
A th in g m u st be, before the hum an mind can th in k or con­
ceive of i t T he very capacity to imagine the existence of
som ething usually invisible and intangible, is itself evi­
dence th a t it must have manifested itself a t some time. S k e t­
ching in his usual artistic way the gradual developm ent of
the soul-idca, aud pointing out a t th e same tim e how
“ mythology not only pervades the sphere of religion...but,
infects more or less the whole realm of thought, ” Professor
Miiller in his tu rn tells us that, when men wished for
the first time to express “ a distinction bet ween th e body,
and som ething else within him distinct from th e body...
the name th a t suggested itself wjis breath, chosen to ex­
press a t first th e principle of life as distinguished from
the decaying body, afterwards the incorporeal...immortal
part of m a n — his soul, his mind, his self...w hen a person
dies we, too, say th a t he has given up the ghost, and
ghost, too, m e a n t originally spirit, and spirit m ean t breath.”
As instances of this, narratives by various missionaries
and travellers are quoted. Questioned by F a th e r F. de
Bobadilla, soon after th e Spanish conquest, as to their
ideas concerning death, the Indians of N icaragua told
him th a t " when men die, tliero comes forth from th e ir
m outh som ething which resembles a person and is called
J u l i o (in Aztec y i d i ' to live’— explains M. Miiller.)
This being is like a person, b u t does not die and th e corpse
remains h e r e ...” In one of his num erous works, Andrew
Jackson Davis, whilom considered the greatest American
clairvoyant and known as th e " Poughkeepsie Seer,” gives
us w hat is a ]>erfect illustration of the belief of th e N i ­
caragua Indians. T his book (Death a n d the A f t e r Life)
contains an engraved frontispiece, representing th e d e a th ­
bed of An old woman. I t is called the “ Form ation of
the Spiritual Body.” O u t of the head of th e defunct,
there issues a luminous appearance— her own rejuvena­
ted form.*
* “ S u p p o s o ft p o r s o n is living** s a y s th o P o u g h k e e p s ie S e o r : T h e c l a ir v o y a n t
s e c s r i g h t o v e r tlio h e a d w h a t m a y lw c a lle d a m a g n o tic h a l o —a n e t h e r e a l
e m a n a ti o n , in a p p c a r n n c e g o ld e n , a n d th r o b b i n g a s t h o u g h c o n s c io u s ........ T h o
p e r s o n h a s c e a s e d to b r e a t h e , th o p u ls e is » til(, a n d th o e m a n a ti o n is e l o n ­
g a t e d and Utthioned in (he outlinr o f (he hmnnit fo rm ! B e n e a th i t , is con*
n o c t e d th o b r u i n .............o w in g t o th o b rn ln 'H m o m e n tu m , 1 liav o s e e n a d y in g
> orson, e v e n a t th o l a s t fo o b lo p u ls o - b u a t, r o u s e im im ln iv o ly a n d ris o u p iu
>od t o c o n v c r s o . . b u t t h e n e x t i n s t a n t h o w as g o n e — n is b r a i n b e i n g t h e la s t
t o y ie ld u p th o lif o - p r in c ip lo s . T h o g o h b u i e m a n a ti o n ...... i s c o n n e c te d w ith
t h e b r n in o y a v o ry lin o li f e - th r e a d . W h o n i t a s c e n d s , t h e r e a p p e a r s s o m e ­
t h i n g trhiie a n d tinning tik e a h u m a n lio a d ; n e x t , a f a i n t o u tl in e o f t h e faco
divine ; th o n t h e f a i r n e c k a n d beautiful s h o u ld e r s ; th e n , iu r a p i d s u c c e s s io n
c o m e a ll p a r t s o f th o n e w b o d y , d o w n t o t h o . f e e t —a b r i g h t s h in in g im a g e a
 A m ong some H ind us the spirit is supposed to remain
for te n days seated on the eaves of tlie house where it p a r t­
ed from th e body. T h at it may b ath e and drink, two
plantain leaf-cups are placed on th e eaves, one full of milk
and the oth e r of water. “On the first day the dead is s u p ­
posed to g e t his head ; on the second day bis ears, eyes,
and nose ; on the third, his hands, breast, and neck ; on the
fourth, his middle parts ; on the fifth, his legs and f e e t; on
th e sixth, his vitals ; on the seventh, his bones, marrow,
veins and a rteries; on the eighth, his nails, hair, and teeth ;
on the ninth, all th e remaining limbs, organs, and manly
strengthO ;’ and,’ on the tenth,' h u n gOe r and th irst for th e re-
newed body.” (The Patiine Prubhus, by Krislmauiith Ra-
ghunuthji ; in th e Government Bombay Gazetteer, 1879.)
Mr. Davis’s theory is accepted by all th e Spiritualists,
and, it is on this model th a t the clairvoyants now describe
the separation of the “ incorruptible from th e corruptible.”
B u t here, Spiritualists and th e Aztecs branch off into two
p a th s; for, while the former m aintain th a t the soul is in
every case immortal and preserves its individuality th ro ug h­
out eternity, th e Aztecs say th a t " when the deceased has
lived well, the julio goes u p o n high with our gods; but
when he has lived ill, the julio perishes with the body, and
there is an end of it.”
Some persons m ight perchance lind the “ primitive"
Aztecs more consistent in th e ir logic than our modern
Spiritualists. T he Laponians and Finns also maintain
th a t while the body decays, a new one is given to th e dead
which th e Sham an can alone see.
“ Though breath, or spirit, or gh ost” says fu rth er on Pro­
fessor Muller “are the most common nam es...w e y et speak
of th e shades of the departed, which m e a n t originally their
shadows........Those who tirst introduced this expression—
and we find it in th e most d istant parts of the world—
evidently took th e shadow as th e nearest approach to what
they wished to express ; som ething th a t should be incorpo­
real, yet closely connected with the body. T he Greek
eidolon, too, is not much* more than th e shallow........ b u t
th e curious p a rt is th is........th a t people who speak of the
life or soul as the shadow o ’ th e body, have brought th e m ­
selves to believe th a t a dead body easts no shadow, because
the shadow has departed from it ; th a t it becomes, in fact,
a kind of Peter Sclilemild.” (“ T he Science of Religion”).
Do the Amazulu and other tribes of S o uth Africa only
thus believe { By 110 means ; it is a popular idea among
Slavonian Christians. A corpse which is noticed to cast a
shadow in the sun is deemed a sinful soul rejected by
heaven itself. I t is doomed henceforth to expiate its sins
as an earth-bound spirit, till th e Day of the Resurrection.
Both Lander and Catlin describe the savage Man-
dans as placing th e skulls of their dead in a circle. Eucli
wife knows the skull of her former husband or child, and
there seldom passes a day th a t she does not visit it, with a
dish of the best cooked food........T here is scarcely an hour
in a pleasant day b u t more or less of these women m ay be
seen sitting or lying by th e skulls of their children or hu s­
bands— talking to them in th e most endearing language
tha t they can use (as they were wont to do in former days)
“ and s e e m in g ly y e ttin g a n a n sw e r back " (Quoted by
H erbert Spencer in Fetish-worship.)
W h a t these poor, savage Mandan mothers and wives do,
is performed daily by millions of civilized Spiritualists, and
but the more proves the universality of th e conviction th a t
our dead hear and can answer us. From a theosophical,
magnetic,— hence in a certainsense a scientific— standpoint,
the former have, moreover, far b e tte r reasons to offer than
the latter. The skull of th e departed person so interro­
gated, has surely closer magnetical affinities and relations
to the defunct, th a n a table through the tippings of which
the dead ones answer the l i v i n g ; a table, iu most cases,
which the spirit while embodied had never seen nor tou ch ­
ed. B u t the Spiritualists are not the only ones to vie with
the Mandans. I u every part of Russia, w h ether m ourning
little sm aller than tho physical body, b u t a p erfect p ro to ty p e ...in nil except
iU disfigurem ents. Tho tine life-thread continues attached to tlio old brain.
Tho next thing is th e w ithdraw al of the electric principle. W hen this thread
simps, tho sp iritual body i* free (!) and prepared to accom pany i u guardians
W (ho Sumt nor L « n d , ”
over th e y e t fresh corpse, or accompanying it to the b u r y ­
ing ground, or during the six weeks following the d e a t h ,
the peasant women ;is well a.s those of the rich mercantile
classes, go on the grave to shout, or in Biblical phrase­
ology to “ lift up their voices.” Once there they wail
in rhythm , addressing the defunct by name, asking of
him questions, pausing as if for an answer.
N o t only th e ancient and idolatrous Egyptian and P e r u ­
vian had the curious notion th a t the ghost or soul of the
dead man was either present in the mummy, or th a t the
corpse was itself conscious, b ut there is a sim ilar belief
now among th e orthodox Christians of the Greek and tho
Roman churches. W e reproach the Egyptians with pla­
cing their embalmed dead at the table ; and the heathen
Peruvians with having carried around the fields the dried-
up corpse of a parent, th a t it m ight see and ju d g e of
the state of the crops. B u t w hat ol the Christian Mexi­
can of to-day, who u nd e r the guidance of his priest, dresses
up his corpses in finery; bedecks them with flowers, and in
case of the defunct happening to be a female— even paints
its cheeks with rouge. T h en seating the body in ;i chair
placed on a large table, from which t he ghastly carrion pre­
sides, as it were, over the mourners seated around the table,
who eat and drink the whole night, and play various
games of cards and dice, consult the defunct as to their
chances. On the o ther hand, in Russia, it is a universal cus­
tom to crown th e deceased person’s brow with a long slip
of gilt and ornam ented paper, called Yvntch ik (the crown),
upon which a prayer is .printed in gaudy letters. This
prayer is a kind of a letter of introduction with which the
parish priest furnishes the corpse to his patron Saint, r e ­
commending the defunct to the S a in t’s protection.* The
Roman Catholic Biisques write letters to th e ir deceased
friends and relatives, addressing them to either Paradise,
Purgatory or— Hell, according to the instructions given by
the F a th e r confessor of the late addresses— and, placing
them in th e coffins of the newly departed, ask the latter
to safely deliver them in the other world, promising as a
fee to the messenger, more or less masses for the repose of
his soul.
A t a recent stance, held by a well known m edium in
America,— (see Bu n n e r o f Light, Boston, J u n e 14th, 1879.)
“ Mercedes, late Queen uf Spain, ainiotmci.l herself, uml cnmo
forth iu full liridal array —a magnificent profusion of lace ami
jewels, ami spoke in several different tongues with a linguist pre­
sent. H er sister, the Princess Christina, came aI<o ju s t after in
much plainer costume, mul with a. timid scliool-girl air.”
Thus, we see th a t not only can the dead people deli­
ver letters, but, even re tu rn in g from their celestial homes,
bring back w ith them th e ir “ lace and jewels." As the
ancient pagan G reek peopled his Olympian heaven with
feasting and flirting d eities; and the American red I n ­
dian has his happy hunting-grounds where the spirits of
brave chiefs bestride the ir ghostly steeds, aud chase their
phantom g a m e ; and the liin d u his many superior lokas,
where the ir numerous gods live in gulden palaces, su r­
rounded with all m a n n e r of sensual delights ; and the ( ’liris-
tian his New Jeru salem with streets of “ pure gold, as
it were transparent glass,” and the foundations of the wall
of the city “ ga rnishe d...w ith precious s to n e s ;” where bo­
diless chirping cherubs ami the elect, with golden harps,
sing praises to Jehovah ; so th e modern Spiritualist has
his “ S u m m e r Land Zone within the m ilky way,”-)* though
somewhat higher than the celestial territories of other
people. J There, amid cities and villages abounding in
palaces, museums, villas, colleges and temples, an eternity
is passed. The young l i r e n urtu red and taught, the u n ­
developed of the earth matured, the old rejuvenated, and
every individual taste aud desire gratified ; spirits flirt,
g e t married, and have families of children. §
* It runs iu this wis^ : St. Nicholas, (or St. Mnry So-and so) holy patron
of—(follow defunct's full nam e and title) receive the soul of (Jod’s servant,
and intercede for rem ission of Ids (or her) sins."
f Sco S tellar key to th e Sum m er Land ” by Antirow Jackson Davis.
X In the same a u th o r s work —“ Tho S piritual <in g r e s s ,” (Jalen says through
the clairvoyant se e r: “ IJctween th e S pirit Monio and tho e a rth , there are,
strew n along th e intervening dihtanco......m ore than fun,' Unmhtd thousand
planets, nud Jifttcn thousand solar bodies of lesser m agnitude.
§ Tho latest intelligence from America is th at of the m arriage of a sp irit
 Verily, verily we can exclaim with Paul, " () death where
is thy sting ; O grave, where is thy victory I ’ Belief iu
tho survival of 1,1m allocators is the oldest and most time-
honoured of all beliefs.
Travellers tell us that all the Mongolian, T artar, F in ­
nish, and Tungusic tribes, besides the spirits of nature,
deify also theiv r.noost.ral spirits. Tho. ('hinose historians,
tre a tin g of the Turanians, the H u n s and the T tiL n i— the
forefathers of the modern Turks, show them as worship­
ing " the spirits of tho sky, of the earth and th e spirits
of the departed." M edhurst enum erates the various classes
of the Chinese spirits th u s : T he principal are the ce­
lestial spirits ( t in i nhin) ; the terrestrial (ti- h i) ; and the a n ­
cestral or wandering spirits ( j i v l ii'ci.) A m ong these, the
spirits of th e late Kmporors, great, philosophers, and sages,
are revered the most. They are the public properly of
th e whole nation, and are a part of the slate religion,
“ while each family has, besides this its own uiiinfis, which
are treated with g reat regard ; inccnse is burned before
their relics, and many superstitious rites performed.”
B ut if all nations equally believe in, and m any worship,
their dead, th eir views as to the desirability of a direct in­
tercourse with these late citizens ditier widely. In fact.,
among the educated, only the modern .Spiritualists seek
to communicate constantly with them. We will take a
few instances from the most widely separated peoples. The
Hindus, as a rule, hold th a t no pure spirit , of a man who
died reconciled to his fate, will ever come back bodily to
trouble mortals. They maintain that, it is only the him hi 8
— the souls of those who de p a rt this life unsatisfied and
having th e ir terrestrial desires unquenched, in short, bad,
sinful men and women— who become “ earth-bound.’ U n­
able to ascend a t once to Moksha, they have to linger upon
earth until either their next transmigration or complete
annihilation, and thu s take every op po rtunity to obsess
people, especially weak women. So undesirable is to them
th e return or apparition of such ghosts, th a t they use every
means to prevent it. Even in th e case of the most holy
feeling, the m other’s love for her infant— they adopt m ea­
sures to prevent h er return to it. T h ere is a belief among
some of them that whenever a woman dies in child-birth,
she will return to see and watch over h e r child. T h e re ­
fore, on th eir way back from the ghaut, after tho burning
of the body,— the mourners thickly strew m ustard seeds
all along the road leading from the funeral pile to the d e ­
funct’s home. For some unconceivable reasons they think
th a t the ghost will feel obliged to pick up, on its way
back, every one of these seeds. Ami, as the labor is slow
nnd tedious, the floor m other can never reach her home
before tho cock ciows, when she is obliged— iu accord a nee
with the ghostly laws— to vanish, till the following night,
dropping back all her harvest. A m ong th e Tchuvashos, a
tribe inhabiting Russian domains, ( ( 'astren’s “ Finaische My-
thologie,” p. 122) a son whenever offering sacrifice to the
spirit of his father, uses the following exorcism : “ Wo ho­
nour thee with a f e a s t: look, here is bread for thee, nnd
various kinds of food ; thou hast all thou canst. desire : but
do not trouble us, do not come back near us.” A mong
the La]i]is anil Finns, those departed spirits which make
th e ir presence visible and tangible are supposed to be very
mischievous nnd “ the most mischievous are the spirits of
the priests.” E verything is done to keep them away from
the living. The agreem ent we find between this blind
popular instinct and the wise conclusions of some of the
greatest philosophers, and even modern specialists, is very
remarkable. " Respect, the spirits a n d — keep them a t a
distance”— said Confucius, six centuries B.C. N in e cent u ­
ries later, Porphyry, th e famous anti-thenrgist. writing
d aug h ter of Colonel Knton, of Isoavonworth, Kansas, a prom inent m em ber of
tho National I democratic Com m ittee. T his d au g h ter, who died a t (ho ago of
th ree week*, grow in some tw enty-odd years in th e Summer-l^and, to b o a
tine young lady anil now is wedded to the sp irit son of l-Yanklin J’iorcc, hit©
presid en t of tho IJ. S. Tho wedding, wilnessod l*y a fam ous clairvoyant of
Now-York, was gorgeous. Tho 11 sp irit b rid o M wns “ niTuycd i n n dross of
mild preen." A wedding supper was spread by th e sp irit’* order, w ith lights
nnd bouquet*, nnd plates placed for tho happy couple. Tho guests assem ­
bled, an d tho wedded ghosts fully ‘ m aterialized* them selves and sat a t table
with them.
(How*Yoi*k Times, Ju n e 291 h, 18#P.)
upon the nature of various spirits, expressed Iiis opinion
upon the spirits of the departed by s a y in g ; t h a t he h ic io
o f no evil which these pestilent (lemons would not bo
ready to do. And, in our own century, a kabalist, tho
greatest m ognetizer living, Baron D upotet, in his “ Jlagio
l)evoilee,” warns th e spiritists not to t rouble the rest of tho
dead. F o r “ the evoked shadow can f n s / m ifxeff upon,
follow, and for ever afterwards influence y o u; and we can
appease it b u t through a pact which will bind us to i t —
till death !”
But all this is a m a tte r of individual opinion ; w hat wo
are concerned with now is merely to learn how th e basic
fact, of belief in soul-survival could have so engrafted itself
upon every succeeding ago,— despite the extravagances
woven into it— if it be but. a shadowy and unreal intellec­
tual conception originating with " p r im i tiv e man.” Of
all modern men of science, although he does his best in
the body of the work to present th e belief alluded to as a
mere “ superstition”— the only satisfactory answer is given
by Prof. Max M'uller, in his “ Introduction to the Science
of Religion.” vVnd by his solution we have to abide for want
of a b e tte r one. l i e can only do it, however, by overstep­
ping the boundaries of comparative philology, and boldly
invading the domain of pure m etaphysics; by following, iu
short., a path forbidden by exact science. A t one blow
he cuts th e Cordian knot which H erbert Spencer and
his school have tied u n d e r th e chariot of th e “ U n k n o w ­
able.” IIi! shows us t h a t : “ there is a philosophical disci­
pline which examines into the conditions of sensuous or
intuitional knowledge,” and “ a nother philosophical dis­
cipline which exam ines into th e conditions of rational or
conceptual knowledge and then defines for us a third
faculty..." T he faculty of apprehending the Infinite, not
only in religion but in all th in g s ; a powor independent of
sense and reason, a power iu a certain sense contradicted
by sense and reason, b u t y e t a very real power, which has
held its own from the beginning of the world, neither sense
nor reason being able to overcome it, while it alone, is able
to overcome both reason and sense.”
T h e faculty of I n t u it io n — th a t which lies entirely b e ­
yond the scope of our modern biologists, could hardly be
b e tte r defined. And yet, when closing his lecture upon
the superstitions rites of the Chinese, and their tem ples
devoted to the worship of the departed ancestoi's, our g reat
philologist r e m a r k s : “ All this takes place by slow d e ­
grees ; it begins with placing a flower on the to m b; it
ends— with worshiping the S p irits........ ”
■* L I E U T E N A N T C O L O N E L S r. A N T O N Y .''
In I.SOS .Juan VI., then Princc-llegont of Portugal, fear­
ing Napoleon I., made his escape to Brazil; and in LSI"),
was crowned monarch of tin* U nited Kingdom of Portugal,
Brazil, and Algarve. Recalled to his country by th e Cortes
of Portugal, lie, sa.iled back to Lisbon in 18‘21. A nd now,
a very interesting document, containing n eith er more nor
less th a n the a p p o in tm ent of long-dead St. A nto ny to the
rank of L ie u te n an t Colonel in the Portugese army, by this
Prince, is j u s t published iu the Lisbon p aper “ lieviulti
M ilitar.” T he following is a verbatim translation froni
the Portuguese of this unique proclamation : " Don Ju a n ,
by the will of Cod, P rince-R egent of Portugal and both
Algarve, of the two seas on both sides of Africa, ltu te r of
Guinea, and master of navigation and commerce in E th io ­
pia, Arabia, Persia and India, etc., etc., etc. By the present
we declare to all whom it may concern that, in considera­
tion of our special devotion to the very glorious St. Antony,
who, moreover is constantly addressed in all th e ir needs
and in full faith by the inhabitants of this capital, and like­
wise for the reason that the belligerent powers of our armies
arc evidently u n d e r the protection and enjoying th e bless­
ing of Cod, and th a t thus the peace of Portugal is ensured ;
a propitious result which, we are firmly persuaded, is solely
due to th e powerful intercession of the said Saint,— we
have resolved : to confer upon him the rank of L ieutenant
Colonel, and an adequate salary, which will be received by
him iu the shape of our royal decorations and orders (for-
v ia this m i n h a s rcaes ordens), through th e office of Field- discriminated as th e Spirit.” Dr. H enry More, no mean
marshal Xaviers C abin da Cunha, who, in his capacity of authority, repudiates this interpretation. ‘ There can be
Gcneral-Adjutant, is now temporarily holding the office nothing more monstrous,” he says, “ than to make two souls
of Commander-iii-Chief of our armies. Ho ho it. T he in man, th e one sensitive, the other rational, really distinct
said salary to be entered in the official books, and to be from one another, anti to give the name of Astral spirit to
paid regularly a t each term. In assurance of the a u th e n ­ the former; when th ere is in man no Astral spirit beside
ticity of th e pre se n t we herewith sign it with our name, the Plastic of th e soul itself, which is always inseparable
and stam p it with the large seal bearing our arms. Given troin th a t which is rational. N o r upon any oth er account
in the city of Rio-di Janeiro, August :>lst, A.I). 1.S14.” can it be called astral, b u t as it is liable to th a t cor­
W e may add th a t this is not the /irst tim e th a t tie- poreal tem peram en t which proceeds from th e stars, or
ceased saints have been appointed to high m ilitary posi­ ra the r from any m aterial causes in general, as not being
tions. S a in t Yago, in his capacity of Captain-General, yet sufficiently united with the divine body— th a t vehicle of
received for years his salary from the Spanish Treasury, divine virtue or power.” So he maintains th a t the Kabalistic
it being turned over by him (!) to th e C hurch bearing | three souls— Acj)heifh, Itnm'/i, Xcur/mnudi, originate in a
his name. | misunderstanding of the true Platonic doctrine, which is
th a t of a three-told “ vital congruity.” These correspond
i to the three degrees of bodily existence, or to the
A N C I E N T O P I N I O N S U P O N P S Y C H I C B O D IE S . three “ vehicles,” th e terrestrial, the aerial, and the
B y C. C. Massey, Esq., P re sid e n t o f the B r itis h Brunch, etherial. T he la tte r is the (iiii/ncides—the luciform ve­
hicle of the purified soul whose irrational pa rt has been
Theosoph icul Society. brought u nder complete subjection to the rational. The
I t m u st be confessed th a t modern Spiritualism falls very aerial is th a t in which th e great majority of m ankind find
short of the ideas formerly suggested by th e sublime d e ­ themselves a t th e dissolution of the terrestrial body, and
signation which it has assumed. Cliielly in te n t upon recog­ iu which tlie incomplete process of purification has to be
nising and p u ttin g forward the phenom enal proofs of a undergone du rin g long ages of preparation for the stall’s
future existence, it concerns itself little with speculations return to its primitive, etherial state. F o r it m ust lie
on the distinction between m a tte r anti spirit, anti ra th er remembered th a t the pre-existence of souls is a distinguish­
prides itself ou having demolished Materialism w ithout ing tenet of this philosophy as of the Ivabala. The soul
the aid of metaphysics. P erhaps a Platonist m igh t say has “ sunk into m a tte r.” From its highest original state
that the recognition of a future existence is consistent the revolt of its irrational nature has awakened and d e ­
with a very practical and even dogmatic materialism, b ut veloped successively its “ vital congruities” with the re­
it is rath er to be feared th a t such a materialism as this gions below, passing, by means ot its “ Plastic,” first into
would not greatly disturb the spiritual or intellectual r e ­ the aerial aud afterwards into the terrestrial condition.
pose of our modern phenomenalists.* Given the conscious­ Kacli of these regions teems also with an appropriate
ness with its sensibilities safely housed in the psychic body population which never passes, like the hum an soul, from
which demonstratively survives tlic physical carca.sc, and we one to the o th e r— “ gods,” "dem ons,” and animals.* As to
are like men saved from shipwreck, who are for the mo­ duration *' the shortest of all is th a t of th e terrestrial ve­
m ent thankful ami content,. n ot O giving g h t whether hicle. In the aerial, the soul may inhabit, as they define,
o th o u O
they are lauded on a hospitably shore, or on a barren rock, many ages, and in the etherial, for ever.” Sp eaking of tho
or on an island of cannibals. I t is not of course intended second bod}', H enry More says “ the soul’s astral vehicle
th a t this “ hand to m o u th ” im m o rta lity is sufficient for is of that tenuity th a t itself can as easily pass the smallest
the many thoughtful minds whose activity gives life pores o f th e body as the light does glass, or the lightning
and progress to th e movement, b u t t h a t it affords the the scabbard of a sword w ithout tearing or scorching of
relief which most people feel when in an age of do ub t they it.” And again “ I shall make bold to assert, th a t the soul
make th e discovery th a t th e y are undoubtedly to live may live in an aerial vehicle as well as iu t he etherial, and
again. To the question “ how are the dead raised up, that there are very few that,arrive to that high happiness as
and with what body do they come ?” modern Spiritualism, to acquire a celestial vehicle im mediately upon th eir q u it ­
with its empirical methods, is not ade qu a te to reply. Y et ting the terrestrial one ; th a t heavenly chariot necessarily
long before Paul suggested it, it had a tte n tio n of th e most carrying us in triu m ph to the greatest happiness the soul
celebrated schools of philosophy, whose speculations on of man is capable of, which would arrive to all men in ­
the subject, however little th e y may seem to he verified, differently, good or bad, if the partin g with this earthly
ought not to be w ithout interest to us, who, after all, are body would suddenly mount us into the heavenly. W hen
still in the infancy of a spiritualist revival. by a j u s t Nemesis the souls of men that are not heroi­
I t would not be necessary to premise, b u t for the fre­ cally virtuous will find themselves restrained within the
quency with which the phrase occurs, th a t “ the spiritual compass of this caliginous air, as both Reason itself sug­
hotly” is a contradiction iu terms. T he office of body is to gests, and the Platonists have unanimously determ in­
relate spirit to an objective world. By Platonic writers e d . ” T hus also the most thorough-going, and probably
it is usually termed ukhem a— ‘ vehicle.’ I t is the medium tho most deeply versed in the doctrines of the master
of action, and also of sensibility. In this philosophy tho con­ among modern Platonists, Thom as Taylor (Introduction.
ception of Soul was not simply, as with us, the immaterial Pluedo). “ A fter this our divine philosopher informs
subject of consciousness. How warily the interpret er has to th a t the pure soul will after death return to pure and eter­
tread here, every one knows who has dipped, even sup e r­ nal n a tu re s ; b u t th a t the impure soul, in consequence
ficially, into the controversies am ong Platonists th e m ­ of being imbued with terrene affections, will be
selves. All adm it the distinction between th e rational anti j drawn down to a kindred nature, and lie invested
the irrational part or principle, th e la tte r including, first, j with a gross vehicle capable of being seen by the
the sensibility, and secondly, the Plastic, or I.hat power corporeal eye.j" F o r while a propensity to body remains
which in obedience to its sympathies enables the soul to | in the soul, it causes'her to attra c t a certain vehicle to
attach itself to, and to organise into a suitable hotly those herself, either of an aerial nature, or composed from the
substances of the universe to which it is most congruous. spirit and vapours ot her terrestrial body, or which is re ­
I t is more difficult to determ ine w heth er Plato or his p rin ­ cently collected from surrounding a ir ; for according to the
cipal followers, recognised in the rational soul or non. s a arcana of the Platonic philosophy, between an etherial body,
distinct and separable entity,— th a t which is sometimes which is simple and immaterial and is the eternal connate

* 1 am afra id ," says Thom ;u T aylor in hU Introduction t > tlic Plia.l.*,
“ there are scarcely an y a t tho |>re*cut day who know th a t it i=» ono thin#
for the sou! to be ioparatod from the body, and a n o th e r for lliu body to bo
separated frum th e soul, an d th a t tho form er id by no mean* a necessary
tuiisojucnee of tho la tte r.’'
* T he *i!luM«m here is to those beings of tho several kingdom* of tho
oleinchts which we, T hcosophiat% following nfti?r th e K abnlbU , havu called
the “ Klcnientnl*." T hey never bccome n»en. - hhl. Tfnvi.
+ T his is tlio iliu d u theory uf nearly every ono of the Arynn phlloso*
phies. --/M. *
vchie-lc <>f tin- soul, innl a terrene body, wbicb is material I one Sensory. H e by this one sensory lncaneth th e spirit,
ami composite, ami of short duration, there is an aerial , or subtle airy body, in which th e sensitive power doth all
body, whie'h is material indeed, b u t .simple and of a more of it through the w h o l e immediately apprehend all varie­
extended duration ; and in this body I,lie mipurilicd soul ty of sensibles, And if it be demanded t,o how it comes
dwells for a long time after its exit from hence, till this to pass t,hat .this spirit becomes organised in sepulchres, and
p neum atic vehicle being dissolved, it is again invested most commonly of hum an form, b u t sometimes iu
with a composite body; while on th e contrary the purified the forms of oth er animals, to this those’ Ancients
soul immediately ascends into the celestial regions with replieel that, th e ir appearing so frequently in hum an
its ctlierial vehicle alone.” Always it is the disposition of form proeveeh'd from tin-i r he'ing incrn.ssatcel with
th e soul that determ ines the cpiality of its body. “ However evil diet, aud then, a.s it were', stampeel upon with the;
the soul be iu itself affected ” says Porphyry, (translated form of this exterior am b ie n t lwxly in which th e y are, as
by Cmlworth ) “ so does it always find a body suitable and crystal is fbrmcel anel ceiloured like to those things which it
agreeable to its present disposition, and therefore to the is fastened in, or re*fle*cts the image* e>f them. And th a t their
purged soul does naturally accrue a body th a t comes next having somet.imeis either elifferent forms proceedejt.li from
to im materiality, that is, an etherial one.’’ And the same the phantastie power of the soul itself, which can a t plea­
author, “ T he soul is never quite naked of all body, but hath sure transform the* spirituous body into any shape. For
always some body or other joined with it, suitable and being airy, when it is conelenseel and fixed, it becometh
agreeabh; to it.s present- disposition ( e it h e r a purer or visible, and again invisible and vanishing out of sight
inquirer one). 15ut th a t at, its first q u ittin g this gross when it is expanded anel rnrifie-d.” Proem in Arist. de
earthly body, the spirituous body which aceompanieth it Aniniii. Ami Cndwort.h says “ Tlmugh spiritseir ghosts had
( a.s its vehicle) must needs g o away fouled and incrassated certain supple bodie-s which they cemld so fai condense as
with the va|H>urs and steams thereof, till the soul afterwards to make the*m sometimes visible to men, yet is it reason­
by degrees purging itself, this lieromct.h at length a dry able enough to think th a t the)' coulel not constipate e>r fix
splendour, which hath no misty obscurity nor casteth any them into such a firmness, grossness anel solidity .-is that of
shadow.” H ere it will be seen, we lose sight of the spe­ flesh and bom; is to continue therein, or a t le;ast ne>t w ith­
cific ditl'erenceof th e two future vehicles— the etherial out such elifliculty and pain a.s wemld hinder them from
is regarded as a sublimation of the aerial. This, however, a tte m p tin g the same. N otw ithstan ding which it is not
is opposed to the general consensus of Plato's com m en­ denie-ei that they may possibly some-times m ake use of
tators, Sometimes the etherial body, or augoeides, is a p ­ o ther soliel be.xlies, moving and acting them, as in th a t
propriated to the rational soul, orspirit, which must, then famous story of Phleguns when the body vanished ne>t as
be considered as a distinct entity, separable from the lower other ghosts use* to do, but was left a elead- carcase behind.”
soul. Philoponus, a Christian writer, s a y s " that the Ra­ In all the*se; speculations the A v i m a Muml't plays a con­
tional Soul, as to its energie, is separable from all body, but spicuous part! It is the source anel principle of nil animal
th e irrational part or life thereof is separable only from souls, including the irrational soul of man. Hut in man,
this gross body, and not from all body whatsoever, b u t hath who would other wise be merely nnalogus to o th e r terres­
after death a spirituous or airy body, in which it a cte th — trial anim als— this soul participates in a higher principle,
this I sav is a true opinion which shall afterwards lie proved which tenels tei raise anel cemvert it te> itself. To c o m p r e ­
bv us............. The irrational life of the soul hath not all its hend the n ature of this union or hypostasis it would b e
being in this gross earthly body, but rem aineth after the necessary to have* mastereel the; whole of Plato’s philosophy
soul's d eparture out of it, having lor its vehicle and sub­ as comprise*el in the Parmenides anel the Tiimeus ; anel he
ject. the spirituous body, which itself is also compounded would dogmatise rashly who without this arduous pn*pa-
out.of flic'four elements, b u t reeeiveth its denomination ratioii shemlil claim Plato as the: eihampion of an unconeli-
from the predominant, part, to wit, Air, a.s this gross body tional immortality. CVrtainly iu the Plwedo th e ilialogue
of ours is called earthy from what, is most predominant popularly suppose;el to contain all Plato’s teaching on the
therein.” Cndworth, Intell. Syst. From th e same source we subje*ct— the imm ortality allotted to the* im pure soul is of a
extract the following. “ Wherefore these ancients say th a t very epiest.iemn.ble eihn.racter.anel we should rat her infer from
im pure souls after th e ir departure out. of t his body wander the accemnt tlu*re given th a t the hum an personality, a t all
here up and down for a certain space* in their spirituous va- events, is lost by successive immersions into" m atter.” The
porousand airy body,appearingabout sepulch resand haunting following passage* from Plutarch, (epiotcel by Maelnmc Bla-
the ir former habitation. For which cause there is great, rea­ vatsky, “ Isis U nveiled” Vol. 2, p. 2N t) will a t le*ast demons­
son th a t we should take care of living well, as also of abstain­ trate the! jiii tie|iii ty of notions which have recently been mis­
ing from a fouler and grosser d i e t ; these; Ancients telling taken for fanciful novelties. “ Every soul hat h some portion
us likewise th a t this spirituous body of ours being fouled and of reason, a man cannot be a man without it ; b u t as
incrassated by evil diet, is apt. to render the soul in this life much eif e.*ae-h soul as is mixeil with flesh and appetite; is
also more obnoxious to the disturbances of passions. They changed, .anel through pain and ph'a.sure becomes irrational.
further add th a t there is something of the Plantal or Every soul doth not mix herself after erne s o r t ; some plunge
Plastic life, also exercised by the soul, in those spirituous themselves info the boely, nnd so in this life their whole
or airy bodies alter death : they being nourished too, though frame1is corrupted I by appetite ami passion ; others are mix-
not after the same manner, as those gross earthy bodies of eel a.s to some part, but the purer part still ri'inains w ith­
ours are here, b u t by vapours, and th a t not by parts or out the boely. It is not drawn elown into the be>ely, but it
organs, b u t throughout th e whole of them, ( as sponges ) swims above, and touches th e extre-mest part, of the m a n ’s
thev imbibing every where those vapours. For which cause head ; it is like a cord to hole! up and direct th e subsiding
they who are wise will iu this life also take care of using part of the; soul, as long as it proves obcelient and is not
a thin ner and dryer diet, th a t so th a t spirituous lniety overcome by the appetites of the flesh. T he p a rt th a t
(which we have also a t this present time within our proper is plunged into the boely is called se>ul. B u t the incorrup­
body) may not lie clogged and incrassed, b u t attenuated. tible part is called the nous, and the vulgar th ink it is
Over and above which, those* Ancients made, use ofcuHi- within them, as they likewise; imagine! the image* reflected
arms, or purgations to the same end and purpose also. For from a glass t,o be in I,Ihit glass, lint, the more intelligent,
as this earthy bod}’ is washed by water so is th at spiri­ whet know it to be without, call it a Da'inon.” Anel in the
tuous body cleansed by cathartic vapours— some of these same learned work (" Isis Unveiled") we have; two Christian
vapours being nutritive, others purgative. Moreover, t hese authorities, Ircninus and Origen, cited for like* distinction
Ancients further declared concerning this spirituous body between spirit anil soul in such a, m anner as to show th a t
that it was not, organized, but. did the whole of it in every the former must, necessarily be ivgareled a.s separable from
p a rt throughout exercise all functions of sense, the soul the latter. In th e ilistinct.iun itself there is eif course no
nearing, seeing aud perceiving all sensibles by it every novelty for the most moeleratcly well-informcel. I t is in-
where*. For which cause Aristotle* himself affirmeth in sisteel upon in many mexlern works, among which may bo
his Metaphysics tha t there is properly b u t one Sense nnd mentioned H e a rd ’s "T rich otom y of Wan” and G reen s,
Spiritual P h ilo s o p h y ; tlie latter being an exjiosition of
Coleridge’s opinion on this and cognate subjects. B u t the
difficulty of regarding the two principles as separable in
fact as well as in logic arises from the sense, if it is not the
illusion of personal identity. T h a t we are partible, and
th a t one p a rt only is immortal, th e non-metaphysical mind
rejects with th e indignation which is i\lways encountered
by a proposition th a t is at once distasteful and unintelligible.
Y et perhaps i tis n o t a grcaterdifficulty (if, indeed, it is not the
verysame) than th a t hard saying which t roubled Nicodcmus,
and which y et has been the key note of th e mystical reli­
gious consciousness ever since. This, however, is too ex­
tensive and deep a question to be treated in this article,
which has forits ohjectchiefly tocall atte n tio n to th e distinc­
tions introduced by ancient thought into the conception of
body as the in strum en t or “ vehicle” of soul. T h a t there is a
correspondence between the spiritual condition of man
and the m edium of his objective activity every spiritualist
will a d m it to be probable, and it may well be t hat some
light is thrown on future states by th e possibility or tho
manner of spirit communication with this one.
IN D IA N JU G G L IN G .
A copy of the following certificate, found among the
papers of the late Venayek G ungadher Sha.stree, l'lsq., the
eminent Indian Astronomer hits been kindly placed a t our
disposal by his son, Mr. B. V. Sliastree, after due com pa­
rison with the original by Rao B ah a d u r S. P. P a n d i t:—
CKItTlFICATK.
B aroda, 20th F e b ru a r y 1841.
This is to certify th a t ft Ja du rjar (juggler) by name
Lalla Bhadang, an inhabitant of K uppudw un, in Guzerat,
has been a t this place during the last week, and th a t he
exhibited the most extraordinary lbata, or, I should rather
-say, he wrought miracles, in the presence of a large con­
course of curious spectators, among whom I was one. H e
produced certain things, (lowers, koonkoo, betelnuts, su-
garcandy, a cocoanut, a scorpion, a piece of bone, &c.
though we could not discover, nor conceive any possibility
of his having previously concealed them with him. H e
converted certain things into certain others merely by
once holding them in his list, in spite of the most vigilant
attention we paid, in the hope of being able to discover
the mystery. However, he could not produce or exhibit
any such article as (apparently not a t hand) had not, he
pretended, been previously sanctioned by his Patron God­
dess, called Becliarajee. We so far p u t him to test th a t
he was stript of his clothes and*loft almost naked, when,
to our great surprise, he pinched out some betelnuts from
my body, and drew out a few pieces of sugarcandy a p p a ­
rently from the cloth of my jacket. H e took out my gold
chain and instantly struck my thigh with it, when it dis­
appeared. In a m inu te he made it reappear in a pillow
two feet behind him. O ur gold seals and rings apparently
vanished, no sooner were they p u t into his hand, and were
reproduced merely by pinching over the (lame of a lamp,
or at the point of a trident, which he always bears (or his
sceptre. In fact, none of us could perceive the least sleight,
or dexterity, of hand, if it m ight be possible for him to
exercise it, during any of these very wonderful, I may say,
supernatu nil exh i hitions.
" ' . (Signed.) N A N U N A R A Y A N .
Not far from the town of Torneo (Uleaborg, Finland),
the mountain called A ai'asax, becomes every year, on St.
Jo h n ’s day, a place of rendezvous for m any tourists.
During th a t whole n ight the sun never sets a t all, and
hundreds g a th e r to witness the magnificent spectacle.
This year, according to the Uleaborg gazettes, there were
about HOG people, among them three Englishmen, two
Frenchmen, several Russians, Germans, Danes and Swedes;
the rest, Finns. The sun shone with marvellous b rig h t­
ness the whole night. An hotel is being bu ilt on the
mount for th e convenience of future travellers.
A C H A P T E R ON J A IN I S M .
B y B a l a R a m D us Sen, O r d i n a r y Member o f the O rie n ta l
A c a d e m y o f Florence.
T he J a in religion never spread beyond th e limits of
India. Being th u s much less widely known, it has never
stood high, like Buddhism in th e estimation of foreigners.
Even in India itself, after (lashing like a meteor across th e
religious sky for a short time, it long since grew compara­
tively dim. As a m a tte r of course, it has failed to com­
mand any considerable degree of notice from beyond.
Arliata was the founder of th e J ain religion, and was a
king of the B enkata hills in th e South Carnatic. E arly
retiring from th e world, he went about, exhorting the peo­
ple to follow th e example of Rishabha Deva, whose cha­
racter he held up as a model to imitate.
T he D egam bar and Switam hara sects of the Jains
diverged and came into notice long afterwards.
Rishabha Deva is mentioned in the liltli book of Sri Mata
blmgavata. H e is, according to th e Hindus, a part-incarna-
tion of Vishnu. The J a in s acknowledge him as the first Ar-
hata, and he is styled Arliata, because, following in the wake
ot Resava, he atte m p te d to effect a religious reformation.
According to the Piiranas, Rishabha was father of Blia-
rata, and flourished in very early times. T h e Ja in s do
not deny the existence of God ; but they hold the Arliata
themselves to be th a t God. It is said in Vi tarn gastati,
a Ja in work, tha t “ there is only one Creator of th e world,
and no other, who is eternal and o m nipresen t; and be­
sides him, everything else here is a source of evil, and
unsubstantial even as a dream. O A rhana ! There is no­
thing in this world, which thou hast not created.” The
attributes of the .lain God are different from those of the
Vaidantic God. W ith them God is omniscient, conqueror
of anger, envy, and of every evil passion; revered in the three
worlds and the speaker of truth ; Arliata only is the true
God.*
In their opinion virtue is tho only avenue to salvation.
Virtue absolves man from the bonds of action, and th e re ­
by restores him to his original purity of nature.
Salvation is in its very nature ever up-lifting. The
Ja in s have it t h u s : Then- is a limit beyond which even
the sun, moon, and the planets cannot rise ; and, when
they reach their point of climax, the)' come down again.
But the souls that have once attained to perfection, never
conn; down again. 'The very tendency of the soul is ever
to rise high. It. grovels below, only because of its mor­
tal ten em en t th a t holds it in ; or, because it is weighted
down with its clayey environment. As soon :us this mor­
tal coil is slmflled off, it resumes its original nature. In­
finite is space. Infinite so is I he progress of the soul ; or
infinite is the improvement the soul is capable of. A pum p­
kin, for instance, though in itself light enough, would,
if enveloped in clay, or weighed heavily otherwise, sink
to th e bottom of the sea ; but, if it could disburthcn itself
there, it would steadily work its way up to the surface
again. Even so is the n atu re of the sold.
T he Ja in moralists say :—
Wisdom is an a ttrib u te of man. Wisdom only can lead
to salvation, or enable man to sail safely over the solemn
main ot lift!. Wisdom only can dispel the gloom of false
knowledge, like mists after snn-risc. Wisdom only can
absolve man from the consequences of action. Wisdom is
S u p r e m e ; and no action can equal wisdom. Wisdom is joy.
Wisdom is snm vunii bonum. Wisdom is Brahma himself.
F u r th e r on, in the ethical part of th e J a in religion, it
is said :—
" A man should dwell only where virtue, tru th , p u rity
and good name are prized, and where one may obtain th e
light of tru e wisdom.
Man should not dwell where the sovereign is a boy,
a woman, or an ignoramus ; or, where then; are two kings.
A man should go nowhere w ithout an object in view.
A man should not travel alone ; nor sleep alone in a
" facTCf'TI^} : ||
house. or mi mi elevated p la c e ; nor enter any man s house
suddenly.
A good m an should not wear torn or dirty c lo th es; nor
p u t mi his hod}’ a red llower, except it he a red lily.
A wise m an should never deceivc gods or old men ; and
ne ith e r should be a prosecutor or a witness.
W h e n you come hack from a walk, you should take
a. little rest, th e n p u t off'’your clothes, and wash your hands
and feet.
A grinding mill, a cutting instrum ent, a cooking u te n ­
sil, a w ater jar, and a water pot, are the five things that
bring men to s i n ; which, again, in its turn, causes them
to deviate from the paths of virtue. Fo r these are the
sources of envy. Take what care you will, they are sure
to give rise to envy.
The ancients prescribed several virtues to enable man
to escape from this sin. Hence men should always prac­
tise virtuous actions.
Kindness, charity, perfect control over th e passions,
worshiping the gods, reverence to t.lic ( iiiru, forgiveness,
truth, purity, devotion, and honesty :— these are the virtues
th a t every house-holder should possess.
V irtue is too extensive. It.s most p rom inent feature*,
however, is doing good to mankind.
There are two kinds of virtue— that, which atones for
our sins ; and th a t which secures or brings about salvation.
Tilt* first-mentioned virtue embodies the redemption of
th e fallen, benevolence, humility, perfect control over the
passions, and mildness. These virtues destroy sin.
Priests, gurus, guests, and distressed persons, when they
come to our house, should first be welcomed, and then fed
to the best, of our means.
We should relieve and soothe as much as wre can tin*
sick, the hungry, the thirsty, and the frightened.
Being so fortunate as to have been horn men, we should
always be engaged in something useful eith er to ourselves
or to others."
There is very little difference between the H in d u and
the J a in systems of morality. This is owing to th e H ind us
anil Ja in s living together and in th e same country, and to
the fact th a t most of the ethics of the J a in s were derived
from the Aryan code of morality.
T H E S O C I E T Y ’S B U L L E T I N .
Two persons of influence connected with the Viceregal
Government, have recently joined th e Society. The tide
turns, evidently.
O u r Fellows will be glad, o u r adversaries sorry, to learn
th a t olir journal has, within sixty days after its first aj>-
enrnnce, tieo-and~a~holf tim es as m i n t y subscribers tis it
eqiin with. N o t one day has passed, since October 1st,
without some names having been added to our list. This
U n exp ected good fortune m u st be ta k e n as p ro of of the
wide interest felt by the Indian reading public in this
a tte m p t to recall the golden memories of ancient Arynn
achievement. B u t most precious of all to us, have been
the letters of blessing and e n c o u r a g e m e n t th a t we have
received from natives living in all p arts of this Peninsula.
W e have marked upon a map of India, in colored ch alk ,
th e localities of our subscribers, and find th a t ou r paper
already goes, each month, to nearly every im portant city, Hindi
from th e Himalayas to Comorin. I f we should continue
to receive contributions from such erudite Indians as those 5ii1t
w h o se articles grace our present issue, the T iik o so I'll 1ST
will certainly have a brilliant and useful career.
T he General Council thanks the Fellows who have r f r q
presented books to the Library, and has ordered each
volume to be inscribed with the donor’s name. A p a rti­ m eans the sijjiict of a royal ns well ns of a religious personage ; a rin p seal
cular request, is made that. Follows will send to the Libra­
rian all useful books, magazines and journals th a t have
been read by them and are not especially wanted for wore the Mood rn* practised by th e Aryns to qualify them selves for Ynjj.
reference. Works upon any branch of Occult Science will prelim inaries of
have a peculiar value, as it is th e desire of th e General a ijuite d istin ct nud in d ep en d en t courso of Yoga training, th e com pletion of
Council to m ake our Library, in time, one of the richest
in the world in this respect. A cknow ledgement is also
due to Professor Sakharam A iju n and ])r. Pandurang
Gopal for magazines loaned to th e Library.
ARY A PEA K ASH.
[C ontinued from tho October N um ber.]
T H E A U TO B IO G R A PH Y OF D A Y A N U N D
S A R A S W A T I, SWAMI.
Written by him expressly f o r the Tiikc RorniST.
A fter passing a certain time in solitude, on th e Rushee-
kcsli, a Brahm achari and two m ountain ascetics joined
me, and we all three went, to Tidee. The place was full
of ascetics and R a j (Royal) Pandits— so called on account
of their g re a t learning. One of them invited me to come
and have dinn er w ith him a t his house. A t th e appoin­
ted hour he sent a man to conduct, me safely to his place,
and both the Brahm achari and myself followed the mes­
senger. But. w hat wa.s our dismay upon e n tering the
house, to first see a B rahm in preparing and cutting meat,
and then, proceeding further into the interior apartments,
to find a largo company of pandits seated with a pyramid
of flesh, rumpst.eaks, and dressed up heads of animals
before th em 1 T he m aster of th e house, cordially in­
vited me in ; but, w ith a few brief words— begging them
to proceed with their good work and n ot to disturb
themselves on my account, I left the house and returned
to m y own quarters. A few m inutes later, the beef-eating
p an dit was a t my side, praying me to return, and trying
to excuse himself by saying th a t it was on vii/aecoiivt,
that the sum ptuous viands had been prepared ! I then
firmly declared to him that it was all useless. They were
carnivorous, flesh-eating men, and myself a strict vegeta­
rian, who felt, sickened a t the very sight of meat. I f he
would insist upon providing me with food, he might, do so
by sending m e a few provisions of grain and vegetables
which my Brahniachari would prepare for me. This lie
promised to do, and then, very much confused, retired.
Staying a t Tidee for some time, I inquired of the same
Pandit abou t some books and learned treatises I wanted
to get for my instruction ; w hat books and manuscripts
could be procured a t that, place, and where. H e m e n ­
tioned some works on Sanskrit, giam m ar, classics, lexico­
graphies, books on astrology, and th e T a v tr u x — or ritua-
1istlcs. F in d in g th a t the latter were the only ones u n ­
known to me, I asked him to procure the same for me.
Thereupon the learned m an brought to me several works
upon this subject. B u t 110 sooner had I opened them, than
my eye fell upon such an a m o u n t of incredible obscenities,
mistranslations, m isinterpretations of text and absurdity,
that I felt, perfectly horrified. In this Ritual I found th at
incest was perm itted with mothers, (laughters, and sisters
(of the Sho em aker’s caste), as well as am ong th e P ariahs
or the outca.st.es,— and worship wa.s performed in a p e r­
fectly nude state I1).............Spirituous liquors, fish, and all
kind of animal food, and M v o ilr a ('-.'(exhibition of indecent
images)........were allowed, from B rahm in down to Marne).
M) Knr reasons which will be appreciated we prefer piving tho tex t ill
cR oil 2^#f ajp-
urcTT, ^ r , tfn-
MK 3 ^ f a q f a ^ r , 5?T
7 t? fHTT, 5R*i R ^ 'l ft
jf ? t o 51% n . |— E d .
(’2) T he word M vadrahnn been variously understood nnd in terp reted . I t
with initials engraved upon it. JJut It is also understood in an o th er sense—
tho prestino nnd esoteric.
Dhaochnvri, ( huchuin , Kh(cha> i, CJiHrttch<i> i, and these fivo
T hey
arc tho initiative stages to the diflicult system of KaJ*Y(mj, and tho
th e early discipline ° f H at-Y on. Tho Mooilra is
And it was explicitly stated th a t all those five things of
which the nam e commences with tho nasal <’>, mi, as for
instance, M a d y a (intoxicating liquor) ; M t t a (fish) ; Mcunts
(flesh) ; M uodva........ ; and Mait/tooii.............. were so many
means for reaching Muktee ( s a l v a t i o n ) ! liy actually
reading th e whole contents of the T untrax I fully as­
sured myself of th e craft and viciousness of the authors of
this disgusting literature which is regarded as HKUGKU's I
I left th e place and w ent to S hreenagar__
Taking up my quarters at a temple, on Kediir Ghdt, I
used these T u n tru s as weapons against th e local pandits,
whenever there was an opportunity for discussion. W hile
there, I became acquainted with a Sadhoo, named (ianga
Giri, who by day never left his m ountain where he resided
in a jungle. O ur acquaintance resulted in friendship as I
soon learned how entirely worthy he was of respect. W hile
together, we discussed Yuya and o ther sacred subjects, and
through close questioning and answering became fully and
mutually satisfied th a t wo were fit for each other. So
attractive was his society for me, th a t I stayed over two
months with him. ' I t was only a t the expiration of this
time, and when a u tu m n was setting in, th a t I, w ith my
companions, the Brahmachftri and th e two ascetics, left
Kedar G hat for other places. W e visited Ilu d ra Prayiig
and other cities, until we reached the shrine of Agasta
Munee.............F u rth e r to the N orth, there is a mountain
peak known as the Shivpooree (town of Shiva) where 1
spent the four months of the cold season ; when, finally
parting from th e Brahmachari and th e two ascetics, 1
proceeded back to Kedar, this time alone and unimpeded
m my intentions, aud reached G u p ta K u sh e c M (the secret
Benares).............
I stayed b u t few days there, and went thence to the
Trlytujeo (a) Narayan shrine, visiting on my way Gowree
Koond tank, and the cave of Bheemgoopha. Returning
iu a few days to Kedar, my favorite place of residence,
I there finally rested, a num ber of ascetic B rahm in wor­
shipers— called Pandas, and th e devotees of th e Tem ple
of Kedar, of th e Jan g a m sect,— keening me company
until my previous companions, the Brahm achari with his
two ascetics, returned. I closely watched th e ir ceremo­
nies and doinj'S,O ’ and observed all th a t was ogoinj' o on with
a determined object of learning all th a t was to lie known
about these sects. B u t once th a t my object was fulfilled,
I felt a strong desire to visit the surrounding m oun­
tains, with their eternal ico and glaciers, in q uest of those
true ascetics I have heard of, b u t as yet had never m e t—
the M id u ltm d s <J). I was determ ined — come what m ig h t—
which helps tho candidate to a tta in La^hima ft ml (tarim a (For tho
meaning of thoso S'uhUiit, seo a itic lo o u ]'*y* 1 i n tho Nov. num ber of
Tmkosoimiist). Tho sense of this holy word once pervorted, th e ignorant I»mh-
tuiiiH debased it to im ply tho pictorial rep resen tatio n of tbo em blem s of
their deities, and to signify tho mark* of thnso sexual emblem* daubed upon
their bodies with Oopichtttul made of tho whitish clay of river* held filtered.
Tho Vaishnavas dobo*.o th e m ark aim! tho word loss th an tho ; but
tho Shallas by applying it to tho obscono g estures and tho indecent ex*
nsures of thoir tilthy Ilitual, have entirely degraded its A ryan m eaning. -
Iid.
(l)T h o following are tho tlvo nawds in S an scrit ; **
(1) ? ( ngii), (•>) 51 ( yna ), (3) «I (n n a ), (4) fT ( n a ), (.">) H (ma).
(2.i Unpin KAshoo -U n p tu , secret, hidden ; K 'uhrt, th e ancient name of
B e n ares-is a holy placo enshrouded iu m ystery. I t is niton 160 miles from
liliadrinnth. O utw ardly th ere U seen only a tom plo w ith colum ns ; b u t a
firm belief prevails am ong pilgrim s to th e effect th a t th is shriuo only serves
as a lau d m irk to indicate th e locality of the sacred hidden Bonaros —a whole
city, in fact, underground- T his holy place, thoy believe, will be revealed a t
tho proper tim e, to th e world. The M ahatmas alone can now reach it, aud
some inhabit it. A learned Swrinii friend, and a native of lih ad rin ath , highly
respected a t Bombay, has ju s t told us th a t th e re is a prophecy th a t iu 25
year* from this tim e Benares will Img in to decline iu every o th er rcs)»ew‘t as
it has lo i.g d o n o iu holiness, and, owing to tho wickedness of men, will
tonally fall. Thou, tho m ystery of G upta Krfshoo will be disclosed and th e ,
truth bogin to dawn upon m en. tiwrfmi P —.so lem n ly avers th a t, having
often visited this very shrine, ho has several tim es obsorvud, with his
own eyes, as it were, shadowy forms disappearing a t tho entranco —as though
half visible men, or th e w raiths of men were cntoriug.—Ed.
(3) T hree yugs, or tbo T h ree Kpochs.
(4) The Mahatma*, or literally g reat souls, from two w ords—M uh,i, great,
tu d dJmu, soul—aro those m ysterious adepts whom tho popular fancy views
as m agician*/' and of whom every child knows iu India, b u t who m e m et
with so rarely, especially iu th is ago of degeneration. W ith the exception of
sonic Swdmis and ascetics of a perfectly holy life, th ere aro few who know
positively th a t th ey tlo exist, aud ar£ no m yths created by su|>erst)tious
fancy, f t will be given, perhaps, to Swami ItayAmtnd, th e g ro at and holy
mat), tJ disabuse th e skeptical m inds of his deg en eratin g co u n try m en ; es­
pecially of this young decorated generation, tho Jtntu$st JJoii? of Indlt., the
Jd..U and M.A# aristo cracy —who, fed upon Wytftvru nm tw ialisni, and in-
to ascertain w heth er some of them did or did not live there
as rumoured. B u t th e trem endous difficulties ot this
mountainous jo urn ey ami the excessive cold forced
me, unhappily, to first m ake inquiries among the hill-
tribes and learn what they knew of such men. Every­
where I encountered either a profound ignorance upon
the subject or a ridiculous superstition. H av in g w an­
dered in vain J'or about tw enty days, disheartened, I re ­
traced my steps, as lonely as before, my companions who had
a t first accompanied me, having left me two days after we
had started through dread of the great cold. 1 then ascended
the T unganath Peak.**) There, I found n temple full of idols
ami officiating priests, and hastened to descend the peak on
the same day. Before me were two paths, one leading
W est and the o ther South-west. 1 chose at random th a t
which led towards the jungle, and ascended it. Soon after,
the jjiith led me into a dense jungle, with rugged rooks and
dried up, waterless brook. The path stopped a bruptly
there. Seeing myself th u s arrested, 1 had to m ake my
choice to either climb up still higher, or descend. Ueflect-
ing w hat a he ight there was to the summit, th e tremendous
difficulties of climbing th a t rough and steep hill, ami th a t
the night would come before I could ascend it, I concluded
th a t to reach the su m m it th a t night was an impossibility.
W ith much difficulty, however, catching at the grass and
the bushes, I succeeded in atta in in g the higher hank of the
Nala (the dry brook), and .standing on a rock, surveyed
the environs. 1 .saw nothing b u t torm ented hillocks, high
land, and a dense pathless jungle covering the whole,
where no man could pass. Meanwhile the sun was rapidly
descendin'; © towards the horizon. Darkness would soon set
in, and th e n — w ithout water or any means for kindling a
fire, what would be my position in the dreary solitude of
th a t jungle !
By dint of tremendous exertion, though, and after an
acute suffering from thorns, which tore my clothes to shreds,
wounded my whole body, and lamed my feet, I managed
to cross the jungle, and a t last reached the foot of the hill
and found myself on the high-way. All was darkness
around and over me, and 1 had to pick my way at
random, trying only to keep to the road. Finally I
reached a cluster of huts, and learning from the people th a t
that road led to O khee Math, I directed my steps towards
that place, and passed the night there. In the morning,
feeling sufficiently rested 1 returned to the (lupl.i Kttnhee
(the Secret Benares), from whence 1 had started on my
Northward journey. B u t th a t journey attracted me, and
soon again I repaired to O khee .Math, under th e 'p iv te x t of
examining th a t herm itage and observing the way of living
of its inmates. There I l i a d tim e to examine a t leisure,
the ado of th a t famous and rich monastery, so full of pious
pretences and a show of asceticism. The high priest (or
Chief Hermit), called M a h u n t, tried hard to induce me to
remain and live there with him, becoming his disciple.
He even held before me the prospect, which he th o ug ht
quite dazzling, of inheriting some day his lacs of rupees,
his splendour anil power, and finally succeeding him iu his
spired by the cold negation of tho ag e, despite tho traditions, as well
us the religion of thoir forefathers, calling all th a t was held sacred
by tbo latter, a “ ro tte n su p erstitio n ." Alas ! they hardly rem ark them*
selves th a t from idolatry they have fallen into hiuhinu. T hey have b u t
changed th eir idols for poorer ones, and rem ain th e sumo.
(1) At B hadriuath (N orthern India), on the rig h t bank of th e Bi.shonganga,
where the celebrated tem ple of Vishnu, with hot mineral .springs in it, a n ­
nually a ttra c ts num erous pilgrim s, th ere is a stran g e trad itio n am ong tho
inhabitants. Thoy believe th a t holy Mahatmas (anchorites) have lived
tho inaccessible m ountain peaks, in caves of llm g reatest Itcanty for
several thousand yoars. T heir residence is approachable only through a
cavern porpotually choked wiih snow, which forbids tho approach of tho
curious and tho skeptical. T he BhudriiuUh peaks in this neighbonrhodd aro
above 2‘2,OUO feet high.—
Since th e above was w ritten ono of our m ost rcs|*ect« <1 aud learned Fellow's
hns inform ed us th a t his Unfit (1'rcceptor) told him th a t while stopping
a t tho tem ple of N arayan, on th e H im alayas, whcro ho had paused »omo
m onths, he saw therein a copper pinto bearing date, with an inscription,
said to have been mado by Miaukarachtfryn th at th at tem ple was the ex*
Iromo lim it whoro one should go in ascending tho Himalayas. T he (it>nL
also said th u t farth er up the heights, and beyond apparently unsui nionniablo
walls of snow and ice. no several tim es saw men of % m ost venerable ap ­
I carimcc, such as tho Aryan TiUhts are represented, w earing hair so long
as to hang below* th e ir waist. T hero is reason to know th at he saw correctly,
and th a t tho curront belief is not w ithout foundation th a t the place is
inhabited by adepts and no out’ who is nut an adupt u ilt itv r tjticcucd i|i
g ettin g an entrfiucc (Kd ) '
M ahantxhlp, nr supreme rank. T frankly answered liim j through th e bodies of m edium s or liy assuming temporarily
th a t liad 1 ever eraved any sueli riches or glory, 1 would >objective forms tliem selves; tliat this state of existence is
not liave secretly left tin; house of my father, wliieh was not j b etter than the earthly fine ; and tliat in that, incorporeal
less sum ptuous or attractive than liis monastery, with all its existence they will develop ami a tta in to th e degree of final
riches.— “ T he object, which induced me to do away with , perfection. Now, H ind u philosophy an d religion teach
all these wonlly blessings" I added," I li in 1 you neither differently on every one of these points. Though they
strive for, nor possess the knowledge of." He th en en- a d m it th a t some hum an souls may continue for a long
tpiired what was that object lor which I so sl.ri veil, j time wit b o u t ano th er coi poreal body, after (heir severance
“ T lia t object,” I answered “ is the secret knowledge, the j from the hum an bodies which they animated, still this
Vidya, or true erudition of a i/niniiie Yog ; the Mnnlh-r, is the lot of comparatively a few,— of those only who, du-
which is reached only by the purity of one’s soul, and err- i ring th e ir existence on this earth, led a life of sensual
hiln rftfff/jiwcnfcuunttainahle w ithout it. Meanwhile, the j fijipetit.es, and who died prematurely with the* intensity
performance of all the dut ies o f man towards his fellow-men, of those carnal desires unabated aud surviving their soj mi -
and the elevation of hum anity thereby.” ‘ ration from their gross Indies. It is such souls only th a t
T h e M ahai)t remarked that it was very good, and asked 1 are considered to stick to the earth, and become what
me to rem ain with him f o r some tim e at. least, lin t I are called rish a clia s* or w hat the W estern spiritualists
k ep t silent, and returned no reply : f hail not, vet found | miscall ‘spirits ' ! B u t even these are not considered to
what I sought. Kisiug on the following morning very continue in this state of existence for ever, nor is this
early, I left, this rich dwelling and w ent to .loshec Math. state considered as in any way desirable. W ith regard
There, in the company of Dakshanee, or Maharashtra. Slias- to the majority of h um a n souls, it is held th a t according
ll'ces anil Sannya.sis, the true ascetics of the 4th O r d e r —I to their holy or unholy deeds and desires in this life, they
rested for a while. go e ith e r to higher and better worlds, ending with B r a h ­
( T o hi' I'liUliI) m il.) m a loha, by th e a rc hiru di uiarja, or to th e n e th e r worlds,
by the y a m a n u h y a . f T he former are considered to bo
tem porary elevations to b etter existences, the latter to
H I N D U ID E A S A ROUT C O M M U N IO N W I T H worse existences th an on this world iu hum a n shape. B ut
the stage of existence known as r!t<hacha yonl, is regar­
D EA D .
ded in th e H in d u system of philosophy and religion as
B y llao B a h a d u r J a n a rdhan S u lh a r m n Guihjil, 1.1..11., the most horrible and pitiful th a t th e h u m a n soul can
V. T. .S’. enter. T h e reason of it is th a t it is the state th a t comes
over the hum an soul as the result of th e baser desires
N ow th a t a medium of regular communication, in tbe having preponderance a t the tim e of sepaiation from the
shape of the Thnmojihisf, has been established lx-tween the corporeal body ; it is th e state in which th e capacities for
East, and the W est, lor exchanging ideas on mat ters o f ; the enjoym ent of sensual pleasures are in a developed
philosophy and occultism, it may be useful to sta te in state, b u t the soul lacks the* means of physical enjoyment,
general terms what Hindu philosophy and psychology viz, a corporeal b o d y ; it is the state 111 which the soul
have to say about Spiritualism. T h is is the more im por­ can never m ake progress and develop into better exis­
ta n t inasmuch as E uro pe and America are a t the present tence. I t is considered that, in this state the soul being
day startled and bewildered by those remarkable manifes­ deprived of the m eans of enjoyment throu gh its own p h y ­
tations of so-called spirits, which have* rivet ted the attentio n sical body, is p erpetually to rm ented by hunger, appetite
of the learned, and are said to have drawn away more aud oth e r bodily desires, and can have only vicarious e n ­
than tw enty millions of people there from tile materialistic j jo y m e u t by e ntering into the living physical bodies of
tendencies of the present, age. others, or by absorbing the subtlest essences of libations
Viewed from the standpoint of Hindu philosophy, nay, j and oblations offered for th e ir own sake. N o t all Pixha-
t h a t of any philosophy worthy of the name, the sp iritu a ­ chas can e n te r th e living hu m a n body of another,
listic movement in America and Europe is to be hailed as and none can en ter the body of a holy man, th a t is, nu
a demonstrative condemnation of th a t gross materialism, ascetic or a d e p t in occultism.
subversive of all religion and tru e science, which preaches Very few spirits are considered to possess the power
t h a t nothing of m an survives the Corporeal dissolution of m ak in g themselves m anifest by assum ing physical a p ­
called death. Am ongst Hindus, this was the belief and pearances for even a short time. T hese are regarded as
tho creed of th e Charvaks, whom our philosophers have having gre ate r stren gth than the others, and it is believed
regarded, on th a t account, as so despicable th a t no writer th a t these g e t this power over those who in the stage
of distinction am ong Hindus considers it worth his while of their corporeal existence 011 earth, were given up to the
to ta k e the trouble of noticing th e ir creed or refuting it. worship of, and association with demons (Pishachas), or to
T hese Charvaks are p u t down as jidmarn, that, is, creatures the contem plation and practice of m a n i r a s th a t control
who are so deficient in philosophical capacity th a t they them, or who were th e victims of some overbearing pas­
are not fit to be argued with, and must be left to th e m ­ sion. B u t this state of being is deemed th e most miserable
selves till by experience or even meditation they get the and awful th a t any one could have en tered upon, and it
capacity of perceiving that som ething survives the bodily is only th e eomparativelly good souls th a t after long suffer­
dissolution. The spiritualists of A merica and Europe have ing alul purification arc able to extricate themselves.
this tru th phenomenally dem on strated to them and so far T he whole series of prescribed Hindu funeral ceremo­
E astern philosophy welcomes th e movement. But beyond nies, from the 1st to th e l l t l i day after a man's death, is
this it can not go ; for it finds little reason t,o congratulate nothing more th a n th e mode inculcated by th a t religion to
th e spiritualists upon the new ide;is and aspirations they prevent th e hu m a n soul from becoming a P isha ch a. The
p u t forth. T h a t death is the mere separation of tbe corporeal
frame from th e Jiva, or soul th a t anim ates it, is a tr u th tho• Author V ltkttchtis: this word can hardly bo rendered Accurately in Knglish, though
of “ Isis U nveiled" givoa ft pood equivalent in tho term “ Klemen-
ad m itted in all schools of Oriental philosophy. T h e Bliag- taries.” T hey are gross, d epraved human souls which, a f te r th e d eath of tho
body are e a rth hound as tbo re su lt of th e ir titte r lack of sp iritu a lity nnd tho
w n t-g it-i s a y s t i . a t t i ,o j i v i i , w i . i d i i.> a ( . a . t , . , , . ! |.n ,c o i ,.,y - j ^
predom inanco of t heir b aser naturos. These aro tho only dineml>odied human
S e l l , th a t is, Brahlll, leaves the corporeal body at th e time j iioiiiKff with whom tlio living can, ficcotdiiig to llimlu bolicf, conimuno ; nnd.
noedlcA* to gay, tho idea
of death, and it draws in and takes w ith it, the mind anil the tellcctuul endow m ents, who lack spiritual intuitions m ay becomo Pishnchas of thin intercourse U a b h o rre n t. Men of mero in*
senses ; j u s t as th e breeze of air th a t touches and leaves a equally with tho vicious. Iu sh o rt “I'inhndui *’ is a re tu rn in g houI, a dremon.
flower bears off its perfume. So far Oriental philosophy + Hindu* m ostly believe thr»t tho purification nnd progrosnion of tho human
and W estern Spiritualism are a t one. B u t it appears th a t soul a fte r d eath aro oirectc d by its retu rn to this e arth from the several other
worlds w hithor it goes, and its reincarnation, or transm igration ; each new
W estern spiritualists are drifting into the belief th a t every reincarnation is governed by it* deeds in tlio previous birth, those souls which
h u m an soul, after its severance from the corporeal Ixxly have boon good reappearing under higher reincarnation*, those which wero
bad under lower ones. B ut the tru o Yogi so purifies hi* inner self an to go nt
which it anim ated on this earth, rem ains for ever w ithout d eath im m ediately to /im/oM't lolo, whcnco he never returns, b u t where he
ano th e r corporeal body ; th a t all hu m an souls can, anil some remain* u n til th e next P m laytf, or dissolution of the visiblo universe, com­
pletes hi* em ancipation from all earth ly taint, aud transfer* bin) into
. * . •(* 1* • 1 I • *1.1 jMi'ien 11m L
’liMiiii ipiti
tin u m lv c t i i c m s e l v e s n m in k \s t to l i v i n g h u m a n h o in g s , e i t h e r 1 or the otom al Ilia*.
ceremonies performed and oblations offered by tbe relatives h e a t— the light and heat th a t extends from earth below to
of the deceased, are considered efficacious for this purpose, heaven above. T h e sun, th a t fruitful source of much r e ­
and hence H in d u religion enjoins it as th e most affectionate ligion in all ages and countries, did not fail to he viewed
duty of n son or oth e r relative to save his departed ones from m any varied poetical standpoints. T he sun becamo
from this direful fate. In the Sluistras, th e king, as the Savitil, i.e. the daily proycnitor of the world, as he madu
heir of the heirless, is enjoined by th e sacred books to per­ the world daily rise into visible existence from the death
form or g e t performed these sacred rites for those th a t have of darkness in which it lay enveloped during the previous
no relative’s to perform them in their behalf; for it is con­ night. Tho sun became l’usha, tins nonrinher, because it
sidered of param ount importance th a t the post-mortem was through his light th a t nourishing food was grown.
condition of P ishacha Y o n i should be avoided by all T h e sun as befriending all life by his life-inspiring light and
possible means. Even after this calamity overtakes a h u ­ preventing the world from being always plunged in d a rk ­
man soul, aiul it begins to manifest itself as a Pishach, ness, came to be considered as th e universal ‘ Friend ”—
there are ceremonies enjoined, called Pi.sharlia tnochani, Milra who became finally personified, dcilicd and exalted
intended to emancipate it from this sta te and p u t it in iu hym ns und er th a t name. Tin; sun could not fail to ho
the way of assuming a corporeal body according to its d e­ spoken of as the ‘ great traveller’ that *joes swiftly round
serts. liven th e transmigration of a hum an soul into a tlie earth as none else could g o ; as the “ Heavenly Bird of
lower existence, such as th a t of a beast, reptile, insect, «.tc. excellent wings” flying through heavenly space with in­
is considered preferable to the state of J'is/mchii- 1\ m i ; describable rapidity— and thus to be hymned a.s SajMtr-
for, in the first place, there is in th a t state a corporeal tta U a r n lm d n . T he morning dawn, so refreshing and
body for enjoyment, and secondly, it is comparatively a brilliant, so fair and beautiful, and ever young, daily
very short existence, a t th e end of which the soul has shining forth into manifestation and yet daily vanishing
the possibility of rising up to a b e tte r sta te of existence. away without tarrying long, was necessarily personified,
T he hum an form of existence is regarded as the highest aud was deified into Ualias. All these and sim ilar beings
goal to be aspired to in this series of transmigrations, for seemed to aw ake daily in the early morning (Usharbiidhas)
in th a t alone, th e soul has th e capability of knowing the and to rise into daily existence from the womb of tha t
ultim ate secret of its nature, and thereby a ttaining vast unlimited space, that infinity of brilliant heavenly
the highest beatitude. Existence in worlds even better space, which could not b u t be personified, deified and
than the earth, is dcprecated, lor, although th e capacities hymned by them as A d ili. I t required no great stretch
ami powers of outward enjoym ent in those worlds are of imagination to speak of tho principal gods, who seemed
greater than on earth, yet no other world'bosidcs the earth, to bo born iu tho m orning in the far east in the womb of
the B rah m a loka excepted, is considered to give to a soul heaven’s unlim ited brilliant space A d iti, its -[dihjas or
such development as it is capable of receiving when sons of A d ili.
clothed in the hu m an body,— a developm ent which enables B u t speculation did not fail to be regulated by reason,
him to acquire knowledge of our own essence, and thereby and reason led to gradual generalization. The Vedic
attain final emancipation. seers began to perceive that their seniors had after all
I t will be seen from the above th a t the H ind us are not been speaking of one and the same “ <>ne B e i n g ” under
spiritualists in the sense th a t they foster m edium ship or different names. ‘ Not knowing I ask here those tha t
hold willing communion with th eir dead. T h e obsessed ‘ know, for the sake of knowing, 1 th a t am i g n o r a n t : Ho
person th e H indus regard as unfortunate, and if by an ‘ th a t upholds these! six worlds in their respective places,
unhappy chance, the house is’jvisitcd by a dead relative, ‘ there is, is there not,, som ething in the nature of tha t
the occurrence is considered a disaster, and the returning 'U n b o r n One, th a t is one * * ‘ They fall [him] Judra,
one a subject for pity anil prayers. B u t the Yoga philo­ ' M itm , lrc<n m « [ami] A y n i . Also lie [is the same as] the
sophy, with th e Yogi’s evolution of his psychical j k iw c i -s , ‘ Heavenly B ir d of excellent wings. T he sages name the
is a very different thing. By it he can separate his kduta- ‘ One Being in various ways. They call [him] A y n i , Vania,
ru jia or astral soul from his physical body, can e n te r aud [and] Muta-risra,’* says one of the rishes, Dirghatamns,
temporarily direct another man's body, can become om ­ certainly one of th e oldest Vedic poets. Another, specu­
niscient, can commune with the high spirits of oth e r worlds, lating on tho creation of the universe, the gods, and other
and can a tta in to |>owcrs which to ordinary persons appear beings, says of th e time before the creation : ‘ There was
miraculous, b u t which to a philosopher aud true scientist, ‘ then 110 nonentity nor entity, there was no world, nor the
prove only th e intim ate connection of the microcosm and ‘ heaven t h a t is aloft. W h a t enveloped [the world] < W here
the macrocosm, and the incomparable power of the hum an ‘ and for whose benefit [wa.s it] ? W here wa.s water, tho
soul over the material universe. 'deej) abyss ? There was then no death, nor immortality,
‘ no distinction of nig h t and day. T h a t one breathed
1quietly, through its own power. For besides th a t there
[Contiimtxl from tho N ovem ber N um ber.] ‘ was nothing else. Iu the beginning there was darkness
T H E VEDA, T H E O R IG IN A N D H IS T O R Y OF ‘ enveloped in darkness. All this wa.s undistingiiishable
R E L I G IO N . ‘ nothing. T h a t one which had been enveloped cvery-
‘ where in undistingui.shable nothingness was developed
B y B a o B a h a d u r S h a n k a r P a n d a r a n y P a n d it, M .A . ‘ through the force of fervor. Desire arose in it in the
T he bare, innocent, naked, unsophisticated T r u th is ' beginning, which was the first germ of the mind. Sages
there, viz. th a t the idea of many gods is the most natural ‘ searching with th e ir intellect have found th a t to be
to h u m a n th in k in g and th a t the idea of one Suprem e ‘ the connection between th e e ntity and the non-entity.
God is the result of much thinking, speculating and ge ­ ‘ T h e ray of these [non-entity, desire.* and germ], was it
neralizing. T h u s we have th e genesis of th e m any gods ‘ across, below, or above ? There then arose those th a t
out of th e g rea t phoinomena of nat ure, such of them, th a t ‘ could impregnate, and there arose those that, were mighty
is to say, as strike the imagination of simple b u t specu­ objects. There was selfsupporting principle below and
lative minds. In d ra the god of rain, storm, and light, ‘ power above. W ho knows truly, who can here declare,
th a t sends showers of refreshing aud fructilizing rain to ‘ whence, whence this creation arose ! T he gods are poste-
the earth, strikes with his th u n d e rb o lt— the lightning ‘ rior to the creation of the universe. This being so, who
accompanied by th u n d e r— the sup[>oscd demon th a t w ith­ ‘ knows whence this universe sprang ( W hence this u n i­
holds the rain and ^ p re v e n ts tho light of the heavens
from reaching the earth. V anina was conceived as the ;; aTfaf+'fW TS'TIW faSH
great jiower th a t enveloped the earth with the blind
• • •
pall of night, punished the wicked and rewarded the
just, without th e ir being aware of who it was th a t p u ­ fasf 3TOR 3TIfTv3TVi « HT’ni nCcWT I
nished or rewarded them. Agni was a necessary creation RT S|V*T I
to account for all the p h a u o m c n a connected with light and ' v nis I. lei io.
 ‘ verse arose, w heth er it has been creak'd or w heth er it It is in this view again of th e Veda th a t we regard it
‘ has not been created a t all,— H e who is its Rider in this as th e origin of religion. A nd looked a t from this point
' highest heaven, He alone knows ; and if he does not, then of view,— the point of view, th a t is to say, from which you
‘ no one knows.’ * see in it all th e true principles of universal religion and
T h e h ighest flight of speculation, t.he most, laborious dis­ the chief blemishes thereof, and also see through those
covery or even th e boldest assertion of allowable dog­ principles and blemishes to their earliest germ and follow
m atism of modern days have not,, we think, gone much them through all the phases undergone by them un til
beyond this philosophy of religion of th e Vedic Rishi. you come to a stage which induce people to say that tho
T his is abou t creation. T he o th e r a ttrib u te s of the good principles were revealed by God and the blemishes
Deity, viz. Wisdom, Infinity, Mercy, Im m u tability , I m ­ were im parted by God’s enemy, the Devil— looked a t
mortality, Justice, Universal care, th e quality of being the from this standpoint, th e whole of the Veda is th e most
shelter of th e helpless, the poor, the oppressed— these anil valuable book in the world. I t is the oldest contem po­
nil others which go to form the (hid of all nations not. rary history, th e oldest biography of man, the oldest song
only find a p ro m inent place in the Veda, b u t we have th a t man ever sang to a higher Power or Powers. W hen
therein a reliable history as to how m a n — th e Aryan man at we rem em ber this we cease to reject the hym ns as crude
least— originally came to conceive of them, how he deve­ and uncultivated and ta k e the Upanishads, or to take
loped them and how he m atured th em to a point beyond the hym ns and reject th e Brahmanas. To the biographer
which 110 religion or philosophy has progressed to the the infancy, th e childhood, the school days, th e youth as
present day— and all this, be it rem em bered, unaided, u n ­ well as th e old age of his subject aro all equally im por­
assisted, uninspired by direct divine revelation— a t least tant. Look a t the Veda as a historical record to be read
so far as the Vedic poets and authors themselves arc con- and interpreted historically, and it is a treasure of p e r­
ecrned.-f- fect gems, unequalled in lustre or size. Look a t it from
O th e r religious system s—g ra n tin g them an origin in­ the point of view which is generally adopted by th e o ­
d ep en den t of the venerable Veda— do indeed teach the logians of w hatever sect who wish to find in it either
same attribu tes of the Divinity, b u t they do not any of. nothing b u t divine knowledge' or nothing b u t hum an ra­
them allow us to see fh m iu jk them, to see beyond them, vings, and it at once becomes a perfect chaos. To th e his­
to see behind them. Christianity, for instance, finds it torian, th e scientific scholar, th e s tu den t of h um an insti­
necessary to stand upon revelation for the basis of what tutions, the followers of universal religion and above all
it teaches, though we have no hesitation whatever in say­ to the Theosophist th e V eda will always continue to be
ing t h a t though it teaches m any good things it teaches the most im po rtan t book.
nothing th a t the Veda had not ta u g h t before.
Revelation is an unsatisfactory m eth od of accounting S O U N D IN G S IN T H E OCEAN O F A R Y A N
for your possession. The acquisition requires a more n a ­ L I T E R A T U R E ..
tural, more intelligible, and more acceptable explanation.
B y K il l ,a n t K . Cldiatre, B.A., L.C.K.
This explanation is furnished in abu ndance by the Veda,
and it is chiefly for this reason t h a t we call the Veda H i e way in which knowledge of Physical Science is im ­
the origin and history of all religion. parted to us is apt. to mislead. T he principles are laid
But not only have we in the V e d a what, we may call down, b u t our text-books are silent as to th e original dis­
the virtues of religion, and th e history of their origin coverers and e xpo nents; so that, g e ttin g our education
and development, b u t also the vices thereof and the his­ from European instructors, with the help of European
tory of their origin and development. Like all things text-books, and having no concurrent teaching as to ancient
human, religion— which we regard in its developm ent as Indian history, arts, sciences or literature, we are as ignorant,
hu m an and value it to that e x te n t only th a t it is hum an of our national antecedent.s as though we were at school in
— has had its mistakes and evil consequenccs. I t has Ireland or Germany, or even Iceland or Russia. N o won­
also done—or more correctly som ething else has done in its der, then, th a t th e fires of a tru e patriotism — that which
na m e —great h arm since it began to get any votaries makes one love and revere his native land and his ancestors,
to gether under its standard. Religion has had its myt.ho- are being quenched. We are becoming more European,
logy, its miracles. I t has paralysed the free exercise of the aud less Aryan every day. L et us avail then, of the present
best part of man, reason ; it has ta u g h t us to believe th a t opportunity, to sound th e sea of Aryan literature nnd bring
God is partial to certain m en and inimical to certain up w hatever im p o rta n t th in g wc can. The idea of a siphon,
o th e rs; it lias ta u g h t us to believe in imaginary horrors of for example, is obtained by us through the m edium of the
worlds unseen, aud to kill those people who do not believe English tongue. N o historical sketch is attached to im ­
in w h a t we believe. These and o th e r blemishes which portan t treatises on these sciences. This most naturally
attach to religion are in th e Veda, an d as in the case of breeds in us a false idea th a t th e subject we read of m ust
the virtues of religion we have a clear and well-connected he a European discovery. A lthough S anskrit literature
history of the rise and developm ent of th e blemishes also. abounds in references to various conclusions of. these scien­
ces, still th ere is no work yet found which is devoted to
any special subject.. T he progress of Europe and the back­
wardness of H in d u sta n in the cultivation , of Physical
f¥*mcT?r: ^ hill
Sciences strengthen this prejudice, until we come to believe
H JT ^ CT5?TT 3 ? - ^ - H%?T: |
th a t n o thing was done in this direction in A ryavarta even
>?r: || x || in its golden days. T his is saddening: true, b u t we cannot
deny it.; th e fact is there. Patience, however, in our search
fTTOfl || 3 II through th e profound dep th s of Aryan literature, rewards
frT: |' the inquirer every now and then with facts which a t least
r j jf w || ( || for a m om ent enable one to realise to some ex te n t what
m ust have been the good old times of Aryavarta. Up,
f r r t f F T f pT rP fl c f y K ’T W : I then, b r o t h e r s ; let us search, and wc will surely find. Let
us begin w ith the siphon.
3T.1H ^ S(T IT fr^-T JrT aTI^TlcTI J T frflig: I 1. T he Kv.kl-ntii N u d l : what is this ! I t is no other
3 7 ^ 't'l '^'T I \
3T13PJT |l || than the siphon. The nam e when translated conies to mean
“ a cock tube,” and is analogous to “ th e U shaped tube.”
PTHTg^rT 3TT»THT ?TT ^ q fc f ^TT ff | ^
*ft 3R*n«T$T: bI ^ ?TT II \» II Bhnskarncharya, the celebrated H in du astronomer, who
lived eig ht centuries ago, s a y s * : — “ If a metallic tube
Kigvedn X. 129.
t Rwnmi Prvyummd Snraswali - tho new est n o fo rm e r-lik e w is e rejects * || u 3 [|
d irc c t divine revelation as an im possibility b u t claim s intjn’n dion for hia
jH’im itiro four Hfoki's (fid.) ^ srr\: | ' -
b ent in th e form of an anl'uki * he filled with water, and
if one end of it he put out of, and th e other into a pot
full of water, and if we let go hoth the ends, the water
will How o ut in a continuous stream. T his is ” says the
author of tho Siddhflnta Shiromunni, “ well known to the
artizan sby th e nam e of a cock-tube or l:id:l:ula udtU -f; and
wonders are w rought by means of this.”
G a n o ts p e a k s t h u s : — *' The siphon is filled with some
liquid and the two ends being closed, the shorter leg is
dipped in the liquid * * I t will then run out through
the siphon as long as the shorter end dips in th e liquid."
' (G anot’s “ P h y s ic s ” : The Siphon.)
Now, while the Aryan knowledge of the siphon can not
be hypothecated upon an Indian work only eight centuries
old, yet this passage makes it clear enough t h a t this h y ­
draulic in strum en t was used in this country long before
Ganot’s “ P h y sic s” wa.s written, and hence the lads in our
schools are not obliged to believe the siphon a European
invention merely because Ganot describes it. And th a t
point being settled, the remoter question of Aryan priority
over the Greek and E gyptian philosophers, m ay be safely
postponed for another occasion. T h e magnificent ru m s ot
our ancient hydraulic works ought to satisfy us th a t engi­
neers capable of constructing them m u s t have known their
science thoroughly. , all, to know w hen he ta u g h t than what he ta u g h t and did,
In the works called S u kran iti and Brihatsaiihita, much
interesting information is given. W e will place it before
our readers in the n ext issue.
r o o m , November, IS79.
BAN K A R A C H A It AY A, P H I L O S O P H E R A N D
M Y STIC.O)
B y Kdahinath Trimbeil• Telanrj, M .A., LL.li.
I m ight well plead the m ultitu dino us engagem ents of
busy professional and literary life, as an excuse for not com­
plying with the request to briefly notice in tho TllKOSo-
1’HIST the incidents of Sankaracharaya’s illustrious career.
B ut I am, first and last, a H indu, and my sym pathies and
humble cooperation are pledged in advance to every legi­
timate a tte m p t to elucidate th e history of India or b etter
the intellectual or physical condition of my countrymen.
From th e earliest time thxj study of philosophy and m e ta ­
physics has been prized and encouraged in this country,
and high above all other names in its history are. written
those of our people who have aimed to help men to clear­
er think in g upon the subjects embraced in those categories,
w hether by th e ir writings, discourses or example. The
life which forms my present them e is th e life of one of the
greatest men who have appeared iu India. W h e th e r we
consider his natural abilities, his unselfish devotion to
the cause of religion, or the infiuence he h;us exerted upon
his countrymen, this splendid ascetic stands fa cile p v i n a p s.
• So enchanting, O in fact,' are all his surroundings,
O ’ th a t it
is no wonder th a t the admiration of an astonished people
should have euhemerized him into an incarnation of the
Deity. O ur ignoble hum an nature seems ever so con­
scious of its own weakness and imperfection, as to he prone
* A n k n su —U a goad for d riv in g elcphanta with, nnd in form it resembled
the English letter
t "H '4 -Tcrfa- n ||
^ ?r^r
m ^!T I cTWf
c'figtf Scf
ossra sff^ifcr I l i
v m z | a w sr^^rync^rrfff^ripa-1
(1) At tlio request of C'i.l. Oluott I liave perm itted tlio following |>a|<cr to l»e
|uiljli>lioil witli m aterials collected liy me for n paper read to tlm S tu d en ts’
l.iterary mid Scientific Society, in 1S71. i had intended to rew rito tlio life of (lie book. (‘2) K avlcharita, p ;|, line 17.
of ^ankuracliaraya, with some additions ;ni<l alteration*, l»ut as present
'regains; cnyaj'cmontH do n o t leavo mo sullicicnt leisure for such an effort, a t C alcutta, really a work of Anaiidatriri, the pupil of £ m kara. (4) Madlm*
1 have th o u g h t it advisable to consent to my original Essay b«,-inf' u ti­ vncluiniyn, II. U. (5) I*.
lized by Col, Olcott nccortliny to bis own discretion.- K. T. T.
to deify whomsoever exemplifies its higher aspirations ; as
though the k eeping of him on the hum an plane made
o ther men seem m eaner and more little by contrast.
Sankaracharaya’s biographers apotheosised th e ir hero,
as A lexander’s and Cicero’s and those of Apollonius, Jesus
and M ahomet did theirs. T h ey made his advent presaged
by a heavenly vision— of Mahadeva, to his father, Siva-
g u ru — and his career atte n d ed by miracles which no th e o ­
ry of interior, or psychical, development can cover. A le­
nient posterity m ay well pass over these pious embellish­
ments as th e fruit of an exhubcrant partiality, for after all
these have been stripped away, the true grandeur of th e
pandit, philosopher, and mystic is only the more plainly
revealed to us.
W e are, unfortunately, without the necessary data to
enable us to precisely fix the epoch in which this great
teacher flourished. Some ascribe it to the second century
before, others would bring him down to the tenth after,
Christ. Most modern scholars. ajjrec ® in locating
. him in
the eighth cen tu ry of the Christian era ; and, since we have
for this opinion the concurrent auth ority of Wilson, Cole-
brooke, Raininohau Roy, Yajnesvar Shastri, and Professor
Jayanarayan T arkapanchanam , the Bengali editor of An-
andagiri’s S a n k a m V ijo y u , and it is less important, after
we may as well accept th a t decision w ithout debate. N o
more certainly can his birth-place be determined. As
seven cities competed for the honor of having produced a
Homer, so five biographers ascribe his nativity to as many
different localities. Sringori is commonly believed to
have been tho favored town (1) ; b u t a passage from th e
Sivarahanja, quoted in the Kavicliaritra, would indicate a
town in the Kerala district, named Sasalagrama ; Anan-
dagiri’s Life of S ank ara names C hidam harapura ' 3> ; Ma-
dhev puts forward Kalati ; and lastly, Yajnesvai Shas­
atri, in his Aryavidya S udhakara, tells us th a t Sankara first
saw the light a t K a lp i,u).
T aking no notice of th e portents and wonders said to have
occurred in the animal and vegetable kingdoms a t his birth
—such as the fraternizing to gether of beasts ordinarily hos­
tile to each other, the uncommon pollueidity of the streams,
the preternatural shedding of fragrance by trees aud plants,
nor of the joy of the U panishads or the glad pawns of the
whole celestial host, we find our hero displaying a most
wonderful precocity. In his first y e ar he acquired the
Sanskrit alp hab et and his own language; a t two, learned
to read ; at three, studied the Kavyas and 1’uranas—and
understood many portions of them by intuition Auan-
dagiri, less circumstantial, merely states that S ankara be­
came conversant with P ra k rit Magadha and Sanskrit lan­
guages even in saiuavu, infancy. 'v
Having studied the Itihasa, the Puranas, the Malia-
bharat, the Smritis, and the Shastras, Sankara, i n hid
seventh year, returned from liis preceptor to his own home.
Madliav narrates that the m o th er of his hero being, one
day, overpowered by the debility resulting from the au s­
terities she had practised before his birth to propitiate
the gods and m ake them g r a n t her piayer for a son, as well
as by thi! torrid heat of the sun, fainted ; whereupon S a n ­
kara, finding her in th e swoon, not only brought her back
to consciousness but drew th e river up, as well, a cir­
cumstance which of course spread his fame as a thaum a-
turgist far and wide ! The. king of Kerala vainly otter­
ing him presents of gold and elephants, through his own
minister, came himself to pay reverence, and disclosing
his longing for a son like himself, was made happy by the
sage, who tnui/hl the kiur/ privately the rites to be per­
formed in such cases. 1 m u st n o t lose the opportunity
ht-
to point, in passing, to th e two things implied in this
^c- biographical scrap, viz., th a t it was believed th a t the
birth of progeny may be brought about by the recitation
of mantram s and the perfoimance of ceremonial rites, and
(1) Soc Paiidit K V. Unma.swamiV skotrlio-s, p I and tlio Map a t th o en d
U and ID. I t may be
added licro th a t I have grave d o n b u as to th e Sankara Vijayn, published
(<j) .Madhav IV , 1*3.
(7) MaiUmv V. I. Compare A iw m lnjiii p. 11.
("U th a t tlio secret is never publicly taught, lm t privately Pndmapadn. This excited envy in the breasts of the other
conveyed lYom adept Id disciple. I sludl not dwell 11)11111 pupils, to dispel which Sankara, once standing on one
these facts lint leave them to lie disposed of as they will shore of the river which flowed by his residence, called to
liy onr new friends, tin- Tlieosopliists, lor whom the mys­ P adm apada to come over to him directly from the opposite
tical side, of nature offers most enticements. bank. T h e latter obeyed, and dauntlessly walked over on
About this same time tin? g re a t sago Agastya, visiting the surface of the waters, which sent, up a lotus a t each
him with other sages, ]irophcsied to 11is m other that, lie step he took. It, was on this occasion that, the name P a d ­
would die a t the age of thirty-two: Keeling that this m apada was given him by Sankara, a.s lie warmly em b ra ­
world is all a passing show, this boy of eight years d e te r­ ced him in recognition of his enthusiastic devotion.
mined to embrace the life uf a holy Saunyasi, h u t his W hile teaching his pupils the youthful teacher did not
m other objected, her motherly pride doubtless craving a fail of adversaries am ong th e learned men who held tenets
son to her sou who should inherit his own greatness of soul different to his own, but lie always came off victor. H e drew,
and mind. T h e lad’s determination was not to be shaken, says Madhav, from the arsenal of a vast Vedic learning,
however, and the maternal consent,. was obtained, as the the weapons with which to combat his powerful assailants.
biographers tell 11s by the working of a prodigy!-1. Bathing W e are t reated to the description of an eight days’ debate
in the river, one day, his foot was cau gh t by an alligator, between himself and Vyasa, who appeared under the guise
l i e wailed so loud that his m other rail to the spot, and being of an aged Brahmin b u t whose identity was intuitively re­
told that the alligator would not, leave go his hold until cognized at, least by Padmapada. T he biographer tells us
she had agreed to her son's becoming an ascetic, felt coerced th a t th e spirit, iu his assumed guise of the living Brahmin,
into giving her consent. Sankaracha.ra.yu thereupon came propounded a thousand objections to S a n ka ra ’s great Bha-
out of the river, and confiding her to the care of relatives sliya on the Brahma Sutras, which wen: all triu m phantly
and friends, and telling her he would come back to her answered, aud in the end, gave.the latter an extension of
whenever she should need his presence, he went away and sixteen years of life over and almve the set term cf sixteen
took up the career for which he had so strong a natural th a t he was to have lived, ami after bidding him under­
bent. take a refutation of all th e other philosophic systems in
As if drawn by some irresistible magnetic attraction vogue, blessed him and then disappeared.
towards a certain spot, Sankara travelled Ibr several days, A lter this, Sank ara set out for Prayaga in search of
through forests, over hills, by towns, and across rivers, yet B hatta Kuniarila, whom be wished to ask to write vartikas
nil the while unconscious of all, and oblivious to the men on his Bhashya, but found th a t he was upon the point of
and beasts th a t went bv him on his way, he arrived a t the self-cremation in disgust with th e world. Vainly en tre a ­
cave in a hill on the banks of tbe Nerbudda., where (!o- ting him to reconsider his determination, S an kara never­
vind Val.i had fixed his hermitage. After the usual pre­ theless was perm itted to explain his commentaries, which
liminaries the sage accepted the lad as a pupil and taught, Kuniarila praised u n s tin tin g ly ; and after the latter had
him th e Bralmia out. of the four great sentences.— Know­ accomplished his act of self-immolation, proceeded on to
ledge is ISrahma ; This soul is B ra h m a ; Tl ion art t h a t ; Mahislimati, the city where, as Kuniarila had informed him,
and I am Brahma t1**. it is related by Madhav that, im­ he would find Mandana Misra who would u ndertak e the
mediately after he had entered upon this disciplcship, work Sankara had requested him to perform. Arrived at
Sankara performed,— one day, when bis guru was im m er­ the place, he was directed to the sage’s house by parrots
sed in contemplation, or, a.s we should say d l u m t n a ,— miraculously endowed with human speech and able ta
the prodigy of quelling a furious tem pest of rain accom­ discuss most recondite questions of philosophy! H e found
panied by awful th u n d e r and lightning, by pronouncing the house but found it closed, so th a t to obtain entrance
certain mystic verses. Hearing, upon let,inning to cons­ he had to raise himself up into the air and alight, a devs ex
ciousness of external things, what his illustrious pupil umclnna, in M andana’s hall. An anim ated and, at first,
had done (iovind N atlia was overjoyed, as this very event, even acrimonious discussion ensued lietween the host, and
bad been foretold to him by Vyasa a t a sacrifice his unexpected and unwelcome guest, the two finally de­
celebrated, long before, by th e sage Alri. Bestowing ciding to make the wife of Mandana Misra, um pire between
his benediction upon Sankara, he hade him go to Holy them. But she, having other m atters to a ttend to, gave each
Benares and receive there the blessing of the Deity. a garland, stipulating th a t he should be deemed vanquished
'(in tliy "lm i"iix work. whose garland withered. I will not a tte m p t in such time
'J liun enter, a ml l«j;iii to save m.’iiikinit (0. and space as I now command, to even epitomise this wonder­
T h us admonished, Sa n k ara proceeded to Benares where, ful debate, b u t refer the reader to Madhav (V III. 34) for
niter a resilience Ibr some time, he is said to have received particulars, adding th a t they will richly repay study, Sankara
his tirst pupil. Sanandaiia— the same who afterwards be­ won, and in winning, u nd er the terms of the debate, claimed
came celebrated as his greatest favorite u nder th e title of his antagonist as a disciple and required him to abandon
Pailmapailn. I confess to a doubt, of the accuracy of this th e domest ic life and become an ascetic. 1le consented, anil
date, though I quote the circumstance from Madhav’s hook, the wife— who was an incarnation of Sarasvati, as we arc
for if docs seem impossible that Sankara should have be­ told— started for the other world. But before she had
gun to get pupils a t such a very tender age a.s, upon Ma- quite departed she. was prevailed upon by S ank ara to tarry
tlhav’s own showing, lie must have reached a t the time?. while lit; should hold debate with her also. Then com­
However, be this a.s it may, Padm apada was duly enrolled menced the second discussion, b u t the ready answers of
a.s a disciple at Benares, and there most of the others also the former to all questions put to him foiled Sarasvati,
joined him. as she may how be called, until she struck into a path to
In his twelfth year S ankara removed to Badari, on the which Sa n k a ra was a total stranger. Sh e nxhed h im a
lxinks of the Oangcs, where he composed his masterpiece, question oil the science o f love. H e was, of course, unable
the commentary on the Brahma Sutras. H e re also, he ; to answer it at once, being a Sanmyasi and a celibate all
wrote the commentary on the Upnnishnds, on the Bliaga- his life ; so he craved a, respite of one month, which being
vadgita, on the IJrisiniliatApaniva (so called by Madhav), granted, he left Mahislimati. Tho sequel will be told in
and 011 the Saiiatsujaliya, besides ol,her works. H e then my next paper.
taught, his-great commentary to his numerous pupils, but
always reserving his greatest powers of instruction for In spite of the " a rbitrary scepticism" of the largo m a­
(1) M n d lm v V . OP.
jo rity of the medical profession, the most, satisfactory re­
(2) M ndlru’ V. 87. None of Madliav'* detail* nro l»» l*c found in Anan- sults are daily obtained in the hospitals by the external
dnj;iri, wl.i’ro wi' have In it two lines on lliis «ul»joct idtnpcllicr, )• 17. application of metals. Symptom s of the most curious na­
Tl... ..ri^ii.i.ls nro H f lR 3 * ^ || || cT m K T |l ture develop under their iniluence, and give rise to inter­
esting discussions in medical circles.
II
(4) Mndlmv V. 53-01,
 [Truuslateil for the T iieosoihiibt.]
T H E PHANTOM DOG *
A n authentic story by a Russian officer.
D u rin g th e last war in Turkey, a small b u t very mixed
company were assembled, on a Christm as eve, in tho
ap artm ents occupied by Colonel Y ...in one of the best
hotels of Bucharest. A m ong others, th e re were present the
correspondents of th e iVeu’-Foc/b H erald, London Tim es,
the Oolos, and the B erjevvi V je d o m o sti; Colonel N. ; a
c a p ta in ; and the P resident of the Society of th e Red-Cross,
the well known P — f. T he only lady was th e wife of
Colonel V ..., our host, who was busy a t th e large round
table around which we were all seated, pouring o u t tea.
W e had all become very m erry and congenial. All felt
in th e best of humours, and each vied w ith the o th e r in
telling interesting stories. Alone poor M ac-Gahan and
Lytton, th e correspondents, respectively, of tho American
and English papers, did not seem to share in th e general
hilarity ; a circumstance which attracted a tte n tio n to them.
“ W h a t’s the m a tte r with you, Lytton ?” asked Colonel V.
“ N othing,” answered th e correspondent, thoughtfully,
" I was th in k in g about home, and try in g to see w hat they
were doing now.”
" One may speculate with perfect security ”— rem arked
Mac-Gahan, “ and say th a t the whole family is now assem ­
bled around th e fire-place, d rinking cider, speaking about
far-away friends in India, or talking of g h o sts ...”
“ You dont mean to say th a t in E n g la n d th e y believe
till now in ghosts ?” enquired Mine. V.
" The m ajority do not,” replied L ytton “ bu t there are n
good many who do, and a m u ltitu d e who claim to have
seen ghosts themselves. There are also such as have not
themselves seen yet who believe all tho s a m e ...”
We were all struck with C aptain L ’s uneasy look and
pallor, as he abruptly left th e table.
“ You may say w h a t you like and laugh a t such notions,”
he remarked. “ As for myself, I cannot deny th e exist­
ence of ‘ ghosts,'— as you call them. I, myself, was b u t a
few m onths ago, an eye-witness to a case which will never
be obliterated from my memory. This u pset all my p re ­
vious theories..."
Yielding to our curiosity, th o u g h very unwillingly, the
bravo Captain told th a t which he wrote down him self for
me a few days after, and which I now publish with his
consent.
" D uring th e war in the Caucasus, I was serving in one
of the regim ents sen t against tho mountaineers. A t t h a t
time, a young officer, from th e Im perial guard, named
Nedewitchef, was transferred into our regiment. The
young man was rem arkably handsome, w ith th e figure of a
Hercules, and would have soon became a general favourite
were it not for his shyness and extraordinary misanthropy.
Sulky and unsocial in disposition, his only affection seemed
to b e'centred on an enormous black dog w ith a white star
upon its forehead, which he called Caro. Once our regi­
m ent had to move against an aoill (Circassian village) th a t
was in full revolt. T he Circassians defended th e ir posi­
tions with desperate bravery, b u t as we had on our side
the advantage of twice th eir num bers wo disposed of th em
very easily. T he soldiers driven to blind frenzy by th e
stubborn defence of the enemy, killed every one they met,
giving q u a rte r n either to old m en nor children. N e d e ­
witchef commanded a company and was in front of every­
body. N e a r a suldy (a m ud hut) I happened to m eet him
face to face—and I felt th un derstru ck I H is handsome,
magnificent face was all distorted by an expression of b r u ­
tal cruelty, his eyes were bloodshot and w andering like
thoso of maniac in a fit of fury. H e was literally chop­
* This n arrative has ju st been published in th e oj (Alrtsa. The
old nnd brave officer vrho vouches for it and who was au eye-w itness a t two
of the opcodes of tho stran g e occurrence, is too well known in tho society
circlo» of Titfi* and Odos^a for us to rognrd this as a cock ami hull story.
An-1 moreover we have tho nam es of all tho p articip an ts in th e tragical finale
W hatever olso an incrcdulotiH public in tv think, C aptain L. a t le a s t—u highly
respoctod ofticer—gave th e sto ry a t Un«f»arest as a fact, an d wo p rin t it on
•ccouut of its valuo us a con trib ution c # t h o lite ra tu re of Psychology. (t\l.)
ping an old m an to pieces with his sword. I was exces­
sively shocked a t such a display of useless ferocity, and
hurried forward to stop him. But, beforo I had reached
him, the door of th e h u t flew open, and a woman, with a
cry which made m y blood ru n cold, rushed out of it, and
flung herself upon the corpse of the old man. A t this
sight N e dew itchef sprang backward as if he h ad been
shothimself.and trem bled violently. I looked a t th e woman
and could hardly suppress a cry of surprise. Heavens,
what a gorgeous beauty was there ' W ith her lovely face,
ale as death itself, uplifted toward us, her magnificent
lack eyes, full of nameless terror and mortal hatred were
phosphorescent, flaming like two burning coals as she
fixed thom upon ns. N edew itchef stared a t her like one
fascinated, and it was with an effort that, coming out of
his stupor, he mechanically gave tho orders to b e a t the
rappel in order to p u t an end to useless bloodshed. I did
not seo N edew itchef for several days after th a t a c c i d e n t;
and only learned accidentally from his orderly t h a t th e
same young woman, two days later, had come to his tent,
had thrown herself a t his feet, and pouring h er whole soul
i n t o her tale, hail confessed an a rd e nt love for him. She
declared that, according to th e Circassian custom, his
courage had m ade her his slave, and th a t she w anted to
be his wife........ H is envious friends had added much more
details which would be useless here. R em em bering well
her look of hatred, I did not a t first believe, b u t had to
yield a t last to th e evidence.
“ After the submission of the rebellious aoill, th e com­
mander-in-chief encamped us a t the foot of the m ountain
in its neighbourhood, so th a t we should command th e g reat
Hhemaha highway. W e had to camp there quite a consi­
derable length of time, and having nothing else to do we
could easily occupy our days with picnics, rides, and h u n t ­
ing. One afternoon, calling my dog, I took a gun and
went out for a stroll in th e wild vineyards. I had no in ­
tention to hunt, b u t simply to take a walk and watch the
splendid sunset from th e th e top of Ali-Dag. My path
ran through the most lovely scenery, along a thick dou ­
ble alley of mimosas, white accacia, aud oth er trees, e n ­
twined with vines, h u n g thickly with bunches of grapes,
and chestn ut frees with th eir large crowns of leaves in te r­
mingled with fruit. Tho whole m ountain slope was cover­
ed with blooming bushes and flowers, which grew iu rich
profusion and spread themselves like a carpet. ^
“ T he air was balmy, heavy with scents, and still, except'
ing the incessant buzzing of the bees ; not a breath of wind
disturbed one single leaf, and nature itself seemed slum ber­
ing. N o t a h u m a n step, not even th e sound of a far-away
voice ; so th a t I w:is finally overpowered by a hallucination
which made m e dream I was walking upon a deserted
island__
“ H a v in g gone about two or three miles by a narrow path
which wound up to th e m ountain top, I entered a small
thick et drowned in sunlight, and burning like a jewel set
with gold, rubies and diamonds. U n d e r a group of tall trees
lying lazily on a patch of green moss, I saw N e d e w itc h ef;
the black-eyed beauty was sitting near him, playing with
his hair, ami, asleep a t the feet of his master, was the faith­
ful dog. Unwilling to break their lite-u-ietc, I passed u n ­
perceived by them and began climbing hig her up. W hile
crossing with difficulty a thick vineyard, I suddenly came
upon three Circassians, who, perceiving me, rapidly dis­
appeared, though not quickly enough to prevent my seeing
th a t they were armed to th e teeth. Supposing them to Vie
runaways from the conquered aouls, I passed on without
paying them much attention, t 'harmed by the splendid
evening I wandered a bo ut till night, and returned homo
very late and tired out. Passing through the camp towards
my tent,, I a t once perceived t h a t something unusual had
happened. Armed horsemen belonging to the General's
escort rapidly brushed by me. T he division a d ju ta n t w;is
furiously gallopping in my direction. N e a r one of the
officers’ tents a crowd of people with lanterns and torches
had assembled, and tin* evening breeze was bringing th e
hum of anim ated Voices. Curious to know w hat had
happened, and su rm ou ntin g my fatigue 1 went straight
to th e crowd. I had hardly approached it when I saw
th a t it was N cdcw itchef’s tent, and a horrid presenti­
ment, which s o o n became a fearful reality, got hold of mo
a t once.
“ The first object I saw was a mass of hacked and bleeding
flesh, lying on tlic iron bedstead. I t was N e d e w ilc h e f; he
had been literally choppcd to pieces w ith yatagans and
daggers. A t the foot of the bed Caro, also bleeding, was
stretched, looking a t his m a ste r’s rem ains w ith such a
h u m a n expression of pity, despair, and affection mingled,
th a t it b rou gh t a gush of hot tears to my eyes. T h en it
was th a t I learned the following : soon after sunset, Caro
furiously barking, ran into the camp and attracted general
attention. I t was immediately rem arked, th a t his muzzle
was bleeding. The intelligent dog ge ttin g hold of the
soldiers’ coats, seemed to invite th e m to follow him ; which
was im mediately understood, and a party of them sent
w ith him u p tho mountain. Caro ran all the tim e be­
fore th e men, showing them th e way, till he b rou gh t them
a t last to a group of trees where th ey found N e d e w ilc h e f s
mangled body. A pool of blood was found a t quite a dis­
tance from th e murdered man, for which no one could
account, till pieces of coarse clothing disclosed the fact
t h a t Caro had had his battle also with one of th e murderers,
and had come o ut best in the f i g h t ; the latte r accounting
also for his bleeding muzzle. The black-eyed beauty had
disappeared— she w;is revenged. On th e following day
N edew itchef was buried with m ilitary honors, and little by
little th e sad event was forgotten.
“ Several of the officers tried to have C a ro ; b u t he
would live with n o n e : he had got very m uch attached to
the soldiers, who all doted upon him. Several m onths after
th a t I learned th a t the poor animal got killed in his turn
by a m ounted Circassian, who blew his brains o u t and,—
disappeared. T he soldiers buried th e dog, and m any there
were am ong them who slied tears, b u t no one laughed at
their emotion. A fter Sham yl’s surrender, I left the regi­
m en t and retu rn ed to St. Petersburg.
“ Eighteen years rolled away. T h e present war was
declared, and I, as an old Caucasian officer well acquainted
with th e seat of war, was ordered off to Armenia. I a r ­
rived there in A u gu st and was sent to join m y old regi­
ment. T he T urks were in a minority and evidently feel­
ing afraid, remained idle. W e also had to he inactive
and quietly awaiting for further developments, encamped a t
Kizil-Tapa, in front of th e Ahulgin heights on which the
T urks had entrenched themselves. T here was no very
rigourous discipline observed as yet in the camp. Very
often Mahomedans of th e cavalry were sent to occupy po­
sitions on advanced posts and pickets ; and sleeping sen­
tries on duty were often reported to th e chiefs. Chi the
unfortunate day of August 13th w e lost Kizil-Tapa. After
this unsuccessful battle rigour in discipline reached its
climax ; the most trilling neglect was often punished
with death. Thus passed some time. After a while I
heard people talking of the mysterious apparition of a dog
nam ed Caro who was adored by all th e old soldiers. Once
as I went to see our Colonel on business, I heard an officer
m entioning Caro, when Major T** addressing an artillery
m an sternly re m a r k e d :
" ‘I t m ust be some trick of th e soldiers’...
" 'W h a t does all this mean T I asked th e Major, extrem e­
ly interested.
“ ‘ Is it possible th a t you should not have heard the foolish
story told about a dog C aro?’ he asked me, full of sur­
prise. And upon receiving m y assuranco th a t I had not,
explained as follows :
" ' Before our disastrous loss of Kizil-Tapa, th e soldi C l'S
had been allowed many unpardonable liberties. Very of­
ten the officers on d u ty had seen th e sentries and patrols
asleep. B u t notw ithstanding all th e ir endeavours, it had
hitherto proved impossible to catch any of them ; hardly did
an officer on duty appear going the rounds, than an enormous
black dog, with a white star on its forehead, mysteriously
appeared, no one knew whence, ran toward any careless
sentry, and pulled him by his coat and legs to awaken him.
Of course as soon a.s the man was fairly warned he would
begin pacing u p and down w ith an air of perfect innocence.
T he soldiers began circulating th e most stupid stories
about th a t dog. T h e y affirm t h a t it is no living dog, but
the phantom of ' Caro’ a N ewfoundland th a t had belonged
to an officer of th e ir regiment, W’ho was treacherously kil­
led by some Circassians m any years ago, during th e last
Caucasian war with Shamyl.’
" T he last words of the Major brought back to my memory
th e pictures of th e long forgotten past, and a t th e same
time an uneasy feeling t h a t I could not well define. I could
not pronounce a word, and remained silent.
“ ‘ You heard, I suppose,’ said the Colonel addressing the
Major, ' th a t the commander-in-chief has ju s t issued an
order to shoot th e first sentry found asleep on his post,
as .an example for others ?’
“ ‘ Y es— b u t I confess to a great desire to first try my hand
a t shooting the phantom-dog,— or, whoever represents it.
I am d eterm ined to expose th e trick ;’ exclaimed th e iras­
cible Major, who was a skeptic.
“ ‘ Well, there is a good opportunity for you,’— p u t in
the a d ju ta n t— ' I am j u s t going to m ake m y rounds and
examine the posts. W ould you like to come w ith me ?
Perhaps we will discover something.’
“ All readily assented. N o t wishing to p a r t from good
company, and being besides devoured with curiosity, I said
I would go. Major T** carefully loaded his revolver,
and— we started. I t was a glorious night. A silvery vel­
vet moonlight fantastically illuminated th e heights of
Aladgin, towering high above us, and of Kizil-Tapa. An
unruffled stillness filled th e air. I n both hostile camps all
was quiet. H e re and there t he faint tinkle of a voh jn ka (a
kind of primitive guitar), and, nearer, th e mournful cadence
of a soldier’s voice intoning a popular air, hardly broke
th e dead stillness of th e n i g h t ; and as wre turned an angle,
in the m ountain p a th sounds and song abruptly ceased.
“ W e passed through a lonely gorge and began m o u n t­
ing a steep incline. W e now distinctly saw th e chain
of sentries on th e picket line. W e k ept to th e bush, in
the shadow, to escape observ atio n; and, in fact, we a p ­
proached unobserved. Presently, it became too evident tha t
a sentinel, seated upon a knoll, was asleep. W e had come
within a hund red paces of him, when suddenly, from be­
hind a bush, darted a huge black dog, with a w hite star
on its forehead. O, h o r r o r ! I t v:ax the Caro o f N ed e­
witchef; I positively recognized it. T h e dog rushed up to
th e sleeping sentry and tugged violently at his leg. I
was following th e scene with intense conccntratiom of a t ­
tention and a shuddering h e a rt...w h e n a t my very ear
there came the crack of a pistol-shot...I started at th e u n ­
expected explosion.. . Major T — hail fired a t the dog ; at
the same instant tho culprit soldier dropped to th e ground
in a heap. We all sprang towards him. The Major was
tho first to alight from his horse ; b u t he had hardly begun
to lift the body, when a heart-rending shriek bu rst from
his lips, and he fell senseless upon the corpse.
" The tru th became instantly known; a father had killed
his own son. The boy had j u s t joined the regim ent as a
volunteer, and had been sent out on picket duty. Owing
to a terrible mischance he had m e t his death by the hand
of his own father.
“ After this tragedy, C a w was seen no more.”
E A S T I N D I A N M A T E R IA M ED ICA,
(IN T R O D U C T O R Y ).
lh j P a n d it r u n g Gopal, G.G.M.C., F.T.,S',
India, where N a tu r e has been so bounteous, nay, lavish
in her gifts, has always presented th e greatest inducements
to the zealous stu d e n t of her forces, i t was here th a t the
first progenitors of the hum an race were m atured physically
ami intellectually. H e re th e intellect of th e h um a n race
was first n urtured und er the inlluenee of picturesque na­
tural scenery, and fed on the sight of the multifarious
productions of organic nature ; and here, in the first dawn
of conscious existence, it began reverentially to a p ­
prehend the fact of a D iv in # Power, and acquired powers
of expression, language ta k in g form, and sound, and sumption of 3 vikritees, or corruptions of the man, or vital
grace, mid a variety of original deflections and conjugations, force residing in the h um an frame, to which the Aryan
and growing after the lapse of unrecorded ages into those physicians gave the conventional names n( ]>itta (bile), rata
majestic, y e t melodious forms of th o u g h t which bound its (air), and kapha (phlegm) ; to which some add th e blood,
first offspring into a community of divine sym p a th y and a fourth vikritee or transformed force, T he modern reader
created a glorious anil harmonious whole. is therefore at once inclined to reject the theory as well as
In India, therefore, history finds those prim itive grand the descriptions of diseases based on th a t theory, as absurd
conceptions of nature, h e r forms, and all-pervading forces, and w ithout experim ental proof. B ut these descriptions
which her highest form of creation, th e typical man illus­ need not d e te r any s tu d e n t of medicine from following tho
trates in himself. To his remote successor, the modern experience of these writers on the more practical parts of
European, is reserved the mere rem oulding of the vast ex­ the subject; viz., th e ir knowledge of the properties of s u b ­
perience of th e hoary ages into a new struc ture of artificial stances used as remedies, and of special virtue* a ttrib u te d
laws and deductions for the production of new m eans of I by them to certain drugs, which have not hitherto been
earthly comfort, in w hat we now call conventionally, J\’<(- known or found.
tural, or P h y sic a l Science. This phase of the subject has recently attracted some
W ith o u t derogating from the honor ju s tly due to m o­ attention among the medical graduates in Bengal, and
dern discoverers of the laws of m a tte r and motion, or u n ­ s in c e tlie t im e o f D i- s .W i.s e and Ainslic, who first made
dervaluing their deductions, or universal generalisations most creditable a tte m p ts a t investigating the na tu re and
in the different branches of natural or physical science, or value of indigenous drugs used in native practice, l)rs. Ka-
their numerous and trustw orthy observations, conducted naya Lai Deva, and Mohideen Sherecf, of Madras, accom­
in the spirit of truth, no reader of those venerable tomes plished the most laborious and scientific Uisk of identifying
of inspired Aryan teaching, which reveal to us tho pro­ them, and of reducing the numerous synonyms for the
found lore of old Ind ia’s sages, w hether in gram mar, science same materials, which the various languages of In dia af­
or philosophy, can fail to appreciate th e original discoveries ford, to order and precision. We ha ve recently been pre­
of our forefathers, or properly value the crude b u t system a­ sented with a veritable epitome of the whole range of
tized observations of th eir unaided senses. Indian M ateria Medica by a Bengali medical scholar, Dr.
In cannot be denied th a t in th e ir writings are found Oodayu ( 'handra Datta, in a goodly volume in which the
Bucli shrewd generalisations, and such descriptions of such reader can find a carefully classified a rrangem ent of medi­
matter-of-fact phenomena, as every sound intellect m ust cal substances, according to the three principal sources of
appreciate, and cherish as the first finished works of intel­ their production, viz., the mineral, vegetable, and animal
lect and imagination. And, if we give a m om ent’s tho ug ht k in g d o m s; with th e ir Sanscrit names, th eir Bengali or
to those vast extensions of power which our senses have r e ­ I lindi equivalents, and their modern English or current
ceived in these latter days from such wonderful contrivances Latin appellations. Each substance is preceded by a des­
p.s the genius of a Newton, Davoisier, Davy, Faraday, or cription of the part used in practice, and accompanied by
Tyndall has devised, we m ust feel b u t small and humble noted formula; for its administration ; according to the
when confronted with the evidences of th o u g h t and research systematic arran gem ent of L'lialua-datta, the most system ­
which have been bequeathed to posterity by sages and atic therapeutist of old, whose verses are cited in authority.
Beers like Atreya and Agncvesha, or, later on, by L'haraka T he labours of t hese physicians are deserving of our g r a ­
and Dhanwanturi. titude, and have opened to the native practitioner of m e ­
T he writings of these revered men have come to us, dicine in India a wide field of research wherein to cultivate
through the changes and vicissitudes of ages, through s tru g ­ an experience of the active’ properties of native remedies,
gles for the retention of independence and power, through or th e ir physiological action, in graduated as well ils ho-
intellectual mists and chilling frosts, considerably detached, UHeopathic doses, on th e different functions of th e h um an
or m utilated and interpolated for w ant of more genuine body.
guides. T he ir study was gradually neglected for w ant of These authors have sup]died a reliable index to the
encouragement from successive dynasties of cruel or sen­ most, ordinary medical virtues, but it is left to th e future
sual rulers. T h u s the spirit of their teachings came to be investigator to separate their active principles, proximate
misapplied in practice, and th e ir theories m isunderstood in or remote, and furnish to th e practising physician ready
principle. The sources of new currents of th o u g h t were and trustw orthy means to counteract morbid action, or
dried up, and observation was neglected, to th e d e trim e n t meet such indications for relief as may be warranted by
of science as well its art. T he diagnoses of disease became his knowledge of the supposed or proved actions on the
in time a m a tte r of guess-work and uncertainty, aud its healthy hu m an system.
treatm ent empirical, hap-hazard, and dangerous. T he modern practitioner is too much imbued with a
In this dearth of tho professors of science, however, tho m inute acquaintance with the s tru ctu re of t he human organs
nomenclature of diseases with th e ir classes arranged ac­ and with a stereotyped knowledge of their functions iu
cording to th e seat, origin, or nature, was transm ited health (as contrasted with his ideas of the significance of
through successive generations of enfeebled and depressed symptoms produced by proximate or remote causes of dis­
intellects, and practitioners of the a rt were compelled to ease), to be actuated by a pure desire of influencing those
ply it on th e borrowed and indirect testim ony of legendary changes for a return to health by means the most ready,
accounts of supposed, and often fanciful, virtues of drugs or the most active and certain of the desired efVect. In
and their combinations. Such unw orthy followers of Snsh- th e tre a tm e n t of disease th e prevailing dogmas 011 the p a ­
ruta and Charaka being necessarily dwarfed in intellect thology of any particular organ influence him so much that,
and warped in observing powers, were compelled to live in his desire to seem scientific or keep up his reputation
largely on the credulity of their patients, or, by acting in as a man of science, he often clings too scrupulously to the
a measure on their imaginations and prejudices ; a lte rn a te ­ teaching of his school. H e is consequently less iuqiaticnt
ly seeking to kindle hope or excite fear of loss of health to cure by th e simplest or w hat a t all events would seem
and death ; they in th e ir tu rn tru stin g to th e mercy of to be comnion-plaec remedies. But we believe a time will
chance, or to the fancied contrivances of an erring imagi­ come, when such high-class prejudices will give place to a
nation. more matter-of-fact experience, and the practice of r a ­
This state of medical science still prevails am ong the tional medicine will depend on remedies or measures su g ­
Hindus, unhappily to a large extent, and were it not for gested equally by modern pathology, with its n iling Gale­
the establishment of a few schools Ibr medical instruction nical doctrine, s uh/aler causa, toll iter effect us, and by
in India, where the study of physical science is obligatory, the doctrine of 1lahneniann, popularly called Honueo-
would be likely to continue for some tim e to come. puthy, th e sim ilia sim tlll>us ciira ntur, provided only th a t
There is, a t present, no prospect of resuscitating th e the d ru g proposed is proved by experience to be exactly
study of these works, except as a means of health y intel­ homoeopathic of the symptoms of disease.
lectual recreation, as the whole system is bused on an as­ W e feel that we are j u s t beginning to traverse the true
paths of science, and if wo cultivate experience in a. true mous ; monarchs, so much unlike those of the present day,
spirit, th e n w ith fresh advances in our knowledge of the the tyrannical, oppressive, selfish, and debauched— th e m ­
composition o f organic products, and a surer acquaintance selves immortals though mortal beings, where are they ?
with th e physiology of vegetable .secretions, we may be H eroes like L akhm ana, Bliismu, Drona, K a m a and Arjuna,
able to alight on the specific actions of these products as whose very names were th y honour, w hither are they gone ?
influencing individual and isolated forces o f anim al life. W hen will again
O arise sages O like J a n a k a or Bulmikee, '
A nd such results will tend to d e a r e r indications for con­ Veda-Byasa or Mann, Patanjali or G outam a— saints, whose
trolling morbid actions, in the blood or in the; tissues, to a works and deeds have made th e m immortal, like tho
degree commensurate with the different manifestations of Phoenix of old ! T he irresistible scythe of Tim e has
t h a t vital f o r m which feeds the organs and sustains th eir mowed th e m down, withal th y glories and power too.
health y action. The hateful Crescent first forced in its way and did all but
W e do n ot yet, know how, out of m any other pro­ complete thy r u in ........
ducts of our so-called European Alat.eria Mcdicn, the dif­ B u t “ Providence protects th e fallen th e Cross at
ferent classes of vegetable bitters and astringents act, and length took up the Moslem’s pace, and redeemed (Heaven
we aro y e t in tho dark as to the real significance of the willing) the disabled and captive Queen. So M o t h e r ,
actions of w hat are called nervine stim ulants and tonics, despair n o t ! T h e breath th a t once inspired th y la te n t
or, if you will, what are known as nervine sedatives and spirits shall soon revive. A great, aid is come to thee :
depressants. weeping so long in th e wilderness, thy sighs shall now bo
L e a v i n g out of mind other species ol drugs slill credi­ h eard— T he T lln o so i’iirsT shall lead th y sons along.
ted with alterative properties, ami which influence the Such being th e importance of the worthy Jou rn a l and
various or the prim ary centres of the sy m pathetic system its g re at originators,* the Theosophical fttcxefy, there
of nerves, we have; yet to learn in w hat relation to th e arises this “ Strang e Revery” which I have made th e
various dynamical forces of th e . hu m an body these a r ti­ heading of this article. I t is a revery, indeed, b u t neither
ficial classes of remedies stand. unaccountable nor inconsiderate—ra th e r th e issue of
W e shall not, a t this stage of our theme, tire the reader’s a n ie n t deliberation,— to wit, a craving of th e contributor
patience with a consideration of what is assumed 011 h y ­ to have himself enlisted as a Fellow of this g reat body.
potheses drawn from previous experience, as they can best H e seeks thereb y no nam e or fame, before th e public. A
1)0 studied with the help of m any excellent works on the | man of a philanthropic tu rn of mind, b u t in circumstances
subject. W e have merely to ask the indulgence of an a t ­ of life little favourable to th e end, he desires h u t to gratify
te ntive perusal of what we will render from th e original his desire to see him self moving w ithin th e “ Universal
Sansk rit of the classification and properties of substances B rotherhood of H u m a n ity .” H e is not one of those “ dnrk-
described by the Aryan physicians, with the explanation lantern visages” t h a t seeks to shed light b u t upon his own
of th eir actions which modern physiology suggests. path, and cause all around an universal gloom ; b u t one,
W e shall for the present only select the more copious whose soul generates in him an universal love. H e is
and the more reliable branch of th eir researches, viz., the, really of one m ind with the Theosophists on questions of
vegetable Materia Medica, and devote our future ]tapers to theology and sectarianism— or more properly, he is a
a consideration of the subject of the .sensible properties and H i n d u ■ B r a h m i n obeying th e L ib era lism of the Vedas.
app arent uses of Aryan medicinal substances. Thus, he considers him self in no way unfit, and is willing
to follow th e prescribed rules of th e Society. Favored by
such conclusions, and further, emboldened by the express
A STRANOE REVERY. s ta te m e n t in th e last n um ber of the Jo urn al t h a t “ The
Society’s m em bers represent th e most varied nationalities
B y K . P. B.
and races, and were horn and educated in th e most dis­
The query naturally suggesfs itself In any one now ob- : similar creeds and social conditions and also, th a t “ a cer­
serving this “ poor shadow” of the Aryan laud,— Is the Su n tain n u m b e r have scarcely yet acquired any definite belief,
o f I t u l i a ’s (/l»n/ set never to rise again ?— a question that, b u t are in a sta te of expectancy the w riter strengthens
comprehends in abstract all the philosophical, scientific, himself with the hope of success, and wishes th e readers in
and even political interests affecting the country. And general to watch th e progress of affairs with eyes of gene­
yet, how invaluable soever in its n atu re the point he, an rosity and hope.
answ er to it is all h ut impossible. Hope, however, th a t E very m an of A ryan descent should feel pride and re­
darling sup po rter of hum anity, never forsakes while there joice with the fullest h e art over the establishm ent of such
is still life, and makes every loving heart turn sufficiently a mouth-piece, and uphold to th e u tm o s t lim it of his ca­
credulous to fancy a t the last a speedy recovery. H ence— pacity th is only m edium of communication for him with
th e propriety for a native H in d u taking counsel with him ­ all the contem porary advanced nations of both th e East
self : and th e W est. Does not this signalize a most remarkable
Shall, then, our glorious A r y d v a r t a lie always dark ? epoch in the revival of tho A ryan people ? To all who are
No, she c a n n o t ;— she th a t y e t takes pride in having not blind, it most assuredly does. N o hesitation, therefore,
been the earliest q u a rte r of civilization on the globe, th e can th ere be, on th e p a rt of any sensible H in d u to resign
first hotbed of sciences, th e oldest repository of arts, and him self into th e hand s of th e g rea t “ Republic of Consci­
th e most ancient seat of learning and im provements ; the ence,” to enjoy God’s free L ig h t in company w ith those
land whence such as Solon. Pythagoras, Aristotle, A m m o ­ who have made t h a t phrase their peculiar watchword.
nius Saccas and I ’toloiny drew th e ir minds. W h en; was Jet/pore, November 1th.
t h a t wide-famed Republic then, or th a t time-honoured
mistress when thou. Queen of all F a iry Lands, wast already N e x t m onth we will give an account of th e splendid
shining with riches, grandeur, and refinem ent ? A r t not demonstration on th e 20th ult. to commemorate the open­
thou th e original archetype, from which the elder E g yp t ing of th e Theosophical Society's Library. I t was a m e ­
copied h e r peculiar priestcraft ? W as not th y wealth, as it morable event in Bombay.
is to this day, the envy and ambition of th e Dariuses, the
Alexanders, the Antonii and Maximii, as of those who pre­ P le a se v tr ile n o th in g on the face. o f P o s ta l Cards, h i t
ceded th e m even in earlier days \ W hat, then, has made our address.
th e e this day niggard all and worn out, to wail, darkling
* O nr welcome con trib u to r is a R ajput nnd im bued, ap p aren tly , with tlmt
u n d e r demolitions and depredations ? Ah, M o t h h r ! those chivalrous ardor which ever characterized th a t w arrior race. W hile disclaim ­
days of thine aro past, those th y glories lost, and even ing for our journal or Society, all p retence of assum ing th e leadership, or
those brave sons of thine t h a t crowned th y beauty and aspiring to an y th in g moro than a very hum ble p a rt in the g re a t ivork of
Indian national reform , we nevertheless atlirni tho sincerity of o u r motive?,
formed th y greatest pride, are gone— gone for over • Such api! publish w ithout em endation our liro th cr’s words, in th e hope and belief
m ighty princes as lla m a C handra, Y udhistir, Asoka, and th a t Ills nill'1o patriotism will awaken responsive ccbocs aU over Vlio \an<l.
For tho regeneration of In d ia, m ust bo effected by th e efforts of h er own
Bikra-Maditya, kind, benevolent, gen ero us and m a gn ani­ children - Ku. Tiir.os.
 A N OLD LOOK A N D A N E W ONE. honest scientists, who confers their ignorance, and one who
Tlio nineteenth century is tlio century of struggle and strife, proclaims that he has solved every riddle of life, and that nature
p a r excellence ; of religious, political, social, uml philosophical has disclosed to him her last mystery, the public will rarely
conflict. T h o biologists couhl nml would not remain silent hesitate. A s one of Haeckel’s critics remarks, a street quack,
witnesses o f this memorable crisis. Clad from head to foot in with his panacea medicine, will often secure a far more liberal
tho pnuopoly o f exact sciences ; hardened iu buttles against ig ­ and numerous audicuce than an honest mi l cautious physician.
norance, superstition and fidsehood, they rushed to their places A nthropor/cntj lias plunged more minds into a profound ma­
in the ranks of tho fighters and vs those buving authority terialism than any other bool; of which we have knowledge.
began the work of demolition. Even the great, llu x ley was a: one time inclined (see “ Darwin
Hut who destroys ought to rebuild : nnd exact science docs and Haeckel,” l ’op. Science M onihli/ for March 187 i>), moro
nothing of the kind, at least so far as tlio question of the highest I •I"1" ' vns needed, to ,-upport Haeckel’s views, and laud his book,
psychological aspirations of Immunity is concerned. Strange which he called " a milestone indicating the progress of the
to say, yet nevertheless ail incontrovertible fact, the duly has theory of evolution,” a “ real live bool;, full of power nnd
fallen upon the daily augmenting body of Spiritualists, to sweep genius, aud based upon a foundation of practical, original work,
away tho mangled debris of tho warfare, and rebuild from the to which few living men can oiler a parallel.” Whether tho
ruins of the past something more tangible, more unassailable. father of P rotoplasm continues to think m i to this day, is
than (he dreamy doctrines of theology. From the first, Spiri- a matter of little consequence, though wo doubt it. Tho
tualism has fortified its positions by ocular demonstrations, j public, at lea.it, was speedily di.-abused by the combined ett’o rts
slowly but surely replacing fauciful hypothesis and blind faith j of tho greatest minds of Europe.
with a series of phenomena which, when genuine invito tho Jn this famous work of Haeckel’s, not only is man refused a
crucial tests of the most exacting experimentalists'. soul, but mi ancestor is forced upon him, iu the shape of the
It is one of the most curious features of the day, to see sci- formless, gelatinous Ih ith yb iu s J h te c h d is,— the protoplasmic
eneo in her double rule of the aggressor and attacked. Aud root of man— which dwelt in the slime at tlio bottom of the seas
it is a sight, indeed, to follow the steady advance of the columns “ beforo tlio oldest of the fossiliferous rocks were deposited.”
of “ infidelity ” against the strong-holds of tlio Church, simul­ Having transformed himself, in good time into a series of in­
taneously with the pushing hack of materialism towards its last teresting animals— some consisting of but one bowel, nnd others
iutrenehmcnts by the spiritualists, liotli the fundamental doc- of a single noso ( M ono rh iu u e), all evolved out of Professor
trinos of theology, and the cold negations of science, have of Haeckel’s fathomless ingenuity, our genealogical line is led up
late been successfully nssailed by learned aud skilful writers. to, and stops abruptly at the soulless man !
Aud, it can hardly be denied, that there are strong indications We have nothing whatever against tho physical side of the
of wavering on the part o f both the ntlackcd parties, with an theory of evolution, the general theory of which wo thoroughly
evident disposition to capitulate. The Speaker’s Commentary,' accept ourselves ; neither against Haeckel’s worms, fishes, inam-
followed by the. new edition of the revised Bible, giving up as inals, nor, finally, the tailless anthropoid—all of which ho iu-
it despairingly does, tbe hitherto treasured Mosaic miracles, and | troduces to fill up the hiatus between ape aud man— as our
tho recent additions to the party of tlio Spiritualists of more j forefathers. No more do we object to his inventing names for
than of one great man of science, nro impressive facts. Canon | them and coupling them with his own. Wlmt we object to is
Furrar, of Westminister Abbey, destroys lliu old-fashioned be-1 the utter unconcern of the .Jena professor as to the other side
lief in tlio eternity of hell, and the veteran aud learned philo-1 of the theory of evolution : to the evolution of spirit, silently
soplier, Dr. Fichte of (Jermany, dying, all but confesses his be-j developing and asserting itself more and more with every newly
lief iu tho philosophy of Spiritualism! Alas, for tho Philis- j perfected form.
tines of Biology ; tiiis Goliath whom they but put forth as th e ir' W hat wo again object to is that tho ingenuous evolutionist
champion was slain by a singlo medium, aud the spear which | not only purposely neglects, but iu several places actually sneers
seemed as big and strong “ as a weaver’s beam,” has pierced at the iilen of a spiritual evolution, progre.-sing band iu hand
their own sides ! with tho physical, though ho might have done it as seientificnl-
“ T he most recent development of this double conflict is a i ly ns ho did the rest and— moro honestly, l i e would thereby
work which comes j u s t in lime to palliate the evil effects of have missed, perhaps, flic untimely praises of the protoplasmic
nuotlicr ono which preceeded it. We refer to the “ Mechanism of Huxley, but won for bis A n th ro p o g en y the thanks of the public.
Man,” by Mr. Sergeant Cox, following llio ,-l)io Anthropogenic” P er se, tlio theory or evolution is not new, for every cosmo­
of Professor Haeckel. The latter had sown wind ami reaped gony— even the Jewish (lenesis, for him who understands it—■
the whirlwind ; and a furious hurricane it was ato n e time. Tho has it. And Mamt who replaces special creation with periodi­
public luul begun to look up to flic J e n a professor as to n new cal revolutions or Prulcn/us, followed, many thousands of years
saviour from the “ dark superstitious" of llio forefathers. Reac­ ago, the chain of transformation from tho lowest animal lo tho
tion had como. Between the dying infallibility of the Churches, highest— man, even moro comprehensively if less scientifically
the not over-satisfactory results of Spiritualism, ami, for the (in tlio modern senso of the word) than Haeckel. Had tho
average masses, far too deep and philosophical researches of, latter held more lo the spirit of the modern discoveries of bio­
H erbert Spencer, Bain, ami tho great lights of exact Science logy and physiology than to their dead-lcUer and his own theo­
the public was hesitating ami perplexed. Ou tho one hand, it ries, he would have led, perhaps, a new hegira of science sepa­
had a strong, nnd evergrow ing desire to follow a progress that rating itself violently from tho cold materialism of the age. No
went baud in hand with science ; but, not withstanding its lale one— not even the staunchest apostle of Positivism— will deny
conquests, science finds missing links at every step, dreary that the moro we study (lie organisms of the animal world, aud
blanks iu its knowledge, ‘ chasms' on whoso brink its votaries assure ourselves that tho organ of all psychical manifestation is
bhuddcr, fearing to cross. On tho other hand, tho absurdly un­ the nervous system, the more we find the necessity of plunging
justrid icu le cast upon llio believers in phenomena, held hack deeper into tho metaphysical world of psychology, beyond the
the general public from personal investigation. True, the boundary lino hitherto marked for us by the materialists. Tho
Church or rather the “ schoolmen's philosophy,” miscalled Chris­ line of demarcation between the two modes of life of the vege­
tianity, as H uxley has it, was daily olfering to compromise, nnd table and animal worlds is yet terra incognita for every natu­
wiill but a slight effort of diplomacy one might remain within ralist. And no more will any one protest against the scienti­
the fold, while disbelieving even in a personal devil, without fically established truism that intelligence manifests itself in
risking to “ smell of the faggot.” direct proportion with the cerebral development, iu tbe conse­
Hut the spoil was broken ami tho prestige quite gone. For cutive series of the animal world. Following then, the develop­
faith there is no middlu ground. I t must be either completely ment o f ibis system aloue,— from the auiomntie motions pro-
blind, or it will see too much. Like water, it ceases to bo pure | duced by tho simple process of what is called the reflex action
ns soon as tho smallest foreign ingredient is inlroducecd. of the nscidiau mollusk, for instance, the instinctive motions of
T he public is a big child ; cunning yet trusting, diffident nnd the bee, up to the highest order of mauimaliau.s aud ending,
yet credulous. Is it causo for wonder then, that while it hesi­ finally, with man— if wo invariably find an unbroken ratio of
tated botween the conflicting parties, a man like Haeckel, vain steady increase iu cerebral development, hence— a correspond­
nml presumptuous, notwithstanding his great learning, ever ing increaso of reasoning powers, of intelligence,— the deduc­
ready to dogmatize upon problems for tlio solution of which tion becomes irresistible that there must be a spiritual as well
humanity has thirsted for ages, and which no true philosophi­ as a physical evolution.
cal mimi will dare presume to answer conclusively— secured This is tho A. B. C. of physiology. Ami are we to bo told
nt ono timo the greatest attention for his .■in/hrojiogeny i He that there is no fn rth e i development, 110 future evolution for
tween men like Balfour Stewart, Dubois liaymoml, and other . main ? T h a t there is a prospect on earth for the caterpillar lo
become n butterfly, for tho tadpole to develop into n higher berless now avenues— as Ihe result of such n knowlodgo when
form, mid for every bird lo livo after it has rid itscll of its shell, proved— arc opened to us by this nble pioneer ; nnd under his
wliilo for mini, who has cvoluled from the lowest to the highest skilful treatment that hope which was blighted for the moment
puint of physical and menial development on this enrlli, nil . by the brutal band of Positivism, is rekindled in the rentier's
further conscious, sentient, development is to lio nrrested by the brenst, aud death is made to loso its terrors. So confident is
dissolution of his material organization ? T h a t, just as ho lias the author that upon the solution of this enigma— which is
renehed the culminating point, nnd the world of soul begins un­ ono hut to those who will not see—depend (ho most important
folding before bis mind : just, as the nssurnuco of another nnd questions lo humanity, such as disease, old nge, chronic nnd
a better lifo begins dawning upon him ; bis memory, reason, nervous sufferings, mnny of which are now considered as be­
feeling, consciousness, intelligence, and all bis highest aspira­ yond human help, that ho thinks that a perfcct nequninlnnco
tions nro to desert him in one brief moment, and go out into with psychology will he of (hat utmost lielp in treating even
eternal darkness ? Were it so, knowledge, science, life, nnd tho most obstiuato disenses. H e pointedly reminds his render
nil nature itself, would be tbe most idiotic of farces? I f we that,
nrc told th a t such a research does not perlnin to tbe province “ I t seems scarcely credible, b u t it is literally true th at the
of positive sciences, that no exnet nnd nccurato dcducti'ns arc most learned physician cannot tell us by what process any one me­
to lie mado out o f purely mctaphysicnl premisses, then wo will dicine he administers performs its cures ! He can say only th a t
enquire, why should llien deductions, ns hypothetical deduc­ ex|>erieneo lias shown certain efl'eotit as often found to follow the
tions, from purely imaginary dnln, ns iu the case of Haeckel’s exhibition of certain drugs. Hut lie certainly does not know how
Batbybins nnd tailless anthropoid, be accepted ns scientilic those drugs produce those ell'ecls. I t is Btrauge and distressing to
truths, ns 110 such missing link bus ever yet, been found, any observe what irrational prejudices still prevail in all matters con­
nected with the physiology of body and mind, and their mutual
more, limn it has been proved 111:i I. tlio unvcrtebralcd m over, the relationship anil influences, even among persons otherwise well
grand parent of the lovely aw phioxus, or that philosophical informed anti who deem themselves educated. I t is still more strange
recluse— the B athybius, ever existed ? th a t not the least prejudiced nor tbe least instructed in these
But now, peace to the n.-lies of our direct nncestor ! 'l'he subjects are to bo found in tlio profession whose business it is to
venerable l ’rofcssor Virchof, backed l.y nu army of infuriated keep the liumnn machiuc in sound working condition."
naturalists, pnssing like the powerful khamsin, the wind of the Sergeant Cox need scarcely hope to count the practicing
desert, over tho plains of hypothetical speculations, destroyed physicians muting his admirers. His last, remnrk is more ap­
nil our best, hopes for a closer acquaintance with onr noblo re­ plicable to Chinese medicine, whoso practitioners nro paid by
latives of the. slimy ooze. Beginning with liathyhius, whom their pntienls only so long as they preservo their health, nnd
be drngged out of his see-mud— lo show be was not there— the Imve their pay stopped nt Ihe first symptom of disenso in their
Berlin snvnnt evinced no more respect for the Simiae Catarr- pntrons— tlinu iu Europe. I t seems rather the ■*business,”
hinae , (our lail-ble.-sed ancestor) whom be burled back into of tho European doctor to keep tho liumnn machine iu nn u n ­
non-being. IIo went further nnd cru.-hed out of existence sound condition.” H uman suffering is for .European pliysi-
even the bcnutiful tnillcss a pi— the missing link ! So strong einus, ns tho torments of purgnfory tho priest— n porenninl sourco
was tho reaction of thought as to the merits of Haeckel's work, of income.
that it well nigh knocked oil'his legs even the innocent though But Ihe nutlior suggests flint “ tlio cause of this iguornneo of
first cnuse of A nthropogcny— tho grent Chnrles Darwin, him­ the laws of life, of Mental Physiology and of Psychology” is
self. tlint “ they nre not studied ns we study the structure which llint
B u t the mischief is done, aud it requires mighty powerful Lifo moves nnd that Intelligence directs.” H e n.~ks whether
restoratives to bring the ex-ml mi res of Hncckel back to n belief it. hns “ never occurred lo the Physician nnd the Menlnl Philo­
in the human soul. Sergeant Cox’s “ T h e Mechanism of Man : sopher that possibly in tbe laws of life, in Ihe physiology of
A n Answer T o T he Quest ion : W hat Am I ? ” now iu its mind, in Ihe relationship of the conscious Self and the body,
third edition, will remain as one of the most powerful answers more even than iu the structure itself, nrc to bo found tho causes
to the soul-destroying sophistry of Haeckel nnd his like. It of many of Ihe maladies to which that structure is subject.
is quite refreshing to liml that u work upon such an unwelcome Therefore, that in the investigation of thcso laws the secret
subject— to the men of science— n hook which treats of psy­ is to sought of the operation of remedies, rnther tlinu in 1110
chology nnd its phenomena, is so eagerly welcomed by tho edu­ molecular structure where for centuries tho Doctors hnvo been
cated public. In reviewing it, a London weekly very truly exclusively hunting for them with so little success ? ”
remarks that, 11 T h e Scientists have had a cnpilnl limo of it Dr. Win. A. Hammond, of New York, the famous professor
lately ; they have been able lo raise a cloud of doubts about of disen^es of Ihe mind nnd norvous system, experimented for
tbe most serious questions of life ; but they have not been able years with tho celebrated “ Perkins' tmotors.” metal disc?, whoso
to solve one o f the difficulties they raiseil. Into tbe arena which fame nt ono time nearly came to grief, through tho cunning
they occupied few men dared to enter and withstand them, so fraud of nu English speculator. This man. who was making n
that tho boastful cry tho Scientists raised has gone echoing specially of Ihe metallic treatment, was detected in imitating
far nnd wide, that the old foundations of belief iu Immortality the expensive gold, silver, copper, and nickel rings, with rings
were myths, lit for wcaluniiidcd people. Iu Sergeant Cox, of wood painted or gilded. But. t.lio results wero not changed ;
however, the timid believers hnvo found champion able to fight paticnls wore cured ! Now this is n clear case of psychological
the Seieuists with their own weapons : able lo pursue tlio nnd mesmeric power. And Dr. Hammond himself calls it
theories raised by them to their ultimnle conclusions : able to “ nothing more than the pow er o f one m in d over another."
uuuinsk tlio pretentious arrogance of men who would destroy This noted materialist is throughly convinced that if one person
simply liecnuse they ennnot appreciate : men who would pull suggests an idea to another who hns complete fniih in that
down, but cannot build up anything to take the place of the person’s power, the one nctcd upon will experience nil tho sen­
wrecked structure.” B ut wo will now let tho nutlior speak sations tho opernlor niny suggest, to him. H e hns mntlo n num­
for h im s e lf: ber of experiments nnd even published presumably learned papers
“ The Scientists began by denial of the facts and phenomena, upon tlio subject. A nd yet Mesmerism, Spiritualism, nnd occult
not by disproof of them ; by argument <1priori that they cannot be psychologicnl phenomena iu gencrnl, upon the investigation of
anil therefore are n o t That failing, the next step was to discredit
which Sergeant Cox lays the greatest stress, have no bitterer
tbe witnesses. They were not houesl ; if honest they were not
competent ; if competent by general intelligence and experience, iu enemy or more nctive opponent thnt ihe New York celebrity.
the ]>articular instances they were the victims of illusion or delu­ We need only rccnll his dogmatic attitudo in tho ense of Miss
sion. That is the present ]Kisition of the controversy. The asser­ Mollio Fnnclier, of Brooklyn, a respectable young girl who,
tion is still repeated here, with entire confidence, that tho Mechanism nccording to the statement of Dr. Charles E. West, hns lived
of Man is directed aud determined by some intelligent force within without any food for over nino years. T his extraordinary gill
itself ; that tho existence of that force is proved l>y tbe facts and never sleeps— her frequent trances being the only rest sho ob­
phenomena attendant upon the motions of that mechanism iu its
nortnnl nnd its abnormal conditions ; that this force is by tbe same tains : sho rends sealed le tte is a s though the)’ wero open ; des­
evidence proved to be tbe product of som-'hing other than tho mo­ cribes dislant, friends ; though completely blind, perfectly dis­
lecular mechanism of the body ; that this something is an entity criminates colours ; nnd finally, though her right hand is rigidly
distinct from that molecular structure, capable of action beyond drawn up behind her bend, by n permanent paralysis, mnkcs
aud apart from i t ; that this Something is what is called Sour., and cnbroidcry upon canvns, and produces in wax, without having
that this soul lives after it has j>nrted from the body.” taken n lesson in the art, nnd with neither a knowlego ofbotany
T h is subject, that man h u t n soul— which so mnny men of nor even models to copy, flowers of a most marvellously natural
science, especially physicians nnd physiologists deny— is Iren- nppoarnncc. Iu the case of this phenomenal pntient, there nre
teil iu the work under notice with the utmost nbilily. N u m ­ numbers of thoroughly relinblo nnd well cducnted witnesses to
 testily for the genuineness of the phenomeuo. Tim joint te&li-
mony of several respectable clergymen, of Professor West, of
Mr. I I. l ’arkhurst, the nslronoiner, and of such physicians ns Dr.
S|>eir, Ormiston, Kissmn and Mitchell, is on record. With nil
tliis examined nnd proved, Dr. Ilaminoud, notw ithstanding liis
personal experience of tlie “ power of mind over mat ter,” had
not a jo t to give th e reporter in explanation of the phenomenon,
hut the words “ humbug !...a clear case of deception ! ...Simply
the deception of a hysterical girl, Sir” . . . “ Hut lias the deceived
nil these clergymen and physicians, aud for years ? “ inquired
the reporter.
“ Oh, that’s nothing, Clergymen nro the most gullible men
in the world, nnd physicians who have not made n study of
nervous diseases nre apt to ho imposed upon by thefc girls”...
(T he A . P. S u n , of Nov. 2 5 th, 1 8 7 8 ).
Wo doubt w hether even Sergeant C ox’s able book, though
he is President of the Psychological Society of G re at Britain
nud ought to be n competent witness, will make any more im­
pression upon such n mind ns that of the physician llnmmnud
tlinu a hall of snow upon (he rock. And sincc the multitude
suffers itself to be led by such sciolists as he, this able book
may have to wait another generation before receiving that meed
of appreciation wlm h it merits. A nd yet, no author treating
on psychology 1ms ever built up with more scientific precision
or force of argument his proofs of tho existence of a soul iu mini,
nud its manifestation in the “ mechanism of man.” l ie con­
cludes the work with the following remarks : . of nature iu this particular find, is calculnlcd to raise n scorn­
“ Scientists may sneer at Psychology as being visionary .science, ful laugh from every quarter, with the exception, perhaps of
based upon mere assumption and dealing with th at whose very some Spiritualists— nnd their natural allies, the Theosophists.
existence is problematical, lin t its subject m atter is as real us
th a t with which they deal. Even were it not so, the inoiu im-
]K>rtant it would be Unit the study of it should be pursued,
with an honest endeavour to ascertain if the foundation on which
it is erected be sound nr baseless—tliiit if, after duo investi­
gation, it lie fonin 1 to bo false, the world may cense from a vain
labor ; but that, if it be proved a tru th, Man may have the bles­
sed sissiinince that, us a fact and not merely as a faith, he has
a Soul an d inherits un im m ortality.”
Wc wish all such learned authors complelest success in their
noble ctl'orts to bring back humanity to the L igh t of T r u t h —
but we have but little hope for t h e X l X t h century.
NOCTURNAL TH OUGH TS
ON NEWSPAPER CLIPPINGS.
We liegiu with n strange story from the Gainesville E a g le —
mi American journal :—
“ Some time ago Dr. Stephenson was prospecting the vnst
hornblende nnd cldoritic slate formation between Gainesville ami
Jefferson, and found a singular rock on tho land of Mr. P rank H ar­
rison, which he considers one of the most interesting and inex­
plicable productions of the laws of chemical atlinity. Thu boulder
of hornblende weighs nearly a ton, is black, and crystalized
through it in seams aliout one-eighth of an inch th ick of white
quartz ure the figures 1791. They are about four inches long
and placed a t cijtml distances from each other. I t is common
in all plutonic rock to see seams of quartz traverse tho granite,
gneiss, hornblende aud other classes of rocks iu various directions,
from one-eighth of an inch to a foot or more, which sometimes
cross each other, but never with tho regularity aud symmetiy of
this. It has not lieen ono thousand years since the Arab invented
our numerals, from 1 to 1 0 , aud we tiud here iu perfect form
the same figures, made by tho laws of chemical affinity on the
oldest rocks, which formed the crust of tho earth countless mil­
lions of years before there was a vegetable or auimalin existence."
I t mny be n meaningless freuk of nature, nnd it mny be the
freak of a sensational nud not over scrupulous reporter : either
is possible, nnd :i great cnutiou is certainly required, lieforo we
credit meli an ext inordinary picce of news. Hut what is a
freak of nature '! T he (•tied of a natural cause ; not even a
“ frenk ” cnu happen otherwise. A nd yet, when this eniise is
evident who ever presumes to go nny deeper into its origiuntiou ?
Not the scientists; for these generally lenve the prior causes to Inkc
care of themselves. Some superstitious souls nud the Christians
might ntlribute tho mysterious figures to some occult nnd even
a most intelligent cause. Some mny see n connection between
them nnd the French revolution ; others with the finger of (Sod
Himself, who traced them for some unfiithonmble reason, to seek
to penetinto which would ho a sacrilege. Hut now, times nnd
nien are changed. Tho strong-hacked, convenient maid-of-r.ll-
work called ‘"Will of G o d ” and “ Providence,” upon which
these amiable and unconscious blasphemers (regarded as very
pious Christians) pile all the garbage nud evils of imperfect
nature— lms « timo of |cst. T he All-Perfect is no more held
responsible for every calamity nnd inexplicable event, except by
n few of the above-named pious souls. Least of nil by the men
of science. T h e Christian “ Will of God " in company with the
Mahomcdnn K ism et nre hnnded over to the emotional Metho­
dist nnd the irrepressible Moolah.
Ilence, the cause of the figures— if figures there nre— comcs
within the category of scientific research. Only, iu this case,
the latter must be taken in its broadest sense, that which em­
braces within the nrea of natural sciences psychology, and even
metaphysics. Consequently, if this story of tho marvellous
boulder should prove something more than n newspaper henx,
originating with nil idle reporter, wc will have, perhaps, some
comments to offer. We mny then, strengthen our arguments
by giving a few sentences from n curious manuscript belong­
ing to a Fellow of the Theosophical Society in Germany, a
learned mystic, who tells us that the document is already ou
its way to India. I t is a sort of diary, written in those mys­
tical characters, half ciphers, half alphabet, adopted by tho
Ro.-icniciuus during the previous two centuries, nud the key
to which, is now possessed by only a very few mystics. Its
author is the famous nnd mysterious Count de St. Germain;
he, who before nnd during the French Revolution puzzled nnd
almost terrified every capital of ICurope, nnd some crowned
Ilends ; nud of whom such n number of weird stories nre told.
All comment, now, would be premature. T he bare suggestion
of thero being anything more mysterious than n blind “ freak ’’
O ur spnee is sennt, so we will make room for another, nnd
far more extinordinnry story, endorsed by no less a personage
than Marshal .Mnc-Mnhon, cx-Presidcnt of the Republic of France,
and credited—as in religious duly hound— by some hundred
millions of Roman Catholics. Wc admit it the more willingly
j since, had any such story originated with either the Theoso­
phists or the Spiritualists, it would have been straightway
ridiculed and set down as a cock-and-bull fable. Hut circum­
|
stances alter cases— with the Catholics ; none, however skeptical
I
at heart, will dare laugh (above his breath) at n story of super­
natural " m ir a c l e s ” worked by the Madonna and her Snints,
or by Satan and lii.s imps. F or such “ miracles ” the Church
holds a patent. T he fact lucitly conceded, if not always secretly
believed, by such n tremendous body of Christians for any one to
discredit the power of the devil, even in this age of free thought,
makes him ranked nt once with the despised infidels. Only
the Spiritualists and Theosophists have made themselves
culpable iu the eyes of tho panegyrists of reason, and deserve
to be called “ lunatics” for believing iu phenomena produced by
n a tu ra l causes. Kveu Protestants are warned against pooli-
|.oohiug the story we here quote ; for they loo, nro bound by
their Calvinistic ami other dogmas tu believe in the power of
Satan— a power accorded the Kncmy of Man by the ever inscru­
table— “ Will of God.”
A S t a h t i . i n u S t o iiv : M a iis iia l M c M a h o n ’s K tkam ;k
A d v k n tijiii: in Ai.ciuiis,— is the sensational title given to tho
letter of a correspondent, by the C u t / i n l i c M i r r o r ol' Baltimore
(Sept. 1«), 187 'J), iu copying it from the N c w - Y o r k l l ’o rh l.
We print the narrative in full :
*‘ Sir- ( >ne day when talking with a well-known man in London, the
subject of Spiritualism came up. Referring to the late Kmpcror
Napoleon’s l>elief in the great delusion of the tinv, my friend told me
that he was once nt a grand dinner iu l ’aris,at \\ hich many notables
were present, aud the following incident occurred. A lnem berof the
Imperial Court was telling about Mr. 1 >. I Ionic's exploits at the
Tuilerics; how t h a t in his pichcnce a table wn» caused to lloat from
the Hiior to the ceiling with the Kni|ieror seated U[w>n it, aud by no
visible iBiwer ; and other similar tales. W hen the gentleman had
; tini.shco, Mai>hitl Mac.Mahon, who was pre.MUit., said, ‘That reminds
me of an experience of mine,’ which was as follows : ‘ It was wliou I
was a sub-otlieer in Algiers th a t the a Hair J am about to speak of took
place. Tho men of my command were mostly natives, and we hail been
much troubled by the large number of deaths ami mysterious tli.-jij*-
iiearances which bad taken place among them, and we hail taken great
pains to find out t lie causes, but were unable to do so. 1 bad under­
stood that the men were given to the practice of necromancy and the
worship of strange gods. Indeed, 1 had myself seen many remarkable
feats performed by them, and it was therefore no great surprise to mu
when an old sergeant, who had heard me express my intention to
ferret out the mysteries, came to me nnd. iu a timid manner, sugges­
ted th a t it was generally believed by the soldiers that a certain corpo­
ral could tell more about them than any one else ifhucho.se. This
corporal I had noticed as rt man who did his duty |iei fectly, b u t had
little or nothing to say to any one, aud always went about alone, li e
was from the interior of Africa, tall, gaunt, with long, clear-cut fea-
 lures of remarkably .stem expression, nnd tlio most, remarkable eyes I Unlike 1lie Marshal, wc linve something to sny. The Spirilu-
ever beheld. Indeed. it wns not extraordinary tliiit lie should lie said alisfs would mlvnncc a very easy and weli known theory to “ ac­
to have ‘tlio evil eve,’ for if any one ever possessed tlint power it was count” for it, aud flic Thcosophists— though, perhaps, slightly
lie. modifying if, would follow .'•nit. Iiut then, they would have tho
‘ I!eii t on finding out the mysteries. I sent for the col poral, and told
him tliat 1 liad understood lliat lie tonld tell me about them and tliat great body of Itoman Catholics against them. Their theory, or,
lie m ust do it. A t tirst he appeared confused. and began lo m utter to shall wc say, “ infallible dognm" ?— is, if tbe sfory be (rue, tliat
himself, finally saying lie knew nothing about tbe m atter ; but, when 1lie Arab corporal bad fold bis sonl to the Fa Iher of Evil. Hut,
1 , pu ttin g on my sternest look, told him th a t I knew bo could make though presumably all powerful for mischief, old Nick found
an explanation,and that, unless lie did so, I would have him punished, his match in the leaden charm, or medal of fho Virgin ; nnd,
be drew himself up, and, giving me a long ami penetrating look, said gnashing his teeth bad to fake lo his heels before the presence
th a t being punished would make no difference In him, b u t that, if I
was so anxious to know the mysteries. I must go with him alone to a
of the image of the Queen of Heaven. Well,one theory isasgood
certain place at midnight, when the moon was in the third quarter, if a.s any other when wc come to hypolhe.~cs. But then,— the in-
1 had courage enough to do so wit hout telling an_v one of my object or lidels might ask— why not give a slight exfra ftrclch to that
trip, and that, then he would show me tbe causes of the deaths and divine power, and rid hunianily at once nml for ever of that
disappearances ; otherwise, he would tell me nothing, punish him as elcrr.nl mischief-maker, who, “ as a roaring lion, wnlketh about,
1 m ight. W ith o u t acceding to or refusing his st range request,! dis­ seeking whom lie may devour ” ? Weak is humanity and fal­
missed him. and, pondering on his proposal, I walked towards tlio tering flic steps of man ! W hy not, at one clip, save it from
ir.es*. Tlic place the corporal had mentioned was a clump o f h n l f u
dozen trees, situated about tlirec-i|iiarters of a mile outside of our flic snares of (he devil ; the more so as humanity, if incapable
lines on tho edge of the desert. At lirst, 1 was inclined to think th a t of resisting sueh a power, is weak through no fault of its own,
it was a plot to rob or murder me, and my impulse was to think no but again because it so pleased kind J’rovidence ? Surely, if
more of it ; accordingly. I told tlio officers at the mess, and various a simple leaden amulet has such the virtue of putting to
was the advice I received, some, to go and some not. However, on flight (he devil, how much more ought the blessed Virgin her­
thinking the matter over, I resolved not to appeal afraid to go at any self to do. Especially, since of' hile she has taken to visiting
rule ; so, after having quietly examined the spot to see if there were
in person nnd so often the famous grotto at Lourdes.
any pit-falls or chances for am bush, and finding tin; ground smooth
and solid nnd no chance for approach in any diivclion without dis­ liu t then— dreadful thought !■—how could (lie wicked be scn-
covery, I resolved to go. and. sending for tho cor]Kind, told him my in ­ lenced lo eternal perdition ? W hither could the sinner direct
tention of accepting his proposal. As he turned away, I not iced his his trembling steps, when once that kingdom “ where their
eyes gleam with almost fiendish delight, which was not calculated lo worm dietli not, and the lire is never quenched ” is annexed
reassure me. On the appointed night, I stal led out. with him, and by the IJomish Imperial l?aj of Heaven ? Impassable chasm,
nothing wussaid by either until we reached the spot ; here his manner slinrp horns of a dilemma ! So long as it bears its name, Chris-
suddenly changed, aud. from the subdued and almost servile bearing
of the soldier, became stern and authoritative. Then lie ordered me
linnily c a n n o t get rid of the devil, without, so to sny com­
to remove everything metallic from lny person ; a t this 1 felt sure that mitting a most, dreadful, unthinkable suicide. Some years ago
he had a plan to rob luc, but, as I had gone too far to w ithdraw, and fbe pious and holy Caidinal, F ather V entura de Rauliea e x ­
partly thinking it might be only a pai t, of his performance to require pressed his opinion upon die subject. “ To demonstrate," ho
this, [ accordingly took off my sword, and my purse and witch from says, “ the existence of Satan, is (o ic-csfnblish one of (lie
my pockets, and hung them on a convenient branch, thinking this J tin d a m c n fa l d o g m a s of fho Church, w h ic h serve a s a ba­
would be enough ; but he insisted th a t I m ust remove everything sis f o r ( ’h rixlia n ifi/, and without, which it would bo but a
metallic or all would be in vain. I then took oil'everything except
my underclothing, and said all was gone. A t this he appeared pleased, nam e...” Ami, the Aery Catholic Chevalier Agenor des Mous-
uml stripped himself entirely, then, drawing a circle around himself seaux adds,— Satan is “ the C h ic ! P illa r of F a ith ........ liu t for
on tb e ground, he commanded me that, w hatever should happen, I him, the Saviour, the Crucified, the Redeemer, would be but.
should not venture within it. the most ridiculous of supernumeraries, and Hie Cross ail insult
‘ H e then said lie was prepared and would make everything clear to good seine.” ( Mocurs </ Pratiques des Demons — p. i 0.)
to me provided 1 said nothing and did nothing. Then, naked aH lie
was, standing on llio grass, lie begun a series of incantations, nnd, 1 bus we see lliat. die next and most logical move of flic in­
standing up straight iu fl out of me, ami looking me in the eye, he fallible Church would be lo institute a yearly vote of thanks— a
suddenly became rigid and as suddenly disappeared like a Hash. I e D em n — lo the Devil. 'J his happy thought is not copy­
Until then the moon was shining brightly around, and his form stood righted, and his Holiness is welcome to it.
out clear-cut against llio sky, but as I rubbed my eyes to look, it I he more so, as it seems that again, for some inscrutable nnd
suddenly became dark mid a clap of th u n d er sounded, after which it providential reasons heller known in heaven than comprehended
became clear again, and as it did so a .column of smoke arose from upon earfh, not only (he Devil, but even simple mortals nro
where the man bad stood. This gradually resolved itself, sfrange
to say, into the man himself, but be appeared transfigured ; bis face,
allowed to do (ho deeds of darkness. In tho following horri­
which before was stern, had now become fiendish aud terrible, anil fying (rick, played lately at the above mentioned miracle work­
his eyes flashed lire. As 1 looked, bis gaze transfixed me aud my ing grotto of Lourdes, we find the “ Protectress” utterly incnpablo
hair 1le g a l i to rise. As his look continued 1 heard screams as of agony, of protecting even herself. Wc copy this sad talc of human in­
and his expression suddenly changing to one of terror, lie cried, point­ famy also from our pious contemporary— The Catholic M irror :
ing to my breast, ‘ You have lied.' A s h e said (his there Was Hash
. D k s k c i i a t i o .x a t I.OI IIIIKS,- A very strange story conies to us from
of light with a loud report, and be had again disappeared, and all
was clear moonlight around. As ho had pointed t o m y breast, I f ranee—a story rlifliciilt to credit, but our authority is trustworthy.
involuntarily put my hand up and felt a litt le leaden medal of the All who liavo been to llio m i r a c u l o u s shrine at Lourdes must have
Virgin u n d er my sliirl, which I had quite f o r g o t . t o n when removing been struck by t he number of trophies th a t are the offerings of pious
my clothes. Almost thu.elcr struck with the whole scene, seeing pilgrims, or flint the quick recurring miracles have collected iu the
no man visible aud fearing then an attack, 1 rushed to the tree place. There is a touching appropriateness iu the devotion th a t
where my things were, 1 seized my sword, and was astonished to makes the grateful pilgrim oiler at the shrine the mementoes of his
find it so hot that, I could hardly hold it. Calling aloud the man's disease which the mercy of heaven have rendered useless. All the
name, I ran quickly around (lie clump of trees and looked in vain walls a t Lourdes were bung wilh crutches, aud wooden legs, and
iu every direction for him. The moon was tliou shining brightly, icooden urvut, to which scrolls were attached with dales and names
and any dark figure running or lying down could easily be seen on authenticating the miracles. These trophies, it appears, excited
ti e light sand. Seizing my clothes I hastily pulled them on and the malignity of the unbelievers. 1 1 was a hard thing to scoff a t tho
ran as fust us I could to the barracks. At once I called ou t the guard miracles with such visible testimony of their tru th before the eyes of
and, mounting myself, gave orders to scour the country iu every the world. 'J herefore it was resolved th a t the testimony must be
direction, and bring every one found to me. lint it was all in vain, destroyed. In the dead of the night some miscreants ]>enetrated to
for after horn's searching no traces could bo found of any one, and the slnine, tbe religions trophies were collected in n he,ip and set in
all I had for my pains wns (hat the men, surprised at my sudden Haines. 'I hey were reduced lo ashes. A beautiful rose tree that
appearance and strange orders, simply supposed I hat I hail become sprang from a cleft in the rocks was destroyed by the fire, and the
tem porality insane. 1 said nothing, however, and the next day face of the st,idie of the Virgin wns scorched and blackened by tho
after loll-call the corporal was reported absent. 1 had search quiet­ smoke. I t would lie dillicultin nil history to find a parallel for t l u s
ly made for him for some time, but he has never turned up from dnstnrdly and disgraceful outrage by these “ apostles of reason and
th a t day to this.’ Silence reigned for some time a t th a t table, liberty.”
various dignified heads were scratched and quizzical expressions The “ npostles of reason nnd liberty ” are criminals, nnd ought
assumed. Finally the sileucc was broken by the question, ‘ llow to be punished— ns incendiaries, liut, the majesty of (he Law
do you account for it, M a r s h a l? ’ The Marshal quietly smiled, once vindicated, ought they not, as “ apostles of’ reason ” to be
nnd said, ‘ I don't account for it.' ‘ And .your watch I ' said another
gentleman. ‘All,’ replied the Marshal, ‘ th a t is what I consider the
allowed fo respectfully put a few questions to their judges ?
most remarkable thing. The next day when I went back lo the As, for instance : how is it that “ our blessed Lady of
place I not only found my watch and the remainder of my things, but Lourdes,” so prompt at producing “ miracles ” of tho most,
the corporal's things were also (here, aud tho whole place seemed astounding chnractcr, passively suflcred such an appalling personal
undisturbed.' ’’ E. 1!. outrage ? That wns ju s t the moment to show her power, con­
 found the “ infidels," nnd vindicate her “ miracles.” A better F ro m vl. L. Rawtton, L L D . , M.D., (Ncw-York) “ Circu­
opportunity was never lost. As it is, tlio criminal:) scorch ami lar (Pam phlet) of the N ational Liberal League."
blacken the face o f the statue nml—get away unseorchcd, even From the A u t h o r :— “ Revolution at Baroda” ; and “ Tlie
by the fire of (the Catholic) heaven. Kcally, it was very in­ Forces of the N a tiv e States of India, considered in r e la ­
discreet in our contemporary to publish this story ! Perhaps these tion to the Defence of th e Indian Empire,” by D inshah
“ apostles” were the disciples ami followers of llie Zouave Jacob, Ardeshir Taleyarkhan, Esq.
whoso fame ns a healer is not inferior to that of our Lady of
F ro m B a lvan trao Vinaijek Sluts tree, E sq. :— “ A Free
Lourdes and the miraculous water. Or, it may be, they had
known J . 1». Newton, the celebrated American mesmeric Translation ol' P u tw a rd h a n i Punchang, or P utw ardhani
“ healer,” whose large reception rooms arc always hung, and no Almanack.” : A second copy of this valuable work
less than the walls of the grotto, with “ trophies '’ of his mesmeric has been forwarded to the Governm ent of the U n ite d States
power, “ with crutches, wooden legs, and wooden........arms” (?) of America by Col. Olcott.]
• —no ! not with wooden arms, for this implies previous amputa­ From M artin 1 IW /, Esq., B o m b a y :— " Quarterly R etu rn s
tion of natural arms. And almost lnajncal as arc lliu healin';O o f tlie D epartm ent o f Finance and Commerce.”
O
powers of our respectcd friend Dr. Newton, wo doubt whether F r o m Dr. P a n da ra nij Goi>al, G.G.M.O. T o u r along
he has ever claimed the gift of endowing human beings with the Ganges and J u m n a ” by Lieut. Col. Forrest,(Folio— h a n d ­
the extraordinary peculiarity of a cray-lirh— i.e. of having a somely illustrated); “ E c c e H o m o ” ; “ Eden and H eaven,” by
new arm lo grow out of an amputated stump, as seems lo have M. L. Charlesworth ; “ lvusa Ja takaya, a Buddhistic Legend,
been the case at Lourdes,— according to the C atholic M irror. from the Sinhalese of Alagiyavauna Moliotalla,” by T h o ­
But it is not alone ihe wondrous “ grotto” that proved pow­ mas Steele, C.C.S. ; “ Last days in England of R am m ohu n
erless before the destructive clement. T h e lightning (of God ?) R o y ; ” “ Low on the Sim ple Bodies of Chemistry.”
thowed itself no more a respecter of the hom e o f God and holy
F ro m liabu Kedar N a th D ull, (Calcutta) :— “ Sri Krishna
tdirines than those firebolti, tho “ apostles of reason aud liber­
S a n h ita ”— a ( !ommentary upon the different phases of Aryan
ty.” T h e number of churches, ramp-meeting tents, Inberuucles
nnd altars destroyed, during these last two years, by hurricane religious belief, chiefly upon the creed of the Vaishnaiva.s.
and lightning, in Europe and America, is appalling. And now :— From B abu R a je n d r a N a th Dutt, (Calcutta) :— “ B h a r a ­
tiya Granthavala,” being a description of tho works of A n ­
‘‘The famous sanetuaryof Madonna de Vuhnala, situated in the val­
ley of tho (M ine name iu Switzerland, was struck by lightning o n .Sun­
cient India, th eir date and a brief com m entary thereupon.
day, August 2 -1, whilst tbe priest was saying Mass at the altar. Six From l)r. J . Gcrson Da C v n h a (Bombay), M.R.C.S.
people were struck down by tho fatal lluid, one of whom, a little girl & L.M. Eng., L.lt.C.P. Ivlin: Member of tins C om m ittee
who was kneeling near her parents, was killed tm the s p o t , and the of M anagement of the Bombay Branch of the Royal
others are injured beyond hope of recovery. Several |>ersons who j
were near the door had the soles of their shoes t o r n oH.” (Catholic Asiatic Society, iVc. \ c . :— “ Memoir on the Tooth Relic of
Mirror, Sept. With.) C e y lo n ; ” “ History id '('h a u l and Bassein.”
Dear, dear ! Tho little girl killed while kneeling in prayer,
F rom Miss. M. J . B. H u m e :— “ Obscure T exts Illu s tra ­
must have been a very wicked child,— perhaps the daughter of te d ” ; “ Mohammed and M ohammedanism” ; “ T he Apocry­
nu “ apostle of reason,’' — and nil ihe rest “ sinners.” T ruly phal G o sp e ls ;” “ Questions, to which answers arc R espect­
inscrutable are thy ways, O kind Providence ! Not under­ fully asked from the O r th o d o x ; ” “ T he English Life of
standing, we have but lo submit. Moreover, to fully satisfy our Jesus” : ‘ The Folk-Songs of Southern I n d i a ” ; “ The
doubts, aud trnnquilizc our unrcslful brains, we have but to Koran,” by George Sale ; “ The Founders of Christianity,
benr in mind that which the good aud pious Jesuit pa dres of or Discourses upon the origin of the Christian Religion,”
St. X avier’s College, Bombay— known throughout Christendom by the Rev. Janies Craubrook.
ns the most acute oflogieiaus— teach u s : namely, that it is but in From 1 ‘ttnachantl A n an djce Parelch, Esq . :— "H isto ry of
the wicked logic of men that 2 and 2 necessarily make -1 ; God, the Sect of the Maharajahs.”
lor whom everything is possible, is not so circumscribed : if it From the Barones* A d e lin a I ’on Yatj ( H u n g a r y ) :—
pleases Him to command that by u miracle 2 x 2 should become " Krzahmgen des ewigen Miitterleins.”
5, why, even Sir Isaac Newton would have lo put up with the
From Dr. G. W y b t, M.D. (h'dla.) (London):— " S m ith 's
new formula.
Fruitsiind Farinacea;” and, "Vegetable Cook cry;” “ T he World
Dynamical and Im material, or the N a tu re of Perception."
BO O K S A N D P A M P H L E T S R E C EIV ED . F r o m P a n d i t B d b tji Vlthal G a r a s b t r :— “Ahinsa Dliar-
Tho Thoosophicnl Society acknowledges, with many ma Praknsh," or the Doctrine enjoining the Non-Destruction
thanks to the donors, the following donations of books and of Animal Life.
]>amphlcts to th e Library : From R a o Saheh Bhiinhltai K trjk trd n i :— “ The Pa time
Prablms," written for the (official) Bombay Gazetteer, by
From I f. lliv c tt C um ae, A’sy., B. C. S., Companion ot the
Krishnanath Raglmnatliji.
Onler of the Indian Empire, hollow of the IJniversity of
F rom the A u t h o r — “ B hawartha Sindlut Granth, ill
Bombay, Fellow of th e Society of Antiquaries, &<•., I'te.:—
Hindi.” _
“ Arclueological N otes on Ancient Sculptures on Rocks in
Kumaon, In d ia ” ; “ Rough Notes on the S n a k e Symbol in From the A u t h o r :—“ T he Account of the manifestation
of Sliri Govardhun Niilh,’’ in H indi, by Pundit MohunhU
India, in connection with the Worship of Siva” ; “ Descrip­
Vishnulal l’amlea, F.T.S.
tions of some Stone Carvings, collected in a to u r through
From K. H. K a m a , Esq., (Bombay)— N ine pam phlets on
the Doab, from Cawnpore to Mainpuri.”
The “ Religion and Customs of the Persians and other
From the A u t h o r :— “ A Sanitary Primer,” being an E le­ Iranions,” as described by German authors,
mentary Treatise on Practical I fygeine, for the use of I ndian
Schools and General Public, by Mulraj, M.A., Prenichuml
TAIJI j K O f CO NTH NTS.
Roychand S tu d e n t, President of the Arya Saiuaj, Lahore.
. . - . ratfc. r Age.
From A. iY. Shrojf, £.'«</.:— “ Jo urnal of the Indian Asso­ Clu iitina.-'Then and Christmas Iliiulii Ideas about Commu­
ciation.” • Now ...................................... i>5 nion with the Dead............ 08
The Popular Idea ofSoul-sur- The Veda, theOriginand His­
From the A u t h o r :— " Lc llenottveatt D ’lsis, traduction vival ....................................... tory ef Ueliginn ................ G!)
libre de l’Alleniand.” P a r Esslie. Paris. Lieutenant Colonel, S5t. A n ­ Soundings in the Ocean of
From the A u th o r :— " C ourting the Muse,” being a collec­ tony ...................................... f>2 _ Aryan Literature................
Ancient Opinion* upon Psy­ Sankaracharaya, Philosopher
tion of poems, by Cowasji Nowrosji Vesuvala, chic Bodies................ ............. (ilJ and Mystic ............ ..... 71
From the Author :— “ Through Asiatic T u rk ey,” narrative Indian Jugyling ..................... G."> The Phantom Dog ................ 73
of a Journey from Bombay to th e B o sph orus; by G ra tta n A Chapter on J a i n i s m ............ <>."> Hast Indian Materia Mcdica. 74
The Society's Bulletin............ GG A Strange Uevery ................ 7G
Geary, Esq., editor of th e T im e s o f In d ia . Tho Autobiography of Dayii- An Old Book and a New Ono 77
' From the A u t h o r :— “ A lecture on the lnoderi! Minldhis- nuud Saraswuti Swami........ GG Nocturnal Thoughts ............ 7i>
tie Researches,” delivered at the Berhampore Library So­ Book Notices ........................ H I
ciety ; “ Ajtihasik Rahasyn, or Historical Mysteries,” Parts
I'liiitel at tlio h f t i ' i l i I ' m . - by 11 . Curaotji & L'u., aial published
II. aud III., by Babvi Rum Day Sen (Bcrlanipoiv). by tliu TUtu;"i'Uiv.il Weekly, .it Nu 10iJ, Crjaurn Uatk l!ou'l, liomboy.
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Khan B.ihadiir Fi amji Nasarwnnji Scthua.
Dinrtnaih AlmaiAm Dalvi, E.-q., M.A.,
LL.B.
Klislina Bao, Es([.
I B. Dull, Esq.
Maiiohnr Lai, Esq.
l ’ao Bahadur Jahiirdau Snkhaiam Gadgil.
Dalpthlnii Ithaguhhai, lCsq.
Balm C. It. Krishna Itno.
Achaiialhlal G. .lhavcrco, Esq.
Dinshah Ardeshir Talcyarkhan, Esq.
Iiao Bahadur Mahadcv Goviiul Itauadi’.
i llari Mahtiduv l ’andil, lCsq.
K. Kewnhdumd, lCsq.
j Doctor Dharmaji Ganosh.
, Bao Baliailnr Uuicdiam ltanchliordas.
TapidiU Dayaiam, Esq., M.A.
Balwanl Trimbak, lCsq.
Doctor Yishram Bamji Ghollsiv.
[ Vithal \Vasudi*v Goorjai', Esq.
j Itno Bahadur Bholanalli Sfii.ibhai.
.lainnadas l ’rcmchaiul Nanavati, ICsq.
Ilari Anant. l ’aranchpe, Esq.
Si-shagiri Vithal, Esq.
Banihhaji Bao. E -q .
1 Gopal Ilari, Esq.
Bao Salicb Mahipatiam ltuprain.
llarichand tlopal, Esq.
Khan Siihcl> Eramji Cnrselji.
ltao Biliadur Naniyan Gancsli Sat lie.
Captain Kirkwood.
ltao Bahadur Y inavakrao Jauardiui Kir-
tnne.
Gane.-n .liwnji Kelkar, lv-q.
l ’andil. Girdharlal Duhov.
Waiuan Maliadov Kolhatkar, Esq.
Khandeiao .Jamudaii, Es<|.
Klnin Bahadur Kbar.«eiji ltn-tomji.
M. Bhowiini Shanknr Itiio, Es<|.
ltaghuiialh Itamchandia, E?q.
Major I Icnr^ Itocke.
Shcriarji Dadalilmy Bharucli:i, E sq.
Y inayak Vishnu K i’uk*, Esq.
Bao Bahadur Itaiji Vithal Bunekar.
Nowrozji Eramji Ardcfir, E « |.
Bandit iMoliunlal Yifdinulill r.-uuloa.
Khan Bnhadur Nowrozji Dorahji Khau-
dalcwalla.
ltcudyiuo-
Doctor Ilamnantrao Bhoslev.
Shriniaut Vinayakrao Gancsh alias ltao
tah-'l. Kibe.
Aba Vishnu l ’uninik, E.«(|.
Bao Salieb B 11o" i Iill lYanvnlabliadas.
Wainau Tatia, Esq.
Khan Bahadur Darashaw Dosabhoy.
Maniklal .Ja^jivandaH, lisq.
Kali Paila Bandj’opadhj'aya, Esij.
Sakharam Dhonddev Guptc, Esq.
Divan Bahadur Itaghunalh ltao.
A. G. Armstrong, Esq.
l ’andit Vrajanath Gautama.
M A D B A S ( l ’liF.sii'EN'cv).
'I'. Ganapaly J y c r, Esq.
K. S. ltama Ban, ICsij., B.A.
M lill. Cl.itla B11r11«11o11amnyya, Esq.
B. Dh'ijaii" ltao, Esq. ’ Jlis IJigbuess ltama Vurum.
S. Smidram Iyer, E.-<|.
G. Narasinihuhl Naidu, Esq.
Uma ltanganayakalu Nayudeo, Esq.
Nadkarni Maiige.shr.io, Es(j.
S. Tannooswamy Moodliar, Esq.
j A . Puudarikakshmia, Esq.
B. K. Naraymiiah, Esq.
tlllal Narasiiig ltao, Esq.
’ .1. French, Esq.
Nayapiity Naiiiina Moorly, Esq.
It. M. Venkato Ban, Esq.
C. S. ltama Switiny Iyer, Esq.
Surgeon M. E. ltcportcr.
B. N. Daivauriigan, Esq.
<1. V. Sidjha Ball, Esq.
M. Nai avail Bhatji, Es<|.
S. 1’. Narasimulu Naidu, Esq.
\V. Shriliivas Itagavachiiri, Esq.
Surgeon D. B. Wm likers.
P U N JA B .
Dr. G. M. Lcitucr.
Frincipal, Oriental College, Lahore.
I’rincipal, Government College, Lahore.
Bandit Jas'intrao Bliojapalra.
Lalla Lakhpat. Bui.
G.ovardhan Das?, Esq.
Lalla Manohar Dev.
B. Dam Chand, Esq.
Lalla Jivau Dass.
l ’ri'iu Singh Ahluwalia, Esq.
j Lalla Italia ltani.
Lalla lvnval Nain.
Lalla Italian Chand.
Lalla Mungal Sain.
I -nlIn l)aya Bam.
Lalla l ’ehari Lull.
Lalla Sagar Mall.
Bludauath, Es(|.
Italia Bam, Esq.
Greece Chaudar Baiicijcc, Esq.
Lalla Kisliiu Chand.
l’audil Bohlo ltam.
Bal Mokand, Esq.
Kliushi ltam, Iv-<|.
Lalla Glia-i Bam.
Lalla Dulput Bal.
Lalla Amoluk Bam.
B E N G A L N. W. 1*., O U D II, AND
Bit I T I SI I B U ItM A II.
Bajah I ’rainothabushon Deva Itayn.
Miiharaj Kamal Krishna Bahadur.
Babu O. C. Dull.
Babn Devendra Chandrn Ghos".
l ’audit l ’rainada Du-i Mitra.
Maliarn Narendra Krishna Bahadur.
1 Babu Fancendra Mohan Bosu.
Miss Minnie Hume.
Babu Krishna Chandra.
Balm Avinas Chandra Bancrjee.
Ilin Highness '1 linkur J a g a Mohan Sinlia
Babu lvader Nath Dutt.
Doelor Itain Das Sen.
ltao Bahadur Dunpulsingh l’erlabaingli.
Babu Kirpa Bam Swami.
II i=* Highness ltaja Bnrada Kantn.
B. L. M .W in tu n , Esq. C.E.
Babu Itajcndra Nath Dutt.
H er Highness Malm liauee Surnonioycc,
Mcnibei’of tho Imperial Order of the
Crown iif India.
Lieut.-Col. \V. (Jordon.
Thakoro Ganesh Singh, Esq.
Charles Italph Cosabon, Esq.
II. Bivctt Carnae, ICsq., B.C.S.
D. W, Taylor Esq. '
Itoss Seott Esq.
 /Ocreativ
^com m ons
Attribution-NonCom m ercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported

Y o u are free:

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 th e f o llo w in g c o n d it 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 ith th e u n d e r s t a n d in 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 .
 A MONTHLY JOURNAL DEYOTED TO ORIENTAL PHILOSOPHY, ART, LITERATURE AND OCCULTISM: EMBRACING
MESMERISM, SPIRITUALISM, AND OTHER SECRET SCIENCES.

V ol . I. N o. 4. BOM BAY , J A N U A R Y , 1880.

SPECIAL n o t i c e s . ] The. reproduction (>f Mr. W. IF. Harrison's illustrated

I t in oviitviit tliat th e T iikhhoI'IIist will offer to lulvortlsers unusual ml article iipmi tlio recent London experim ents upon tlio
vnntn^u. in circulation. AVu have already subscril'errt in every p a rt uf
Iii'lin, iii (,'oylon, Hurmah, mnl on the l'er-iia^ (!nlf. O ur ]m per aUo yoed weight of ii medium, adverted to in last m o n th ’s issue, is
to (tre a t llritn in , Kiaucc, Cierumny, H ungary, (Jrceeo, Itussia, ( 'uli-tahti - postponed for the present ; two members of the Com m ittee
nople, Kt;y|it, A ustralia, ami K urth an d S outh Amvriea. T he following very in charge of tho experim ents having announced th a t the
m oderate ra te s Im re been niloptcil :
A dvi iitisint. K atks. publication was ill-advised and calculated to mislead.
F irst in sertio n...........Iii lines nml miller.. . 1 U upco.
For each additional lino.............................. .1 Auim.
Space id charged for ot tlio rate of 12 linen to tlio inch. Special arra n g e­
m ents can be mado for large advertisem ents, nnd for longer and tixed Most opportunely then; comes a communication upoil
periods. For fu rth e r inform ation uml contracts for advertising, apply to the missionary question, which will he found elsewhere,
M issu s. COOPER k Co. j T he writer, one ot the most estimable ladies in India, is wife,
A dvertising A gents, Booksellers anil Publisher*, Meadow S tre et, Fort, ot Lt.-Col. William Gordon, F.T.S., Start' Corps, D istrict
Bombay. I S u perinten den t of Police, Mannblioom, Bengal. A recent
I letter of hers to t he Viouecr, upon the subject of S p iritu a ­
lism, occasioned a very active discussion ; and since she
T o SUDSCKIBEIIS.
now expresses the opinion ol all Anglo-Indians as regards
4*' The Subscription price a t which tho T hkosoI'IUst is jml>li>hed baro-
ly covers cost - th e tlol'Mi iti establishing tho journal having been rath er missionary work in India it is probable that the public
I
to reach a very wido circle of readers, th an to mako a protit. W c ciinnot will be favored with a much needed ventilation of a gross
afford, therefore, to solid s|K‘cimen copica free, nor to Hiipply libraries, so ­
cieties, or individuals g ratu ito u sly. F or th e kiiuc reason wo are obliged abuse ot long standing. A tal.se delicacy has hitherto piv-
to adopt th e plan, now universal iu America, of ic«|niring .subscribers to j vented this m atter trom being gone into as its importance
J ay in advaneo, and of stopping tho paper a t tho end of tho term paid for.
Many years of practical experience has convinced W estern publishers th at
I deserves. It is a pity to sen so many sacrifices made.1 bv
this system of cash pay m en t is tho best nnd m ost satisfactory to both good people at the West merely to support a party of in ­
parties ; nnd ail respectable journals are now conducted on this plan. efficients in the profitless because hopeless occupation of
#*r Sub*cril>cis wishing a p rinted receip t for th eir rem ittance* mn>t
send .stamp* for retu rn iiostago. O therwise acknow ledgem ents will bo made trying to persuade the people of India and other Asiatic
through tho jourm d. j countries to relinquish their ancestral faith for one which
§*• The Tiikm.so|,iiis t will ap p ear each m onth, Tho rates, —fur twelve the missionaries lire utterly unable to defend when ipies-
numbers of not leM th an 40 columns Uoyal 4to each, (if reading m atter, <>r
4SU columns in all - are as fo llo w s:—To Subscriber* in any p a rt of India, tinned by even tolerably educated ‘ heathen.’ The money
Its. (j per annum ; in Ceylon, IU 7 ; in tho S tra its S ettlem ent*, China, Ja p an , is sorely n e e d e d at home to Iced the hungry, c lo t h e the
ami A ustralia l»s. H ; in Africa, Knropo, and tho U nited Staten, JL 1. Half
year (India) IU. 4 ; Single copies annas 12. B em ittanees in postal stam ps naked, ami rescue the vicious from their state of lawless­
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rates include postage. .Vo hamt r i l l Ik cnUrul on the U*Us o t i n t
Hntil tkt unntftf (4 Vtmtttnl ; unit iHtttiUtbly the JMtjttr td tl he tliM'ut. tinHut the missionary.
ot the tXfuintioH o f the tri m ttiltMn il/nl for. Kcm ittaiiccs should be made ill
M ouey-orders, liu u d is, Bill cheijues, (or T reasury bills, if in registered
letters), and made payable to the I’ltoritiKTOHS o»* Tilt: T»u;obul’m»T, 108,
Uirganiu Back Boad, Bombay, India.
D E A T H O F MU. K K R J E A N T C o X .
A oi:xts : New York, S. II. Wells k Co., 787, Broadway ; Boston, Mass,
Great consternation Was caused at the Middlesex sessions
Colby and Uich, U, M ontgom ery Place ; Chicago, HI. J . C. Bundy. l»J, l«n
on Tuesday, by the aniioniicelnent, before the commence­
Salle St. American subscribers may also order th e ir )m|H;rs through W. (^.
Judge, j., 71. Broadway, New York. m ent of the business of the day, of the sudden and u n e x­
Ceylon ; Isaac W ceresooriya, D eputy Coroner, Dodanduwa. pected death of Mr. Serjeant CoX, the presiding ju d g e in
the second court at these sessions,
Mr. Edward W illiam Cox, Serjeant-at-law, was the eldest
THE THEOSOPHIST. soil of the late Mr. William ('. Cox. H e was born in the
year 180!I, so th a t he would be in his 71st year. H e was
BOMBAY, J A N U A R Y 1 s t , 1880. called to the bar a t the Middle Tem ple in 1N4JI, and raised
to the degree of a Serjeant-at-law in ISti.N.
The Editors disclaim responsibility for opinions expressed T h an Air. Serjeant Cox no man was b etter known in idl
by contributors in th e ir articles. .Great latitude is allowed London. At the Middlesex Sessions Iu; lias been ju d g e for
correspondents, and they alone are accountable for what nine years. As one ot th e few still remaining wearers of
they write. the coif, he was a marked man amongst lawyers. H e own­
ed more papers than any man in Kngland, and most of
Much confusion is created by tlio hab it of sending pos­ them, like the F lth l, th e J.iuv Times, and the Queoi, have
tal numoy-orders in separate; envelopes w ithout giving an unassailable position.
in the preceding letter of advioo th e number, sum, and H e was a philosopher, and made psychology his spccial
name of oflice from which the order has been taken. Seve­ study, having written a portly work of two volumes called
ral such cases have occurred since th e issue of the D e­ " W h a t am I I" as an introduction to the study of philoso­
cember number, aud the only course is for th e Publisher phy. H e was also an elocutionist, and not only read in
to wait until notified by th e subscribers of the non receipt public, b u t wrote a work which was intended to explain to
of their expected copies. IoMther
I I C 1 people how to lead and how to speak. Over and
|a b o v e} all this, he was an ardent Spiritualist, and fought the
materialists h and to hand with the evidence he th ou gh t he ago the spirit ualists of Toronto used to converse with their
had of a spiritual world. dep arted friends by th e same means through the arms of
T he d eath was sudden. Lute in th e afternotin he had a servant girl of t h a t city ; and the similar phenomenon
sentenced a convicted prisoner to undergo a term of im ­ is observed with ‘ m edium s’. I t will be well, there­
prisonment. After dinner he, though a m a n of 70, went fore, to weigh thoroughly the claims of the supernatural
out. to help in a penny reading. Me came home, entered before giving a scientific explanation of th e phenomenon,
his library, sat in his chair, and died of heart, disease. His and it would perhaps be b etter t.o look on. t h e ' ‘ femme
death leaves .1 vacancy a t th e Middlesex Sessions, a va­ lithographique” as ah embryonic St. Catherine, rather than
cancy in th e magisterial bench of magistrates, a. void in run th e risk of being considered an atheist by explaining
the philosophical world, and inflicts a heavy blow on the away stigmatisation by a, theory of periodic urticaria.
votaries of Spiritualism. 11 leaves, too, so much the less
good-fellowship and geniality in the world.
We little thought when reviewing “ in our last issue, A ltY A PIvAKASII.
" T h e Mechanism of Man ” it would so soon become our
melancholy d u ty to rccord th e death of' its talented
T O G A V 1 DYA.
author. 1
lhj F. T. S. v
History affords ninny proofs (lint, even iiinnimntc objects, such
A recent German paper slates tha t at Gaudenfrel, the among others, as huge bronze and marble statues, may he dill’e r-
W ell-know n artist and glass-spinner, Prcngel, of Vienna, eatly polarized, ami illustrate tlie condition of J .n y h ii.a . It
has established his glass business, consisting of carpets, being an established maxim that it is easy to lenru from an
culls, collars, veils, <tc., manufactured of glass : by means enemy, let, us lirst call (lie Heathen-haling, Pope-adoring bigot
of very ingenious processes, he not only spins b u t also Dcs JMousseaux of France, to the witness-stand. This con­
Weaves glass with great facility, so th a t he is enabled to temporary champion of Roman Catholicism is a voluminous nml
change the otherwise b rittle glass into pliable thread, and sharp writer, hut in his eagerness to prove the divinity of his
•with this material he makes good, warm clothing. This, own religion unwittingly gives the most nunicious proofs of
the superiority of the despised Ilcuthcn in psychological science.
it is asserted, is accomplished by introducing certain in ­
True, he ascribes every phenomenon to the Devil, but few renders
gredients into th e glass, t,hereby changing the entire
of this journal will he frightened by this poor tattered ‘ bogey.’
nature of the material. White, curly glass mulls, anil In his “ Les Hants Plienomenes de la. Magic ” he admits
ladies’ hats of softest glass feathers, are among the pro­ t h a t " several thousand ” of these animated statues nre noticed
ductions in this line already in use. An interesting fea­ by unexceptionable witnesses, an I bids us stand aghast nt these
tu re mentioned of this glass material is th a t it is actually evidences of'diabolical interference iu Ihe affairs of men. I lo
lighter than feathers, and it is also stated th a t wool made quotes from T itus Livy the account of the statue of .Juno nt
of this new material bears such an exact resemblance to the Veii— the Etruscan rival of Rome— which miraculously answer­
Genuine article I,hat it is almost impossible to distinguish ed the Intuiting question of a Roman soldier at, Ihe sack of tho
the one from the other. The comparative cost, of this city by Camillus. “ J u n o ” faid the soldier “ will it please
n ew substance, when th u s m anufactured into wearing and you to quit the walls of Veii and fettle yourself nt Pome ?” Tho
other goods, is not stated. statue inclined its head lo signify assent, nml then audibly re­
plied, "Y es, I will whereupon, being lifted upon the shoulders
of Ihe conquerors, the huge imago “ seemed instantly to lose its
well'll!, nnd rather follow them, ns if it were, than make
A n interesting arclueological discovery has just, been itself carried. ” According to Dionysius of Halicarnassus
made iu the G overnm ent of l'oltaw a (Russia). The Kiev- (A n !., book I, eh. xv.) the household gods ( p f nates) carried
ji<niine, announces th a t the well known antiquarian, Mr. away from the Troail to Laviuium aud placed in n new
Kebaltchiteh, has ju st excavated tin niorntouti settlement o f temple rose from their pedestals and floated back to their old
tin: p r im itiv e m",tt, !■)! Ihi! sho vex o f Ihe river Tronbej, near places, though the temple doors were fast shut ; aud this hap­
the village Sclishtoeh, in the district, of 1’ereyaslav. So far pened a second time. Iu M. Hrnsseur do llourbourg’s 11 Ilistoire
there have been found 2 stone im plements, used to break de M e x iq u c" (Vol. II, p. {>88, nnd V. I l l , p. (164) is men­
bones w ith ; -M'l specimen pieces of stone arrows and tioned a curious building— no less than n prison for gods.
knives ; 2 clay, rudely fashioned “ boulinas” ; 2 ti pieces of Herein were confined by chains and under seen re bolts and
fossil bones of men and an im als; 8 pieces of charred wood ; locks, the tutelar gods of the people conquered by the Mexicans,
17 pieces of broken pottery, ornam ented with vert ical lines under the belief that, as long as these images could ho pre­
vented from transporling themselves back to their own coun­
and holes: •”> bronze arrow heads (or tip s ); 2 glass (?)
tries, their several wnrd-nations would be kept under subjection ;
“ boulinas” ; and ail iron link from a chain-mail (Sir). which proves that under its local Mexican name Patanjali's
“ As far as we know,” says a St. Petersburg paper, “ this Lnghinm science was generally known lo those nueieut people
is the only spot in Southern Russia which has given such of India’s antipodes.
rich scientific results in relation to the stone age of the
Lucian (tic S yria D en ) describes n scene of which lie wnC
m en who inhabited th a t place.”
eye-witness in a temple of Apollo. When the god wished to
express his will his statue would move on its pedestal ; if not
immediately taken, upon their shoulders, by the priests, it
Paris is undoubtedly one of the best, places in the words
would swe.it, and “ come forth into the middle of Ihe room.”
for th e study of that, Protean malady, hysteria,; two years
When being carried, the statue would becoir.c pretenmtiirnlly
acm the “ (,'harite” could display a fasting girl who might, light in weight, nnd once Lucian, Ihe skeptic nnd pricst-scoffer,
have held her own against, any of the female saints of the saw it levitated. “ I will relate ” says he, “ another thing
middle ages, and who thrived on th e diet, that, proved also which he did in un/ presence. T h e priests were bearing
fatal to her Welch sister. Now M. Dujardin-P.caumetz him upon their shoulders— he left them below upon the ground,
has discovered a “ femme lit.hographiquc” in whom the while lie himself was borne aloft nnd alone into the air.” In
lightest contact gives rise to an urticarious eruption. Upon the mouth of such nu unbeliever and shrewd observer ns Lucian
tracing his name upon her flesh the letters /mined iately is known to have been, this testimony is of great importance.
appear in red relief, and t his is accompanied by a local rise We have thus purposely drawn upon other than Arynn or
of te m pe ra tu re of from I " to 2 . other cis-IIimmalnyni! sources for the proof we needed of the
T h ere is complete anesthesia of the whole body. Those existence of a Laglumn properly in nature. Since our Indian
who have studied the occult, sciences know th a t this last, youth nre linving so poor an opinion of their own literature they
sym ptom used to be a m ark of deinonaieal possession, nnd may lie willing to sec tho ease proved without recourse to it.
it will be remembered th a t th e m o th er superior of the be ­ And doubtless,» after runningO around tho circle of foreign O niilho*
witched convent of Loudun could produce on her arms the r ily , an d th en s t o o p in g to c o n s u lt so m e h u m b le shaslri a b o u t
raised names of the devils who infested her body, A few years th e c o n t e n ts o f th e V e d a a u d Inter h o m o w r it in g s , t h e y m ny
discover that their own ancestors wore not such superstitious
fool*, lifter all, Imt did, in fact, give tho Western world its entire
patrimony of philosophy nud spiritual science. Following out
tho same policy, let ns transfer to these pages from those of
the Q u a rterly J o u r n a l o f Science (Feliruary, 1875 ), a list of
scthrnhnts whom tho Konmii Catholics have canonized into
saints, and which tho Editor (.Nlr. Crookes) takes from tho
Bolhndists' A eta, giving volume and page in each instance.
Beforo doing so, however, wo will premise hy saying, for tho
benefit of our Oriental readers, who this Mr. William Crookes
is. This gentleman is one of the most eminent living chemist*
of Engluud, ami among tho best known throughout tho We?t-
ern world. His attention has for years been largely given to
(he application of chemical sciencc to tho development of the
useful arts, aud iu this direction has done a deal of important
nnd valuable work, lie discovered (in I8GJ) tho new metal
T h a lliu m , aud gave to modern scieuoo that delicate little in­
strument, tho Radiometer, which measures t.lio forco iu tho heat
rays of a beam of light. Ono of the cleverest, of the Follows
of the Royal Society, and Editor of tho Q uarterly J o u rn a l
o f Science, he felt it his houudcn duty, iu tho Summer of 187 *
to investigate mcdiumistic phenomena nud expose tho fraud,
if such it should prove to be. Beforo entering upon tho in­
quiry, belaid down with minuto particularity the tests that exact
sciencc would demand beforo accepting tho phenomena as
manifestations that a new forco bad declared itself. So sternly
exacting did they seem, the whole scientific body applauded his
intention, and prematurely rejoiced over tho certain exposure
of the 4 humbug.’ But tho end was not to bo as expected ;
tho ‘ now force' boat Mr. Crookes completely, upset all his theo­
ries, confounded aud shocked the Royal Society, immeasurably
strengthened tho spiritualist party, ami gave such an impetus to
this branch of scientific enquiry as to threaten a total recon­
struction of Western ideas of Force ami Matter. Though Mr.
Crookes' inquiry first occupied itself with tho simple percussive
sounds, called ‘ raps,’ it soon widened so as to embrace tho
visible apparition of ‘ materialized spirits,' aud, later, the
question of levitation.
T he consideration of this part of the subject led to the ap­ cubit, and thence up to live or six cubits, or, iu a few cases, ells.
pearance of the article from which wo will now quote the above­ Bui. tho Princess Agues aud the? Abbess Coleta were, like Klijah,
mentioned list of luthrobats whom tho Roman Catholic church carried out of si^lit, or into the clouds ; mil Peter of Alcantara ami
has ct'owiied ns ‘ saints’ ;
fo r ty Levitated Person*, Canonized or Beatified.
It.ito of Acta Vol.
Pages.
Nnmo, C'ouutry, Anil Condition. Life. Billiot.
•Andrew Salus, Scythian Slave... 88 *)- 91(1 May VI 1C*
Luke of Soterium, Greek Monk... 890- 946 Feb. II 83
Stephen I., King of H ungary... 978-1038 Sept. 1 5U
Ladislaus I., llitto (his grandson) 1041-1096 J u n o V 318
C hmliun, Flemish N u n ............ UoO- 1 2 2 0 July V 658
St. Dominic, Italian Preacher.— 1170-1221 A ti if. I •103, 373
Lntgard, Belgian N un ... . 11W2-1240 Ju n e I I I 238
Agues of Bohemia, Princess . 1203-1281 March I 522
Ilum iliauaof Florence, Widow. 1210-lii 1(! May IV 3!ili
Jutta, Prussian Widow H erm it... 1215-1261 May VII C0(!
St. Boiiaveuture, Italian Cardinal 1221-1274 Ju ly I I I 827
St.Thomas Aquinas, Italian Friar 1227-1274 March I 670-1
Ambrose Siinsedonius,I tin. Priest 122(1-1287 March I I I 192
Peter Armciigol, Spanish Priest 1238 1301 Sept. I 331
St. Albert, Sicilian P r i e s t .......... 1240-1301! Aug. II 2311
Princess Margaret of H ungary... 1212-12iO J a n . II 90 1
RobeitofSolen turn, Italian Abbot 1273-1341 J u l y IV 503
Agnesof Mt.Politian, I tin. Abbess 1274-1317 April II 794
BartholusofVado, ItaliauIIerm it 1301) J u n e I I 1007
Princess KlizabethofJIungary . .. 1297-1338 May II 126
CathariuoColiimbinn, Sp. Abbess 1387 J u l y V I I 352
St.Vincent Ferrer,Sp. Missionary 1359-1419 April I 497
Coleta of (ihent,Flemish Abbess 1381-1447 March I 539, 570
Jeremy of 1‘anonno, Sicilian Friar 1381-1432 March I 297
St.Antoiiinc, Archbp.of Florence 1389-1459 Mny I 333
St.Francis of Paolo, Missionary 1440-1307 April I 117
Osanna of Mantua, Italian Nun 14311-1503 J u n e I I I 703, 703
Bartholomew of Anghiera, Friar 1310 March II 6I!5
Cohunlmof Itieti, Italian N u n . . . 1408-1301 Mny V 332*-l*,3(30*
Thomas, Archbishop of Valencia 1487-1535 Sept. V 83 :, 969
Bt.Ignatius Loyola, Sp.Soldier... 1 4 9 l-ls.5(i J u l y V I I 432
Peter of Alcantara, Spanish F riar 1499-1562 Oct. V I I I «72, (173,087 0 , 1,.ini, Vol. XII., p. lf.SUU.
St. Philip Neri, Italian Friar ... 1315-1393 May VI 590
Salvator de HortA, Spanish F riar 1520-15(17 March II 679-80
St. Luis Bertrand, Sp.Mi.-«ionnry 1526-1581 Oct. V 407,483
St. There no, Spanish Abbess ... 1515-1582 ( >ct. V II 399
Jolm k Cruce, Spanish Priest... . 1342-1591 Oct. V II 239
J. B. I’iscator, Roman Professor 1586 J u n e IV 976
Joseph ofCuportino, Italian Friar 1(103-1063 Sept. V 10 2
- 0-2
Douijvcntiircof Potenza,ltln. Friar 165J-171 1 Oct. X II 134, 137-9
Tho compiler, Mr. Crookes adds tho following reflections :
As the lives of all these are pretty fully recorded, we have the means
of drawing several generalisations. I t is plain that all displayed tho
qualities most distinctive of the present “ spirit-niediuins,” and
many were accompanied from childhood by some of the same
phenomena, though I find nothing resembling tho “ raps.” Tho
hereditary nature of th eir gifts is shown by the Hungarian royal
family producing tive examples ; aud it is also notable, <>n this head,
tha t out of III there should not be one of British or French birth,
although some of the most remarkable S|>ent much of their lives in
France, nnd all other Christian races seem represented. A featuro
absolutely common to the whole 40 is great asceticism. Only four mar­
ried, and all were iu the habit of extreme fasting,‘‘ macerating” their
bodies either with h airsh irts or various irons under their clothes, aud
many of submitting to bloody flagellations. Again, all. without excep­
tion, were ghost-seers, or second-sighted ; and all subject to trances,
e ith e r with loss of consciousness only, or of motion and flexibility
too, in which case they were often supposed dead ; ami the last iu
our list, after lying in state for three days, aud being barbarously
mutilated by his worshipers, fur relics, was unquestionably finally
buried alive.'* Many were levitated only iu the-c unconscious slates ;
others, ns Joseph of Cupertino (the greatest a'tlirobat in all
history), both in the trance and ordinary state, and (like Mr. Home)
most frequently iu the latter ; while a very few, as Theresa, seem
to have been always conscious wlion in tho air. Several were, in
certain states, tire-handlers, like Mr. Home. The Princess Margaret
was so from the age of ten. Many lnul what was called tho “gift
of tongues," th at is, were caused (doubtless iu an obsessed state) to
address audiences of whose language they were ignorant. Thus the
Spaniard, Vincent Ferrer, is said to liavo learnt no language but
his own. though he gathered great audiences iu France, (ierm anr,
Iuiglnnd, and Ireland. Connected with this, we should note how
general a quality of these persons was eloquence. All the men (un­
less the two kings), and most of the women, were great preachers,
though few wrote anything, except lionaventure Mid Thomas in the
thirteenth century, and Theresa in the sixteenth, who were the great­
est Catholic writers of their ages. It is also very notable th a t the
list contains the founders of six religious o rd e r s - the first special
preaching order, Dominicans, the Jesuate Nuns, Minim Friars, J e ­
suits, Carmelite Nuns, and Or.itorians ; and all of these, except the
second, great aud durable.
The great majority of them, though often seen susjvnded, were at
heights from the ground deserilicd only as ‘ a palm,” half a cubit, u
Joseph of Cupertino to the ceilings of lofty buildings. The times
that these aud others were watched off the ground often exceeded
ail h ou r ; anil the Archbishop of Valencia (1353) w;ls Mis|aeuded in
a trance 1 2 hours, so th a t not only ull the inmates of his {mince
aud clergy, but innumerable lay citizens, went, to tee the marvel.
On recovery, with the missal he had been reading iu his hand, lie
merely remarked lie had lost the place.f- In this and all cases the
subjects were either praying at the time, or speaking or listening to
a particular religious topic that, iu each case, is recorded to liavo
generally alfected that person either with trance or levitation. We
have seen th at Apollonius vanished on declaiming his favourite verse
of Homer. So the topic of the Incarnation would cause Peter of
Alcantara to u tter a frightful crv, and shoot through the a ir
"lit sc'opcto cttiis*H3 viil>-rcttir ” th a t of Mary’s birth would have a
like effect ou Joseph of C u p e rtin o ; and Theresa, after obtaining
by prayer the cessation of her early levitations, was yet obliged to
avoid hearing John a Cruce on the Trinity, lindiu<' that this topic
would cause Ixith him and her to be raised with their chairs from
the floor. A contemporary painting of them iu this position, b e­
side the grating where it occurred, h.is been engraved in the volume
above cited. Joseph of Cupertino, ou entering any church having a-
Madonua or his patron, St. Francis, as an altarpiece, would be borne
straight thereto, crying, “l My de ir mother !" or “ My father !” aud re­
main with his arms and robe so among the caudles as to alarm all with
the danger of his catching fire ; but always Hying bacK to the spot
whence lie had risen. Others were raised up to images or pictures, as
the Abbess Agues in early girlhood, often before a crucifix, “ in tau-
tum earn arripuit amor S|*ousi sui, quod i*elict:i term tail! alto fuit
corpus suuni purissimuin snblevatum in acre, quAd ipsi imagiui, supra
altare iu cmiueuti loco po-itie, se pari situ eonjunxit ; ubi osculaiis et
amplcxans, visa cst super Dilectuni suum innixa.
“ Of invisible transfers to a distance, tho only subjects seem lohavo
been Columbaof liietti, said to have been carried from her mother's
house in th a t town to the nunnery that afterwards received her
nt Sjioleto, 20 miles distant ; and the river transits of Peter of Alcan-
• This nppallinu story ..f inaniiu su p erstitio n , to bo pnrnllulc.l probably
nutting no non.('uLtii.Mc poepto on earth , will l»o fuiiiol in .1 i-ftt Sm.cti.ntui
*! Thi-t prolate, the annua) income of whose soe wa* 18,000 ilucal.*,
hail ao sooner se ttle d in his pulaeo than he gut riil of all luxurious fu rn i­
ture, an*l nciile it a hospital or poor house ; him self often sleeping ou
straw , if bo<!s ran short fi*r tho paupers, (-hartes V . ha*t immc<l an o th er
porsou for this roo, b u t tho secretary to wh nn ho was ilietatin*; m istook
tho nam e, nud ta k in " an eth o r p.i|Mjr said, " f iiaiyinod your M ajesty to
have Kaitl T hom as of Vittannva, hut tho error u ill ,-oon l»o rcctitie<l ”
'J h v em peror *ui*l, ‘ ‘ lly no mean* ; tho m istake )vas proviilentiai ; let it
stand.
(ai'iv. The lives uf Joseph of Cupertino, indeed, allege th a t tlio rare YOGA P H IL O SO PH Y .
miracle of “ geniinatio corporis," or bodily presence in two distant
1ilaces the snme day, was twice vouchsafed to him wliilc dwelling nt (B y Truth seeker.)
lome— ouco to assist at tlio death-bed of a named old man of li is r T 1lo following communication, from a European Theo­
native village, whom he had promised to attend if possible ; and again
»t. the death of his mother. I t is also related of t he great Spanish sophist, will be read with attention and interest by H indu
w throbat that, while the business of a jubilee detained him at Madrid students of Yoga. T he references to ‘ Vital air,’ ‘ wind,’
(1 ■>.r>tl-!)), a lady, Rlvira do (innivajnl, in ISstremadura, declared her ‘ tubu la r vessels,' ‘ moon-fluid of immortality,’ ‘ chambers of
resolve to have no other confessor till Kather Fetor might he within the body,’ and such like, may be incomprehensible to the
reach ; and the same day lie presented himself at her castle, announc­
ing that he had been brought, expressly from Madrid, and th a t she materialist unfamiliar with th e figurative nom enclature of
ought, not to choose confessors so distant. There is doubtless plenty m y s tic s ; b u t ho who has advanced even a single pact*
of exaggeration, nnd many stories of this kind must, lie apocryphal, but along the road of self-development towards spirituality
the notable fact is that tlwy aro told only of tlio same persons as the will comprehend easily enough what is m eant by theso
fully-attested levitations and other phenomoim parallel to the modern terms.— E d . Thko.s.]
BO-called Spiritism.’'
In the D ublin, U n iv e rsity M a g a zin e for Oct., Nov.,
T h e s t u d e n t o f Putnnjnl! will re m a rk two facts iu connection Dec. 1853, and Jan . 1854, is a series of papers, entitled
wll.H these nir-w alkers,— the;/ w ere a ll ascetics, and not, only “ The D ream of Ravan,” c o n t a i n i n g m uch th a t is curious
w ere nil hu t four unmarried, nnd, p resum ably, chaste, b u t in ­
on this subject.
flicted upon (heir bodies tho e x tr e m e rigors o f inaceraliou,
In the fourth paper, Jan. 1854, speaking of an ascetic it
that in to sny that same idem repression o f the physical nppe-
t i te s n n d desires which is common am ong ou r In dian Yogis nnd is said : ‘ Following his mystic b e n t he was full of in te r­
S'annyasis. T h o u g h they k new not the fact, they were in nal visions and revelations. Sometimes according to flu;
reality practising the e x t r e m i s t austerities of the Y oga system. mystic school of Paithana, sitting crosslegged, m editating
A n o th e r fact, will not fail to be observed, viz., that the th aum a- a t m idnigh t at. the foot, of a banyan tree, with his two
tu r g ic p o w er was iu several eases hereditary. W e o f the Hast thum bs closing his ears, and his little fingers pressed upon
know how often it happens th a t this a b u n dance o f psychical his eyelids, he saw rolling before him gigantic fiery wheels,
pow er passes dow n tho g enerations iu certain families— that, in masses of.serjiont shapes, clusters of brilliant jewels, q u a ­
*liort, there nro ‘liorn magicians ’ ni certain ly as th ere nre born drats of pearls, lamps blazing w itho ut oil, a white haze
poets, pninters, or sculptors. I f we may credit, the records o f melting away into a sea of g littering moonlight, a solitary
W estern Spiritualism th e qu ality of* niediu m sh ip’ is nlso fixed swanlike fiery eye of intense ruddy glare, and, at
kn ow n to ru n in families. N e ith e r o f ihe.-e exam ples o f h ere­ length, (he splendour o f an internal tight more dazzling
d ity will surprise any stu d en t o f e ith e r physiology or psy cho ­ th a n the sun. A u internal, unproduced music (anahnta)
logy, for the annals o f the race are full o f proof lliat tho child
vibrated on his ear, and sometimes a sweet m outh, some­
is but the evolution o f his doublo line o f ane.oslors, w ith , in
times a whole face of exquisite beseeching beauty, would
individual cases, a tendoucy to ‘ brood back’ lo some one rela­
tive! on e ith e r the paternal o r maternal side. A m o n g the most
rise out of a cloud before his inward gnostic eye, look
interesting of E nglish medical w riters upon this subject is into his soul, and advance to embrace him.'
Dr. Chillies Elam, o f London. T h o u g h not a professed psy­ ‘ A t o ther times he followed the p a th laid down by the
c h olo gic, he has collected iu his “ A P h ysician’s Problem s ” some more a ncient and profounder school of A landi and strove
most valuable d ata for the stu d e n t o f th at science, su pp lem ent­ to a tta in th e condition of an illumined Yogi as described
ing them with judicious nnd in telligen t criticism . “ The by K rish na to A rju n a in tho 6th A dhyaya of tliat most
various races of m en,” lie says, ( Op. r it p. 33.) “ have chnrnclcris- mystic of all mystic books, th e D nyaneshvari,
tics qu ite as distinctly m arked . . l i u t 7-acts co n sist o f in ­
d iv id u a ls ; it is clear therefore, th a t to a certain e x te n t indivi­ ‘ T in : I l l u m i n k d .
duals have the pow er o f tr a n s m ittin g th e ir a im sp ecific p s y ­ ‘ W h e n this path is behold, thou hu n g e r and thirst are
c h ic a l n a tu r e ." M. (I iron, a g r e a t physiologist, rem ark s
forgotten, n ig h t and day are un distinguished in this p ath
t h a t 11 acquired enpaeitios are tr a n sm itte d by generation, nnd * * * * * * *
this transmission is moro certain nnd pe rfect in proportion as
the cultivation has extende d over iii n o gen era tio n s.” S ir II. ‘ W h e th e r one would set out to th e bloom of tho east fir
Holland, Esquirol, Dr. Virey, M ontaigne, Rieekeu, Boethius, come, to the chambers of tlio west, -without m o riv tj, oh holder
among moderns, and Ilippoenitcs, H o m er, H orace, Ju v e n a l, of the bow, is the travelling in this road. In tins path, to
uuioug nncients, are a few o f the g re a t au th o rities who have w hatever place one would go that place, one's ow nself be­
noticed the constant nsserlion o f this law o f nature. H ero d o ­ comes! How shall I easily describe this ? Thou thyself
tus, t h o 1 F n t h e r o f H i s l o r y ’ to W estern people who know nothing shalt experience it.
o f o ur Indian literature, mentions tho h e rita g e o f caste, o f p ro­ * * * * * * *
fession, and ot moral ami intellectual qualities, l i e speaks of ‘ Tho ways of th e tu b u la r vessel (nerves) are broken, the
E v e n iu s ns possessing tho pow er o f divination ami tr a n sm ittin g nine-fold property of wind (nervous ether) departs, on which
it, as a n a tu r a l consequence, to It is son, D eiphonus. Men of account tho functions of th e body no longer exist.
E a s te r n birth may, iu considering (lieso facts, tlio more readily • * * * • * •
understand why so m a n y more g r e a t psychologists and philo­‘ T h en th e moon and th e sun, or that supposition whieh
sophers have nourished in this p a r t o f th e world than at tho
is so imagined, appears b u t like th e wind upon a lamp, in
W est, w here the ru g g ed conditions o f life, especially the d i -
such a m an n e r as n o t to he laid hold of. T he bud of u n ­
innte, food, and the common uso o f s t im u la tin g beverages, hnvo
derstanding is dissolved, th e sense of smell no longer re­
fo largely tended to tho developm ent o f the anim al at tho e x ­
mains in th e nostrils, but, together with th e P o w e r * re­
pense o f tho spiritual nature, e v e r since tho e x o d u s o f people
tires into the middle chamber. Then with a discharge
from the w arm E astern climes to settle those countries. T h e love
from above, th e reservoir of moon fluid of immortality
o f m ystical study, nnd the tendency to practice ascotism are in­
(contained in th e brain) leaning over on one side, com m uni­
h e re n t in ou r blood, and absorbed th r o u g h ou r m o th e rs’ milk.
cates into th e m o u th of the Power. Thereby th e tubes
G euerntions a fte r generations of w h ite men pass nwny w ith ou t
(nerves) are filled w ith th e fluid, it jienetrates into all tho
p ro du cin g a single ad ep t o f (he S e c re t Science, w hile it would
lie h a rd to find n parallel to this iu I n d i a — even in these d e­
m e m b e r s ; and in every direction the vital breath dissolves
g enerate days, when o u r cleverest young scholars nro w o rship­
thereinto.
ing W e stern idols, nnd it nlmost seems ns if tho very recollec­' As from th e heated crucible all th e wax flows out, and
tion of Y o g a nnd tho Y ogis w ere dy in g o u t o f th e popular
it remains thoroughly filled with th e molten m e ta l poured
mind.
in,
‘ E ven so, th a t lustre (of the im m ortal moon-fluid) has
^ According to the “Jo urnal d ’Hygiene,” tho lioron 1ms on become actually molded into the shape of th e body, on the
its breast largo greasy tufts, which secrete a whitish unc­
outside it is wrapped u p in th e folds of th e skin.
tuous m atter of a disgusting odor, h u t which has a re­
m arkable power of attra c tin g tro u t and prob ably other • Xtttf / , inn * ])i<Llt'ii IT, M :*—T his e itrn o rd in a ry power who is tormod
fishes. M. N oury on placing tho breast of a heron in a elsewlioro tho W orld M o th e r—tho enskot of Snpromo Spirit, is technically
Cfilled Kundiilini, Rorpontme or nni«uh\r. Roniotliings relntcd of it woul<l
net, has invariably found the net filled with trout. pinko ono im agine it to l)Q electricity personified.
 ‘ As, w rapping himself iu u m antle of clouds, th e sun for A t the second his limbs are benumbed.
a while rem ains ami afterwards, casting it off, comes forth A t the third he feels in all his members the exhaustion
arrayed in light, of excess.
‘ Even so, above is this dry shell of th e skin, which, like A t the fourth his head turns, he is as it were intoxicated.
th e husk of grain, of itself fulls off. A t th e fifth, the water o f life Hows back into his brain.
‘ Afterwards, such is the splendour of th e limbs, th a t one A t the sixth this water descends into and nourishes him.
is perplexed w h e th e r it is a self-existent shaft of K ashmir A t the seventh he becomes master of th e vision, he sees
porphyry or shoots th a t have sprouted up from jewel seed into m en’s hearts, he hears the most d istant voices.
or a body moulded of tints c a u g h t from th e glow of A t the n in th he feels himself to be so subtle th a t he can
evening, or a pillar formed of th e interior light, transport himself where he will, and, like the Devas, see
‘ A vase filled with liquid saffron, or a sta tu e cast of d i­ all without being seen.
vine th a u m a tu rg ic perfection molton down. To m e it A t tlie te n th he becomes tlio universal and indivisible
appears Q uietism itself, personified with limbs. voice, he is the creator, the eternal, exem pt from change ;
1 Or is it th e disc of the moon that, fed by th e damps of and, become perfect repose, lie distributes rei>ose to the
a u tu m n , has p u t forth luminous beams, or is it the e m ­ world.’
bodied presense of light that is sitting on yonder seat { Compare this with Vuiighan-il n im a M ay tea A bsconditn.
‘ Such becomes the body ; when the serpentino power ' This m ystery is finished when the light iu a sudden mira­
drinks the moon (fluid of immortality, descending from culous corruscation darts from the centre to the circumfer­
tho l-rain) then, 0 friend, d e a th dreads th e form of the ence, anti the divine S pirit has so swallowed u p th e body
lody. th a t it. is a glorious body shining like th e sun anil moon.
‘Thou disappears old age, the knots of youth are c u t in In this rotation it doth pass, and no sooner, from the n a t u ­
pieces, aud The Lost State ot Childhoml reupjH‘(Ws. llis ral to the supernatural state, for it is no more fed with
age reni'iius th e same as before, b u t iu oth er respects visibles, but with invisibles and th e eye of th e creator is
he exhibits th e strength of childhood, his fortitude is jierpetually upon it. A fter this the material parts are
beyond expression. As the golden tree from the extrem ity never more seen.'
of its bra nd ie s p uts forth daily new jewel-buds, so new Can any of th e correspondents of the T h k o s o f h i s t give
and beautiful nails sprout forth. any account of this 1) n yanesh ea ri t W ho was Alaudi (
‘ H e gets new teeth also, b u t these shine inexpressibly It would Ik: a g reat boon to Theosopliists if Dayanund
beautiful, like rows of diamonds set on c ith e r side. T he Karaswati Swami would give to the world a translation of
palms of the hands and soles of the feet become like red this work, aud also of Putunjuli’s Yoya Mantra, of which in
lotus flowers, the eyes grow inexpressibly d ear. English we know only the imperfect sum maries of Ward
‘ As when, from the crammed state of its interim" the and Thompson. Can, also, some com petent Buddhist give
pearls can no longer be held iu by the double shell, then an account of the Kanina, of which I know only Spence
the seam of the pearl oyster rim bursts open, so, uncon- Hardy's imperfect account ! We W estern Theosopliists
tainahlo within the clasp of the eyelids, the sight, expan d­ earnestly desire information as to all the best modes of
ing, seeks to go outwards ; it is the same indeed as before soul-emaucipation and will-culture, and turn to th e East
b u t is now capable of embracing the heavens. T h en he for Liyht.
leho ld t the thinys beyond the sea, he hears the lanijuaye oj
paradise, he perceives w h at is p assin t/ in the m i n d u f the
BK A H M A , I S W A K A A N D MAYA.
ant. H e takes a tu rn with the wind, if lie walk, his foot­
steps touch not th e water. Tiy S r i J >ttrarastn 1 enkata ltunyarharia A rya
‘ Finally,— 1 ara (/urn.
‘ W hen the light of the P o w k r disappears, th en the form
A dverting to the article “ Brahma Iswara and Maya,”
of the body is lost, lie becomes hidden from th e eyes of
by Pram ada Dnsa M ittra published in the T hkonOI-IIIHT
the world.
of October, th e following observations cannot fail to suggest
‘ In other respects, as before, he appears with th e m e m ­
themselves to a true Vedantist.
bers of his body, b u t lie is as mm fo rm e d o f the w in d .
‘ Or like the core of the plantain tree standing up d i­ T he science of V edanta is enveloped in the Brahm a
vested of its m antle of outward leaves, or as a cloud from Sastnis (aphorisms) of which Badarayana is the author.
which limbs have sprouted out. T here are many commentaries upon these sutnts. They
‘ Such becomes his body, th en he is called Keehara, or a r e l 1) Bodhayana Y ritti; Bliashya of Dravida ltislii, or,
Sky-goer, this step being attain ed is a wonder am ong more properly speaking Drnmidu l lis lii ; (•*) Ditto of Blius-
people in the body.’ k a r a ; <*> D itto of S a n k a ra ; C1*of Yadava ; I*1) of R am itn u ja ;
The process here described seems similar to th a t des­ (7) of Madhwa ; <8> of N e c la k an ta ; &c. O f these, tho
cribed in the Ouphuekhat. ' W ith your heel stop the fun­ first three, which owe their origin to a period anterior Jo
dament, then draw th e lower air upwards by the right Sankara, and which are not wholly accessible a t our p re­
side, m ake it tu rn thrice round the second region of the sent day, at least in this p art of India, are only known to
body, thence bring it to the navel, thence to the m iddle of us through tho various quotations thereof which occur iu
the heart, then to the throat, then to th e sixth region, which the “ R am anu ja Bliashya” and its comm entary " S ru ta
is the interior of the nose, between th e eyelids, there re­ Prakasika.”
tain it, it is become the breath of the universal soul. Then Pram ada Dasa M ittra (we hope ra th e r Pramoda Dasa
meditate on th e great Ome, the universal voice which fills Mittra) apjiears to refute certain statem ents made by Mr.
all, tho voice of God ; it makes itself heard to th e ecstatic Gough while explaining his own position in Vedanta P h i­
in ten manners. losophy. These refutations are no doubt quite in accord­
‘ T he first is like the voice of a sparrow, th e second is ance with the D octrine of San k a ra as expounded
twice as loud as th e first, th e third like the sound of a in his Bliashya. B u t P ram ad a Dasa M ittra will do
cymbal, the fourth like the m u rm u r of a great shell, the the learned world a valuable service if he will b u t
fifth like the ch ant of the V in a , th e sixth like the sound solve th e problems h ereinafter set forth.
of the ‘ till,’ the seventh like th e sound of a bamboo flute W h e th e r (Moksha) be atitude or salvation is or is not tho
placed near the ear, th e eighth the sound of th e in stru ­ (Purusliartha) end, which a hu m an being should aspire to ?
ment pu h u o u jd struck with th e hand, th e n inth like the If not, all hum an effort for acquiring knowledge and wis­
sound of a small trum pet, the te n th like th e rum bling of dom such as the study of V edanta science would be vain.
u thunder cloud. A t each of these sounds th e ecstatic If however it be the end aspired, who is th e aspirer i For
la ss e s through various states u ntil th e te n th w h e n he whose sake docs he aspire ? W h a t sort of thing is the
I monies God.
' A t the first all th e hairs on his body stand up.
object aspired ( According to his (S ank ara’s) Doctrine,
being one with Brahma, eternal Bliss (Brahm a Anundu)
 is indeed th e end nnd aim of man. Is th e being who is R E P L Y B Y P R O F . M ITT R A .
th e aspirer essentially Biahm a or any other ? If be is T he objections urged by P. V. Rangucharya to the
in reality Brahma, what lia-s he to aspire for * I f not., will doctrine of non-duality were anticipated by Sankaracharya
lie newly become Brahm a { ( Ian one thing become a nother ? himself, and are fully answered by him iu his Bliashya
P erhaps the answer will he t h i s : — “ H e is in reality to which thopreseiit critic is referred. I would however give
Brahm a, b u t he does not know a t present th a t he is Brah­ here a brief reply. Men who find themselves unable to ac­
ma. The knowledge th a t he is B rahm a is itself the Puru- cept S ankanls doctrine would do well to remember th a t
shartha, I.e., the end aspired.” Iu th a t case there will be reality in his philosophy is twofold.— The Absolute and
two absurdities.— (1) t h a t ignorance attaches to B ra h m a : the Relative. In absolute reality, nothing exists b u t B ra h ­
(2) th a t th e ignorant B rahm a will hereafter gain th a t ma, which is but an o th e r way of saying th a t th ere is b u t
knowledge which it does not now possess. One Absolute Being. In relative reality, the personal
To this they m ig h t reply.— “ No, no, Brahm a is not, ig­ selves not only do exist, b u t exist as distinct from Brahma,
norant, T h e re is only the illusion th a t he is ignorant, no and hence there is no contradiction in teaching man to strive
fresh knowledge to be gained. T be extinction of illusion for salvation, or to obtain true knowledge by which he
renders h im an emblem of wisdom.” would realize th e Ono A bsolute reality and be united with
T h en is w h a t is called “ illusion” not identical with ig­ him.
norance ? How could a being who is not ignorant b? P. V. R. a tte m p ts to refute th e doctrine of Maya by
yet possessed of that, ignorance known by the name of endeavouring to show th a t it leads to absurdities, but ho
“ illusion ?" I f th a t ignorance is denied to Brahma, where forgets t h a t a bewildering perplexity as to which altern a ­
else is it ? In Avidya only, they m ig ht say. tive to adopt in our a tte m p te d explanations of the world
By w hat could Avidya be divested of its ignorance? is the very essence of th e doctrine. Those th a t presume
Perhaps they m ig ht say “ by the knowledge itself th a t to offer explanations of the universe fancy th a t S a n k a ra’s
B rahm a is an emblem of wisdom.” W here does that doctrine also is one of explanation, whilst, in fact, it is tho
knowledge arise ? I f in Brahma, som ething which is not doctrine of iiw.rplicidtility (iinirvaktavyatd-viida). Tho
already possessed by B rahm a and which is newly acquired only explanation th a t S ankara offers is th a t of the falla­
m ust be called Beatitude. If in Avidya, it (Avidya) is a d ­ cies of all explaining systems. T he doctrine of A v id y a is
m itted to be ignorance, and it m u st be the same Avidya the confession of ignorance, tho explanation of the inscrut­
which should try to divest itself of th a t ignorance. W h at ableness of the world and its relation to B ra h m a — com­
benefit does it expect from its a tte m p t to divest itself of prising un d e r the term world the whole body of internal
ignorance I and external phenomena. The world is a mysterious enig­
Again, is Avidya any other than ignorance ? If ig­ ma which can neith er be conceived as existent nor n o n ­
norance alone, bow could it remain within itself ? If on existent. T b e only positive tru th tlr.it Sankara teaches is
the o ther hand it is agreed th a t th e ignorance (proper) the highest tru th th a t there is an Im m u ta b le and E ternal
nam ed Avidya is one th in g and the ignorance (special) Substance which is not to be known as such or such, b ut
which is contained iu it and which becomes extinct at the positively underlying this mysterious world of m a tte r w ith ­
tim e of salvation is an other thing, would the funner (ig­ out, and of fleeting cognitions within, and thus it is th a t
norance proper, named Avidya) continue to exist even a t he broadly separates himself from the Sceptic. There can
th e time of salvation ? Tf so, the non-duality of Brahm a be no denying, no d ou bting of this Substance th a t presents
will bo violated. Perhaps it may be further argued th at itself as tbe Im m u ta b le Self, standing suprem e over tho
when the special ignorance is extinguished, its prop, igno­ passing Is of joy and sorrow,love and hatred.
rance proper, “ Avidya,” will also extinguish. I f so, the You again ask— if in absolute reality B rahm a alone ex­
seeking of Avidya to extinguish itself m ust be tbe seeking ists, who is it th a t is ignorant ? The answer again is—•
nfter beatitude. Would there be on the face of tho earth In absolute reality, none is ignorant, b u t .since you do ask
any such th in g as seeking one’s own annihilation ? the question, it, is you assuredly th a t are ignorant. Cer­
H ence it follows th a t by b eatitude is m eant something tainly it is idle to p u t such questions to tbe Vedanti,
which far from annihilating th e sold would endow it with when he avows th a t tb e world of conscious personalities and
some particular thing not already possessed. unconscious m a tte r is only relatively real, owing its rela­
Before, therefore, the Theosopliists extend their tive reality to the One Absolute, and all such questions
researches to o n e a n d a ll of theabove specifiedBhashyas, aud about, ignorance m ust belong to the province of the rela­
discover by which of them these m ighty problems are tive (v yd m h d v ik u dasa) iu which you and I are a d m itte d ­
d e a rly solved, it is too p rem atu re to uphold the doctrine ly distinct from B rah m a aud, as such, are ignorant.
laid down by P ram ada Dasa Mittra. W h a t is the n atu re of this Ignorance, or ra th e r this cos­
mic manifestation, and how it is connected with Brahma, or
N . N A R A I N A M O ORTY , in other words, how Brahma, though one, seems to be many;
For ,Sri Paravastu V en k a ta though absolute knowledge and bliss, seems to be affec­
Rungacharia Arya Vara Guru. ted by pain and ignorance— the Vedanti confesses to bo a
mystery, a r r ^ w r : I B u t who
Gan ja m , 9th Nov. 1879. would presume to deny this ignorance ? The atte m p te d
explanations of the universe have been shown to be absurd,
N o te by the E d ito r :— T he Theosopliists not hnviug ns ret, and it has been shown th a t the only positive affirmation
studied nil these Bhasyns, Iinve no intention to uphold nny th a t can be made is th a t there exists One Being only, u n ­
particular sectarian tcliuol. They leave this to tlid pandits, for knowable in his absolute nature. This affirmation is the
only explanation t h a t can be offered of th e universe around.
whose especial benefit, among other?, this journal was founded.
E ven modern scientists of eminence have confessed t h a t in
A great American quarterly— the N o r th A m erican R ev iew —
its intrinsic n ature not a particle oven of dead m a tte r can
adopts the plan of submitting some famous contributor's manus­ bo explained.
cript to one or more equally famous writers of very antagonis­
tic views, and then printing nil of the criticisms together. By If it be objected th a t though the world may not be ex­
plicable, there is no reason to doubt its positive existence,
this wise device, tlio reader of tho magazine is able to seo what
the answer is th a t tho world, at any given moment, is not
can be said of a given subject from every point of view. We w hat it was tbe preceding moment, nor will it be the same
will do likewise; and, as a beginning, here is Professor Pramada in the m om ent succeeding. H ence the very reality of the
Dasa Mitt la’s criticism upon his critic, after reading the above. world is held dubious and only relative. T hu s once more
“ Du choc des opinions juillit la verile,11— said a grcnt French are we driven to tho doctrine of th e inserut,ableness of the
philosopher, world, o r,th e Mdyd-vdda.
 By confounding Avidya (ignorance) w ith the soul,
P. V. 11. supposes th a t according to Sankara, b eatitude
consists iu th e annihilation of the soul, whilst on th e con­
trary it is th e obtaining the realization of the tru e self.
N othing can be farther from S a n k a ra ’s teaching th a n th a t
beatitude lies in annihilation. T he m istake arises from
the difficulty of conceiving Being above th e consciousness
(buddhi) w ith which we identify ourselves.
In conclusion, with reference to th e question of absolute
and relative existence, it m ay not be o ut of place to quote
here th e words of H e rb e rt Spencer who, though he g ener­
ally regards th e world from a material point of view, clear­
ly distinguishes tho Absolute and th e Relative in our minds
— the Sukuhin and th e V ijn d n d tm a :— “ Existence means
nothing more th a n persistence ; and hence in Mind, tha t
which persists in spite of all changes, and m aintains the
unity of the aggregate, iu defiance of all a tte m p ts to d i­
vide it, is th a t of which existence in the lull sense of the
word m ust be predicated, th a t which we m u st postulate ns
th e substance of Miud, in contradiction to th e varying
f'ynns its assumes.”
P. D. M IT T R A .
llenares, %3rd Noveritba' 1879.
[C 'uutim ieil fro m th o D e ce m b e r N u m b e r.]
T H E L IF E OF SANKARACHARAYA, PH IL O SO ­
P H E R A N D M Y STIC .
B y Kdith 'ninth T r i m b a k Teluny, M .A., L L .B .
T h e question of Sarasvati as to th e true n a tu re of Love
m ust he answered though he were ten times a Yogi or
Sannyasi, so S ankara journeyed on to tin<l the means of
learning the truth. As he was going out with his pupils,
they m et the corpse of a certain king nam ed Amaraka
(of A m ritapura, to the west of M andana Misra’s city, ac­
cording to Anruulagiri (')) lying at the foot of a tree in the
forest sui rounded by males and females m ourning his
death. T a k in g advantage of th e opportunity, S a nk a ra e n ­
trusted his own body to the charge of his pupils, and
caused his soul to e n te r the corpse of the king. Thu su p­
posed resuscitation which followed delighted the people,
and king Sankara was taken in triu m p h from the forest of
death to the throne of royalty. (-)
There, kin;*© Sankara,
. standing© «as. it were
, in, the shoes of
Amaraka, anti, indeed A m araka him self so fa r as th e eye
could discern, and passing as such, learned practically all
th a t pertained to th e science aud a rt of Love, and fitted
himself to answer the query of the cunning wife of
Mandana. H e also studied the theory of th e subject in
Vatsyayana, and made progress enough to write an original
treatise upon it h i m s e l f ^ 1. , Meanwhile, however, th e m i­
nisters of the State, finding their resuscitated rajah a far
wiser and better m an than ever before, suspected th a t there
had been some transmigration of souls, and so, to p re n n t
the return o f (hit intruder /<> hi# otnt l«>di/, sevretlif innMed an
order thut all eorjtxes in the city should be Imrnt ; b u t they
(1) 214.
(2) T his incident is too im portant to pas* l»y w ithout editorial com ment.
Tho power o f the Vo^i to «juit his own body and e n te r and anim ate that
of an o th er person, though nNirmcd by l\U :\njali an d included nm on^ the
Siddhis o f K rishna, in discredited by buropeani/ed younjj Indian* Nntn*
rally enough, since, ad W estern biologists deny a soul to man, it id an
unthinkable proposition to thorn th a t tho Vo^I’h soul should 1>o able l<>
enter A n o t h e r ' s hod)*. T h at such nn unreasoning infidelity should prevail
nmun;' tho pupils of Kuropenn sclunds, is unite reason enough why an effort way l;,> of his m other’s being a t th e point of death hastened
s h o u l d ho m ade to revive in In d ia thoso scho.ds o f Psychology in which
the Aryan youth wero theoretically and practically ta u g h t tho occult laws
o f Man nnd N atu re. W c, who, hnvo a t least som e trillin g acquaintance ed her, or rather a tte m p te d to instruct her, in the formless
with modern science, do not h esitate to allirm our belief th a t this tem po­
rary transm igration of souls is possible. Wo may even go .so fur as to .say
th a t tho phcnominon has been experim entally proven to us in New York,
oniony o th er place*. And, since we would he amonir tho last to require so
luarvellous a statem en t l o bo accepted upon any one's u n supported te s ti­ self and in this th e pandit is a t one w ith Anandagiri who also m akes tb s
mony, we urge our readers to first study Aryan litera tu re, and then g e t from Queeu suspect the fact <p. ^If-) an d m akes no allusion to the m inisters.
personal experience tho corroborative evidence. T he result m ust invcvitably
he to satisfy ovcry hoiiost enquirer th at PntAnjali and c*ankarncharaya did*,
ami Tyutlull, C arp en ter aud H uxley do not, know tho secrets of our teinjf. p o in t: Wo do not believe iu ‘' .supernatural w'ays,” and we do believe anti
Ku. T iikos.
(3) M adhftY X 13.
took good care th a t th e order should not come to the
knowledge o of th e kinuo
I n the m eantim e the pupils o l'S ankara who had charge
of his body, finding th a t the limit of time fixed by him for
his return had already been passed, grew very uneasy..
While the others were given up to th e ir grief, P ad m ap ad a
suggested a plan which wa.s unanimously adopted, and
they started o u t to discover the w hereabouts of th e ir p r e ­
ceptor. T he stories of Madhav and A nandagiri do not agree
as to this qu est of the pupils after th e ir master, the former
making them w ander from province to province, while the
latter tells us th a t S a n k a ra ’s body was deposited in th e
outskirts of th e king's own city. In fact, Madhav himself
elsewhere describes th e ciicumstances of S a n k a ra ’s soul not
finding the body in th e appointed place, then a n im a tin g it
on the funeral pyre, and S a n k a ra ’s then retu rn in g with his
pupils to Mandana as a work of b u t short duration :— b u t
we are in te rru p tin g the sequence of our narrative. Pad-
m apad a’s plan was for them to first discover th e where­
abouts of th e ir master,
. .and then,. ©<rainin<r
© access to his
presence under th e disgJiise of singers, express to him their
sorrow at his absence and recall him to his own body and
to th e prosecution of his labors. Arrived a t K in g Ama-
raka’s city, they heard th e story of the preternatural re­
suscitation, and satisfied th a t they were on the rig ht track,
carried out the ir affectionate plot. T heir music not only
held their audience spell-bound, b u t readied the inner
consciousness of S a n k a ra in his borrowed hotly. H e dis­
missed the singers, retransferred himself to his own body,
and left the em p ty rajah to die once more, and this time
effectually. H e found his own body already amid the
flames b u t having his arm our of proof against fire It was
uninjured, and he rejoined his devoted pupils, singing the
praises of Nrisemha. R e tu rn in g to th e residence of M an­
dana, Sarasvati was answered and M andana Misra convert­
ed to Vedantism.
Travelling southwards, Sankara published his works in
Maharashtra, and took, up his residence at Srisaila, where
a strange proposal was m ade to him. A K ap ilaka called
on him and besought him to give him his head, which he
said he wanted to offer up as a sacrifice, as he had been
promised by Mahadeva a residence in Kailasa in his hum an
body, if he offered up the head of either a king or an om ­
niscient person. S a n k a ra agreed on condition th a t tho
Ivapalika should come for it w ithout the knowledge of his
pupils, who m ight interfere. Tins was done, b u t beforo
the decapitation could be ettcctcd, Padam apada learnt the
thing through his interior consciousness, and assuming tho
form of a Man-lion, fell upon tlie Ivapalika, and ren t him
joint by joint. He had then to be appeased and brought
back to himself.
T he next miracle
. a ttrib u te d to S ankara was the b rin ©
g­
ing back to life at (lokarna, of a child greatly beloved by
its parents. (Madhav xii, 54). To Srivali— where lie got
a new pupil in th e person of 1lastamalaka, a lad supposed
to be an idiot, but in fact som ething very different— and
Sringagiri, lie then went. At the latter place M andana
Misra, who had taken the name of Surcshvar ( s e e p
of Anandagiri, whose account leaves it a m a tte r of doubt
as to the identity of Mandana with Surcshvar) wrote a t
Sankara's command, an in dependent treatise on the B rah­
ma, which surprised the other pupils and equally pleased
the master.
A t this time Sa n k a ra learning in same supernatural
to her side, and a t ln.r request for spiritual counsel, instruct­
(4) P a n d it UnmasVami say* th a t th e o rder was issued by the Queen bet-*
(a) Wo iin h t tak e IsMie with our distinguished contributor upon this
know th a t it was not at all dillicult for an in itiate like SanknrA to lenHi
by his interior faculties, of his m other's state. Wc have seen too many
. proofs of this faculty to doubt it. Ei> T iik u s .
Brahma, .She could not comprehend his teaching b u t lit*
tranquilized h e r mind until the m o m e n t of her dissolution.
H is relatives refused to aid him in perform ing the usual
funeral ceremonies on th e ground th a t he, being an ascetic,
was not competent to perform the offices in question.
H e reu p o n he produced a fire from his righ t hand, w here­
with he burned the corpse. (Madhav. 2 !*-'>(!).
At this time, Padm apada who had been absent on a pil­
grim age returned, and told S an kara how a commentary on
tlio Ulmsliya which be had composed and dejK>sited with
his u n c l e when he went on his pilgrimage, was destroyed
by that person as it contained a refutation of the doctrines
he held. To th e great joy of Padmapada, Sankara dictated
the whole from memory, as he had once read it. himself, and
from his d ictation Padamapada rewrote it. Hajasekhar,
also, who bad lost his dramas, had th e m dictated to him in
th e same manner.
And now accompanied by his pupils and by king Sud-
lianvan, S a n k a ra started on his to ur of intellectual con­
quest. T h e rctfaiyiilio /i/tiltwti/i/thiruw, which Vyasa had
suggested to him, and for which his original lease of life
had been extended, now commenced. H e first, directed
liis steps towards the S e tu — the Bridge— then passing
through the countries of this Pandyas, th e Cholas, and the
Dravida.s, he went to Kanclii where h e erected a temple
and established the system of the adoration of Devi. H a v ­
ing then favoured with a visit the people called Andhras,
and having looked in at the seat of Venkatchalcsa, he pro­
ceeded to th e country of the Vidarbhas. On hearing that
Sankara wished to go into th e K a rn a ta country, th e king
of th e Vidarbhas warned him of tb e mischievous character
of the people generally, and of th e ir envy and hatred of
Sankara, particularly, Sankara w e n t into t h a t country
nevertheless, and the first, person of note he came accross
was a K apalika named K rakacha whose exjiosition of his
own doctrines so disgusted all who heard it. th a t Sudlian-
van caused him with all his followers to be ignominiously
driven away. T hey w ent b re a th in g vengeance and re ­
turned armed in hundreds. T h ey were however destroyed
by king S u d hanvan— all but the first K apalika Krakacha,
who came up to Sankara, and addressed him saying “ Now
taste the fruit of t h y deeds.” He then prayed to Bhairava
anil as soon as he appeared, asked him to dest roy the des­
troyer of his followers. Hut Hhairava killed Krakacha
himself, exclaiming ‘ Dost thou offend even me ?’
Onward went Sankara to th e W estern ocean, and to Go-
knrna, where he vanquished N ilak an th a, a philosopher
who thou gh t himself perfectly invincible. S ankara thence
Went into the Saura.sht.m country and published h isB h a sh -
ya there. T hen he went to D varavati or Dvarka and
thence to Ujjayini when! he challenged anil conquered
Bhattabhaskar. Thence he went." conquering and to con­
quer” into the countries of t he Balhikas, Bharatas, Surase-
lia s , Kurus, Daradas, Panchalas, and so forth. In th e coun­
try of the Kamanipas, Sank ara encountered and defeated
A bhinavagupta a doctor of the S a k ta School. Having,
however, more woildlv wisdom than philosophy or love of
truth, and finding th a t he could not com pete with Sankara, No less 'credible is th e fact mentioned by Mr. Vishnu
th a t personage got liis pupils to hide his works for a
period, and passed himself off a.s belonging to S an k a ra ’s Poona. Some ten years ago, when he served as Sheriste-
school, all the while m atu ring a plot of which the sequel
will bo presently narrated.
( To ft' finiliiiiit'il.)
T hk TTnivkusitv M acazink , for November, contains the would take his wife to the Swami of A kalkot, if she should
Very welcome portrait of Edison, whose name is creating improve, and in the mean time to keep her under the
Mich discussions in th e scientific world. Thos. Alva E d i­
son was born in 1N47, so th a t now lie is only thirty-two
years of age, y e t already he has m ade more practicable enro. * A sort of ring in-nnlly worn l.y tlio Snm>yn«U In tlio lower l*nrt of their
alid useful discoveries tlian a whole century has brought
forth. Of his early life, stories are familiar now, b u t the
circumstances ulider which he first turned his attention to w a te r .
telegraphy are still little known.
T H E SW A M I OF AKALKOT.
A book en titled “ Swami C h a ritra ” (The life of Swami)
has ju s t l>ecn published iu Marathi, in two parts, by one
N an iy an Hari Bhagvat. It contains th e life of one of the
most rem arkable am ong modern Hindus, th e Swami of
Akalkot, from t he time be became known u nd er the name of
Dijmmbar Bawa, in a town called Manttalvede, near Akalkot.
N o th in g is known of this wonderful man before th a t time.
N e ith e r did anybody dare question him about his antece­
dents. One nam ed B abajipant, who was one oftho.se who
had lived with th e Swam i since the time his public career
as an ascetic began, urged him once to give informa­
tion about his name, native place, and family. Swami
gave no direct answer, but simply said " D a tta N ag ar,”
and “ C hief person”— " the Vata tree.” No other a tte m p t
to elicit information was made. T h e reason that led the
autho r to commence this biography is very astonishing.
H e says th a t one night, he went to bed as usual, b u t could
not sleep for a long time, being oppressed with various
thoughts. In this frame of mind he a t last fell asleep, but
was startled by a most unexpected dream. H e saw a San-
nyasi approach his bed. This reverend man, unlike p e r ­
sons of his avocation, wore clothes, bad “ k u n d a la ”* in his
ears ami carried with him a “ dand"‘f' and kam andalu. J
A man who accompanied him asked tbe a utho r to get up
and see tho Swami. l i e seemed to obey and Swami
then said :— " It, is a well-known fact th a t I took Sam adhi §
at A kalkot. W rite m y biography as will suit tho present
times, in accordance with my instructions. I now disap­
pear.” This seen, the a u th o r awoke, got up, and was at
a great loss w hat to do, es|>ecially as he bad never Seen the
Swami, and was consequently unable to obey the instruc­
tions conveyed to him in t.lie dream. N e ith e r had he ever
felt any sincere desire to see the Swami during his lifetime.
U nlik e many, he had never regarded him as an incarnation
of Uml. W hile iu this state of mind he slept for th e second
time, and again in his dream saw th e same person in the
same dress and w ith tb e same marks about him, who said
“ "1’' "'I'}’ ,u'o y°u th us puzzled ? Begin w riting and you
will have the necessary materials.” T he au th or tnereU]>on
resolved to a t least m ake the attem p t, and wrote to all the
persons who knew the Swami well, to supply as m uch in­
formation a.s they could. Tho facts mentioned in the
book are therefore authenticated. T hey are moreover
credible, because th e a u th o r says lie got many of these
from persons he had never w ritten to. Moreover it is not
likely t h a t a )>erson like Mr. (Jovind Vishnu Bhide, who
is well informed and experienced, would talk at random
without considering well upon the m atter. H e says th a t
once when he went to see the Swami in fulfilment of 'a
vow made by him, he had also a desire th a t Swaini should
advise him in regard to spiritual matters. N o sooner did
he stand before th e Swami than the la tte r turned his
face towards him, and repeated the following verse in
Marathi :—
C? || ||
5*Trt 11 n f r 11
Chintamoii Bhopatkar, Sheriff of the Sessions Court a t
dar of the D istrict Ju dg e, liis wife suffered from a very
severe a ttack ot fever. Every day the sickness increased
and the doctors pronounced her incurable. H e was th e re ­
fore ready to try any remedy suggested to him. H e saw
a friend of his who advised him to m ake a vow th a t he
+ A threo nr pcveii knotted Iminltoo of tho U'oluler-irui'kliitf n*cotlc*.
t T h e n 'n ir tl w h ic h l i r n i n h n c h n r i c , H flliliyn«l« n lu l o th e r s m e f o r h o h liu ir
8
S W h e '1 .1 u r e f tt B n illm is ile a il, tl,l« i.h m s o is tm in llv n»o(l. S niniS.lhl l«
tlio I n f l i c t »t»K o o f V o g t r a i n i n g , n m l w h e n n Y o g is in t i n t a t i t a h o Ion**
c o n s c io u s n e s s o f t h i s w o r ld n m l s e e s n o th i n g I m t h is o w n H iv in g S j- ir i t,
 trcutmcnj. of a native doctor named (iunesh Shastri
Sakurdikur. H e iiccordingly prayed to tlie Swami, ami pro­
m i s e d to otter a cocoaimt to fiis idol on his behalf. B ut
unfortunately be forgot1liis promise when he w ent to bed.
And although this fact was known to nobody, his brother-
in-law saw in a dream the Swami rebuking him for having
forgotten his p r o m is e to otter a cocoanut on Swilmi’s ac-
1 count. As he was not aware of the promise made by Mr.
Bhopatkar, lie was a t a loss as to what his dream meant,
and consequently communicated the fact to all th e family,
in great astonishment. W h e n Mr. B ho patk ar heard this,
he repented having forgotten’his promise, b u t im mediately
after tak in g a bath he ottered th e cocoanut on S w n m i’s ac­
count, and made a vow th a t if his wife was cured he
would go with her in the m onth of J a n u a r y to A kalkot to
see the Swrtnii. * Then he sent for th e native doctor m e n ­
tioned to him by his friend, b u t found th a t he had left for
his Inant village and was pot in Poona, B u t nuverthcless,
■to the great surprise of Mr,1Bhopatkar, it happened th a t
while he was returning home from th e ottice he m et on
his way th e very native doctor whom he was searching for.
He then took him home and the latter gladly undertook
to treat Mr. B hopatkar’s wife. T he medicine a dm in ister­
ed proved a success, and she w ent on improving gradually.
And, although she was pretty well by the m onth of J a n u ­
ary, Mr. Bhojmtkar did not th in k it advisable for her to
travel as she was still very weak, and consequently did not
take her with him when he left Poona. B u t he had no
sooner left Poona without her, than her sickness recurred
so seriously th a t the next day he was telegraphed to
return. Since she had been all right a t the tim e of his
departure the sudden receipt of this telegram made him
susjiect that all this was due to his not having fulfilled his
vow to take his wife with him to Akalkot. H e then in­
voked th e Sw/uni, asked his pardon, and promised to go
with her to Akalkot iu the m onth of J u l y if she should
recover. She a t once began to mend so rapidly th a t by
the tim e he reached home hi: found her all right. In
the month of July, although she had recovered, she was
in too feeble a state to face' the cold of the season. He
however resolved to abide by his vow this time, ami ac­
cordingly went to A kalkot with his wife and the doctor
under whose tre a tm e n t she was. W h e n they readied their
place of destination it was m ining very hard, and the
place where they had p u t up was very damp. H e r con­
stitution however received no shock, b u t on th e con­
trary she continued to improve. W hen they all went to
th e 'S w a m i'h e ordered a certain book to be b roug ht him,
and after, finding a certain chapter gave it first to the
doctor and then to .Mr. Bhopatkar, thereby in tim a tin g w ith ­
out speiiking a word, th a t their object iu coming was gained.
There are m any such facts as the above mentioned in
the book, all going to confirm the S w am i’s claim to
the knowledge of Yog Vidya. H e was a practical example
to show what a man ctnt do, if he w ill. It anybody had
taken advantage of th e opportunity th u s ottered to him
and gone ito the Swami purely with th e intention of study-
in"' philosophy, how much good m ight he not have done
himself and his cou n try ! D uring th e tw enty years or
more th a t the Sw6mi was at Akalkot, no less than />()(),000
persons m ust have gone to see him. But -of this large
number it would seem th a t scarcely any had within them
an honest desire to study philosophy. Almost all were ac­
tuated merely by selfish worldly desires. I f they had gone to
him with a sincere aspiration to learn how to obtain con­
trol over bodily passions, he would have bestowed favours
on them of which no robber in th e world could have d e ­
prived them. B u t they sought b u t these worldly enjoy­
ments with which fools are satisfied. T hey had never
given a m o m en t’s consideration to th e th o u g h t ot what
their state would be after the death of their physical bo­
dies. In th e whole book under notice are given b u t two
or three instances of persons who w ent to th e Swami with
a desire to obtain knowledge. T he course which he adop­
ted to fulfil the desires of such persons is very curious.
One named Narsappu, an inhab itan t of Mysore, had gone
to Akalkot with a view to receive some instructions on
spiritual matters. H e was at a great loss how to explain
his intentions to the Swami, as he knew neither M ara­
thi nor Hindustani. H e however would regularly go and
sit silently by the Sannyasi. Once while he was sitting
near a Puranik,* Sw/imi made him a sign to approach and
upon his obeying, Swami took a blank l>ook th a t was
lying by him, and, after turning m any of its leaves, gave
him a certain page to read. H e there found, to his great
astonishm ent and joy, an injunction printed in K anarese
characters, th a t he should read Bhagvat Gita if he would
have his desires fulfilled. H e then gladly communicated
the fact to a Puranik friend and asked him to read the
book to him. T h e Puranik approached th e place where
the Swami was sitting, and taking the blank book which
luul been placed in the hands of Narsapjta, looked tor
the page on which Narsappu said he saw Kanarese charac­
ters. r le also examined all the other books, as well
as all the papers lying there, b u t nowhere could he find
Kanarese characters. This fact is an illustration to show
th a t this singular
© beingO communicated his instructions
only to those who sincerely desired them.
Theliook teems with facts illustrative of the |x>wer ob­
tained by a Yogi. There are very few persons in this country,
who being in search of the ancient Aryan Philosophy, have
obtained control over the bodily passions which trouble or­
dinary men beyond measure. Few er still who like one
now living in India, whom 1 dare not mention, are k n ow n.
Almost all who have thoroughly studied or are studying
tha t ennobling philosophy, keep themselves out o f the
public view in compliance with wise aud inexorable rules.
It is not through selfishness, as too many imagine. Though
unseen, they none the less are continually working for
the g o o d o f humanity. In thousands o f eases what they
effect is ascrilted to Providence. And whenever they find
any one who, like themselves, has an ambition above the
mere pleasures ol this world, and is in search of tha t
Vidya which alone can m ake man wise in this as well and
happy iu the next, they stand ready by his side, take him
up in their hands as soon as he shows his worthiness, and
put in his way the opportunities to learn th a t philosophy,
th e study of which has made them masters of themselves,
oi n a tu re ’s forces, and of this world. It is apparent th a t
the Swami of Akalkot wa.s one of such persons. A man
peculiarly oracular and sparing ot speech, and eccentric
to a degree, he nevertheless did a World ot good, aud his
life was crowded with marvels. Many facts m igh t be
quoted th a t would tend to show the great knowledge
possessed by him, but th e few above ralated will suffice
to introduce him to the reader, and to indicate his fami­
liarity with the occult side ot nature. While lie was alive,
very few learnt the Vidya from him ; now th a t he is gone
for ever, his death is lamented, as is usually the case with
the sons of India. T h eir eyes are at last opened to the
injury they have inflicted upon themselves by neglecting
a golden opportunity.
T he account of his death given in the biography is
pathetic, and worth repetition. On the last day of the
first fortnight of th e month of ( ’liaitra,'}' in the year 1N00
of the ShAlivan Era, people susjicctcd th a t the health of
the Swami had begun to fail. W hile he wa.s sleeping in
the afternoon of th a t day, a t the place of Tatya Saheb
Subhedar, he suddenly got up, and ordered a square earthen
tile which w;is lying there to be placed on somebody’s
head. He then went to a tank outside the skirts of the
town, followed by a large crowd, as well as by th e ]terson
who had the earthen tile on his head, and seated himself
on the steps of the tank. H e afterwards ordered the
m an to place the earthen tile in water without injuring it,
and askeil th e crowd to m ake a loud noise. J He th e n
* A pcraoii who rcaiU any of tho Id works of l’urnu aud explains tho
meaning.
f Tho tirat of th e llim lu year according to tho blwlivaw Era.
£ According to tho Himlu custom when any hotly loso* his nearest reUtioii
or one ho dearly love*, ho tim id round thu dtmd l>o<ly ruul make* a loud noUo
).y iircttdji/ hU Imud nyaiu-it hi* m onth ; #ueh a noUe M horu m eant.
 removed to th e temple of .Murlidhar in tlie evening until does notnow' feel the infinnities of age. A l i b i s senses
which tim e lie was all right.. B u t a t about !) in the night, lie are in proper order and not decayed by age. By degrees
had a. seVere ■attack ofCold and fever. B u t w ith ou t com­ he gains possession of the secret th a t enables him to con­
m unicating the fact to any body he g o t nj> early in the trol practically th e passions which trouble ordinary men.
lnorning and went to the b u rn in g ground where lie showed A ud w henever lie can i.ot, with a lib is efforts, check any
two or three funeral |>iles to some of li is followers and asked im prop er desire, he sees, in an inexpressible way, seme
th em to remember them. H e then directed his footsteps to­ e v e n t which shows th a t the Swami is deteim ined upon
wards the village, of Nagamdialli which is about two miles driving all im proper thoughts from the author's mind
from where lie was. And although it was past noon he had by bringing him face to face with strange events. This
taken neither his bath nor meals, b u t nobod}Tdared ask is th e only experience which the author has had until
him do any thing. On his way be rested in a shed reser­ now of Swiimi’s greatness."— B u t it suffices to show th at
ved for cows. His followers as usual began to prepare th e a u th o r is in th e right path.— D. K. M.
him a. bed, when lie said— “ Henceforward I do not require
any bed. B u m it on th a t tree opposite to me,” This
startled some of his followers, b u t they did not even sus­
pect. t h a t th e Swiimi thereby m e a n t any th ing in regard P A D R 1 N A T H , T H E M Y S T E R IO U S .
to himself. T he next day lie retu rn ed to .Akalkot and Ih j a S w a m i who has Been it.
stopped u n d e r a Yata tree behind the palace of Karjalkar.
A nd notw ithstanding th a t he then suffered from fever, he H a l f way up a peak of the H im a la ya Mountains, called
carried on his conversation in his usual tone. N e ith e r did Dliavahigiri* by the people inhabiting th e place, and the
lie show an y change in his actions. Shortly afterwards lie equal of which cannot be found in th e whole world, is the
had an attack of diarra'hea, and his ap p etite failed him. te m ple of Badrinath, one of th e foil rf* most sacred places
Bu t he did not omit his customary bath, and if a n y b o d y of the Hindus. 'The place is surrounded by hills, cliffs,
raised objection to his doing so, on account of his sickness, ravines and jungles, and produces iu abund an ce' k a n d ’ roots,
he answered, “ W h a t will your father lose if I die ?” H e buds and flowers. Holy men, of whom some keep th em ­
was cured of diarra'liesi by H a n m a n tra o Ohorpadc, the selves q u ite unknow n to the world, while others who
doctor of the dispensary a t Akalkot, b u t continued to are known, c a n y on th e ir sacred pursuits there. The
suffer from fever and shortly afterwards had paroxysm of legend about the idol of BadriniUh which is a t present in
coughing. H e was then placed u nder the tre a tm e n t of a th e temple is, th a t it was once thrown away by the J a i n s ;
native doctor named N a n a Vaidya, all of whose attem p ts b u t when Shank arachary a w ent to th a t place after putting
to cure him failed. If asked not to b athe or expose h im ­ down the Jains, and when he founded there J o ti r Math, J
self to air, he would pay no attention. N e ith e r could he had a t th a t tim e a vision— which is ascribed to that
lie be persuaded to take th e medicine prescribed for god— to the effect t h a t th e said idol was thrown into
him. Two or three days afterwards he began to breathe N arada K un da from which itsliould be removed and found­
Very hard, and he sank rapidly. B ut still he made 110 com­ ed again in its fonner place. Sh a nka ra c ha ry a obeyed his
plaint, and he did not perm it his outward appearance to show instructions, and, after having inscribed th e whole story on
any symptoms of what he infernally suffered. W h en his a eopper-plate, entrusted the whole to the chief worshiper
sickness was a t last too apparent to be concealed some and then went to K ashmere. There are also many stones
of his respectable friends th o u g h t it advisable for him bearing various inscriptions which none can read. N ear
to distribute films before his deat h. This lie did most Badrinath are such places as U t t a r Kashi (N orth Benares),
willingly, himself repeating all th e necessary mantrams. G u pta K ashi (Secret Benares), Trijugi N arayan, Gowri
H e gave, with his hands, his own embroidered .shawl Kund, T u n g n a th , Ilmlranitth, where great ascetics, who are
to liam achnrya. As his cough increased every mo­ known only to very few persons, perform th e ir holy func­
m ent, he was advised to remove from an open place tions. They have majestic appearances and are objects
into the inner part of the house. But all the entreaties of of great reverence to th e ignorant hill-tribes living in the
his friends proved in vain. T h e same answer was repeated neighbourhood, who fear th a t these yogis may assume the
to them. A t 110011 on the I.Stli day of the latter fort­ forms of tigere and e a t them up.
n ig h t of the m onth of Chaitra, he ordered his cows and I t is said th a t the yogis named B ham Jogi, C hitru Jogi,
other animals to be brought before him. H e then gave Aitwar Gir, Ganga Gir, Somwar Gir, have been performing
away all the food and clothes offered to him. Seeing th a t their holy functions there for th e last three hundred years.
by th a t time his voice was alm ost gone, one of his good T hey eat nothing except ‘k a n d ’ roots, fruits and ilowcr
desciples asked him if he had any instructions to com m u­ buds, and reside always in th e ir m ountain homes which
nicate. In reply he repeated the following verse from the are inextricable. N one b u t those who are D nyani § suc­
Gita ceed in having the ir company. W h e n e v e r they have to
see any body they fix some tim e for a meeting, and only
those who punctually keep th e ir a pp ointm ent can see
them. There are many such ascetics in th a t part of the
country, and those w'ho w an t to satisfy th e ir curiosity may
H e then turned from the left to th e right side aud ordered
go there and see them. B u t w hat is said above is known
him self to be seated. No sooner was th e order obeyed
to all who live there. . •
than he was...!
Now, as was above remarked, people have begun to a p ­ [To be continued.]
preciate his greatness. They have erected a. sort of a te m ­
ple 011 the spot where he breathed his hist, to com m em o­
* Tills ln m o lit com po.'cl of two S anskrit word*—fjhnritl, whli-L mean*
rate his memory. B u t if th e y had held him fast in their w hite, m ul '/'V/, n in o im tniii ; so c alled on a c c o u n t of its alw ay s a p p e a rin g
hearts while he was alive, and if they had studied the very w h ite o w in ^ to th e o x lstc n co of ice fo rm e d h y excessive cold w hich aW
Vidya with him, then they would have raised themselves w ays p re v a ils o n th is m o u n ta in .
above base passions and the pursuit of pleasures, and ob­ I f T ho fo u r m o st sac re d placen of th e H in d u s a rc :—
tained th a t kingdom from which the gainer is never de-' (1 ) Jugunmtth, in Enstorn Iudin ; (2) Unmni'th, to the South ; (0) Dwnrkif*
throned. To such as may ask how he could have assisted nutli, to the \Vc*t ; and (I) Badrinath to tho North.
th em in m aking themselves masters of self, let th e autho r
J . J o tlr M a th is th o p laco n ic n tirn c d n* .to sh i M ath on p a g e OS o f tho D eer,
speak.— “ As all the facts mentioned in the book relate n u m b e r of th e T iikoso I’H ist , in th o A u to b io g rap h y of l ’a n d it D a y an u n d
to others, it is quite plain th a t readers would have the Sara-swali Sw rfm i.— (Ei>. T iiko .) ”
autho r say what, may have happened to himself. I t would § One who has succeeded in obtaining " Dnyium" I* called " Dnyani ” By
be unju st for him to shrink from relating his own ex­ the word “ Onyaim ” is not hero m eant any knowledge b u t tho knowledge of
the
perience in deference to unw orthy fears. I t is thirteen training.m ysterious laws of n atu re nnd consequently w hat is obtained l»y Yog
U ntil therefore a person reaches a certain degree of th e knowledge
m onths since he saw th e Swami in his dream, and lie of Yog philosophy, he cauuot see theec midifltmrts. (lid. Theo.) *
 T H E FO R E ST Q U E ST IO N .
B y “ Forester."
In my former paper I pointed out tlio necessity of con­
serving forest vegetation on tliu liill.s and m ountains of
this tropical country, where the streams and rivers have
their rise. Some of the evils a tte n d in g th e denudation of
the slopes of hills ami mountains were also mentioned. To
destroy th e vegetation on theso im p o rta n t highlands and
thus m ake them incapable of performing their most im ­
portant function, namely, th e storage of fallen water, is
also to destroy the natural irrigation of the country. Y e t
this is being done. Even where, as on the W estern ghats,
the annual rainfall is iu very many pliices 250 inches,
there tho slopes of hills aud mountains— the high-level n a ­
tural reservoirs of the country— have been given for a
wretched system of cultivation (called D ulhi or K u m ri—
by which every atom of true and plant vegetation is des­
troyed to produce a scanty crop of inferior grains) a t the
rate of (J pice per acre. Y e t with 250 inches of rain no
less titan 25,!)28 tons o f w a te r f a l l ' un each acre o f land.
Nevertheless, tons of thousands of acres of hill anil m oun ­
tain land in each G h a t Talook of this Presidency have
been given for such cultivation, and have suffered d e n u d a­
tion. A nd any a tte m p t to again devote these im po rtant
hill and m ountain lands to th e purpose originally intended
by a beneficent nature, namely, for th e production of
timber, woods, grass and water, is looked upon by those
who are utterly ignorant of the subject as an infringement
of the rights of th e people. P u t I assert th a t herein is a
cruel wrong being done to the country and the public at
large, and th a t tbe suicidal policy being pursued is not
only defeating the efforts of nature to naturally irrigate
valuable low-lying lands, and the vast plains to the East,
but will also assuredly bring serious disasters upon the
country and its peoples. W itness as a case— out of m any
—in point th e late disastrous floods iu Spain, Here, we
learn from European journals, th a t “ A rainfall on th e
“ night of October 14th, caused the m o u n t a i n torrents to
“swell the Rivers S e tju m a n d J [un do, in the u pper valley
“ of Murcia, the w ater sweeping over seven leagues
“ around Murcia, reaching Oryhvela and Lorca a little later
“ on the morning of tho 15th. I u Murcia, a town of
“ 90,000 inhabitants, tho greater portion of th e suburbs
“ were under water ; a n d more th a n 1,000 bouses were des-
“ troyed or damaged. In the province of Murcia more
“ than 500 bodies have been taken out of th e water, and
“ 40,000 persons are homeless, sheltering iu the churches
*• and public buildings. H em m ed in by m ountains and
“ rising ground, the plain for leagues, d u rin g fifty hours,
“ seemed like a lake dotted with village roofs anil church
“ steeples. Lorca and Orybuela, towns of 19,000 aud
"53,000 souls were more completely inundated than Mur-
“ cia. T he waters then began to fall almost as rapidly as
“ they had risen, leaotwj b ehind them a thick coat o f m u d
11a n d detritus otier the -inundated country." Such are
the evils which may be certainly looked for in this country
if its hills and mountains are not k e p t clothed with a
strong forest vegetation.
Novenibei' :i.?nd, 1870.
In th e Lancet, Robert H am ilton F.R.C.S., Senior S u r ­
geon, Royal Southern Hospital, Liverpool, strongly re­
commends tb e injection of ammonia into the veins as a
means of resuscitation iu alcoholic and narcotic poison­
ing. H e having injected with a hypodermic syringe ten
drops of am m onia into the mcdio-ccphalic vein of the
right arm of a woman in a dying and comatose condition
from excessive drinking, the effect was strik in g ; she
almost im m ediately moved ami opened h e r eyes. T h e
pulse, which could not be felt before the operation, became
perceptible, and the woman recovered. He mentions also
the case of a woman poisoned by drin king carbolic-acid.
The case was apparently hopeless, yet this p a tie n t also
recovered after the injection of am m onia into the veins of
the arm,
A T H E O S O P H IC A L JU B IL E E .
T he fellows of the Theosophical Society throughout
the world, will bo glad to learn that tho celebration of
its fourth anniversary, at the Bombay head-quartors, was
a great success. T h e large attend an ce— which included
the most influential N atives of Bombay as well as E uro­
peans— the interest manifested, the display of articles
illustrative of native technical ingenuity, taste and skill,
the opening of the Library, and the successful foundation
of the T heu si >l*liist , combine to mark the event as th e
bcjniiningof
O O an era of useful
t ness and influence. 'I'lie limits
of these columns prohibiting a full report of the siieecbes,
poem, and the names and contributions of the exhibitors, a
pam phlet su pplem ent is preparing in which the whole
will be given, including the President's address, which
was pronounced superior to any which he has heretofore
delivered. T his pam phlet will also contain recent modi*
fications of the Hides adopted in General Council a t Be­
nares on the littli of December, ultimo. Swami Dayanuml
Saraswati was present on this occassion, and the m e e t'
ing was held a t the palace of 1I.H . t he Maharajah ofVizetv-.
nagar, where our President, Corresponding Secretary,
Librarian, and other Fellows were guests. The price of tho
pamphlet (anmis 4, or six ponce, or ten cents) should bo
rem itted to th e Librarian of tho Society, a t Bombay, or to
the Secretary of tlio N ew York or any branch Society.
Meanwhile, the reader m ay glean an idea of the events of
the evening from th e following report, which is taken
from the Allahabiul P ioneer of December Wt h,
Bom HAY, doth Xovornhei',
T he Thcosophists held high carnival last evening a t
their Girguum head-quartors. Several hundreds of tho
most influential natives of the city— bankers, merchants,
milbowners, pandits, pleaders, \'c.— crowded their com ­
pound, and attentively watched the proceedings. Tlio
occasion for the gathering was to celebrate the Theosophi­
cal Society’s fourth anniversary, the opening of its new
library, and th e foundation of th e T iikoso I'IIIst . Gorge­
ous cards, artistically printed in gold and black— both
design and execution very creditable to the Society— had
bidden the guests to th e m eeting ; there was a profusion
of lamps, Chinese lanterns and flags, a great arch of gas
jets, on which the word “ W elcome’’ appeared in letters
of fire, and a seven-pointed sta r blazed above its crown,
high in the air. From a concealed place not far away
came th e musical strains of a military band of twenty
pieces. The whole compound was carpeted and filled with
chairs, the front row being reserved for the more im portant
personages. T he verandah of the library bungalow served
as a sort of private box of the speakers of tho evening and
gentlemen accompanied by their wives. A more motley
audience could scarcely be imagined, so varied t he races,
complexions and costumes. T he I’arsee aud Brahman,
the Ja in and Mussulman, the Christian and H eathen side
by side, and V ishnavite and Sivaito observing Ibr tho time
a benevolent neutrality. T he scene was, in short, a pic­
turesque and interesting one, and indicated th a t the busy
Thcosophists have already created a wide interest iu
their doings.
T he evening’s programme embraced the three features
of addresses, a display of w orking models of machinery by
native mechanics, and an exhibition of native industrial
products in tbe library hall. The speakers were Colonel
II. S. Olcott, President of tho Society ; Rao B ah adu r
Gopalrao H urri Deshm uk, late Joint Ju d g e at. Poona ; Mr.
Nowrozji Furdoonji, Municipal Councillor of Bombay ;
K ashinath T rim b uk Telang, M.A., LL.B., the O r ie n ta lis t;
and S h antaram Narayen, Esq., Pleader. A fine poem
iu Guzerati, w ritten for the occasion, was read by tb e a u ­
thor, who is known more widely as “ T he Guzerati P o e t ”
than u nder his own name. Colonel Olcott’s address was
an eloquent review of th e Society’s work before and since
the arrival of his party in India, and was received with
great applause. H e disclosed the im portant fact that tli0
plan of the Society embraced good honest work for t|,t,
im provem ent of tlio material condition ol his adopted coun­
trymen, th e Hindus, quite as distinctly as Oriental research
anti th e revival of Aryan mystical science. They had not
only founded a journal to serve as an organ for the dis­
semination of the fruits of Hindu scholm-ship, hut also a
workshop with machines ol various kinds, in which to
manufacture Indian goods for export. T h e invitation card
of the evening, whose equal coidd not be turned out from
any existing lithographic press of Bombay, Calcutta or
Madras, had to a large degree been printed by a young
Parsee, taught by his colleague, Mr. Edward Wimbridge,
w ithin the past, six weeks. Adopting, as h e — Colonel
Olcott h a d — India as his country and her people us
his people, it was his sacred duty to do all th a t lay
w ithin bis power to promote th e physical welfare of
th e teem in g millions of this peninsula, no less than to
hu m b ly second the ellorts of thnt g rea t Aryan of our
times, Swami Dyunund Saraswati, for the revival of Vedic
monotheism and the study of Yoga. Tho address will be
printed.
A t th e conclusion of the speeches, and after the reading
of the Guzorati poem, the library doors were thrown open
and the visitors thronged into the apartm ent. Consider­
ing th a t th e whole exhibition had been organized within
one week, th e result was very creditable. Two large book­
cases were fitted with splendid specimens of th e sandal­
wood carvings and mosaics of Surat, A hm edabad and
Bombay, th e dressed figures ]ieculiar to Poona, toys from
Benares, ami special exhibits of knives, rings, steel lioxes
nnd brass jiadlocks from the 1‘a n dliarpur School of Industry
and from aB aroda artisan named Vcnkati. The oj»|)osite wall
was hun g with embroidered robes and dresses fiom K a sh ­
mir, examples of the famous shawl industry of th a t coun­
try ; gold-bordered muslin il/ioti* from Bengal, &c. Tables
a t the ends and down the centre of the room were spread
with a great, array of brass-ware iu rcpouso/e.; enamelled
and inlaid bronze vessels of all sorts, carved marble gods;
a palki and a temple in pith ; boxes of agate, gold-stone,
and carnclinn articles from A g ra ; and a pu/.zle-box, made
by a common native carpenter, y e t so ingeniously con­
structed as to batlle every a tte m p t to open it until its
secret was discovered. There was a, perpetual fountain
for sending up juts of perfume, made by a Cutchee mecha­
nic, named Vishram .Jetha, who also exhibited a working
model of a steam engine, made by himself, which drove a
tiny grist-mill, circular saw, drill, and force pump. A l­
together it was a most, enjoyable occasion, and m u st go far
towards w inning good opinions for th e Theosophical Socie­
ty. Before dismissing the company, Colonel Olcott a n ­
nounced th a t he was in conference with th e H on’ble
Morarji Gokuldas, Sir Mangaldas Nathoobhoy, Mr. Mathu-
radas Lowji, anil other leading N a tive s to organize a p e r ­
m an e n t Industrial Exhibition Com m ittee, to hold a t least
one fair in Bombay each year.
On the 2nd of December th e President, Corresponding
Secretary, and Librarian left Bombay for Allahabad on
business, and remained th ere until 011 the l.'»th they went to
Benares to meet and confer w ith Swami D ayanund. W hile
a t Allahabad Col. Olcott accepted an invitation from a
comm ittee of native gentlem en, represented by Pandit
S u n d er Lai, of the Post Master General's Office, to deli­
ver an address upon the Theosophical Society and its re ­
lations to India. Mr. Hume, C. B., a distinguished m e m ­
ber of th e Viceregal Government occupied the chair and an
overflowing audience filled the largest, hall in the city.
T h e P io n e e r of the 10th ultimo contained the subjoined
account of the proceedings.
T iik T iikosoi' iiicai. S ociktv.
A Public address was delivered on Satu rd ay afternoon
a t the Mayo Hall, by Colonel Olcott, the President of this
Society, before a large audience of N atives and Europeans.
T h e chair was taken by Mr. A. O. 11 nine, C.B.
T he C hairm an said :— Ladies and G entlem en,— I t now
becomes m y du ty to introduce to you Colonel H e n ry S.
Olcott, President of th e Theosophical Society, who has
kindly consented to subm it for your consideration a brief
explanation of the leading aims and objects of the Socie­
ty he represents. I myself unfortunately as yet know
too little of this Society to [>ermit of my saying much
about i t W h a t little I know has been gleaned from th e
first three num bers of the T h k o s o p i i i s t , a most interest­
ing journal, published by the Society at Bombay, and from
a few all to o brief conversations with Colonel Olcott and
the Corresponding Secretary of the Society, Madam Bla-
vatsky. B u t this m uch I have gathered about the So­
ciety, viz., t h a t one primary and fundamental object o f :
its existence is th e institution of a sort of brotherhood iu
which, sinking all distinctions of race and nat ionality, caste
and creed, all good nnd earnest men, all who love science,
nil who love truth, all who love their fellowmen, may
m eet as brethren, and labour hand in hand in tho cause
of enlig htenm en t and progress. W h e th e r this noble idea
is ever likely to germ in ate nnd grow into practical frui­
tion ; w hether this glorious dream, shared in by so many
of th e greatest minds in all ages, is ever destined to emerge
from th e shadowy realms of Utopia into th e broad sun­
light of th e regions of reality, let no one now pretend to
decide. M any and marvellous are the changes and de­
velopments t h a t tin? past hns witnessed ; the impossibi­
lities of one age have become th e truism s of th e next,
nnd who shall v enture to predict that thfe future may not
have as many surprises for mankind as has had the past,
and th a t this may not. be one amongst them ? Be the
success, however, g re a t or little of those who strive after
this grand ideal, one th in g wo know th a t 110 honest efforts
for th e good of our fellowmen are ever wholly fruitless ;
it. may be long before th a t fruit ripens, the workers may
have passed away long ere the world discerns the harvest
for which they w ro u g h t; nay, the world itself m ay never
realize w hat has been done for it, b u t th e good work it­
self remains, imperishable, e v e rla stin g ; they who wrought
it have necessarily been by such efforts purified and ex­
alted ; th e com m unity in which they lived and toiled has-
inevitably benefited directly or indirectly, nnd through
it th e world nt largo. On this ground, if 011 no other,
we m ust necessarily sym pathize with the Theosopliists;
they may have other aims nnd objects in which we may
not so entirely identify ourselves, but in this their desire
to break down all artificial barriers between th e various
sections of m a nkind and unite all good and true men and
women in one band, labouring for the good of their follow.1*,
our whole hearts m ust go with them, and you will all,
I am sure, listen with interest and pleasure to an expo­
sition of other branches of the Society’s aims and aspi­
rations from so distinguished a member, so able a repre­
sentative of the Theosophical Society as Colonel Olcott,
who will now address you.
Colonel Olcott then coming forward, sj>oke as follows :—
Before taking up th e thread of my discourse, I will ad­
vert to one remark made by th e distinguished gentlem an
who honours me by occupying th e chair. T h e Theosophi­
cal Society was not organized to fight Christianity espe­
cially, nor is it a propaganda of any one religious sert. I t
is a society of seekers after truth, and pledged to the
work of dissem inating w hatever tru th s it discovers, w hether
in religion, philosophy, or science. I f in the progress
of this work it encounters obstacles, it will try to remove
them, no m a tte r by whom they may be interposed. Its
history is th e best evidence th a t can be given of the na­
ture of its labors, and the fidelity with which it has kept
the pledges m ade in its behalf in the first instance. To
th a t history I now invite attention.
T h e speaker then sketched the riso and progress of
the Theosophical Society. I t originated a t New York,
America, in the year 1875, as the result of a private lec­
ture at. th e house of Madam Blavatsky upon Egyptian
Geometry and H iero g ly p h ic s; the small company of in­
telligent persons present on th a t occasion coming to the
unanimous conviction th a t the secrets of Egypt, and es­
pecially of India, could only be learned with th e co-opera­
tion of native scholars,. T h e results of W estern O neiv
talism were unsatisfactory, for E uropean scholars, lacking
the intim ate knowledge of the spirit of E astern litera­
ture, were not agreed as to the m eaning of ancient p h i­
losophers and authors. A great agitation prevailed th ro u g h ­
out Christendom as to the deeper questions of religion
and science. T he materialistic drift of the public mind
was encountered by the phenom ena of so-called modern
spiritualism. An eager wish to know som ething positive
about n ature anil its mysteries, man and liis obvious and
latent faculties about God, and about hum an destiny,
prevailed. The organizers of the Theosophical Society
were of various shades of belief—some, spiritualists, v ete ­
ran investigators, b u t not satisfied with th e explanation
given of their p h e n o m e n a ; some, men of science, who
wished to learn th e mystery of life, and discover what
force moved th e atoms in space and caused them to aggre­
gate into worlds, and then evolved the myriad forms of
being th a t inhabited them ; others were simply weary of
the old theological system, and wished to learn what
India could teach them tha t waj better. T he Society be­
ing organised, and having p u t forth its programme, was
bitterly assailed by a hundred critics. Caricature, sarcasm,
slander, and invective were employed, b u t it kept stea­
dily a t work and prospered. Many mere wonder-seekers
who a t first joined it in the hope th a t they m ight see
greater miracles worked by Eastern magic than they had
by W estern mediums, dropped off upon discovering their
mistake. But others took their p laces: correspondents
wrote from all parts of the world to express th e ir sym pa­
thy. G reat scientists, like Edison of America, joined, while
others like Prof. W. B. C arpen ter opposed. Ladies of
refinement and high rank enrolled themselves as fellows.
Experience a t last showed th a t to be successful in the
study of occult science, the Society itself m ust be reorga­
nized ou a basis of confidential relations, each pledged to
the other not to betray confidences imparted respect i n t h e i r
individual successes in occult study. These and the grip and
other signs of recognition, were the only secrets the Society
ever had. Polities never interested its fellows nor occupied
their thoughts in the slightest degree. A t last, lie, Colonel
Olcott, came to . India with two English O colleagues,
O ' and
their learned Corresponding Secretary, M adam Blavatsky.
They came expecting only to study E astern religion and
Yoga Vidya, and report their discoveries to th e W estern
Theosophists. But they found themselves obliged to turn
teachers as well. Hindu youth were as ignorant of a n ­
cient Aryan literature, religion and science as European
y o u th ; they, alas! did not even know what th e Vedas con­
tain. So the Thcosophists laid out a new course of action
in addition to their original plan : they were already in a
close alliance with the Arya Samaj and its g re a t Founder,
Swami Dayanund Saraswati, to revive Aryan religion and
the study of S a n s k r i t ; they now arranged to co-operate in
every scheme to found technological schools in India. On
the 29th ultimo, they had held the fourth anniversary
m eeting of the Society, a t Bombay, and besides addresses
in different languages by native gentlem en, there had
been a highly interesting and im portant exhibition of spe­
cimens of Hindu art and ingenuity. Colonel Olcott had
also opened negociations with influential Bombay ge ntle­
men to found a perm anent Exhibition Society or In stitu te
for the holding of an industrial exhibition once a year.
The Society has founded a monthly jou rnal for th e circu­
lation of the writings of Native and European O rientalists;
it has opened a library a t Bombay ; it is abo ut institu ting
a course of weekly lectures on mesmerism and o ther
branches of occult science ; and, ju s t before leaving Bombay,
they had received a proposal to assit in the em ploym ent of a
certain fund subscribed by natives for the foundation of a
school of industry. In the course of his lem arks tbe speaker
gave a very interesting definition of the two mctluxls of
psychical development known a i H ata Yoga and Raja
Yoga, from which it appeared th a t the former is a species
of bodily training to develop will-power by the self-mHic-
tion of physical pain, and the latter, an evolution of the
interior faculties of th e Soul by the intelligent concentra­
tion of tjie ascetic’s vitality and m ental force upon the
inner man. U ntil European men of science comprehend
the results th a t may be achieved by these two systems,
they will never know the vast possibilities of th e living
man. A t present “ Psychology” is b u t a name, and tho
so-called science which they have thus christened only em ­
pirical guess-work.
A t the conclusion many native gentlem en pressed for­
ward to express th e ir interest and gratification with tho
address, aud arran gem ents were made on tho spot for a
public m eeting of welcome to the Thcosophists upon their
return from Benares, w h ithe r they have gone to spend a
week with Swami Dayanand Saraswati.
T11E E N S O U L E D V IO L IN .
(]hj I lV lu r iu n SiiK -rdis, F.T.£>.)
T he almost supernatural or magic art of Nicolo Paganini,
— th e greatest violin player that the world has ever pro­
duced— was often speculated upon, never understood. The
sensation he produced upon his audience was marvellous,
overpowering. Tlic Great Rossini wept like a se n tim e n ­
tal German maiden, upon hearing him play for the first
time. T he princess Eliza of Lucca, sister of the g reat Na-
polean, though he was in her service as the director of her
private orchestra, was for a long time unable to hear him
play without fainting. In women lie produced nervous fits
and hysterics a t his will ; stout hearted men lie drove to
frenzy. He changed cowards into heroes, and made tho
bravest soldiers become as nervous girls. Thousands of
dreary tales circulated about t.liis mysterious Genoese,
the modern O rpheus of Italy, I'\>r besides bis remarkable
appearance— termed by his friends eccentric, and by his
victims diabolical — he had eX|»erienced great difficulties in
refuting certain rumors of his having murdered his wife,
aud after her, his mistress, both of whom loved him pas­
sionately. T heir um piiet souls, it was whispered, had
been made through his magic a rt to pass into his violin— the
famous “ C rem on a:” superstition not utterly ungrounded
iu view of his wxtraordinary facility in drawing out of
his instrum ent the most unearthly sounds, and positively
hum an voices. These effects well nigh startled his a u d i­
ences into terror ; aud, if, we add to it the im penetrable m ys­
tery connected with a certain period of his youth, we will,
find the wild tales told of him in a measure excusable ’
especially among a people whose ancestors knew the Bor-
gias and the Medici of black-art fame.
W e will now give a fact— a page from his biography—■
connected with, and based upon, such a tale. The press
got hold of it a t the time of its occurrence, and the annals
of the literature of Italy preserve the record of it until
now, though iu many and various other forms.
I t was iu 1831. T he great, the "diabolical” Paganini
was creating a t the house of the Paris Opera an e n th u ­
siasm unsurpassed by any trium ph he had previously
gleaned. A fter hearing him, several of the leading m usi­
cians of th e noblest orchestra in the W estern world, broke
their in stru m e n ts........
A t th a t time, there lived a t Paris another violinist
gifted with an extraordinary talent, but poor aud unknown,
a German, whose nam e was Franz Stonio. H e was young
and a philosopher, imbued with all the mysticism of
Hoffman’s “ (.'limit <l’ .1 iifotiiu," and nursed in tbe atm os­
phere of th e old haunted castles ou the Rhine. H e had
studied the occult arts and dabbled in alchemy, b u t other­
wise was interested b u t little in the m atters of this world.
T he whole of liis aspirations mounted, incenselike, to­
g ether with the wave of heavenly harmony which ho drew
forth from his four-stringed in strum ent, to a higher and
a nobler sphere.
H is mother, his only love on earth and whom he hail never
left, diet! when he was thirty. It was then th a t he found
he had been left poor indeed ; poor in purse, still poorer in
earthly affections, liis old violin teacher, Sam uel Klaus,
one of those grotesque figures which look as if they had
j u s t stepped o ut of some old mediieval panel, with the
sqeaking and piercing voice of a "show Punch,” and the
fantastic allures of a night-goblin, then took him by the
liaml, and, loading him to his violin, simply sa id :— “ make
yourself famous. I am old and childless, I will he your
father, and we will live together.” And they went to Paris.
F ra n z had never heard Paganini. H e swore he would
eith e r eclipse all the violinists of those days, or, break his
in stru m e n t and a t the same time, p u t an end to his own
life. Old Klaus rejoiced, and ju m p in g on one leg like an
old satyr, flattered and incensed him, believing him self all
th e while to be performing a sacred d u ty for the holy cause
of art,
Fran z was making himself ready for his first app ear­
ance before the public, when Paganini’s arrival in the great
capital of fashion was loudly heralded by his fame. The
G erm an violinist resolved to postpone his ilchnt, and a t
first smiled a t the enthusiastic m entions of the Italian's
name. B u t soon this name became a fiery thorn in the
h e a rt of Franz, a threatening ph a n to m in the mind of old
Samuel.
.
Both shuddered at the very J m ention o of Paga-
111111 a successes.
A t last tho Italian’s fir.st concert was announced, and the
prices of admission made enormous. T h e m aster .and the
pupil both pawned their watches, and got two modest se.its.
Who can describe the enthusiasm, tho trium phs of Lliis
famous, aud a t the same time, fatal n ig h t ? A t the fir.st
toucli of Pa^iuum s magic bow, both F ra n z and Sam uel
felt is if the icy hand < 'd e a t h hail touched them. Carried
away by an irresistible enthusiasm which turned into a
violent, unearthly mental torture, they dared n either look
into each oth er’s faces, nor exchange one word during
th e whole performance.
A t midnight, while, the chosen delegates of th e Musical
Society of Paris un hitching the Imr.ses, were (hugging in
♦ I T' * • • 1 • • ♦ hung mute, cordless, and full of dust, upon its h abitual
tn m n p h Piigamm home in his carriage, th e two Germans
having retu rned to their obscure ap artm en t, were sitting
mournful and desperate, in their usual places a t the fire-
corner. “ Samuel f exclaimed Franz, pale as death itself,—
" S a m u e l— it remains for us now bu t to d ie ! ........Do you
hear me ?...W e are worthless...worthless ! We were two
mad men to have hoped th a t any one iu this world would
over rival...h im !— ’’ The name of Paganini stuck in his
throat as in u tte r despair lie fell into his arm-chair.
Tho old professor's wrinkles suddenly became p u rp le ;
and his little greenish eyes gleamed phosphoreseently as,
bending toward his pupil, lie whispered to him in a hoarse
and broken voice— ‘‘ Thou art wrong, m y F ra n z! I have
ta u g h t thee, and thou hast learned all of the g rea t art
th a t one simple mortal and a good C hristian can learn from
a nother and as simple a mortal as himself. Am I to he
blamed because these accursed Italians, in order to reign
unequalled in the domain of art, have recourse to Satan
and the diabolical effects of black magic ?”
Franz turned his eyes upon his o'd master. T h ere was
a sinister light O b urning
O in those O g litte iin O
g orbs ;' a light
telling plainly, th a t to secure such a power, lie too, would
not scruple to sell himself, body and soul, to th e Evil
One.
Samuel understood the cruel thought, bu t yet. went on
w ith a feigned calmness—“ You have heard t he u nfortunate
tale rumoured about the famous T a rtini ? He died on one
Sabbath night, strangled by his familiar demon, who had
ta u g h t him the way, by means of incantations, to anim ate
his violin, with a hum an soul, by s h u ttin g up in it, the
rouI of a young Virgin. ..Paganini did more ; in order to
endow his in stru m en t with th e faculty of em ittin g hum an
sobs, despairing cries, in short, the most h eart-rending notes
of the hu m a n voice, Paganini became the m u rd e re r of a
friend, who was more tenderly attached to him than any
other 011 this earth. H e th e n made out of the intestines
of his victim the four cords of his magic violin. T his is the
secret of his enchanting talent, of t h a t overpowering m e ­
lody, and th a t combination of sounds, which you will never
be able to master, unless.............”
T h e old man could not finish th e sentence. H e sta g ­
gered before the fiendish look of his pupil, and covered his
face with his hands.— “ A nd,...you really b e lie v e ...th a t had
I the means of obtaining h u m a n intestines for strings, I
could rival Paganini asked Franz, after a m om ent’s pause,
and casting down his eyes.
T he old German, unveiled his fiice, and, with a strange
look of determ ination upon it, softly answered.— “ H u m a n
intestines only are not sufficient for our purpose :
these m u st have belonged to one th a t has loved us
well, and with an unselfish, holy, love. Tartini endowed
his violin with th e life of a virgin ; b u t th a t virgin had
died of u n re q u ite d love for h im ....T h e fiendish a rtist
had prepared beforehand a tube ih which he managed to
catch her last breath as she expired in pronouncing his b e ­
loved name, and, then transferred this b re a th , into his
violin.* As to Paganini— I have ju s t told you his tale.
I t was with • th e consent of his victim though,O th a t he m ur-,
dered him to g e t possession of his inte stin e s...“ Oh for
the power of the hu m an voice!” Sam uel went on, after
a brief pause. “ W h a t can equal the eloquence, the m a ­
gic spell, of th e hum an voice! Do you think, m y poor
boy, I would not have ta u g h t you this great, this final se­
cret, were it not, th a t it throws one rig h t into th e clutches
of h im .. . who m u st rem ain unnam ed a t n ig h t ?”
Franz did not answer. W ith a calm, awful to behold,
lie left his place, took down his violin from th e wall where
it was hanging, and with one powerful grasp of th e cords
tore them o ut and flung them into the tire.
The old Sam uel suppressed a cry of horror. T h e cords
were hissing upon th e coals, where, among the blazing
logs, they wriggled and curled like so m any living snakes.
Weeks and m onths passed away. This conversation was
never resumed between th e m aster and th e pupil. B u t a
profound melancholy had ta k en possession of Franz, and
the t wo hardly exchanged a word together. T h e violin
place. I t was like the presence of a soulless corpse b e ­
tween them.
One night, as F ranz sat, looking particularly pale and
gloomy, old Samuel, suddenly jumped from his seat, and
after hopping ab out the room in a mag pie fashion a p ­
proached his pupil, im printed a fond kiss upon th e young
m a n ’s brow, and then squeaked a t the top of his voice.
“ I t is time to p u t an end to all this I”... W hereupon, s ta r t­
ing from his usual lethargy, F ran z echoed, as in a dream ;
— “ Yes, it is tim e to p u t an end to this.” Ui>oii which
the two separated aud w ent to bed.
On th e following morning, when Franz awoke, he was
astonished a t not seeing his old teacher a t his usual place
to give him his first greeting. “ Sam uel ! My good, my
d e a r...S a m u e l !” exclaimed Franz, as he liurridly ju m p e d
from his bed to go into his m aster’s chamber. H e stag­
gered back frightened a t the sound of his own voice, so
changed an d hoarse it seemed to him a t this moment. No
answer came iu response to his call. N a u g h t followed
bu t a dead silence...T here exists in the domain of sounds,
a silence which usually denotes death. In th e presence
of a corpse, as in the lugubrious stillness of a tomb, silence
acquires a mysterious power, which strikes th e sensitive
soul with a nameless te rro r...
Sam uel was lying on his bed, cold, stiff and lifeless........
A t the sight of him, who had loved him so well, and had
been more th a n a father, F ranz experienced a dreadful
shock. B u t the passion of th e fanatical a rtist got th e
better of the despair of th e man, and smothered th e feel­
ings of th e latter.
A note addressed w ith his own nam e was conspicliously
placed upon a table near th e corpse. W ith a trem bling hand,
the violinist tore open th e envelope, and read the follow­
ing
“ My beloved Franz,
“ W lie n y o u re .n l this, I will have made Hie greatest sacrifice,
your best aud only friend and professor could have accomplished for
your fume. lie, who loved you most, is now b u t nil inanimate body .
of your old teacher there now remains b u t n clod of cold organic m a t’
* tiiuscppe T artini, th e g r e a t Italia n composer nnd violinist of th e xvii
century, produced such nu im pression l.y his inspired perform ance th n t ho
wns comm only styled th e “ m aster of natio n s.” He eloped with a hiuli
born young lady of p ic a t beauty. Mis m ost m arvellous composition wns tho
“ fiiiuin iltt diiihle, ” or “ T n rtin i's Pronm ,” which ho confessed to hnvo w ritton
" on aw akening fi om n dream , iu which, ho hail lionrd it perform ed by th»
devil, in conscjueuco of a bargain stru ck w ith him ."—E d. TllEOq.
ter. I nocil n o t p ro m p t y ou ns to w h a t you h a v e to do w ith it. F ea r himself, while executing this diabolical composition of
n o t stu p id p reju d ic es. I t is for y o u r fu tu re funic th a t I h a v e m ade
au offerin g o f m y b o d y , and y ou w ou ld b eco m e g u ilty of th e b lack est
his, exhibited such an equally diabolical power. U n d e r
in g r a titu d e , w e r e y o u n o w to ren d er tlii.s sa crifice u seless. W h en the pressure of the long muscular fingers, the cords
y o u sh a ll h a v e rep laced th e cords u pon y o u r v io lin , an d th e se c o ld s — wriggled like th e p alp itatin g intestines of a disem-
a p ortion o f m y o w n se lf,— w ill acq u ire u n d er y o u r touch m y voicc, bowled v ic tim ; th e Satanic eye of tho artist, fixed upon
m y gro a n s, m y so n g o f w elcom e, and th e so b s o f m y in fin ite lo v e for
tho sound board, called forth hell itself out of the myste­
y ou , m y b o y ,— th e n , O h, Franz, fea r n o b o d y ! T a k e y o u r in str u ­
m en t a lo n g w ith y o u , and fo llo w th e ste p s o f h im w h o filled our liv e s rious d ep th s o fh is instrum ent. Sounds transformed th e m ­
w ith b itte r n e ss and d e sp a ir ...A p p e a r on th e arena, w h ere, h ith erto, selves into shapes, and gathering thickly, at th e evocation
h e lia s reig n ed w ith o u t a rival, and b ravely th row th e g a u n tle t of d e­ of the m ighty magician, whirled around him, like a host
fiance in to h is face. O h, F ran z ! th e n o n ly w ilt thou h ear w ith w h a t of fantastic, infernal figures, dancing the witches' “ goat-
a m agic p ow er th e fu ll n o te o f lo v e w ill issu e forth frmu th y v io lin ;
us w ith a h u st.carretsiiig to u c h of its cord s, th o u w ilt, p erhaps, re­ dance.” in the emptiness of the stage back ground be­
m em b er that th e y h a v e once form ed a p o rtio n of th in e old teach er, hind him, a nameless phantasmagoria produced by the
w h o n o w em b ra ces and b lesses th e e for th e la st t in ie.■— S am iiki ..” concussion of un earthly vibrations, seemed to draw pic­
. Two bu rn in g tears sparkled in tho eyes of Franz, but, tures of shameless orgies, and the voluptuous hymens, of
they dried u p instantly und er the fiery rush of passionate the witches’ S a b b a th ........A collective hallucination got hold
hope and pride. T h e eyes of the future niagician-artist, of th e public. P a n tin g for breath, ghastly, and trickling
l'ivetted to the ghastly face of th e corpse, shone like the with the icy perspiration of an inexpressible terror, they
eyes of a church-owl. sat spelt-bound, and unable to break the charm of the
O ur pen refuses to describe wlmt took place later on music by the slightest motion. They experienced all the
th a t day, in the death room, after th e legal autopsy was illicit enervating delights of th e paradise of Mohammed
over. Suffice to say, t-lnit, after a fortnight had passed, th a t come into the disordered fancy of an opium-eating
the violin was dusted and four new, stout, cords had been Mussahnan, nnd felt at th e same time the abject terror, the
stretched upon it. Franz dared not look a t them. H e agony of one who struggles against an attack of d e lir iu m
tried to play, b u t the bow trembled in his hand like a trem ens........Many ladies fainted, and strong men gnashed
dagger in th e grasp of a novice-brigand. H e m ade a vow their teeth in a state of u tte r help less ness !........
H o t to try again until th e portentous nig h t when he should "T hen came the fin a le .--------------T he magic how was ju s t
have a chance to rival— nay, surpass Paganini. drawing forth its last .quivering sounds— im itating th e pre­
B u t the famous violinist had left Paris and was now cipitate fl ight of the witches saturated with the fumes of their
giving a series of triu m p h a n t concerts a t an old Flemish nigh t’s saturnalia., when th e notes suddenly changed in their
town in Belgium. melodious ascension into th e squeaking, disagreeable tones
One night, as Paganini sat in the bar room of the hotel of a street jn d e h iu e llo * screaming at th e top of his senile
a t which he stopped, surrounded by a crowd of admi- I voice: “ A rt thou satisfied, Franz, my boy >........H ave I well
rers, a visiting card was handed to him which had a few kept my promise, eh i........” And then, the slender graceful
words written in pencil upon its back, by a young man figure of the violinist, suddenly appeared to tho public as
with a wild and staring eyes. Fixing upon the intrud er a entirely enveloped inn sem i-transparent form, which clear­
look which few persons could bear, b u t receiving back a ly defined the outlines of a grotesque anil grinning but
glance as determined ami calm as his own, Paganini slight­ terribly awful looking old man, whose bowels were pro­
ly bowed and then dryly s a i d :— “ Sir, it will be as you truding nnd ended where they were stretched on the
desire,...nam e th e n ig h t...! am a t your service...” violin!!
On the following morning th e whole town was startled W ith in this hazy, quivering veil, the violinist was then
at the sight of numerous bills posted a t the corner of every seen driving furiously his bow upon tliu h u in a u curds, with
street. T he strange notice ran thus :— the contortions of a demoniac, as represented on a modi-
“ To niyht, at the (/rand Theatre o f—, a n d fo r the tin t time, will nival C athedral pa inting !
appear before the public, F ra u : S'tcnio, a (te.nnan Violinist, a n ir e il An indescribable panic sw ept over the audience, and,
purposely to throw the gauntlet at, a n d challenge the world-famottn breaking through the spell which had bound thorn for
P a g u n in i to a due!—u/ioit their violins. He purposes to cnmpete with
the great ‘ virtuose' in the execution o f the most difficult o f his com­
so long motionless in their seats, every living creature in
positions. The fam ous P aganini has accepted the challenge. F ra m the theatre made one mad rush to th e door. I t was like
,Stenio will htit’e to p la y in competition, with the unrivalled violinist the sudden outburst of a dam ; a hum an torrent, roaring
the celebrated ‘ F antaisie caprice,’ o f the latter, inoien as ‘ T h e amid a shower of discordant notes, idiotic squeaking,
W itc h e s .’ ”
prolonged and whining moans, and cacophonous cries of
T he effect of the notice proved magical. Paganini, who, frenzy, above which, like th e detonations of pistol shots,
amid his g reatest triumphs, never lost sight of a profitable was heard the consecutive bursting of the four cords upon
speculations, doubled the usual price of admission. B u t the bewitched violin........................................................................
still the theatre could not hold the crowds th a t Hocked to
it on th a t memorable night. W hen the th e a tre was em ptied of its last occupant, the
A t th e terrible hour of the forthcoming struggle, Franz terrified manager rushed on the stage iu search of the u n ­
was a t his post, calm, resolute, almost smiling. It was fortunate performer. They found him dead and stiff, be­
arranged th a t Paganini should begin. W h e n lie appeared hind the foot-lights, twisted up in the most u nnatural of
upon the stage, the thick walls of th e theatre shook to postures, and his violin shattered into a thousand frag­
th e ir foundation with th e applause th a t greeted him. H e m ents............
began and ended his famous composition “ The W-itc/tes” ('yprtm, October l.s/, IS70.
amid uninterrupted bravas. The cries of public e n th u ­
siasm lasted so long th a t Franz began to th in k his turn
Would never come. W hen, a t Lust, Paganini, amid the
I t is thou gh t th a t the use of (he microphone in mine
roaring applauses of a frantic public, was allowed to retire
districts is very advisable,— the buried miners a t Scotch
behind the scenes, and his eye fell upon Stenio, who was Notch tried Very hard by beating the walls and doors
tuning his violin, he felt amazed at the serene calmness, of their rocky prison, to let th e ir friends know th a t they
and the air of assurance of the unknown German artist. were alive, b u t did not succeed. T he question is raised
W hen Franz approached the foot-lights, he wa.s received whether the long and depressing uncertainty as to their
with an icy coldness. B u t for all th a t he did not feel in late might, not have been relieved had a microphone been
the least disconcerted: he only scornfully smiled, for he employed. Would it not bo possible to devise and
was sure of his trium ph. make known to nil workers un de rg ro u n d a simple code
A t the first notes of th e P relud e of " T h e W i t c h e s ” ot mierophoiiie signals to be eonimunicn.ted by rapping,
the audience became dum b struck with astonishment. I t and heard by means of t.hc microphone (
was Paganini’s touch, and— it was som ething else besides.
Some— and th a t some the majority— th o u g h t th a t never,
• I’uucli ami Jiu ly show —au ukl ami very iHipular stre e t aiuusviiicut
iu his best m om ents of inspiration had the Ita lia n a r t i s t 1niuoiig W estern im tious.
 S W A M I n m i * M IS S IO N A R Y . j ing ">0 quotations from the Bible ? I t was b u t nine or ten
(days later when th e Rev. gentlem an had well considered
The dubuto a t Ajmcvo between P a n d it Dsivi'inund Snniswiiti,
his answers, th a t a day was fixed for a public discussion
Siviuni, and the Kev. l ) r Gray.
upon the subject ; and, as the public bad been notified, the
JtcpoHrd f o r /Ar TllKosi il ’J S T by Mtriitthi Sn I I I a rllm d a n . g a th e ring was large, S ardar B a h a d u r Mtinshi Aminchand,
Iu tin- first issue of your jo urna l 1 have observed au e x ­ Ju d g e at. Ajniere, Mr. Roy Bhagrain, E xtra Assistant
tra c t from the ( 'alcutta A m ritu liu z o r I ’a lr ilv . relative Commissioner, Ajniere, S ard ar Bhagatsing. E ngineer a t
to the debate, a t Ajinere, on C hristianity between Swd- A jniere, and o ther respectable persons were present. A t
miji Dayanund and Dr. H usband, with your favourable com­ the appointed tim e the Swami arrived at the m eetin g
ments. A n assertion is therein a ttrib u te d to Dr. H usband j bringing th e four Vedic books, and the Rev. gentlem an, ac­
th a t th e objections of Pandit D ayanund Saraswati can be companied by Dr. H usband of the Mission Hospital, also
satisfactorily answered. 'Phis remark makes it incumbent ! came, with a large nu m ber of books. At the commence-
on me to jilace before the readers of your journal a .c o m ­ | ment. th e Sw ami observed to the public that he had often
plete account, of llie discussion t h a t took place in Ajniere, had discussions with clergymen a t meetings at which no
in th e presence of this reverend Doctor, between the Right I disturbance of any sort whatever occurred, and expressed
Rev. Mr. Gray and Pandit D a y an und Saraswati Swami, j a hope th a t th e discussion th a t was to take place would
to gether with the details connected therew ith. Tho p u b ­ similarly te rm in a te w ithout any obstruction. T h e Rev.
lic will thus be able to ju d g e of the w orth of the Doctor's g en tlem an expressed a similar hope. He then suggested
assertion. A t th a t discussion there were present, three th a t a.s the passages referred to him by the Swaini \Vere
different reporters, who wrote down all th e questions and many while the tim e a t their disposal was short, th e liuiii-
answers as dictated to them by th e contestants. Of these her of questions and answers should be limited to t ’.vb.
th re e copies of the record of discussion one was taken away T he discussion then began and notes were taken down by
by Dr. Gray, and the other two, which were attested at three writers, specially engaged for the purpose.
the request of the Swami by Sirdar Bahadur, Mulishi <S11rut n i :— In G'niesis, ch apter I, verse 2, it is stated
Aminciiand Saheh and Pandit. Bhagrain Salieh, are now in t h a t ; “ God created the heaven and the earth, and the earth
my possession, and the following extracts are from this was w ith ou t form and v o id .” Now God being considered
a uthenticated record. I send them to you with a request, omniscient and om nipotent, how could there be imperfec­
th a t you will kindly give them a place in your most tion in Jlis w o rk ? T here must, be peifection in every­
valuable journal. , thing done by om n ip otent God. It, is bu t in the work of
SAMARTHADAN, man, whose knowledge is limited and imperfect, th a t
Publisher of the “ Veda Bhashya." I imperfection is possible.
JUmihay, ^orcu tb er IN7!>. ! Rev. Mr. (Iruy :— T h e meaning does not imply that, the
earth was “ w ith out form ” but th a t it. was V n a », which
in H ind u reads Ooji'nl,— desolate.
< ),M K.
| Question:— But. in the first ch apter of Goirnir it is dis­
T he contest, between Swami Dayanund Saraswatiji, M a­
tinctly stated th a t in the beginning God created heaven
li a nlj, and the Rev. Dr. Gray lasted from 7 P. M. to !)-!()
| and th e earth, and th a t the latter was “ w ithout forni ”
P . M. on T hursday the 2<Sth N ovem ber I >S7<S (Margashirsha
and raid “ soonee " (uninhabited void) and th a t there was
Vadya 4th).—
darkness upou th e face of the deep. This clearly shows
T he said P and it Swami arriving in Ajniere on Kart.ik
that, the words “ without form” are not here used for
Sliuddha I .‘Uli, began to deliver lectures on the true r e ­
\Oojthl, desolate, for if it wen; so used, there would then
ligion a.s prescribed in the Veils. T he fii-st lecture was
be no need for the word Soourr, uninhabited] to follow,
about the Deity and the second about th e Veils ; on the
as void m eans th e same thing. When God created the
latter occasion the great. Missionary at Ajniere, the Rev.
earth could he not have created it well-formed by using
Dr. Grav, and Dr. Husband were present. The Swami
his omnipotence ?
was demonstrating on the auth ority of the Shastras (an­
| A n m v c r :— Two words hearing the same m eaning are
cient, religious works) and of a rgum ents consistent with
often used together in all languages, ns in the ease under
logic, th a t alone the four Veils ami no o ther work c on stitut­
discussion. (In illustration of this, Dr. (.3ray quoted two
ed the sacred inspired writings. He also pointed out some
I or three phrases such as, the land was Vcran and Soonsdn,
inaccuracies contained in “ Tnura.ta" “ Genesis” and “ K o ­
both adjectives conveying the same idea th a t it was de­
ran,” with a remark th a t lie did not intend thereby to in ­
solate or uninhabited.)
sult the feelings of any party, his object being simply to
T he Swiimi was j u s t preparing to ask a furth er ques­
appeal to the public to enquire and consider impartially
tion in connection with this explanation when the Rev.
w hether or not it is possible for works continuing the sta te ­
gentlem an interrupted by reminding him th a t the dis-
m ents quoted by him to be regarded as divine inspirations.
cussiou upon each passage should he limited to two ques­
The Rev. gentlem an thereupon asked the Swami to put.
tions and two answers, th e more so, a.s there were m any
his objections in regard to these passages from Genesis and
I such passages and all could not he discussed th a t night.
the gospels in writing, and send them to him, adding that
1T he Swaini answered tha t it was not necessary th a t all
he would then answer them. T he Swami readily assent­
the passages should be discussed th a t very night, for they
ed, rem arking th a t he had constantly desired to m e e t wise
^could be continued for two, three, or more days, until the
persons like the Rev. gentleman and have it decided what is
[ dispute was settled. But the Rev. gentlem an did not
tru e and w hat false ; as to carrying on a discussion by sending
approve of this suggestion, neither did he consent to the
w ritten communications to each other it would take up too
Swami’s proposal th a t at least ten questions, when ne­
much time, and the public moreover would not ha ve the a d ­
cessary, should be allowed in respect to every passage.
vantage of an open discussion. T he best, arrangem ent
Thereupon, the Swami suggested that the n um b e r of ques­
then would be th a t the Rev. gentlem an should meet the
tions should be fixed a t least a t three. B u t the ReV,
Swami a t an appointed time at, the same place where they
gentlem an said lie would not consent to more than two.
now were, and answer the hitter’s questions on the spot,. B ut
And Dr. H usband refused to allow the m a tte r to b(i r e ­
the Rev. Dr. Gray declined and insisted that, the questions
ferred to the decision of those present as over 100 ,per-
should be communicated to him in writing and after con­
sons would have to be consulted. T hu s impeded, the
sidering them for two or three days be would answer.
Swami, considering it improper th a t such r. large meeting
To this, the Swami objected. It was finally agreed th a t
| should be dissolved without any discussion tak in g place,
the Swamiji would mark the passages in th e Bible
consented and ptissed on to the n ex t question t 1 >
objected to by him and, on th e ir m eeting again, th e Rev.
gentleman would answer them ; and with this u nderstand­ (’ ) Ltc)i'’M ! Tin* meotinff wns held to ascertain tlio tru th , which enn bo
I done only when emrli point is fully discusscd, b u t the Tlbv. yenthjtnnu
ing, Dr. Gray left the meeting. The Swami then sent to I objected to such a eour<o bciiifj adopted nml insisted tlm t bnly two ques*
th e Rev. gentleman, through Pandit Bhagrain, E x tra As­ tions should be asked iu referenco to each disputed pjw ngo ; find ovt*n
I then wi\m tumble to defend his position—Kntni Oodngnyce (nonplussed. J
sistant Commissioner, a written communication embrac-
 Sivdm t :— Iii the same hook of d e n exits nnd in the .same
chapter— I t i m l : “ And the Spirit of God moved ujmn
the laee o l'th e waters.” In the first verse it is stated
that, when God created the: heaven and the earth, water
wa.s not y e t created ; whence, then, the w a te r? (iod...
“ moved." Is (lod a Spirit or has he a hody like m en ?
It’ the former, how could lie “ m o v e ? " and, if the latter,
how could he have power to create the heaven anil the
earth, since it is impossible for a “ being ” to pervade every
thing ? W h e re was God's l>ody when his spirit was moving
upon the waters ?
• Dr. l i m y :— T h e creation of the earth includes that
of water also. As for the latter portion of the qu es­
tion, I say th at from the lieginning of llcnesin (Tourat)
to the end of the gosjwls, ( iod is described as existing in
spiritual form.
S w a m i :— And yet in several places iu the Bible, God
is described as having a body. To create the garden of
Eden ; go and walk there ( “ And they heard the Voice of
liod walking in the garden in the cool of the d a y ; ”) talk
with Adam ; to ascend m ount S i n a i ; to converse with
Moses and with Abraham, and his wife, Sara ; to en ter
their t e n t ; to have a wrestle with Ja c ob — all such acts
warrant the inference that (iod has some sort of body, or that
at least he creates one for-himself when occasion requires.
D r . G r m j :— All tlie.se have no connection with the
question under consideration (?) and th e ir currency is e n­
tirely attribu table to ignorance.
I t is a sufficient answer to this tha t the Jews, ((Chris­
tians ?) and Mahonicdans who have faith in “ Tourat,”
(Genesis ?) fu lly bclii’rn that (/oil is llouha (sp irit !)■ *
S w d n n i:— In verse 2(itli of the same ch ap ter it is stated
th a t '' God said let us make man in our ininue a lte r our
likeness.” This clearly leads to the inference th a t in form
God was also like man, t. f. composed of soul and hody, for
if he had no body how could lie create m an in his own
image and after his own likeness ?
Dr. d r a y :— This verse says nothing about u body nor is
it thus implied. God created man holy, possessed ol know­
ledge, and happy ; God is full of eternal happiness, and he
created m an in his own image. W hen th e latter sinned
he lost his Divine form.
After th a t the Rev gentlem an quoted some jwussages from
Corinthians and (Jolossiaus in supjMirt of this view.
S to d m i:— From the fact of Adam having been created
in the likeness of God it follows th a t A dam was like God.
And if man was created holy, learned and happy, how
could he disobey God’s command ? Such a disoliediencc on
his part shows th a t he was not gifted with fore-knowledge,
aud therefore was not perfect; th a t his sight was opened only
when he ate of the fruit of the tree of k no w le d g e ; for hail
he been full of knowledge before, he could not have g o t
knowledge lifter lie ate of the fruit of the tree, of knowledge.
Therefore, he became wiser after his disobedience than he
Wiis before, notwithstanding that (iod blessed him ; and it
was but when he was iqw.n the point of being cursed that
his eyes were opened to a sense of Ii is nudity and he cover­
ed his body with the leaves of the (ioohir. If he was
equa| to God in knowledge and holiness, why should he
nut have been previously aware as to w hether his body was
naked or covered ? I t is thus seen th a t iu knowledge* he
was not equal to God ; had he been possessed of knowledge
and holiness like God, he should have been omniscient,
pure and happy, and never have done evil. To one like
God it is impossible to fall from his position. And as he
did fall, it follows th a t hi; could not lie like God, unless
the latter is also liable to fall through want of foresight
and knowledge.
Moreover, we have to be told w hether those who “ be ­
lieve" will have the same (de g re e o f) knowledge, etc., as
(*2) H e a d e r s 1 T h o K c v . I ' c i i t l c n i n i i i u h i s l i i n t a n s w e r »«ays t h n t f r o m
lO lllliiC llC C IIIC Ilt o f 110110*1.1 t o t l l O O l i d <»f t i n ) ( J o * | m j | * , < i o d i s > | » o k e n o f a s
c U ' t i i i : ' i n s p i r i t u a l f o r m ; n m l w h e n t h o S w a m i |N > inU n u t ) i a > * a " c d i n t h e
s a m e b o o k w h i c h |>ro v o t h n t ( J o d li a s a l» o d y , t l io K o v . g e n t l e m a n i n s e r t s
th at th o y h a v e n o c o n n e c tio n w ilh th e v e rs e u n d e r d U c u * » io u ,— a n d ta k e s
fo r his a u t h o r i t y t h o “ J e w * ” C h r i s ti a n * a n d M a h o m e t a n s .
n r U c s h e r o ; l i o n u t t h e a o s o o t* w h i c h r e g a r d (» o d a * a nj»irit g o a g a i n s t
l b 0*0 j ' t u w i g e s » j n o t c d l>y t h o S w a m i / —
Adam Imd before Iii.s fall, nr nioiv, or loss ( If tlio samo,
it may be doubted w hether they might not fall as did'
Adam, though lie was equal to God in the above three
qualities.
Dr. C / m y :— T he answer already given sufficiently
covers all this ground. I’he point to he answered is how
could Adam being holy, have bee....... disobedient. The
answer is th a t though previously holy he b eca m e a sinner
by violating the command of (iod ^1)- It is not true as as­
sumed by the Swami that Adam got his knowledge a fte r­
wards ; but when he ate of the fruit of the tree of know ­
ledge he got th e knowledge of evil with which he had
previously not been acquainted. As regards the rem ark
th a t his eyes Were th e n opened aud In; knew th a t he was
naked, 1 will answer th a t Adam having become a sinner
telt ashamed. Iu the daily experience ot the average it
is generally the reverae ; aud while “ sinners” lose all sense
of shame, it is only the virtuous man whose modesty is
liable to be shocked. A n other object ion is, th a t if man was
like God he could not have fallen. ( lur answer is that
though created in the likeness of (iod he was not equal to
God, tor it it were so lie would never have Ih-cii tem p ted
lo commit sins. As regards th e concluding query as to
w hether the believers will be more or less holy than Adam,
it is to I k? observed tha t the question at issue being w he­
th e r God has a physical body or not, the enquiry about tho
degree of holiness is irrelevant. *
In regard to the other question, if the body of God were
physical, the religious men who are regenerated in the
form of God might ha ve their bodies changed also.
Sir,U ni: —III Genesis, chapter I I, verse .‘t- .1 read that
“ God rested on the seventh day from all his work,” and
“ that He blessed the seventh day ami sanctified it.” God
being all-powerful, all pervading, and lull of eternal happi­
ness (tsilleliitdiiiliul /tininiO/Hi), the creati....... I the World
could not have exhausted him in the least. Then what
necessity was there for II im to take rest on the seventh
day, as though lie had exercised himself too strenuously
for six days ? And if lie blessed only the seventh day,
what did he do for tbe other six days ? How can we think
that God required any specific time to create, or hail to
work hard for it ?
And now, instead of answering this quest ion, the Rev.
gentlem an said th a t the time was up and lie could not
stay there any longer; adding that, as tin; writing down
of all the points un der discussion had taken up a good
deal ot time, he did not intend to resume the discussion
on the next day unless this writing was dispensed with (!).
He also said that if th e Swami wished to discuss the
subject in writing, written questions should be sent to the
Kcv. gentlem an beforehand to bo answered by him iu
writing also. A t the suggestion of Dr. Husband, other
persons supported Dr. Gray. The many disadvantages
pointed out by the Swami, who observed that if the dis­
cussion were not. committed to paper a person might say
one thing and after deny it, was not heeded. Then again,
no one would he benefited by such a correspondence; Ibr if
published by any one, il m ight lie published as he liked.
To this the Rev. gentlem an remarked that he thought that
only very few out of that, greal gal hcring of the people
p resen t cou ld h a v e u n d crst.....1 an y th in g o f w lia t had
passed there. Thereupon a Mahomcdau, au amanuensis,
followed by a few of his co-religionists said th a t they did
not understand <■*) anything. This confession made the
t!) A i|iio-*tiim iiatm-.illy nrim's Ik-iv. If niiin \vn» lifco ( Iml in knmvlu.l),>o,
w h y sh o u ld ho h av e b e e n ig u o ra n t of th o tre e of th e k n o w le d g e of am i
evil? A s h e w a s i g n o r a n t o f it, it follow * t h a t ho h a d n o t t h e r o j u U i t o
k n o w l e d g e , a n d t h e r e f o r e w a . s n o t l i k e (>«*d. A n d if h e w a s n o t , t h e n ho
c o u ld n o t h a v e b e e n c r e a t e d in t h e liketics* o f ( lo d , e i t h e r b o d ily o r ^ M u ­
t u a l l y ; M ince ( i o d h a s n o I w d y , a n d t h a t A d a m w a s i g n o r a n t o f s o m e t h i n g * .
(J) T b e M ah o iu cd a ti* aK o d islik e d th e a r r a n g e m e n t of c o m im ttin t' th e
d i*ciiiv<ion t o l i n g e r ; f o r , if t h i s r e s t r i c t i o n w a s r e m o v e d t h e y i u t e n d c d t o
tlio b r i n g i n a .M olvi t o tliH eu»» w i t h t h e S w u m i a n d t h e n t o |» u h l i s h a w r - i o u o f
M ich d i.scii'sio ii a s t h e y j d e a s c d . O n t h i s o c c a s i o n m u iio P a n d i t s , i d o l a t e r * ,
a h * o b r a g v re d o f t h e i r i n t e n t i o n t o h o l d n d i * c u * > i o n w i t h t h e S w a i o i , b u t
n e i t h e r a i . y M o l v i n o r U r a h m a n w h o m t h o S w a m i s u r n a m c d l\>|>cjce, l i t t l e
P o ]» C s — e v e n t u a l l y c a i n o f o r w a r d f o r t h o | n u ' | » o » o . H a d t h e r e lieen An un*
A < |B ostiou re c o rd e d dUeuHM on th e y w o u ld h a v e a t te n d e d , h u t h e r e th e y h a d to h o ld a
d U c u s s i o n i u w h i c h w h a t w a s o n c e »< dd h a v i n g b e e n w r i t t e n d o w n , c o u l d n o t
bo e ith e r recalled o r c h n u g c d .—
 ioo T 11 E f il E O S d P II i S T [•ianliary, 1S80.

Rev. Dr. Gray remark that if ( lie iimu mn'iixix did not M I S S I O N S I N IN D IA .
understand anythin-;, who else- did ( Hut when tin* Swami
asked the otlu-r two writers— H in du s— if they also had J h / A l i c e Gov<lu», F. T. S.
understood nothing, these replied th a t they understood T he missionary question is of too serious a nature to he
thoroughly, and could minutely explain all they had j discussed w ith flippancy, or, indeed, to be discussed at all,
written.
" "Truly
' was the Swann warranted
■> i* • > in expressing save by those whose loner residence 111 India has made
wonder that, while two of the writers understood every many of its aspeets familiar to them. The benevolent
word they had written, one did not. piety ot the Christian world has been so long occupied
The Rev. gentleman refusing positively any discussion for with the scheme o f ' spreading the Gospel among the
th e n ext day, unless it was no more to lie committed to heathen,’ t h a tth c s u p |> o r t n f missions is regarded as a sacred
j taper, nothing could be definitely settled. The Swami duty. This desire may be very worthy, but the ignorance
proposed that, the three copies of that evening’s discussion nnd lack of discrimination in these supporters of Mis­
should be a ttested by the Jtev. gentleman, by himself, sions are truly lamentable.
and by Meer Mijeelis, and that, one of the attested copies In th e ordinary E uropean mind, the 'h e a th e n ’ arc mass­
should remain with each of them, but the Rev. gentleman ed altogether, and indifference is known or suspected
refused to sign any of the documents. Thus, the meeting between the religious sta te of A ndam an Islanders, Fee-
was dosed and the audience dispersed, hut the Swami, Sar- jeoans, Mahoniedans, or Hindoos. They an- all ‘ heathen,’
ilar Bahadur Muushi Aminchand, and Pandit Bhagrain and in th e opinion of missionaries and those who send
(on their way) waited a while at Surdar Hhagatsing's re­ them, must necessarily be benefited by a free application of
sidence, which is close to the place where the meeting was ( Christianity. I t is to dispute this opinion as far as regards
held. There the two copies which had been retained by the larger portion of th e natives of this country, th a t I ven­
the Swami. were at tested by the aforesaid two gentlemen ture to lay before your readers the conclusions arrived at
before they went, to their respective places. after a residence here of sixteen years. Anglo-Indians are
The next day the Rev. gentlem an wrote to the Swami olten reproached by their religious friends a t home, for
asking him if he intended to 'resum e the discourse tha t their indifference to, or discouragement of missionary en-
night, with an intimation th a t it should be done orally terprize. T h a t th ere may be good cause in the experience
without being com mitted to paper ; or that, if written dis­ acquired du rin g residence here, scarcely strikes these e n­
cussion be preferred, exchange of written communications thusiastic sonl-savcrs. They a ttrib u te it to thorough d e te ­
should be resorted to. The Swami wrote in reply th a t he rioration of m ind in Anglo-Indians ; whereas it is the result
Would hold a discussion only if it, wen; done at a public of a more liberal belief 011 the one hand, and a know ­
m eeting and committed to paper, as otherwise many dis­ ledge of the generally worse than useless effort of mis­
advantages (already mentioned by him) m ight re su lt; and sionaries on the other. I do not feel myself competent to
added th a t if the Rev. gentlem an agreed to this course, J«*int o ut all the causes which lead to this uselessness,__I
he (the Swami) would stay a t A jm ere to continue the dis­ would oven say harmfulness— of missionary work, but I will
cussion as long as he would be desired to do so, but, if not, try to show a few. In the first place the men sent out are
Dr. Gray should notify Sardar Bhagatsing that he would usually u tte rly ignorant of th e history of India except per­
not attend th e proposed discussion. To this the Rev. haps its most recent p h a s e s ; and what is still worse they
Gentleman assented b u t too willingly. T he Swami left know nothing of (even if capable of comprehending) the H in­
A jmere three or four days later, and after visiting Masuda doo religion anil philosophy. The result is th a t with a nar­
/uul Nasi lira had departed for .Icyjtorc. T he day after row dogmatic creed, an inability to see any good outside of
the Swami had left. Ajmere the Rev. gentlem an called at it, combined with their ignorance of Hindoo Philosophy,
the Mission School a meeting ol its students with many they render themselves offensive and contemptible in the
other citizens, and commented in th e ir presence elabo­ eyes of educated natives. Thus their converts, if they make
rately aud learnedly, according to his own pleasure, iqion any among Hindus, aie only from the lowest classes, usual­
the passages from Genesis questioned by the Swami, iu ly men or women who having lost caste, are glad to find
older— he said— th at nobody should feel any longer doubts shelter and society anywhere. These naturally have 110 in­
as t<> the infallibility and wisdom contained in the Scrip­ fluence, and their example is not likely to be followed, as
would be the case if the higher classes were touched by
tures.
(Christianity. It m a y lie asked why this religion, which
Soon after that and while preaching in the streets, some appears so perfect in the eyes of its ardent professors, does
irreverent persons remarked to him that, while he was daily
not commend itself to the educated classes, seeing they are
Mizzling his head with ignorant persons like themselves for able to study it if they choose. I answer, because these
) lo u rs together, he had alleged that, he could not spare
educated men know their own religion and philosophy
tim e to discuss with the Swami, because to report the better than we do, and may with very good excuse, prefer
discussion took so much of time. T h e y added that if he their own gods to the gods of the Christian. T h a t the H in ­
had succeeded in making the Swami accept any of his di! religion would bear regeneration may be acknowledged,
views, thousands of people would have followed him,— but th a t must come from the earnest and united efforts of
but instead of that,, it appeared that the Rev. gentleman H indus themselves, and we may hope th a t the advance
preferred preaching only iu the presence of ii/inirun/ of education, and the general movement the influence of
people. the Western in ii id is causing, will have this effect— ix hav­
ing it we may surely say,— for, the rise of the Arya and
Kofe hi/ /be Jull/ur o f /hr Tlll'.i tSnl’HIST :— T he above Pdiramo Samajes are th e outward ami visible signs of this
affords a fair example of Missionary tactics in India. Open inward and spiritual revival. To expect dogmatic Chris­
debate with learned natives before audiences is avoided tianity to take root among H indus has for m any years
w henever practicable, and their work as a rule, confined seemed to me absurd. W ith regard to Mahommedans, a very
to the lowest and most ignorant castes. Teachers iu mis­ slight acquaintance with their strongly monotheistic re­
sion schools and sectarian colleges even avoid discussing ligion, m u st show th e difficulty a tte n d in g th e propagation
theological questions put by bright native youths, before of a creed which has a T r i v i l ; / as its basis. In the eyes
th e classes, bidding them come to them privately and of the average Miissalman there can be little apprlciable
have their interrogatories answered. T he fact forces itself difference between the Christian and H indu creeds, and
upon the attention of every unprejudiced visitor to India if they have any preference it, m ust be in favour of the
th a t tho Oriental missionary scheme is a wretched failure, H indu, as it is one which does not inculcate proselytizing.
and the millions contributed to it by the benevolent are I t has forced itself 011 my mind of late years that we W est­
virtually wasted. This appears to be the opinion of most erns show g re a t presu m ption— which can only be excused
old Anglo-Indians of all ranks. It is intended to publish because of our ignorance— in assum ing as wc do, such entire
testimony u | « m i this very im portant subject in these pages superiority over the people of this country. T h a t we have
nnd com m unications arc invited. the energy of a more youthful nation, th a t we have tho
 courage of a people accustomed to warfare, I g r a n t ; tlia^
we can be anil are beneficial to tbe country, I believe, b u t
we sball best perform tbe iluty we profess we owe as a
ruling race, when we learn better, anil respect more tbe peo­
ple we govern. Mutual appreciation, would lead to greater
confidence, and th e influence of liberal ideas 011 both sides
would doubtless help to break down th e ir caste prejudice, and
our arrogance. B u t I am digressing from 1113' subject—
missions. T he only success, worth calling such, of th e la­
bors herein criticised baa been am ong tbe Hill tribes, and
rumliiutl Christians are numerous among these. I know
of one small mission connected with no other, under the
mile direction of an able, liberal-minded man, and in this
instance 1 believe a marked im provem ent has taken place
in th e physical and moral well-being of the simple
savages. Am ong o ther of these missions th e evidence of
those unconnected with them is far from favorable, and it
is well known th a t a people whose simplicity an d tru th fu l­
ness were remarkable before the advent of missionaries,
are 110 longer so distinguished by these virtues. I do not
feel justified in repeating all I have beard in connection
with these missions, b u t I can say th a t tho general feeling
among Europeans towards them is one of indifference or
dislike. 1 have lived in several stations where missions were
established, in some for as long as th irty or forty years ; and
I have even found missionaries honest enough to confess
how few converts are made among H indus or Mahomme-
dans. A t one station there was a school originally started
for the orphans collected during a famine. This was e n ­
tirely supported by station and casual subscriptions, (and
perhaps Governm ent aided). T he Society which k e p t up
this mission refusing their patronage, as far as money went,
their object being tb e conversion of i/rown-up heathen,
II brands snatched from th e b u r n in g !’’ Of course m any of
these missionaries are earnest and good m enaccordingto their
light, b u t it certainly seems to me th a t they go th e wrong
way to work. I f instead of so many preachers of tbe
Gospel, they had earjkjnters and men of other t r a d e s ; it
they ta u g h t th e a rt of agriculture and the improvement
of cattle, some good results m igh t be seen as the o u t­
come of so-much money and so m any missionaries.
Surely good bouse servants ought also to be obtainable
from among converts, b u t the experience of all these years
has not shown me half a dozen Christian servants, and of
these few, one was a thief and one a drunkard. I t indeed
seems they cannot supply themselves with servants, tor I
know one missionary wlio employs a Mussulman tailor,
though his mission has been fourteen years established
in the station. T his fact is worth m any argum ents. I t
must not bo supposed th a t my experiences are unique;
or my conclusions uncommon. I f th e opinions of all
the Europeans resident in In d ia were canvassed,
the supporters of missions would be greatly astonish­
ed a t th e result. I came out to In d ia orthodox, b e­
lieving very much in missionaries, and fully in sy m p a­
thy with the home societies. I have been going through
a course of unpleasant surprises and d isenchantm ents ever
since. I m eet many who are even more indignant than
myself, th a t such large sums of money should bo annually
spent in such an unsatisfactory way. I t would be curious
and interesting to know bow much of this money is e x ­
pended in keeping missionaries anil their families and bow
little upon tbe ‘ h e a th e n ’ and their needs. Few mission­
aries are unmarried, anil in some societies, wives are re ­
gularly sent o ut to supply vacancies of this sort caused by
death. There is 110 doub t th a t m any poor and worthy men
are thus enabled to bring u p large families and live in a
more comfortable way th a n they could in th e ir own coun­
tries, b u t this I fancy, is not th e object for which the
money is subscribed ! I have no doubt th a t tb e greater
number of these men come out here with th e honest belief
that they have a m i l to convert th e poor, ignorant, heathen,
and once here, w hat are they to do if th e ir illusions are
dispelled, and th e ir enthusiasm crushed ? I t would re­
quire a heroism, scarcely to lie expected in ordinary men,
to acknowledge th e ir failure, publish th e ir defeat, and re­
tire from the profession ; so they fall into the worn groove,
and those who are too honest to falsify statem ents sent
home, find plausible excuses for th e small num ber of con­
verts.
Since beginning this letter I have m e t a lady of equally
long residence iu India, who fully agrees with all I say,
and mentions that, quite recently, at. a missionary m eeting
in a country place iu England to which she w ent with her
parents, who bad also been in India, they were as much
amused a t the begging missionary’s statem ents a.s surprised
a t his audacity. Am ong other things he spoke of the
(/olden hair and blue eyes of the children th a t flocked to
his mission school in far-off India ! This touching picture
accomplished th e result intended, and he bore away sub^
stantial pounds, shillings and pence to the bluo-eyed anil
golden-haired children of his imagination.
M A C H I N 15 T E L E G R A PH Y .
One more step in th e progress of invention has been
taken by the Americans, and it is a stride. A jo in t stock
Company has ju s t been formed und er the title of 1The
American llapid Telegraph C o m p a n y ’ for utilizing a new
invention for dispatching messages by machinery. T h a t
is to say, an American inventor has devised a mechanical
ap paratu s Ibr laying a message upon th e wires as fast as
the operator’s eye can read the words of the manuscript.
T his is a startling announcement, b u t coming upon tho
heels of the telephone, the phonograph and tlio electric
light, it causes b u t little astonishment. Men now-a-days
may almost be said to dine and sup daily 011 mechanical
marvels. T he T iik o s o iu iis t havingo amongr> its subscribers
m any who are attached to the Indian telegraph service,
they will be interested in w hat follows.
T h e name of the ingenious discoverer of this new
telegraphing app a ra tus is n o t mentioned in the P h i l a -
dolphin Weekly Timcti, the im portant American journal
from which th e present information is compiled, b u t
the president and vice-president are well known, weal­
thy aud enterprising gentlemen. The subscribed Capital
is th ree million Dollars—about seventy lakhs of rupees.
T he requisite machines are being constructed a t th e Colt’s
A rm s Co.’s shops, in the superb style of workmanship
peculiar to th a t vast industrial e sta b lis h m e n t; the poles
are of the best Canadian red cedar— a very durable wood ;
and the wires of best cast steel thickly electro-plated with
copper— whereby threefold more tensile streng th is obtained,
with more th a n fourfold increase of electrical conducti­
vity, as compared with the o ther wires in use. This, it is
claimed, will ensure trustw o rthy and rapid telegraphing over
circuits three tim e as great as is possible by the best wires
of other telegraph companies. T h e breaking strain of this
new wire is not less th a n 3,000 pounds, so th a t it would
be able to sustain w itho ut fracture the w eight of qu ite a
large fallen tree : the wire might, be borne down to the very
ground w itho ut th e circuit being broken. The b reaking
strain of th e ordinary wire now used is seven hundred
pounds. Owing to th e hasty and slipshod m a n n e r in
which lines are commonly built, in America a t least, the
item of ‘ repairs ’ is very large, the reports of the W estern
U n ion— the monster company of the world— showing an
annual disbursem ent for this item of about eight dollars—
say Its. 18— per mile of poles, or an aggregate of from
<>00,000 to 700,000 dollars on tbe lines of the company.
T h e ‘ Itapid ’ Company, however, do not anticipate being-
obliged to lay out one-tenth of this sum for th e m a in ­
tenance of their lines, for tbe reasons above stated. Taking
all these advantages into consideration— machinery as
against
O hand-work and the saving O in maintenance—
t th e
American ‘ Itapid ’ Com pany do not now hesitate to state
the fact th a t when th e W ashington and Boston line is
opened to the public it will be possible for th em to do
a profitable business a t ten cents per hundred words,
and so on at the same rate, without regard to distance,
as tb e line extends thro ug ho ut the U n ite d States. Indeed,
it is confidently expected by them within the next three
years to be able to telegraph ordinary business letters to
nml from all points in the country for ton cents (annas Twenty-five or th irty years ago Frederick Hudson, then
4) each, and yet., within th e recollection of th e middle- editorial as well as business m ananger of the New Y ork
aged reader, the postal charge on a ludf-oimee letter from lle r o ld , predicted th a t the time would come •when no
N e w York to Boston or W ashington wa.s eighteen and H e r a ld correspondent would th in k of posting a letter to
three-fourths cents, and between more d istan t points tw en­ that, paper; wherever lie m ight be, his copy! however lengthy)
ty-five cents. Those were th e days when th e mails were would seek th e telegraph and not th e mail bag. I f the
transported by stage-coaches and like conveyances of limit­ Rapid Com pany are to carry out these “ distinguishing
ed capacity. j features,” it, needs no prophet to predict the not distant,
I t will not require the ‘ Rapid ’ Company to construct day when the business man will no more think of seeking
between New York and o ther cities of the Union more the U nited States mail bag for a letter than th e hurried
than three of their low-resistnnce wires to transm it and ■traveler now th in k s of searching for the old-time four-
receive a volume of telegraphing tenfold greater than is horse coach.
now tran sm itted over all the wires of the W estern Union T he w riter in the T im e s having personally tested (ho
and A tlantic and Pacific Telegraph Companies by the new system says :—
Morse or any other form of h an d-key telegraphing now ‘‘ The machine telegrapher transmits, as I have seen tested, over
in use. The official reports of the W estern Union Coin-: One wire and with tlio expenditure of the same “ p o w er” as is used
panv show that the actual average cost to th a t company in working tho sewing machine, 1,0 0 0 words or 5,000 letters per
m inute— recording the same accurately at this or a higher rato of
by their slow anil tedious hand-key system is twenty-five speed, for any desired length of time. As th is would be full employ­
cents for ten-word messages. ment for sixty Morse wires and ono hundred and twenty Morse
An officer of the ‘ Rapid ' Coinpnny being asked if this operators, the advantages of machine telegraphing, as compared
great public benefit were likely to he suppressed in the with the present monopoly's system, would seem to be as sixty to
interest of the existing monopoly by the secret consolida­ one in favor of macliino telegraphing. The modern sewing machine
represents fourteen hand sewers—the macliino telegrapher repre­
tion of tin' new with the old company, replied we shall sents a hundred and tw enty Morse operaters, and these figures
m ake no appeal for pecuniary aid to the public until we fairly represent the comparative advantages, as to labor-saving
have proved :— expenses, between machine sowing and machine telegraphing.” >
“ F i r s t . T h a t we can telegraph, reliably, sixty to ninety thousand It appears th a t the Rapid Company style their systeni
words iter lionr o \ e r long circuits, and sixty to a hundred times of telegraphy a new one only because late inventions and
faster limn can be done liy the Morse or any oilier hand-key system. discoveries have perfected its use for business purposes;
“ S k c o n d . T l u i l w e i n n te l e g r a p h m o r e e c o n o m ic a lly tliu n r a n 1)0
yet some of the im p ortant patents and devices from which
d o n e b y a n y o t h e r s y s t e m , b y fr o m s e v e n t y - f i v e t o n i n e t y |i e r c e n t .
“ T allin. T h a t wo can telegraph full five fold more accurately and such surprising results are obtained have been the subjects
ten-fold more reliably th an cun he done by any other system. of close study, g rea t elaboration and large expenditures
“ F o u h t i i . T h a t we can and will do all telegraph business eonlided of money for th e past eight years or more, and however
to us, whether il is one thousand or fifty thousand messages |>er day, startling and improbable may seem the statem ents of the
with far more promptness than tlio same business can )>ossil>ly lie
done by any other system nr company. W hen the Rapid Telegraph j capabilities of machine telegraphy, they claim to have
Company is prepared lo demonstrate these four propositions, its I fully dem onstrated them on long telegraph circuits of three
limited number of stockholders may be prevailed u|>oii to share their iI hundred, five hund red and one thousand miles and for a
investments with a larger circle of the business putilic, h u t they will I period of tim e exceeding four m onths w ithou t a single
certainly guard against the possibility of a single share of their stock
passing into the hands of persons having alliliations witli the W est­
; failure or the discovery of a single material fault. They
ern Union or other speculative telegraph companies. A majority of therefore propose to en te r th e broad, rich telegraphic field,
the Itapi<l Company's stock has been placed in tho hands of trustees, confidently expecting th a t if they serve the public and
with ligid provisions for holding it for five years or more, so th a t no the press well and cheaply they will respond w ith a g r e a t­
lease, sale, consolidation or pooling arrangement with other lines or ly increased volume of business.
companies is possible. W ith five millions of dollars, judiciously
expended, the Rapid Company will cover the whole country east, of T he company controls, u n de r strong American nnd E u ­
tho Rocky Mountains with a network of wires capalile of tele­ ropean p a te n ts :
graphing ten-fold more m atter iu a given time th an there can now 1. “ Electro-mechanical telegraphy,” which has been explained.
ho telegraphed over all tho existing wires of the country, which
represent, nearly or quite ninety million dollars." 2. “ Real duplex telegraphy," by which ono wire is made pre­
cisely as effective as and even more convenient th an two wires cait
The Rapid Company propose to inaugurate, upon the be in the hands of expert Morse operators. This system is dives­
opening of th e ir lines lo the public, six distinguishing ted of all the complications of oilier “ d u p le x ’’ devices and admits
f e a tu r e s : of sending and receiving messages simultaneously from either end
of a wire or to and from any intermediate or way offices, which they
1. Express Messages—A uniform tariff of 2 ."i cents for th irty words
claim cannot be done by any other known “ duplex" or “ quad ru­
or less, including date, address and signature, to all stations oast
ples’’ systom. This “ real duplex” systeni, they also claim, is
of the Rocky Mountains, with one cent additional for each word
especially well adapted to railroad telegraphing and for use on all
over thirty. In s ta n t transmission over the wires and prompt de­
way lines where the volume of business does not require a faster
livery by special mcssengei's is m eant by the word “ express."
system of telegraphing th an the Morse, b u t yet where the exigen­
2 . Mail Messages - Fifty words or less to all stations east of the cies of the business require the use, substantially, of two wires.
Rocky Mountains for 2'i cents, with one cent additional for five
:5. Multiplex telegraphy, which is substantially the transmission
words or less added, to ho telegraphed a t the convenience of the from each end of a single wiro, iu any circuit of 1,000 miles, of four
company, h ut within one hour, and delivery guaranteed through messages—from both ends simultaneously—thus practically duplex­
the Post Office or by messenger within two hours from the date of
ing the “ quadi uplex” system , but by vastly more simple devices—
the message, between eight o’clock a .m . and six o’clock r.M .
devices, indeed, they claim even more simple ami much more
;i. N igh t Messages—Fifty words or less lo stations east of the “ flexible” than are required to operate the ordinary “ duplex”
Rocky Mountains for fifteen cents, with one cent additional for system.
live words or less added, to l>e telegraphed a t th e convenience of the
4. “ Metrical Telegraphy."—A new system for working long ocean
company, between six o'clock r.M . and eight o'clock a .m ., and
cables and underground telegraph lines, whereby tho wires are dis­
deliverable through the nearest Post Office, post-paid, by or before
charged of all inductive and static electricity and placed iu a con­
nine o'clock a .m .
dition to carry electric impulses with twenty fold greater rapidity
4. P ress Reports—For exclusive publication in one journal in th an heretofore, and to increaso the hourly transmission over any
any circuit of five h undred miles or less, or in any practical tele­ good A tlantic cable of from 1,000 words to probably 10 , 0 0 0 , or pro­
graph circuit over five hundred-miles east, of the Itocky Mountains, bably more, per hour. By the metrical system every possible elec­
one hundred words or less for ten cents, and th e same tarifl'for any trical signal indicates reliably a Roman letter in print, thu s saving
desired num ber of words. No one reporter to hold a wire to the of electric signals at least three-fourths, as compared with any other
exclusion of other reporters over twenty minutes, or, say, twenty known system of cablo telegraphing.
thousand words at any one time.
5 Line and Page Printing Telegraph Machine.—This they claim
0. Stamped Messages—It is proposed to use stamps for “ express,” as a very ingenious and valuable invention, requiring b u t one bat­
“ mail," “ night ” and “ press ” messages, under an arrangement with tery to operate at both ends of a wire, thereby with other impor­
the Post Office Department, and the public may purchase and use ta n t improvements, placing the printing telegraph far above every
the same with the same convenience as postage stamps are now used other known device for communicating intelligence where “high speed
for mail correspondence. is not necessary and whore some convenient method of, recording
C, Street letter-boxes will be made available, under an arrange­ is desirable or necessary, as it is in every business communication.
m en t with the Post Office Department, for collecting stamped tele­ The recording is done very neatly in lines and pages, book fortn,
grams every fifteen minutes, from 8 a .m . to G r.M . which piakes it incomparably superior to all other machines for r«-
porting stocks, for private line purposes ami intercommunicating means of an electric bell. A t the same m om ent a shutter
uses, a record fur convenient reference being a very great if not ft on the switch-board falls and discloses the numlter of
necessary desideratum among business men.
II The Electric Generating Machine.—l!y means of this new in­the applicant. The a tte n d a n t acknowledges the signal,
vention every telegraph oflico may, a t a trifling expense, be fitted aud No. 2 instantly says “ Connect me with No. (>.” The
as a maiu ottico, anil may semi all messages within a circuit of 1,0(|Q shifting of a pin effects this, and Nos. 2 and <i are left to
or ■1,500 miles direct to destination. This is an aid to the new communicate with each other. At the close of the con­
“ machine telegraphy ” of incalculable value aud importance, as it
doe* away with all necessity for “ re la y in g ” or “ rcpcrforating”
versation, No. 2 gives a signal ou th e bell to intim ate
messages, ami saves in battery expenses many thousands of dollar* that lie has finished, and the a tte n d a n t withdraws the
jier month.' The new principles involved in this Mechanical Klee pin and Nos. 2 and Ii are instantly separated. And so
trie Generator admit of the instant generation of all the “*<piantit.y" with any other numbers ; they can be instantly connec­
and all the intensity of cu rren t reipiircil for circuits of i,ooo to
ted or disconnected, and any num ber of stations can lie
1,!>(10 iniles or less, and, practically, more than doubles tho value
of the “ rapid ” system of machine telegraphy. connected up in couples aud worked at the same time.
7. .Speaking Telephone.—This telephone is constructed on novel O f course, only one station can be connected with one
principles, and repeats language with g reat distinctness iu ordinary other at th e same time ; b u t the coupling ami uncoup­
Alorse telegraph circuits of Holt miles. ling are effected so quickly th a t a person may communi­
H- Telegraphic Devices and Patents.— Resides tho above named
seven valuable inventions, and also exclusive of several very broad cate with any others in very rapid succession. The prac­
ones covering the manufacture of ‘'com po un d” steel ami copper tical success of all these arrangem en ts m ust depend very
wire, whereby telegraph wires may be had of any desired electrical largely upon tho possession of a means of communication
conductivity anil tensile strength combined, the I ’apid Company which meets certain every-day requirements. In other
control a large number of other valuable devices and patents con­
nected with telegraphy ami embracing really about all the inven­
words, it means th a t flu* transmit ting instrum en ts e m ­
tions of practical merit in this branch of science during the past ployed must be able to transmit messages clearly, and
<|'iartcr of a ceutury ; ami as it is and will continue to lie a leading either iu a loud tone, so as to meet the contingency of
feature of the company's organization to extend the most liberal the receiving- party being a short, distance from his in ­
encouragement to all inventors who may invent original devices of strument., or iu a low tone, s o i l s to enable a conversation to
decided merit, or who may make valuable improvements on existing
devices, it is not to be doubted th a t the company will keep well iu be carried ou which may be audible to th e receiving party,
advance of valuable telegraph improvements. but inaudible to o th e rs who may be near, and whose ears
it is desirable th a t the conversation sliall not reach. Thoso
Tin: respectability nt'tin* paper in which this account
necessary conditions were shown to be amply present., with
of the ‘ Riipiil’ system of telegraphy appears forbids tin:
many others, in the Edison loud-speaking telephone, the
supposition that this is but a sensational newspaper tale
working being in charge of Mr. 1C. II. Johnson, the engi­
of th e kind so ripe in American journalism . If, therefore,
neer, and Mr. Arnold W hite, the manager of the company.
this be a real discovery, its effect, im m ediate and remote,
Loud-speaking this telephone certainly is, but it is none the
upon the advancement of knowledge and th e k n ittin g
less soft-speaking also, for conversations were carried on
together of nations nud com munities by the .strong ties of
between two parties in whispers, and although a low hissing-
m utual interest, will be incalculably great. W hen sliall
sound was perceptible to the bystanders, they were unable
th e Tit KO.Sol'111ST be able to report to tins W estern World
to catch the words id' the speaker a t the d istant station.
nn invention equally im portant by a H ind u artisan. Is
On tin! other hand, words .spoken in a loud tone were
the genius that was equal to the discovery oi ' V i m d n V a ly a
audible even a t limes above the hum of conversation.
extinct (
A great many tests wore applied by those present in order
to prove the system in various ways, b u t in no case was
there any failure, although at some ol the stations the ope­
T H E E D ISO N T E L E P H O N E . rators were qu ite fresh at the work, and in one or two
T k i.k p H O N Ic intercommunication on a practical work­ instances were possessed of rather weak voices. C om m uni­
ing scale has at length become an accomplished fact in cations were opened, maintained, and closed with the
th e City of London, as has just, been de m onstrated by various stations in rapid succession, and with every suc­
means of the Edison loiid-speaking telephone to a n u m ­ cess ; and here we may mention tha t a paragraph was re­
ber of scientific gentlem en and others connected w ith this cently .set in type, which was dictated through the tele­
exceedingly interesting question, both as regards its scien­ phone, the result being a perfectly correct reproduction of
tific and commercial aspects. Tho in stru m e n t is .so a rra n g ­ the tra nsm itte d subject.
ed th a t a conversation can be m a in tain ed betw een two I t will thus be seen that this latest and most important
persons a t a distance without the slightest personal in­ outcome id’ Mr. Kdision’s scientific researches has so far
convenience or difficulty, th e tra n sm ittin g part of th e proved itself to be a pract ical success in this country. Its
apparatus being placed conveniently for the m outh and future development will of course, be governed by the de ­
the receiving portion in a line with th e ear. T h e prac­ mand for this method of communication, and although
tical application of th e system at present extends to ten there may not be so large a. scope for it in London and .some
stations,’ all placed in connection with a central station of the provinces as in the cities of the U nited States, there
called th e Telephone Exchange, which is situ a te d iu is still a wide field for its application, more especially per­
Lombard-street. T he stations, or, moro properly speaking, haps in country towns aud outlying districts. W ith re­
the private offices, which aro connected with th e exchange, gard to the. distance at which communication can be main­
are situated — No. 1 in Uopthall-buildings, No. 2 in Old tained w ithout difficulty by means of the telephone, it is
Broad-street, No. 3 iu Suttblk-lano, No. 4 iu Lombard-street stated th a t it has been worked between stations 100 miles
No. o in Princes-street, No. (i in Oarey-street, Lincoln’s- ap art in America. Sh orter distances, however, are consi­
Inn, No. 7 in Queen Victoria-street, No. .Sin Gcorgo-yard, dered to be b e tte r than long ones for perfect transmission,
Lombard-street, No. 0 in Throgmort on-street, No. 10, being and as a rule it. m ay be taken th a t there is no loss of
the Time* office. A t th e central office is a switch-board power up to about five miles’ distance. Beyond that
capable of being connected with tweuty-fonr different point there is a perceptible loss, which goes on increasing
stations, b u t which nt present is only connected with th e with the distance. B u t in practice even five miles will no
ten we have mentioned. Tho nu m b e r twenty-four is the doubt be found to be an exceptional distance, and would
most th a t can be atte n d ed to by one person, b u t there perhaps only be met w ith where two stations wore each
may be any num ber of switch-boards in th e same room, and two miles and a half from the central exchange. At any
any station on one board can be connected with an y one rate, so far as present, requirem ents are concerned, the a p ­
on another board. Adjoining the switch-board, is a tele­ paratus as now arranged appears to fulfil all the conditions
phonic apparatus, and the operator— who niay be a boy and req uirem ents of practice, and, while we congratulate
— sit.s in front of the board. A ssum ing th a t station No. 2 its inventor upon its success, wc may anticipate its wide­
\ wishes to communicate with No. (j, the person a t No. 2 spread application.— 11Vc/./y T'nn<■■■<.
calls th e attention of the a tte n d a n t fit tho exchange by
 waterfalls and fountains,— or from th e excitem ent of the
N A T lU tK W O R S H I P. chase, or the leading of a joyous dance. H e is ever lull­
The liirlli nml "i“o\vtli of tin* Mt*;i aiiioau tlio Aryans of^ India, ed to re]lose by mellifluous music. Rich and rare m y­
ivs vioweil fn»in Itij;-Vfli*: I'oi'try, &o., ami a further rmu- thology diverts him and ambitions, though sage,— and
sition t<> Scioui'i'. as observed historically. far searching Philosophy, at times, instructs him. Sweet,
Jhj //. II. D .- - H .A . sublime, though changeful, nature is liis only nurse to tend
him, tenderly or otherwise. _ ^
“ In tliat fair clinic; tin1 lonely herdsman stretched Thus man,— “ the wonder and glory of the universe,” the
“ Oil tlio soft grass, through halt a s u m m e r s day, topmost, and most brilliant and precious link of th e chain
" W ith music lulled liis indolent repose ; of evolution,— man, placed in this garden of nature, encir­
“ Ami in some lit of weariness, it Ik*, cled 011 all sides by her caressing arms, was from the e a r­
“ W hen liis own breath was silenced, chanced to hear liest times impressed with the beauty and sublim ity of
“ A distant- strain, far sweeter tlian the sounds tin? aspects of nature ; and he was a t times awe-struck
11 Which liis pooi' skill could make, his fancy fetched with the seven; manifestations of the terrible, resistless,
“ Even from the blazing chariot, ol the sun, undeterminable, n atural powers. In every direction th a t
“ A beardless youth, who touched a golden lute, he turned his glancing, searching eye, incomprehensible
“ And tilled the illumined groves with ravishment.. Infinity, or inconceivable Greatness was all th a t he per­
" The nightly hunter lifting up his eyes, ceived. ,
“ Towards the crescent moon, with grateful heart. He saw’ dark, frowning, giant-like mountains, ru g ­
" (Jailed on the lovely wanderer who bestowed ged, raising their proud heads high above th e clouds, and
“ That, timely light, to .share liis joyous sport: spreading th e ir arms tar beyond his ken. H e observed
“ And hence a beaming goddess, with her nymphs, the wavy clouds about their shoulders, ever and anon
“ Across th e lawn and through the darksome groves shaken by fitful currents of winds, and he imagined those
“ (Not unaccompanied with tuneful notes, clouds to be their wings. T he nearer he approached them,'
“ By echo multiplied from rock or cave), the higher they seemed to rise from u nder the g ro u n d ;
“ Swept iu the storm ot clia.se, as moon and still’s and the low, deep, moanings of winds confined w ithin
“ Glance rapidly along tin1 clouded heaven their dark, cham ber-like caverns re-wording th e m — were
“ W hen winds are blowing strong. T he traveller slaked to him th e ir angry vituperations ! T he sky he saw over­
“ H is thirst from rill or gushing fount, and thanked cast with dark, lowering clouds, thunders roll, lightnings
“ T he Naiad.— Sunbeam s upon distant hills Hash and cleave the thickest clouds, and the war of ele­
“ Gliding apace, with shadows iu their train, ments rages furiously : waters falling down in torrents.
“ Might with small help from limey, be transformed H e read in all these th e hand of su perhu m an agencies.
“ Into Heet Oreads sporting visibly. H e m arked the thunderbolt descend and clip the cloud-
“ The Zephyrs, fanning ;us t hey passed, th e ir wings, wings of the m o u n ta in - g ia n ts : top off their heads, rip
“ Lacked not for hjve, lair objects, whom they wooed open the ir bosoms : the host of winds confined let loose,
“ Witli gentle whisper. W ithered boughs grotcsipie, the nectarine w ater-milking clouds released, th e waters,
“ Stripped of their leaves and twigs by hoary age, enclosed and therefore till then unseen, find an outlet,
“ F ro m d e p th of shaggy covert p e e p in g forth,
beautiful stream s flowing fast., bearing down all opposition
“ In the low vale or on steep mountain-side ; in th e ir course, tram plin g over the wreck of cloven rocks
“ And sometimes intermixed with stirring horns aud falling down a precipice with a noisy thundering,
“ Of tlio live deer, or g o a l s depending beard, 1lash—-tbe cooling spray spreading in all directions borne
“ These were the lurking Satyrs, a wild brood 011 the wings of the breezes: the milk-white foam sur­
“ Of gamesome deities ; or Pan liiinselt
mounting the crests or dipping into the shallows of rapid
“ The simple shepherd’s awe-inspiring god !”—
wavelets of rapids ! T he spirit of F am ine is destroyed,
WniiDswniiTir. the wings of the hills e lipt: and the hoard of th e niggard
W h a t the philosophic poet beautifully observes sis above tak en from him ! Some of the mountains flying the wrath
by way of a description and explanation of N a tu re W o r­ of the victorious foe, take shelter in the s e a ; fragments
ship among tin; Greeks, may equally be said of our Indian rather of the hills detached from the main body under
Aryans and other nations. In the early infancy of man, volcanic agency and cast down to a considerable distance
in the pleasant and innocent, morning and spring of H u ­ with th e same gian t projectile force into a neighbouring
manity, Imagination is warmest and brightest, fancy sea, bay, gulf, or creek, or the upheavals and risings of
seal’s highest and ranges over the widest regions of n a ­ mountain tops or rocks above sea-level through th e same
ture and thought, the appreciation of the Beauty and sub ­ A nd here we have, the oft-recorded myths, the
limity in the natural phenomena is keenest, and the love rich materials of th e Poetry of the very general R ig Veda
of the Wonderful uppermost, especially u nder climes and other hym ns detailing the combats of Indra, Divaspati,
smiling with all the grace and beauty nature can afford, or Dyaus, Zeus, Jup ite r, on'tthe one side, and Vritra, Alii and a
frowning with all her severity. I t is the former or th e host of o ther demons, Rakshas, 011 the other, th e marutas, the
latter, predominating, as the ca.se may be, with other ac­ storm-gods, alone standing by the side of th e ir Lord, when
companying causes, tha t determ ines th e optimism or pes­ all else desert him,— and liis final victory !
simism of a nation. It is thus th a t a lux urian t harvest
of mythology is richly formed anil gathered with the into mildness ! Pleasurable stillness and brightness rule
p re g n a n t .and fruitful seeds east all around with a liberal the scenery. Pearl-like rain-drops kiss the blushing, tender,
hand by divine Poetry. And it. is accordingly that, wonder­ glistening, and already tearful leaves or flowerets of plants,
fully precocious, glorious, and far-aspiring philosophy is creepers, or trees in th e now breaking sunshine, and dis­
evolved out of the inalci'lul. This vital energy we have play th e ir marvellous beauty and rainbow glory. The
witnessed growing and get,ting developed with th e Aryans face of H eaven smiles, as it w e r e ! A beautiful arc spans
of A ryavarta and Hella.s. th e ethereal region ! T he sky becomes a deep cerulean
I n those very early, pro-historic ages, m an is, a.s it were, blue. H e re and there white fleecy clouds spice th e
ju s t heralded iu the world. Everywhere there is novelty beauty of the canopy over-head 1 T he sun shining in
for him and tliat. gives a .strange charm to existence, li i s all his glory, descending the vault of heaven, bestrides
mind is iu a blessed state of pleasurable excitement. His it with his three huge steps, and tram pling over th e head
wants are limited, and consequently his eaies few. Plea­ of th e proud demon and the fiery Titan, paints w ith his
sure and merriment., bliss and repose g reet him in every magic rays the clouds besprinkled about th e firmament,
direction. H e is enraptured with the harmony of n u m ­ th u s preparing a glorious carpet, as it were, for nig h t to
bers— with the divinely beautiful Poetry. T he only fatigue tread upon. The finger-rays of th e departing god, iii
he experiences is from a free1 range over hills and dales, on love seem tremblingly to touch the fading lotus-faces, and
undulating plains, or along the tuneful banks of rivers or • rest b u t for a m om ant on the glowing face of a rdent San-
 dliya, in love w ith him ! Oh tlio glory, the energizing th u n d e r roll and reverberate. Me witnesses volcanoes
power, and w a rm th of the Divine Vishnu call forth every burst, and devastate the most fruitful fields, and disfigure
morning an exclamatory prayer of th e pious Arya. “ W e the eomeliest face of earth, and there he sees the angry
medidate upon t h a t adorable light of SAvitri ! May it dispel goddess O h andika-J vahm m khi r id in g a blood thirsty gory
the gloom of our Intellect 1 lion, angrily shake her world-destroying— annihilating
T he Sun-God w ithdraw s himself to repose, im p arting his t r i d e n t ! H e is apprized of the subm arine fire A urva’s r a g e :
glory every evening to Agni the constant companion, th e angry foaming ocean lashing the shore with all its
friend, protector, father and everything of the Rislii. D ark might : the sun burn iinj bright , the night, assuming a dead­
N ig h t with her b rig h t retinue of planets, stars, and ening chill : the biting cold of w inter almost extinguishim '
constellations, appears ; and just heralds th e sweet and life.
mild-faced moon. T hey play th e ir p a r t and retire. And un d e r all these circumstances he has the painful
T he youthful Dawn, announcing her glorious lord Surya cognition of his helpless plight. Hi; is convinced of the
brings fresh w arm th and vigour, light and life. The tact t h a t his gods are mild aud severe as occasion suits
whole world seems refreshed. T h e vegetable kingdom them or p e r m i t s : that they t o o nre endowed with the
assumes all the graces and traces of active life. T h e rivers, same feelings, emotions, sensations, motives as himself.
rills, and waterfalls renew their harm onious music, th a t j Another season comes: a second cycle commences. T he
to him a t least wa.s silent in th e reign of sleep and night. ! sun is eclipsed : the light of day obscured : the brightest eye
In every one of these he perceives life and activity, I of Heaven blindfolded : one ot his own favourite deities
strength g reater than his own, and beauty seldom seen eaten u p h y an invisible demon-—Rahu ! T he struggle ensues;
amongst his kind, and th us everywhere he imagines th e and, after great travail, the solar deity is delivered. The
presence of superhum an agency— a deity. moon also has to grapple with tlie same giant, and in the
I n the bright blue bend of the heavens lie sees the same m an ner his other gods have to hear the bru nt of the
benevolent, all-embracing p are n t of th e world ami all the brutal force of a fierce foe. T he war between Good and
gods, keeping them encased in its h e a rt’s h e a rt and in­ Evil, Light and Darkness, bet ween India and Vritra, A hu ra
most bosom, th e Boundless Divine Aditi Dyans, the rep re­ Mazda and Ahrim an, Jehova or Messia, and Satan, Zeus or
sentation of Infinity, Eternity, and Im m ortality I The Ju p ite r, and Titans, cont.it ties for ever. Poesy narrates the
ethereal region is presided over by a b e n ig na nt yet A l­ varied actions and delineates them in the choicest fancy
m ighty God— the Lord of the celestial host of m arutas— colours. Omniscient. Philosophy,too, offers some cxplana-
Indra, in the arm y of t h e tem pestuous powerful winds, i tioii oftlie phenomena. H um an mind is agitated,energized,
his constant companions, and faithful attentiv e followers. J ,\s f,t stir. His (i.e . num’s) ambition rises, r e b e l l i o u s spirit
H e imagines, at first, mountains, Parvatas, to be giants, sprouts forth. ( 'an lie not get th i spark of t h a t P ro m e -
Raksliasas, and they are defeated and made powerless by j thean fire to melt the unyieldin id;1111;int ine sh ack les of
his patron Divinity ! One God, Surya, rules tin; glory of j superstition and ignorance, t hal weigh heavy upon him ?
the day, and another, the blushing, changing light a t night, can 'lie not. .be independent,
• . .......................
free >— tlic.se are the •. ipiestions
-
Chandramas, or Soma. B ut no, Som a is the inebriating, th a t storm his h eart and fire his soul. Poesy tells him of
strength-infusing, valour-inspiring beverage of the I m ­ a powerful, dreadful Kakshasa, Havana, who through sheer
mortals and th eir votaries ! I t is invoked in strains ot force of his energy, 'Papas, obtained Universal Sovereignty.
greatest beauty. In d ra takes delight in it, and the hoary All the vanquished host, of heaven paid homage to him.
llishi draws the Powerful of the Powerful home to his T h e Sun, th e Moon, the Wind, Kile, Ocean, and the
sacrificial ground with th a t choicest of offerings, and he R uler of all th e Rulers aud Lord of the Heavens, even
had everything granted him by the god when u nd er its the Thunderer, served him obediently and received h u m ­
influence. Soma inspired him with the sublimest divine bly his commands aud did him servile duty ! The Creator,
Poetry— revealed to him things unseen and unseeable, u n ­ lord of all creatures, B rahm a Prnjapati, wa.s his chap­
known and unknowable, made him one with the D ivinity ! lain, who instructed him from time to time as to his futu­
And so Soma was honoured with the god-head, and Soma rity. A n aerial car bon- him through the. ethereal regions
Bacchus,--Dionysus—all conquering, all-subduing, all-power­ wherever he willed. T h u s was the domination over n a ­
ful God, ranked among Im m ortals th u s in coui'se ot time. tu re and her agencies, as exemplified in Havana, rendered
And N ig h t herself was a goddess to whom is address­ complete !
ed one of the most beautiful hym ns of Rig-Veda. So Are there no means, is th e n ' no agent th a t may secure
also was IJslias, Dawn ! So are there Naiads, Dryads, to him th a t long coveted object { I las lie no means w ith­
Hamadryads, Ocean ides, floral and sylvan deities, and in his reach to accomplish th a t end Why not ! H e had
fauns, apsarasas, elves, spirits, and goblins. T hus is form­ and has y et with him w hat he wanted, l i e m u s t look
ed th e Pantheon of the Physiolater, and hence springs within and without, him. He has that Reason, th a t in­
the ever-flourishing, fruitful, p regnant mythology. tellect, th a t imagination, contemplation, that observing
Again man, as he is figured above and as he essenti­ faculty, th a t power of experimenting. Philosophy he has
ally is, mail is pleased with the scenes he views. H e had long since, developed in course of time. Science or
enjoys t h e m : b u t he trembles when he sees them angry, experimental Philosophy was what, he needed, and th a t
and wishes to propitiate them with bountiful presents wa.s evolved o ut of th e elements he had in him, and de­
and offerings. H e is greatly delighted when he sees them veloped. T he mind thu s awakened by curiosity, by in­
looking bright and mild. B ut the impression of his own vestigation, and enlightened by observation aud experience,
insignificance and the awe-inspiring greatness of nature penetrated right through the mysteries of nature. Anil
about him is not altogether effaced from his mind. they were known to him, and were embodied into science •
H e sees ill his domestic tire his faithful friend— the light and what has not that science-—associated with A rt and
and life of his hum ble home. He appreciates the genial Ind ustry— done for him Yes, th a t is the most powerful
warmth th a t is associated with it. But lie is as well a agent and X u v tn a O n/anon of his.
witness to the terrible manifestation of its power— the d e ­ T he dreams of Im agination have now been r e a l i z e d :
structive might, occasionally serving hix purpose th o ug h— fables are now proved facts. T he giant Intellect of man
ill the forest conflagration, so often graphically described has converted the denizens of O lympus— of Melli of old__
in many a hym n addressed to A g n i: T he circum am bient the powers and forces of nature, into his ready, pliant., and
flame roaming or rolling unopposed in every direction, de­ .obedient ministers and agents. They drive his mills,
vouring every substance within its reach, dealing death ami work the machines of his contrivance, drag his vehicles,
destruction to every denomination of life, strewing its dark saw planks ot wood for him, drudge at his various m a n u ­
path with th e wrecks of destruction, dark with the once factories, and thus perform many an admirable aud useful
glowing embers now e xtin ct— sot he is K rishna-vartm a, or service. T hus W ind, W ater, and Kire are humbled and
O * '7 " “ * ^

whitening it here and th ere w ith iislics scattered a b o u t forced to do the service of menials ! T h eir sting of mis­
He leels th e e a rth quake, and honnj th e underground chief has been removed, th eir destructive force assuaged
© *
lor a while. Tlicy csmilot v o iv elude liis grasp. The sun
m u st draw portraits a t his bidding; and one of tbo citizens
of the metropolis of W estern India— Mr. Adams of Bom-
bay— ventures to convert him into an agent to work the
sp in ning and weaving and other mills or run our loco­
motives. The lightning is his swiftest, most faithful and
efficient messenger, encircling t.he globe in a very short
space of time, like Robin ( Joodfellow. H e is a t home, as it
were, in the arms of angry N eptune. H e has already sounded
those w atery depths and mastered their secrets. He has
counted th e host of stars, registered their names, and taken
an almost accurate map of the heavenly regions. H e has
read the P a st of this world and th e Kosnios and has an
almost perfect provision of th e ir future. He has taken a
rough m easure of time and space. H e rides on the wings
of Ariel, and bis car rises to such an h e ig h t a.s to appear
like a grey speck on the serene, cerulean face of heaven—
far transcending the lightest and brightest and highest
clouds, and exultihgly taking a, comprehensive view of the
unseen and otherwise invisible wonders of n a tu re from a
comm anding position aye a station, triu m p h a n t ! The
track of a traveller on the ice-fields is lost for ever after a
m omentary impression, but not that of sound of any deno­
mination written by the Theosophist., Edison on a tin foil
now ! They (/. c. the sounds or letters pronounced, u tte r ­
ed, or recited) as if by magic, shall receive and inherit e te r­
nity of existence as a boon unasked— charactered though
they be on a frail substance— likely to be faithfully re­
produced a t any m o m e n t : and the Phoneidoscope, from this
time, gives him images of sound, reflected in beautiful
fringes of colours on the floating tiny soap-bubbles ! His
powers of sight and hearing have been and are being
greatly increased. H e can now see th e m in utest animal-
cuhe, or hear th e faintest pulsation or the most, inaudible
tread of the butterfly, greatly magnified, and this is not
enough. H is other resources have immensely been and
shall be so multiplied : for science lias still an inexhaustible
store ot marvels for him undream t of.
A h met (i (bad, S orem /iev I X7'l.
h d Itur s JSo/e :— We have not been willing to interru pt
the rhythm ic flow of our correspondent’s language with
any commentaries of our own, but. must, add a word of
supplement. T he outward phase of the idea of nature
Worship he has succinctly and eloquently traced. B u t he,
in common with most modern scholars, completely ignores
one chief factor. We allude to the experience, once so
common among men, now so comparatively rare, of a world
ot real beings, whoso abode is iu the four elements, beings
with probable though as y e t ill defined powers, aud a p e r­
ceptible existence. W e are sorry for those who will pity
us for m aking this admission ; b u t fact, is fact, science or
no science. The realization of this inner world of the A'/r-
ineiilalu dates back to the beginning of our race, and has
been embalmed in tho verse of poets and preserved in the
religious and historical records of tho world. (.1m uted tha t
the perception of phenom ena developed nature-worship,
yet, unless our materialistic friends ad m it th a t the range
of these phenomena included experiences with t.he spirits
of th e elements and the higher and noble realities of Psy­
chology, it. would trouble them to account for the univer­
sality of belief in the various races of the Unseen Universe.
W h y should b u t one of tbo elements, namely, earth,
be so densely populated, »ud firo, water, air, &<•., i>e deem ­
ed empty voids, uninhabited by their own beings— the Vngil Vidyil ............................ T h r o ,
“ viewless races,’ as the great Bulw or-Lytton called Yogil Philosophy
them { Is this partiality ol nature a logical hypothesis of Uni lima, lww.-ira anil Maya .. . H7 Missions iu India ................ loo
science \ \ \ ho th a t observes th e marvellous adaptations I lie Life of fWkftrnclmrya,
ot the organs of sense and the natures of beings to their
Tho Swami of Akalkot,.......... , !)<) Nature Wm-sliip ............... 104
enviiomnent, dares say th a t these eleniontals do not exist, Ilmlrinatli, the Mysterious .. . !I2
until he is well assured that, the perceptive faculties of our The Korost, truest ion.............. , IKS The Devil is dead ... ........ loo
bodies are. capable of apprehending all the Secret things of A Theosophical .Jubilee ...... . U3
this and other w orlds? W h y may not the s p ir its - o f I
the kingdoms of earth, air, fire and water be non-existent to
us— and we to th e m — only because neither has th e organs
to see or feel the other ? A no th er aspect of this subject
was treated in our D ecem ber issue.— E d . T hkoh. i
NECROMANCY.
A M A It V III, LOUS M A NI l-’KRTATION.— A MAN FAOK TO KACE
W ITH IITS OWN s o u r . .
In the “ H istory of the Intellectual Developm ent of E u ­
rope,” by J. W. D rap e r of New York, occurs this passage
ou Alexandrian N ecrom ancy : “ Thus Plotinus wrote a book
on th e association of demons with men, and his disciple P o r­
phyry proved practically th e possibility of such an alliance ;
for, repairing to the temple of Isis, along with Plotinus and
a certain E g yp tia n priest, th e latter, to prove his superna­
tural powers, offered to raise up th e spirit of Plotinus him*
self in a visible form. A magical cirle was drawn on th e
ground, surrounded with th e customary astrological signs,
the invocation commenced, the spirits appeared, and Plo­
tinus stood face to face with his own sold. In this successful
e x perim ent it is needless to inquire how far the necroman­
cer depended upon optical contrivances, and how far upon
an alarmed imaginat ion. Perhaps there was somewhat of
both, b u t if th u s the spirit of a living m an could be called up,
how much more likely the souls of th e dead. ”
T H E D E V IL IS D E A D .
Sigh, priests:— cry aloud— hang your p u lp its with
black,
L e t sorrow bow down every head ; '
T h e good friend who bore all your sins on his back,
Y o u r best friend, th e Devil, is dead.
Your church is a corpse— you are gu arding its t o m b ;.
T he soul of yo ur system has fled ;
T he d e a th knell is tolling your terrible doom ;
I t tells us, th e Devil is dead.
Y ou’re bid to th e funeral, ministers all,
W e ’ve dug th e old gentlem an's bed ;
Your black coats will m ake a most excellent pall,
To cover your friend who is dead.
Aye, lower him mournfully into th e grave;
L e t showers of tear-drops be shed ^ .
Your business is go n e :— there are no souls to save;
T h e ir tempter, the Devil is dead. ’
Woe comes upon woe ; it. is dreadful to think,
H ell’s gone and the demons have tied ;
The d a m n ’d souls have, broken th eir chains, every link.
T he jailer, who bound them, is dead.
Camp-meetings henceforth will be needed no m ore;
^ Revivals are knocked on the head ; ’
H i e orthodox vessel lies stranded oil shore;
T heir Captain, th e Devil, is dead. ’
1’i'nf. Vcvlun.
TA11LK OF CONTENTS. -
. M The Ensouled Violin ............ no
.............. . 80 Swami versus Missionary ... !ls
Machine Telegraphy ....... lol.
Philosopher (mil Mystic .. . 80 The Edison Telephone ....... 10:1
Necromancy ...................... ■ ] ( k ;
->t tlm l,y 1). Cnrsctji k Co., ami tml.iulicd
by the 1 lieosnphical Society, nt No. 108, CUi-num Back Ho,1 .1, Bombay. * 11
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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 ith th e u n d e r s t a n d in 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 .
 A MONTHLY JOURNAL DEVOTED TO ORIENTAL PHILOSOPHY, ART, LITERATURE AND OCCULTISM: EMBRACING
MESMERISM, SPIRITUALISM, AND OTHER SECRET SCIENCES.

Vm.. I. No. BOMBAY, F EBRUARY, i sso.

S t'I X lA I, XOTICK8. The Work wc h a v e lo d o iu I n d i a m ig h t b e so m u c h i m ­

It U e v i d e n t t h a t t h e T m :i> M irin s T will o i l e r t o a d v e r t i s e r s u tiiM tu l a d - p e d e d by lo olish m i s c o n c e p t i o n s t h a t we h e a r t i l y welcome
la n ta -^ c s in c irc u la tio n . W e h a \ e a l r e a d y s u b s c r i b e r s in c \ e r y p a r t o f
I n d i a , in ( e \ Io n , l i u i m a h , a u d u n t h e i 'e r - d a n t i u l f . O u r p a p e r uis»> ^ o e s
a n y a d d i t iolial c \ id clici1 s h o w i n g t h a t I lie p u b l i c alii Iiori tics
t o ( i i v a l U i i l a i n , I t in i c e , ( t e r m a n y , H u n g a r y , l i r c c c c , k i i s * i . i , C o n - l a n l i - a i l - now a l i v e to t h e t r u e c h a r a c t e r ot o u r und< rtakiii!/. It
n o p Ic , K ^ y p t , A u s t i a l i a , a n d N o r t h a n d S o u t h A m e r i c a . T h e fo llo w in g \ t i y
m o d e r a t e ratc-> h a v e b e e n a d o p t e d :
h a s a l r e a d y b e e n a n n o u n c e d in t h e s e c o l u m n s t h a t th e
AbVl.liTlblNt« li.ui.s. P o li ti c a l 1) i p a l t m c n t ol t h e • lovel iiln e u t o f In d i a , from
1* ii -+t i i i ' c i t i ' n i .............. Il l l i n e s a i u l u n d e r ............... 1 U u p c u . w h ic h t h e o rd ei to p la c e o u r p a r t y u n d e r P u li c r s u r v e ill a n c e
F o r e a c h a d d i t i o n a l l i n e . . . ....................................... ........1 A n n a . liis t o r i g i n a t e d , so n ic t u n e ag o r e s c in d e d t h a t o r d e r a n d
S p a c e i s c h a r g e d f*»r a t ( h e l a t e *»f 1 - l i l i e s t o t h e i n c h . <S p c c i . il a r ra i i i ; !, ' *
a n n o u n c e d t h a t t h e T h e o s o p h i s t s w e re 110 lo n g e r t o be
I n c u t s c a n h e i n l i n e f««r l a r ^ e a d v e r t i s e m e n t * , a n d f o r l o n g e r a i u l f i x e d
p erio d s. Yo r f u r t h e r i n f o n u a t i o n a n d c o n t r a c t * f u r a d v e r t i s i n g , 141 m o le s te d . I h is Was all t h e n u ii iiih' h o iw n tb lc {h a t c o u ld be
Mi.'saii*. COOl'KK A; Co. m a d e in a m a t t e r w h ic h p e r t a i n e d to t h e c o n f i d e n ti a l b r a n c h
A dvertising AycnU, Himkacller* and I’ulili^hers, Meadow S tre e t, F ort o f t i n - s e r v ic e a n d h a d n e v e r fo u n d a p lace in t h e (.ia/.ette.
liom bay. J t is p l e a s a n t lo feel t h a t t h e g r o u n d l e s s , a n d in view o f o u r
a n t e c e d e n t s a b s u r d , n o ti o n t h a t so n ic p o litic a l d e s i g n s lay
To suiiscmiiKiis. h i d d e n m i l l e r o u r i n t i m a c y w ith t h e n a t i v e s a n d o u r d e s ire
C a * T h e S u b s c r i p t i o n p r i c e a t w h h h t h o T h * o.*>ol i l i. s T i s p u b l i - h c d b n r o to g iv e a n e w i n i p lu s c to t h e s t u d y ol' o r i e n t a l p h ilo so p h y ,
ly cover* c o st th e d e s ig n in e s ta b lis h in g t h e jo u r n a l h a v in g b e e n r a tb e r
to reach a v ery w id e circle of read er* , t h a n to in ak o a p ro lit. W o cannot
h a s a lr e a d y b e e n d i s s i p a t e d by t h e p ro g r e s s o f tim e . O u r
a i ( o r d , t h e r e f o r e , t o s e n d .‘• p e c i n i c n c o p i e s fr et *, n o r t o s u p p l y l i b r a r i e s , m i - frieiids will b e a d d i t i o n a l l y g la d to h e a r t h a t w i t h o u t t h e
cie tie s, o r i n d iv id u a ls u T a tu ilw u s ly . F o r tho nam e re aso n wo a rc obliged
to a d o p t t h o p l a n , n o w u n i v e r s a l in A m e r ic a , o f rc«|tiirinu' s u b s c r i b e r * to
n e c e s s ity for t h e slig h test, sacrifice o f self-respect, ou
p a y in a d v a n c e , a n d o f s t o p p i n g t h e p a p e r a t t h o e n d o f t h e t e r m p a i d fo r. o u r p a rt, t h e last s h a d e of m i s u n d e r s t a n d i n g ou t h e p a r t
M a n y y e a r s «»f p r a c t i c a l e x p e r i e n c e h a s c o n v i n c e d W e s t e r n p u b l i s h e r s t h . i t
t h i s s y s t e m o f c a s h p a ) m e n t i» t h e l * c s t a n d m o s t s a t i s f a c t o r y t o b o t h
o f ( i o v c r n m c u t lias b e e n c le a r e d atvay. T h o s e w h o k n o w
p a r tie s ; a n d all r e s p e c t a b le jo u r n a ls a r c n o w c o n d u c t e d o n th is p la n . u s a t all n e e d not lie to ld t h a t l l i e i c is n o a s s o c ia tio n m
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THE THEOSOPHIST. m e m b e r s — we h a v e a l r e a d y d o n e b e t t e r s e r v ic e to the,
c a u s e o f p u b li c o r d e r in t h i s c o u n tr y , t h a n i t s r u l e r s a r e
a w a r e o f h a v i n g re c e iv e d a t o u r h a n d s . l i n t so the.
BOMBAY, FUBIilJAIlV 1s t , M l. f a d s t a n d s , a n d t h u s it is t h a t wc rece ive , w ith t h e
full s a t is f a c ti o n a t t e n d i n g a c o n v ic t io n th a t wc d e s e r v e
Tilt; Editors disclaim rcs|»nisil)ilily rnru|)iiiin ns c.\|in ssi!d it, t h e k i n d l y llio u g h c a u t i o u s g r e e t i n g c o n v e y e d in th e
by CDiitributms in their u rtid rs. l i i c a t la t itu d e is allowed fo llo w in g l e t t e r from t h e P e rs o n a l A t t e n d a n t of t h e
c-nrri!M|>oiiduiits, and tlic)’ almiu arc aico m italilu lor wliat V icero y , in a c k n o w l e d g m e n t ol t h e r e c e i p t of t h e first
they write. K jre tu d MSS. arc not returned. t h r e e n u m b e r s ol t h e Tllinis<>l‘l 1 1ST, l o r w a r d e d b y t h e
c o n d u c t o r ol t h i s jo u r n a l for 11 is E x c e lle n c y 's p e r u s a l :
A res|>cctal)lc Anglo-Indian journal, reviewing our J a n u ­ ])k au Madam, ( ‘i i l m l h i , 1st J o n n a i y /W(>.
ary number, hinted tliat tin.; least o! goinl tilings sjiri’iid I s u b m i t t e d to I l i s E x c e lle n c y t h e V iceroy t h e I c t t e r
lor mu readers wmdd not, be ijuite com|ili'tc until c o n tri­ wliicli you a d d r e s s e d to m e a n d t h e n u m b e r s o f t h e
butions from 1‘arsi and Musalinau writi-rs were secured. T il Ii'>S<M’ll 1ST w h ic h you w ere g oo d e n o u g h to sen d .
The i>rusent number, at least, must satisfy our critic since H i s E x c e ll e n c y d e s i r e s m e to say t h a t lie is g la d to find
it will Ik; found to contain articles of m erit from able a S o c ie ty of W e s t e r n ori in devoting itself with such zeal
rc|»reseiitatives of tlio.se two faiths. Did any magazine to t i n - p u r s u i t o f I n d i a n p h il o s o p h y
ever before exhibit a more jierfeut ami fraternal “ Ev;iiigo- V o u rs tr u ly ,
liciil A l l i a n c e ” t h a n this (S.I.) U. 11. M. B A T T E N ,
To M m k . B l a v a t h k v .
 f if K T H E 0 S 0 P f i ! s T,
Our party should feel deeply grateful to th e London
‘ Spirit ualist ’ for the suggestion t h a t Theosophy may he
regarded a.s a ‘subordinate branch of S p i r i t u a l i s m m e a n i n g
thereby not the. general antithesis of materialism, but the
W estern plienomenalistie m ovem ent ot our days. This is
extrem ely liberal ; about as much so as for a Manchester
n a n to concede tha t the British E m pire is an auxiliary
brunch of th e county ol Lancashire. W hen it can be
shown tha t a part, of anything can contain its whole, that
th e tail can wag the dog, ot th a t the ocean can he put
into a gallon measure, then it will l>e time to seriously
dehate the novel proposition put forth by the respectable
metropolitan organ of the Spiritualists. Especially, as it is
by no means d e a r tliat it is not personal ra th er than public
opinion which the paragraph in question rellects.
Some mont hs ago, ;m influential Burial Reform society
of an Australian city asked advice of the Theosophical
Society as to the best method of disposing of the dead, the
special argum ents in favor of coreinatiou being particularly
called for. These were- given ; together with an official
report upon the cremation in America of the body of the late
Baron .1. I I. I)e Palm, one of our Councillors. T h e preju­
dice among W estern people', against cremation is not strong
enough to withstand the advancem ent of scientific know ­
ledge, and it will not be very m any years before this mode
of sepulture will b e widely practised. Y et a strong p re ­
judice docs si ill exist. To such as entertain it, nml, more
e s p e c i a l l y lo such as wish In bring home from the baltle-
l i e l d o r 11•>i11 a distant land the bodies of friends, a recent
<Jernian discovery will have great, interest. M r . Krcis-
mann, United States Consul-! Jencral a t Berlin, in a des­
patch t.n t he Department, of State, gives a description of
this method for the preservation of dead bodies. The in ­
ventor, or discoverer, had obtained a.patent, for the process,
but the (icrma.ii Government, appreciating the high im ­
p o r t a n c e of tho invention, induced th e .p a te n te e to a b a n ­
don his patent. Thereupon the Government published a
l u l l description of the process, as set forth in the letters
patent. It is as follows :
The dead bodies of human beings and anim als by this
process fully retain their form, color, and flexibility, even
a l t e r a period of years. Such dead bodies may be dissect­
ed for purposes of science and criminal ju risp ru d e n c e :
decay, and the offensive smell of decay, are completely
prevented. Upon incision, the m uscular flesh shows th e
same appearance as in the case ot a f r e s h dead body.
Preparations made of the several parts, such as natural
skeletons, lungs, entrails, kr„, retain their softness and
pliability. T he liquid used is prepared as follows: In
.’!,000 gram mes of boiling water tire dissolved 100 grammes
of alum, "2 ’> grammes of cooking stilt, 12 gram m es of salt­
petre, l>0 gram m es of potash, and It) gran tines of arsenic
acid. Tho solution is allowed to cool and is filtered. To
10 litres of this neutral, colorless, odorless liipiid 4 litres
of glycerine and one litre of methylic alcohol are to be
added. The process of preserving or em balm ing dead
bodies by means of this liquid consists, as a rule, in s a tu ­
rating and impregnating those bodies with it. From l.V
to ■> litres of th e liquid tire used for a body, according to
its size.
The Library of the Theosophical Society contains a rare
old hook entitled ‘ Nekrokedeia, or the Al t of Elitb,•dining'
iu which every process known to the Egyptians and other
old nations is described. It will there be seen th a t this
(iernmii process possesses very little of novelty, the n i­
trates and chlorides of metals, together with various a n ti ­
septic balsamic substances, having been employed a t the
remotest epochs.
All the speakers a t the late Aniversary festival not
having sent iu their MSS., the pa m phlet is not yet ready
for delivery. . Nevertheless, they tell us th a t there were no Rosicru-
The num ber of our subscribers ha,s been so unexpected­
ly large th a t the supply of the N ovem ber issue is now e n ­
tirely, and of the October almost., exhausted,
[February, 1886.
} . T H E B R E T H E R N OF T H E R O S Y CROSS.
Bv A i . i :x a n j )KU Wiu>ki», M.D., V i c k - P r k s i d k n t o f
Tl I K T h k o s u p i i k a i . S o c i e t y .
] ‘rofvtutor o f J ’/n/sioloqi/ an il I'm/chological Medicine in the I'ni-
ted Sta.tet Medical College. Secretary o f (he. N ational Kclectie,
M edical .inundation u f the I'nited Staten, Honorary Member of
the K ic c tie Medical Societica o f Illinois, Michigan., Connecticut
a n d I'cnnxylwtniit, ete., Honorary Fellow o f the Anthropo­
logical Society o f Lieerpool, Eng., >:tc.
W ere there Rosicrucians or were there not ? T h is
question agitated Europe two centuries ago, as L u th e r
before that, and Savanamla, and Markion had each in his
own time and way shaken the Church to its very founda­
tions. All this was because a little book had appeared in
the country of W iirte m h urg purporting to unfold the
existence of a secret fraternity possessing arcane and scien­
tific knowledge, and devoted to the amelioration of hum an
suffering, and th e en ligh ten m ent of mankind.
T he religionists of the seventeenth century could see
only blasphemy and iniquity in such a proposition. They
invoked fire from heaven upon the Brotherhood, and th re a t­
ened them with death by breaking on the wheel. A few
years before, Bruno had been burned a t the stake by order
of the Holy Office for teaching the Copernican system and
the Pythagorean philosophy ;and now L utherans wore e m u ­
lating Humanists in their frenzy to get hum an blood to
shed. A few years later these vultures were sated to the
full. Iu Idl.S began the thirty years’ war between C a­
tholic and I’rntestant Germany, which sucked all Europe in­
to its blood y vortex, and continued t ill whole districts were
depopulated, and the wild beasts of the forest., succeeded
to the abodes of more ferocious humankind. A fter the wor
came pestilence. Small-pox broke out spontaneously, and
the Black D eath accompanied. Europe was a prodigious
charnel.
T he tale of the Brotherhood was modest enough. Chris­
tian Rosenkreuz had been a traveller in th e East, where
he had received instruction into the profoundest lore,—
magian, rabbinic, theurgic and . alchemic. Among other.,
acquirements, were tins knowledge of the philosopher's
stone, the art of tra.nsmut.ing metals, and the elixir of life.
R eturn in g to Germany, he established a little fraternity of
eight disciples, obligating them to keep th e doetrine secret,
for the space of one hundred and tw enty years after his
death. This occurred in l4«S4;and accordingly iu 1004
then; appeared The Di.'tcorcry u f the BrothrrhoOil o f the.
UtiHortihlr Ortlc.r o f the Ron;/ Cross. I t appealed to all
who desired to co-operate with them to m ake public their
names. T he liosieruciuns, it declared, were genuine Pro­
testant,s. They were engaged in no movem ent or conspi-
raey against th e ruling powers. T heir aim was the dim in­
ishing of h um an wretchedness, the spread of education, the
a dvancem ent of learning, science, universal enlightenm ent,
aud love. They possessed profound and occult knowledge,
such as the alchemists, Arabian thaum aturgists, Egyptian
and ( 'haldean wise m en had brought forth; but all tha t
was of little account. T h e ir one high purpose was to benefit
their fellow-creatures, body and soul.
A fire-brand of more destructive nature could not have
been hurled into th e combustible pyre of Europe. The
Pope, the Emperor, the Christian and Catholic kings, the
Protestant nionarchs of the Baltic and N orth seas, ex­
ploded with terrible concussion. N o t till th irty years of
war and massacre hail passed by, could th e boiling cal­
dron become quiet. Universal love and enlightenment,
even now, if duly proclaimed, would imperil every throne in
Europe from th a t of A lexander to th e royal seat of Victo­
ria ; and even the political factions of the U nited States,
b la ta n t in the ir professions of freedom and democracy,
would crumble to th e ir primeval atoms.
ei.ins. T h e Brotherhood was all a fond dream, written
out by a L u th eran mystic divine named Andrete, on pur­
pose to rouse th e philanthropic miuds of oppressed Europe
to concerted action. A confederacy of sueli men, he b e ­
lieved, would renovate th e world. But no great conven­
tion wa.s held for the purpose. 'Ih e reporters and daily
newspapers of the tim e had no sensational articles unfold­
ing the plans of th e Grand Alliance lor the Amelioration
of H u m a n (Calamity. It may he added th a t there was no
country in Europe where such a convention could have
met, except, in secret. T hey would have needed th a t e x­
traordinary Tem ple of th e Holy ( i host u n d e r g r o u n d , if
they had ventured upon th e ir W orld’s conference. As the
m atter stands, nobody can intelligently declare th a t they
did not so assemble.
Learned men have made b u t a very indifferent handling
of the matter. D es Cartes advertised all through G er­
many for men who belonged to th e Rosicrueian fr a t e r n it y ,
or knew of it. H e received letters from every sort ot a d ­
venturer, hut nothing affording the least light upon th e
subject of his enquiry. It was finally his opinion that,
there wa.s no such association in existence. It. is plain
enough that, if then! were Rosicruoians, the knowledge
concerning them had been hid from the wise and p r u ­
dent h u t was revealed to babes.”
Andrea? declared th a t the Rosicruciaus had .symbols and
occult means of communication similar to those of the
Alchemists and Astrologists. Indeed the lied ( 'rosshad been
the badge of th e Templars. That Order had been s u p ­
pressed iu 1807, yet Francis I. had burned four members
alive, a short time previous, l i e had also exterm inated
the Albigcnses ot Provence, a Gnostic brotherhood, with
sue ret, rit.es and symbols, dating from the earlier ( 'hristian
centuries. T h e iiosicmcian Brotherhood (hen, hud usages
in common with both.
Ignorance has always been the m other of unquestioning
orthodoxy. Nobody is so hostile to the general dissemina­
tion of knowledge as a priest,. G reater cruelty has never
been perpetrated among m ankind than that, authorised
and commanded by th e ministers of religions. From
Theodosius down, the record of tho Christian religion has
been the autobiography of the seven-headed bloody red
Dragon.
'T h e Persian conquest of Asia Minor had led to the
establishment of the religion of Mithras in that, country.
After the destruction of the Umpire of Alexandria, the
kingdom of Pontus was established, having Mithraism fol­
ks ruling faith. W hen Pompoy conquered the country, the
religion was carried thence to every part of th e Roman
Empire. T he father of Jesus it is said was a. “ soldier of
Mithras.” It flourished as a secret worship till its su p ­
pression by Theodosius ; and even then, the ju u ja n l or
country-people k ept up the observance away down into the
Media:val period. T he Popes and Bishops denounced the
rites as magic, witchcraft and commerce with the Powers
of Darkness. Probably th e W itchcraft of the Middle Ages
was a relic of the old Magian worship.
In the seventh century, Sylvanus, a native of Samasata,
established the fiaternity of Paulicians, including in it
tho various Gnostic communes, the Mauichcnians of Arme-
nicus, and the Mithraites of Pontus. T h e ir doctrines
were an amalgama tion of th e Pauline and th e Zoroastrian ;
b u t they denounced' the Ebionite religionists of Judea.
They were fiercely persecuted by all the Christian E m ­
perors, Arian as well as A thanasian. F o r near two
centuries they maintained an in dependent governm ent in
the Caucasus. One of the emperors colonised a p a rt of
them iu France, whence they spread into Bulgaria. Being
employed in the Roman armies, they were transferred to
various countries of Europe ; Italy and France abounded
with proselytes. Among these were the Albigcnses.
O ther believers in th e Gnosis or arcane knowledge had
been removed into Persia. They were d en om inated Sophi
or sages, the worshipers of Sophia or Heavenly wisdom.
Their converts were known as Sufis, and long constituted
the learned class of th e country. They were expert in m edi­
cine and astronomy, and adepts iu secret doctrines. They
believed in a grand universal creed which could be secretly
held under any profession of an outward faith ; and in fact,
took a similar view of religious systems to th a t e n te r­
tained by the ancient philosophers. A mystic union with
th e Divinity, theurgic powers, and a tendency to as­
cot ism, characterised them.
Thus the Iiosicmcian Brotherhood possessed a heritage
of all the arcane systems and religions of the earlier world.
Hargrave Jen n in g s,th eir latest, chronicler im putes to th e m
the symbols, traditions and learning of the principal m ys­
tic fraternities. T h e H erm etic philosophy of Egypt, tlu;
tiro-theosophy of Persia, Druid-worship, Gnosticism, th e
Kahala, th e A ncient Mysteries and Orders of K n ig h t­
hood, Magic, Alchemy, H in d u belief's, etc., all are treated
by him in this connection. His style is curiously compli­
cated ; be tells little w here he seems In be telling much,
and with an obscurity of expression which seems to show
little real knowledge or u nd erstanding of his subject. Vet
he reveals the secret when to the non-expert lie a p p a re n t­
ly hides it closest.
Could they change metals into gold ? “ N a tu re herself”
said Mcjnour to Glyndon, " is a laboratory in which metals
aud all elem ents are for ever a t change. Easy to m ake
gold— easier, more commodious, and cheaper still, to make
the pearl, the diamond and the ruby.” Raymond Lulli,
a Franciscan monk, born in 1 2:14, a rare expert in m edi­
cine and alchemy, is said by one writer to have supplied
Edward 1. with six millions of money to enable him to
carry on war against th e T u rk s in Palestine. A nother
w riter affirms th at he made gold for Edward III. in the.
Tower of London, for an entire coinage of gold nobles,
lie endeavoured to unite th e E uropean countries in a p ro ­
je c t to Christianise Asia nnd A fric a ; hut. failing in this,
set out alone. He made several converts ; but was fina
stoned to death by the Moslems iu 11! 14.
Thomas Vaughan (Eugenius Philalcthos) lived in the,
reigns of the first Ja m e s and Charles, who were rather
famous fur persecutions of “ witches."* lie relates that, he
endeavoured once to sell 1200 m a rk s’ worth of gold to a
goldsmith. T he m an told him at first, sight- that th a t gold
never came o ut of the mines, b u t had been produced by
artificial means, not being of th e standard uf any known
kingdom. He hurried away, leaving his gold behind.
Indeed, if a single elem ent lies at the Inundation ot
nature, as Dr. Thom as R., Frazer of Halifax, N. S., has
demonstrated, an opinion in which he is followed by
S. Pancoast of Philadelphia and .1. N orm an Lockyer, to
whom th e credit is given— then the transm utation ot
metals is a m a tte r perhaps in reach.
Is there a n Elixir capable of prolonging life? Thom as
V aughan was born abo ut the year 1(512. A w riter iu 1740
rem arks: " H e is believed by those of his fraternity to he
living even now; and a person of great credit at N u re m ­
berg in G erm any affirms that, he conversed with him b u t
a year or two ago. Nay, it is further asserted that this
very individual is the president, ot the illuminated in
Europe, and that, lie sits as such iu all tlu-ir annual
meetings.”
Artephius, who lived 7.">0 years ago wrote a. book e n­
titled On tlm A r t o f P ro lonijhuj H u m a n life, in which
he asserted, th a t he had already attained the age of 102.1
years. Several asserted th a t he was the personage whose
life was written by Philostratus under the name of Apollo­
nius of Tyana. H e wrote a book on the philosopher’s
stone, which was published a t Paris in Hi I 2.
“ All th a t we profess to do is t h i s ” said Mcjnour to
G lyndon; “ to find out th e secrets of th e hum an frame, to
know why the parts ossify and the blood stagnates, and
to apply continual preventives to the effects ol time.
This is not m agic; it is th e art of Medicine rightly under­
, stood. In our order we hold most, noble— first, that,
knowledge which elevates the intellect; secondly, tha t
which preserves th e body.”
* W ilrli is ju v c ise ly th e K n^lish wor»l fo r T h o Ciii“ Ntk*s w ero
of S o rce ry .
 Tho Into Major-General E than A. Hitchcock wns like his
g ran dfath er the noted Ftlian Allen ol Ticanderaga fame,
addicted to curious stmlv. In his treatise A lr lm w y m uf
Ihr A b 'h rm 'mls, In* deduces an allegorical interpretation for
t lie philosopher's stone, the transimit.at,ion of metals, anil
t In; el ixir of life. “ Tlio genuine a d e p t s ’ says he, ‘‘ were
searchers alter tru th in the highest, sense of Ihis word.’
'I'lie philosopher's stone, he adds, “ ean be Iot 11id in im
oth e r thing in the universe b u t (lie nature ol man, made
iu the image of Chid. ” T he Klixir under this interpretation,
Would signify sp iritu a lity —“ eternal life." Sallust the
N ew-I’latoiiie philosopher has instructed us th a t “ th a t
v hit’ll in a literal souse is manifestly absurd and impossi­
ble, must be understood in some other sense.”
Lord Mulwer-Lytton has forcibly depicted the careers of
Zanoni and Mejnour, living through the ages Irom the.
period when the Chaldean A kk ads ruled in Babylonia,
lie has shown that, the boon of life is lint desirable, though
lie represents it, with none of Ihe horrors which charac­
terise I lie story of the W andering .lew, forgotten by death.
Mr. Jennings, following in a similar vein remarks that,
Rosicrucians evade (lie idea th a t they possess any e x tra ­
ordinary or separate knowledge, they live simply as mere
spectators in the world, and lliey desire to m ake no dis­
ciples, converts nor coiilidenls. They submit to the
obligation of lilo, and to relationships-- enjoying the
fellowship of none, adm iring none, following none but,
themselves. They obey all codes, are excellent citizens,
and only preserve silence in regard to their own private
convictions, giving the world ih e h e n e lit of I heir aopiirc-
meiils up to a. certain p o in t; seeking only sym pathy a t
some angles of their multiform character, but. shiii,ling out.
cm iosily wholly when flu-y do nol, w ish its imperative
eyes. This is th e reason flial the Rosicrucians passed
through the world mostly uniiol iced, and lhal, people g e ­
nerally disbelieve th a t th ere were ever such persons; or
believe that if there wore, (heir pretensions are an ini-
|Misitiou.
It is not generally known that tho llo.sicruci.-ins bound
themselves to obligations of comparative poverty but a b­
solute chastity in th e world,with certain dispensations and
remissions that, fully answered th e ir p u rp ose; lor they
were not necessarily solitary people: on the contrary
they were frequent ly gregarious, a Iid mixed lively with all
classes, though privately a d m ittin g no law bill, th e ir own.
T heir notions of poverty, or comparative poverty, were
different from those that usually prevail. They felt that,
neither monarchs nor the wealth of monarchs could e n ­
dow or aggrandise those who already esteemed themselves
the superiors of all men ; and therefore, though declining
riches, they were voluntary in the renunciation of them.
T hey held to chastity, entertain in g some very peculiar
notinns alxiut th e real position of tin* female sex in the
creation, the Enlightened or Illuminated brothel's held the
monastic state tfl be infinitely more consonant with the
intent ions of Providence.
Mr. Jenning s refuses Lo explain these views more at,
lengt.h. " We have drawn to ourselves a, certain frontier
of reticence” says lie, “ up lo which margin we may freely
c o m m e n t; and the limit is ipiiLe extended enough for the
present, popular purpose,— though we absolutely refuse to
overpass it with too distinct, explanations or to enlarge
furth er on the strange persuasions of the Rosicrucians.”
They held th a t all things visible and invisible were
produced by the contention of light w ith darkness. The
grossness and denseness in m atter is due t,o its containing
little of the divine light. Hut every object contains also
in it, a possible deposit of light,, which will eventually ami
inevitably I h* liberated from the dark, dead substance.
Unseen and unsuspected, there is sh u t up there an inner
magnetism, an ethereal spirit,, a divine aura, a . possible
eager lire. All minerals, in this spark of light, have the
rudim entary possibility of plants and growing organisms;
all vegetables have rudim entary sensitives which may
eventually enable them to change into locomotive crea­
tures, of m eaner or nobler function,
Tho Rosicrucians claim to bo able to pass into th e next
world, to work in it, and Ui bring back from it gold and the
rli.rir ritar. T his last was only to be won in tho audacity
of (iod-aided alchemic explorations, and was independent
of those mastered elements, or nutritions, necessary to
ordinary common life. Tin; daily necessary food taken
for the sustenance of the body wa.s the means of dissolu­
tion.
Man's interior natural law is contained in Clod's e x ­
terior magical law. It f o l l o w s th a t man has a secondary
nature, lie is a ruin, so to speak, ami lives in the ruins or
dregs of a higher creat ion. Woman entered the great
scheme as it.s negative or obverse. She is of the natural
order, and represents nature. She had therefore 110 part,
iu the earliest, spiritual, supernal world ; but pertains to
material existence,— to the “ fall into generation.'' The
yielding to her fascination is th e losing of m an’s place in
the. scheme of the Immortal World, and the receiving ot
Death instead. H e forsakes the v m n in a for the vonihui,
the ttoum eim for the pht'iiom nio, th e divine, interior life,
for external manifestations and delights. Yet when the
InetVable Light at the beginning entered into the em ­
brace of the Primeval Darkness, it did a similar act.
Much has been w ritten of the magic power of virginity.
Little has been known. Creation is g e n era tio n ; and in
generation, Cod is active. Virginity is therefore Cod’s
Rest,— th e Sab bath of the Universe. Hence it has been
always regarded as Sacred— as Holy Silence. W e may
note the contradiction ; Virginity is the key of Heaven, yet
without, ils infraction there could be no heaven. Solve
this whoever may.
Robert Flood (or Floyd) speaks of those who cannot, con­
ceive I he powers of arcane knowledge to be philosophers,
unless they p u t th e ir knowledge to some ordinary worldly
use. If is au incomprehensible puzzle to tin* common
worldly-wise man, th a t persons who live in the mental
atmosphere, have so little am bition to becomegold-makerx
at d woalth-producers for the greedy. Rut their security
is inherent, in this very inditVoivnco. Wars, pauperism,
and all m ann er of calamity, are the out-come of the policy,
mode of living, the canonised and popularised greed of the
world.
The existence of Ihe Brotherhood is yet, in d ispu te— and
probably always will be. “ T here is scarcely one who
th in ks about, u s ” Flood says, “ who does not, believe that
our Society lias no existence; because, as he truly d e ­
clares, lie never m e t any of ns. And he concludes that'
there is no such brotherhood because, iu his vanity, we
seek not him to be our fellow.”
Certainly, so long as men believe in no such mysterious
fraternity, its members are safe from persecution, and in­
terruption in their hallowed pursuits. T hey may carry
their secrets with them safely,— secrets possessed dnriiig
all the ages of h um an existence, and yet sacredly preserved
from far-off tim e till now. DcQuincoy has aptly atid
admiringly remarked of these Mejnours and Zationis.
“ To be hidden am idst crowds is sublime. To come down
hidden amongst, crowds from distant generations is
doubly sublime.’’
T he M ngians and Chaldean thcurgists were massacred'
• • ♦ • •
and driven into exile by Darius Hystaspes. Diokletiaii
destroyed the Sacred lwioks of Kgypt. Theodosius, J u s ti­
nian and the fanatic Moslems extirpated all whom they
could find possessed of mystical learning. ' The hordes of
Scythian banditti who ravaged all th e F a s t— China,'
India, Persia, Western Asia and even Europe— destroyed
every shrine and crypt, of which they discovered the
existence. Even th e Catholic Church, King Jam es 11;'o f
England, th e Royal Council of Sweden, and the' colonial
Legislatures of th e U nited States, made th e possession of
occult knowledge a capital offence. .
Y et they all missed the Rosicrueian Brotherhood!
W h en Cagliostro-Balsamo was im m ured iu a Roman dun!-'
goon, to he tortured and murdered, it was fondly imagined
t h a t the ( lolden Secret would be disclosed, T h e hopo'
A
was illusory. I t could bo Communicated to none except
tlio.se who wore able to comprehend it. A preparatory
discipline was necessary for this purpose ; and whoever ac­
complished th a t successfully, would certainly never betray
it. I f such a one could entertain the impossible idea of
doing such a thing, the treasure would certainly be. found
not to be in his possession.
So t.luj Rosicrueian philosophers have lived in every ago.
Tliey have jostled others iu tin; church or at the m arket
place, yet without being recognised. They art; numerous
enough now, to constitute the salt of the earth. They al­
ways have m aintained th e ir existence, and each of tlu;
Brotherhood knows infallibly every m em ber of the frater­
nity. T heir existence may be a myth, yet it is not. The
pundilc is for those who can comprehend it. “ N one of
the wicked will understand, but the wise will understand"
said the prophet Daniel.
orn D U T Y To I X/ t f A.
T u k process of denationalization, which the London
Era limn ini livers to lm visible in India, is more or less in ­
evitable whenever a strung race, full of masculine vigor,
dominates th e country of mud her race which has passed
through its cycle of forceful aggressiveness and reached
the stage of recuperative inertia. Indolence and interest
alike1 contribute to bring this about., and unless the subject
people possess an enormous inherent, vitality, it either
meets the fate ot the pour A /lee and becomes extinct,
or that, of t lie primitive man of the I’aheolilhie age, pro­
genitor ol I lie present Arctic Esquimaux, and migrates to
remote, uninhabited regions where its enemy will not
care to pursue it.
This Econom ist tells us tliat the evils which England
has in Hie te d upon India are solely intellectual, ami states
its case nniler three heads, of which the tirst is as follows :
1. Tin- first and greatest of these Inis lwen tins unintentional bu t
inevitable suppression of intellectual pi-ngross in it* n atu ral, and
therefore )iojH*fii], grooves. Tlio English have not been w ithout care
for their subjects’ minds, but th eir fan* has Imen not to develop them
but to wre^t them violently into unnatural directions. T hey have
insisted th a t the natives shall eventually cease lo be Asiatics ami
In-come Europeans. They have ta u g h t them English literature,
English mechanic*, and W estern science, have rew arded progress iu
those departm ents exclusively, and have judged every man according
to the degree iu which lie lias niailo himself intellectually an
Englishman. Above all n atio n s Indians are moved by influence
from above and consequently all intellectual |m w crhas been exerted
in a direction iu which nine-tenths of its force is wasted, ami all ori­
ginality lias disappeared. N ative poetry, N ative philosophies, N utive
theologies, have ail died under the cold breath of the N orthern wind,
nml in their stead we have a generation of students, chiefly on the
coiitt fringe, w asting powers which are som etim es extraordinary
upon imitations, upon English poetry, English literature, English
political thought— with tho result llint they occasionally produce
things as clever as the Latin verses of M iltun, ami about as useful
to them selves and lo m ankind. h'clterod in a language which they
understand w ithout fueling, ami in a system of th o u g h t which they
only borrow, the educated N atives become mere copyists, develop
no original power, and pour out whole libraries of poor, though often
correct, English, for which no liuuuin Iming is llio belter. Iu a h u n d ­
red years, anlong a people of rare intelligence, no original m ind —
except, perhaps, liauunohuii lio y - lifts made itself fairly visible to
the world ; while tho old learning has disappeared, aud tho body
of the up|>er classes have become niaikedly less cu ltiv ated —culture,
iu fact, of any genuine kind having been sujterscdcd by an English
whitewash. T his is an enorm ous evil, aud it extends to every de-
]kirtmeut of thought tilt we never now see a g reat N ative Politician
or financier, or archilect, or original a rtist of any kind whatever.
The higher thought of the whole Iteonle iu all directions lies crushed,
and iU originality is extinguished. That would l>o the result, even
in this country, if the only road lo fame o r power lay through
1-atin ; and the Indian, besides l)cing far moro susceptible than the
Euglisliuien, lias far less mental relation to him than wo have to the
ancient Uoinaus. The pivot of th ought is different. It is noticed
that N atives iu Pondicherry often become dark I'Veuchmeu, 1 ami
they could have taken much from A rabs, but no ono except a C hi­
ne** is so unlike an Englishman as the educated N ative, who talks
English w ithout an accent, and writes a tongue which, cxcept when
he is in a satirical mood, is like English with the lone aud the melody
alike gone out of it. We are producing a generation of im itators,
llinjdst \vlio|i| creative thought is dyinir away, till a nation of philo­
sophers can only produce commentators ; a most poetic jienple liftvo
given up original coni|io.sition ; and a nice which lias covered a
continent wilh magnificent structures never produces a striking
building.
I t says many oth er pointed things under the remaining
two heads, b u t these must be left to the political journals
of India to discuss. I’xception may fairly be tak en to
certain assumptions in the portion above ipioted. F or in­
stance, while it is most true tha t intellectual power has
been wasted and originality is disappearing, the fault does
not wholly lie at the dour of the British authorities. The
intluential Natives who might, in a certain measure, have
stemmed this wrong set of the current, have been supine;
apathetic, unpatriotic. They have been to o given up to self­
indulgence in low vices, too forgetful of their duty to country,
race, and the honor of th e ir glorious ancestors. W h ethe r
because their gu rus have themselves lost all knowledge of
the Veil, or because they are given up only to sensuality,
or lor some o th e r reason, most of tho N ative nobles and
princes sit idle and see the young generation going to
spiritual death without a manful ell’o rt to save them. A
wailing complaint of this state of things comes to us
from all parts of th e country, almost every post brings
us the lamentations of tlio.se who still rem em ber th e
Past and shu dd er over the. possible Future. B ut let
it not be supposed that all patriotic fervor is dead u n ­
der the cold breath of the Northern wind. E very
sentence u ttered by our President in his public addresses,
here, a t Meerut, Saliaranpore, Benares and Allahabad,
about the dead splendor of Aryan civilization and the
sacred duty to levive it by reviving Aryan philosophy,
religion and science, has been greet,ed wilh unm istake-
fiblu enthusiasm, and young Natives have risen lo propose
votes of thanks, with moistened eyes, and voices trembling
with emotion. W here it is possible to so touch tin; inner­
most chords of tin; heart, let no one suppose th a t our
nation is so thoroughly emasculated as the writer of the
Ecoiioni ixt Would have us believe. No, even this atro­
phic Modern India has a heart, a great I blobbing heart
th a t can be moved aud can sutler— though many who
should be the last to say so, call it stone. Tin; European
inHiicucedescribed isfatallv potontialonly in tin-larger i-ities,
where public patronage is most lavished. It is then- that
one sees Natives wearing European clothes, drin king E u ­
ropean brandy, riding in European carriages, and aping
foreign m anners to an absurd extent. T he strictures in
question apply only in a limited degree to affairs among
the great body of the people, where Native influences
have most w e ig h t— and where the influential class aro
N ut doing the ir duty.
W hile our party wore a t Boms res, last mouth, they were
visited by th a t e m in e nt Orientalist, Dr. Thibaut, President
of Benares College, and what did he toll th e m ? W hy
th a t neither he nor any o ther European Orientalist under­
stood the m eaning of Sankliy.'i philosophy ; th a t he could,
not get it explained satisfactorily here ; and that all t he pan­
dits with whom he had conversed had assured him tha t the
experimental proof of the ancient, spiritual science described
in Indian works was not obtainable in these* days! What
a sad com mentary upon the stale ofnlfairs iu India!
I f patriot Natives deplore the fact that there is So lunch
truth, on the whole, in w hat t\i^ Econom ic says, let them try .
to realize the du ty which presses upon lluun. Let them aid
and encourage every honest effort to revive Vedic literature,
Aryan arts, the once noble S a nskrit schools of the B rah­
mans, th e memory of Aryan deeds and greatness. Let
them promote useful education— useful iu the opposite
sense to merely p lace-hunting— and cultivate iu the rising
geiieratiuu manliness, a love uf truth, a decent spirit of
independence and self-otibrt. Lut. them promote te m p e r­
ance and virtuous living, encourage the native arts, open
out new avenues of em ploym ent to m eet the greater
demand from an increasing population.
It is not true th a t no g re a t original mind, except Kani-
moliun Roy, has made itself visible within the past century
for, not. to mention o th e r names, here is our contemporary,

the Swami D a v a n u n d Saraswati, to whom oven his op|m-
lient.s will concede the character of greatness liotli in intel­
lect, and moral courage. Nor is it (air to say th a t we never
see any inure Native fm.-.ncici-s or ]>oliticinns when, even
un de r th e im mense handicapping of an ini|Mirted system
of administration, such men as the Maharajahs H o lk a r and
Seindia, and such statesmen as Sir Salar Ju n g , anil Sir 'P.
Madhavrao struggle to the surfaee, and show what they
might have done u n de r the old sta te of affairs. There
are as learned pandits now at Mena res and l ’ooiia as then*
ever were, tho ugh they inav not comprehend the tru e
and hidden m ean in g of their Sha.stras and P u r n n s ; and
heyolid doulit if the opportunity oflercd, a.s it is ottered to
talent in W estern lands, Indian genius would still prove its
competency to administer justice, ride provinces, and erect
m onum ents that would challenge I lit! admiration of the
Will'll I.
None lmt the foolish would expect th e foreign rulers of
any country to lake upon themselves th e preservation of
the elements of nat ional great ness. All that, can be asked
in the present instance is that they shall do th e ir best to
keep productive this great Empire, and set th e people an
example of g o o d living and cipiitahlc adm inistration to
p attern after. T h e grave of Aryan nationality, if d u g a t all
__which we d o n o t ap preh end — will be d u g b y Native hands,
and upon her recreant, sons would be ju stly cast the reproach
of posterity. Milt that eventuality is so iar away in the
v e i l e d future that it is better to concern ourselves with the
duty of the day ami h o u r : and, though wc may not admit
the conclusions o f our critic o f t be I'Jinitnmist, a t least to take
to heart the danger-warning which his article certainly
docsconvev. I f every modern Arya will do what he really
can for his Motherland, the (!overnm ent will be none the
worse served, and the sycophants and copyists of foreign
fashions of dress, th o ug ht and living will lind themselves
left to va|Mir aud strut alone in their corner of th e barnyard
where the grains drop through tin* cracks in th e public
manger.
------- 4----------
I.
To tin’ A u th o r <>/" I n s Uiivcilcit."
Thou dost unfold a strange and wondrous tale
Of all th a t was, nnd all th a t yet, may be,—
And from the lace of life’s dark mystery
The veil is lifted. All ! wlmt fears assail,
Like breakers tossing on a restless sea,
The weary longing soul, as now a gale—
Mlown from the spirit of thy prophecy—
W ith hopeful vigour tills her flapping sail !
And is it so— ami will man still be free
From the embrace of putrid clay, ol death ?
Oh ! thou bast stirr’d our spirits' passionate breath !—
Henceforth we know no doom, no destiny,
Mut. what tin- Soul may fashion, may create.
T rue onlv to herself, nnd not to F a te !
‘ II.
To Piiintit Jfiii/tinninl Surnxirnti Su'nnii,
Even as the th un der rolls from hill to hill,
Till it retu rns unto its native sky,
T he echoes of thy words and thoughts do still
From heart to heart, reverberate, and fly
Back to th e m ighty soul, th a t sent them forth.
On Hope's proud mission and T r u t h ’s pilgrimage !
And as I ga/.e and watch, the golden age,—
Glorious a.s when it sparkled at its b irth —
Of India’s greatness, a t thy magic nod
Returns.— Oh ! not the Pisgah* of a dream !
The shadow of reality may seem
Unreal, but ’tis like the touch of (Jod
On human soul. Yes, Swami ! let it be
Thy boast to make the dream — a proud reality!— s. J. I’.
• N ote.— According to a wollkiimvn H ebrew trad itio n the Israelites in
tho W ilderness “ocmed every m orning on th e voryo of J’i.^nh aiul were
every evening ns fur from it n.« ever, s, j. t\
[February, 1880,
— --- _ ---1
I . O ! Till'. “ P O O R M l S S I O X A R )\"
Iiv M ixm oth th i: W a n d k r o .
Decidedly the year A. D. 1S.S0 begins as un propit ions
nnd gloomy for th a t long-sutlering, self sacrificing class,
known in Europe as P rotestant Missionaries, but in Ind ia
as padres— as was the now departed year 1.S7!)! The
free thinkers and infidels, li k e n swarm of wicked mos­
quitoes buzzing around, worry them worse than ever.
T heir Roman Catholic brothel's played, and nre still p re p a ­
ring to play, all m anner of unholy t,ricks upon them, nnd
though the abuse lavished upon the heads of these pious
and meek Christians, Was m u tu a l— especially when brought
under the public notice in the shape of pamphlets issued
by t his Bible Societ y— yet, it. was anyt hing but. edifying and
offered some im pedim ents to future conversions. F o r yenrs
they have drawn, we may say, no other converts in India
but, those who go more for ready cash or money’s worth,
than holy grace ; and they feel, do these good men of (Jod,
that for the average Christian to stand by and see thesis
“ heathen brands plucked from the burning,” flying from
the <latholic sanctuary unto the tabernacle of the Protestant
Lord, and rivn vrrsn, according to th e fluctuations of
th e market, was a.s good as a game of .shuttlecock nnd
battledore.
And now t he rumblings of |iS«S0 are beginning to lie heard.
A m anda Sm ith, the m other pilgrim from the land of the
Pilgrim Fathers, proved, outside the small com m unity of
the true believers—a failure. Even tlieif best, and, as I
lielieve, their only nndeteriorated specimen of native prea­
cher, the. hith erto indefatigable Parsee convert, begins to
show- unmistokahlc signs of weariness and the blackest,
melancholy. This illustrious Zoroastrian, who used, with
the punctuality of a time-piece,— nnd a.s if in derision of his
former god—ju s t before sunset, to daily squeeze himself
among the bas-reliefs ol the Dhobi Talav fountain, was
missed a t his usual place for several afternoons. The spot
from which lie lifted up his voice— as one conscious of
crying in th e wilderness— was actually deserted for several
days! Wicked tongues report, him becoming hoarse ; lie
looks ill, they say, hence, perhaps his slackening zeal. A n d ’
yet, if lie loses it altogether— the voice, I mean, not his
zeal— perchance his always scant now absent audiences
may return all the sooner. Indeed ho has more chances,
the ex-pious son of Zoroaster, of attra cting the m ultitude by
placing himself to be stared at, and even listened to as a
speechless cariatid, in all the motionless solemnity of a
stone idol than ever before, when after narrating the to u ­
ching story of his miraculous conversion, he drew a flood
of briny tears from his black eyes and let it t rickle down the
steps prepared for the sweet rippling waters of th e ever
dry fountain. True, his fine baritone was never calculated
to enhance the charm of the Methodist hym n and like a
new O rpheus charm H e athen man and beast. His was not
th e voice to make th e water-buffalo to desist from grazing,
or the buggy-wallali cease plying the persuasive stick. I t
was evidently a neglected organ and the padres might do
worse than insist upon his taking a few lessons in singing—
were it but from the ebony-browed nightingale newly lan­
ded from Am erica— before further compromising their
cause by allowing him to sing the average heathen to
the verge of suicide.
No less inimical than the unregenernte infidels, the
Roman Catholic rivals, and th e unmusical convert, becomes
public opinion as regards the padres. T he tide recedes,
and the milk of kindness hitherto so freely drawn by
them from the full udder of the nursing m other church of
the “ innocents at, home,” is evidently curdling nnd tu rn ­
ing sour. Traditions are current of well-meaning, God­
fearing Christians who, with their minds full of h e a rt­
rending tales about the hardships ahd privations of the
“ poor missionary ” in th e land of the gentiles, nnd their
pockets swelling with religious tracts forced upon them
on board the P. and O. were suddenly brought to a cruel
disenchantm ent. T heir first, and as y e t tottering steps
 ujiou treading th e shores of the land of the sacred cow
and the starving bullock, were crossed by “ ]M)or” mission­
aries driving in fashionable dogcarts, or reclining in elegant
victorias with a red-garbed and skeleton-legged heathen
sain or two hanging on behind, like two large clots ol blood...
T hen came several violent raps upon the “ poor mission­
ary’s" knuckles from earnest correspondents, w riting in
respectable orthodox London papers, besides daily attacks
published by a hundred free-thinking, though not less
respectable daily journals throughout ( 'liristendom as well
as in Heathendom. Ho, for instance, there appeared some
time ago a savage attack upon these inoffensive, and
well meaning men which requires not ice. They were asked
to first tu rn their attention to other and more needy
directions than the lands of the " heathen.” Speaking
of the enormous sums annually spent on foreign mis­
sions, a writer, signing himself I'ilu l, in a letter a d ­
dressed to the II reeklij Times (London, Aug. .’lis t l(S7!l)
is struck with “ the anomaly which continually presents
itself to the most casual observer...W hile the Kaffir, the
H eathen Gliinee, th e mild H indu, the pool- African, and
the Australian aboriginal ” come in, every one of them
for their due share of physical and religious attention,
“ there comes case upon case before public tribunals, show­
ing the lamentable ignorance of the dregs of our own
population”... We (piote the rest of the le tte r:
" In one ivceut instance, ii "ill of fourteen wan questioned 1 iy the
m agistrate iih lo the 1 ’ible, ii book which she declared she liail never
ltefore heard m entioned. She wa.s in an eipial condition of ignorance
as to the words (Iod and ( .'hurcli, which coiiveycd im more meaning
to thin denizen of Loudon Ilian they woultl lo u I lo tte n to t. A few
days lifter, an alm ost exactly sim ilar .slate ol’ m ental darkness wan
displayed before another l ’olice-cniirt. and Je t we are engaged iu
Headin',' cargoes of trai ts to tliu utterm ost |>ai Is of the earth, 't’liis
condition of things is nothing less Ilian a )>111>Iio disgrace to us as a
country. Supjtose we institute some system of hum {■m tj.itutix to remote
the bat t>i out o f our own eye before ice attehijit to erioheate tin’ wot*' " f
lltldilhisni, m id other eipia1!// harmless firm s o f belief. With the
iH issin g of nn Kducntioii Act some people fancy th at such tilings as
have described are impossible ; bu t it will be years before the see­
thing mass of ignoinnce and vice underlying tlio whited sepulchre
of our social system can lie visibly affected by the ettbrts of the State.
The metro|to(is is no startling exception iu these m atters, for the
same unfortunate ignorance is prevalent iu most large cities, ami
some parts of the black country aud the brick-m aking d istricts are
even worse tliun the towns. How long, then, shall we go on subs­
cribing hundreds of thousands of pounds to dissem inate a civilization
wliieli is wanted a t borne I It is nothimj lent than a hypocritiral
fa fee to t/ieiltl money on proselyti'ziii;/ cannibals, when ire hare bro­
ther a m i titter heathen at our w ry iloor.1 . C harity should begin a t
home ; b u t there evidently is not the sam e glory to be Won retelling
nu English waif iu the purlieus of It.itciill-higliway as there is in
converting n stray nigger in the wilds of A frica.”
And now, as the last i i M p d e g r a c e alter this im pertinence
from home, comes in a stern rebuke in a highly respectable
aud strictly orthodox organ. This once it is n e ith e r an
“ infidel pigmy ” like the Theosaphist (the latest epith et
liestowed upon it by a missionary organ, which, though
famous for our great kindness, we m ust abstain from
advertising) nor a second-class paper of London, which
‘goes for ’ the padres, b u t tha t great authoritative organ of
India and, as we are told, true b a ro m c tero f the Indian press,
which— to use a French expression— " makes the rain aud
the sunshine,” and tunes the violins of all minor (tapers— the
Pioneer, iu short. The rebuke, though indirect, and aimed
rather a t the collective body of missions than at the Indian
ill particular, must be very hard to bear. We sympathise
heartily with the padres ; and were not the 1‘iuneer such a
Goliath of the journalistic Gath, perchance the Quixotic
spirit of our suckling David, tliis “ infidel pigmy,” might even
be aroused iu defence of the (Kxir missionary. As it is,
we are obliged to eat the leek and we advise our friendly
and esteemed pndristic contemporaries to do the same.
But what a fuss to be sure, for an infidel Turkish M oolah,
whom the kind padres, trying to save him from eternal
damnation, had brihed into translating the Bible ! And
such an irreverent language too. I reproduce it with the
minute exactness of a sincere sympathiser. Let your readers
judge, verifying our quotation by reference to the 1‘ioAeer
for Jan, 5th 1880. The italics in the ([notation are m ine :
The <|iiarrcl n t C onstantinople lias l>eeu lieah-d somehow or
oilier, and Kngland is spared the ridicule th a t would have attached
to her governm ent if a regular ru p tu re of diplomatic relations luol
been the consequence of the absurd incident of the itrnMalt. As far
us one can understand ih e case yet. S ir Henry L avard’s interference
iu th at m utter was altogether unw arrantable. The people whom he
m ight properly have interfered with, icouht hare Iteen the troublesome
fatuities trho eto/ai/i'd the ),nn‘tlha, in the jirst instance, to help them
in their llihle translation.
O ur relations with Turkov m e f.ir too delicate a t present to be
iui|>erilled by the escapades of foolish htissooiaries. T here is a time
for all things, in id this is not the tim e for Id I ing ignorant eutliu»iiusts
1 triii" tin- good faith of (Jreat l ’ritain into disrepute in the Hast,
by peeking, in an absurd wav at the religious sentim ent of Islam.
Englishmen lire not M ahom cdans ami tliev need not pretend
to think M aliomcdanisni a nice religion ; |,ut it is an essential
condition of success for (treat liritaiu iu the large political
undertakings th a t she has iu hand th a t she should conscientiously
act up to the principles of ]tcrfect toleration .-he professes. It
is repugnant to liritish sen tim en t to int'Tferu \x ith private liberty,
and I I iii h tiiiisiiiiiurics m inder irhere the// m il, brno/int) about soma
hypothetical eonrersions n m l a i/tmd ileal o f itislurbance, None tho
less is it clear th a t m issionary work ought to be under some
intelligent regulation where its indiscretions are liable to com­
promise the peace of Kuropc_ How Sir lle n rv l.aynrd can have
tailed to see th at the treatm ent of the Turkish m<*Alah by the
T urkish (iovernm cnt was a m atter with which he luul absolutely
no ejneern, is as yet a m ystery, lint, at any rati', it is most
im portant for Maliomedan.s all over the world to u nderstand
th a t the liritish ( ioverm ncut is incapable of im porting religious
bigotry into its political action.
The (ten dro|ts from my hand iu horror__ Decidedly
Sir. II. Liyard is here but a tran sparen t pretext, and the
Vioncer editor has become a rank intidel !
.i.v i x i n . w r .\ r i : i t > T s rn.Wh'j:.
<)h th a t mine eyes m ight see the day when men
( )f various races, creeds, complexions, views,
Who live beneath the golden light of.sun
T h at brightly beams upon the land id' lud,
Would congregate in am ity around this best,
Most glorious standard of Ai.i.-BititTHi:itH<i<ui;
•—'Blessed by thee, great Power benign !
To chaos may our party feelings fly,
And with th em take the darkness from our land.
May our ancestral feuds be rooted up;
May love rule in, and peace brood over, Aryan homes;
May fructifying heat, and dews, and the moist wind,
Circling from land to land and o’er the main,
Assist us sons of lud, and Aryavarl enrich ;
Send forth, thou Solar Iving, thy m igic rays
To Picture on the page of History scenes
t )f glorious enterprise, and deeds heroic
Done by generations sprung from Bharat's land.
The W est calls to the Kast, ‘ Up, brothers,
Up, and join us.' Mi m i Kit, awake ; thine hour is come!
A Bengali friend w rites: “ The Swami Dayanund was
iu error when he condemned the T a u t run. He has evi­
dently seen the b in d ' T a n tra and rejected all in disgust.
B ut the T antras alone contain all that has been discovered
regarding the mysteries of our nature. They contain
more than the Veils, Pataujali, S ankhya aud other ancient
works on Yoga philosophy. Iu T a n tra alone there are
hundreds of essays on Yoga, black and white magic, \ ’c.,
i&c. U nfortunately it is writ ten iu Bengali character or 1
would send it for your Library. The I )nanesh wari referred
to in the J a n u a ry num b e r of your magazine is a Tantrie
work.” And this being so, does no one iu Bengal care
enough for tru th and science to semi us Kuglish translations
of the mote valuable portions of this curious work (
 lit T H E T Jl K U S o i ’ l l l S T

j -s g j j s j i g h o st s t o r ie s . ed before her in g re a t radiance and beauty, and the mo­

ther from th a t day became reconciled to her loss.
Iiv •!<in n Y ahkku . Ksi.i., I \ T. S., inc., i-nv. A lthough these are .simple things and scarcely worthy of
A u t h o r " f ‘ N o t e s o n t h e S c i e n t i f i c » o i 'l h’eli^*i«*u« M \> to ric »H o f A n l i « | 1111 v . ’ a place in your monthly, yet the relation thereof by
tru th tlu l people in my childhood formed in after years a
"I’ln; Y o u n g I,July’s S to r y , a I. p a g e JWKU ol’ t h e T h k o s o - little oasis in my desert of unbelief in the supernatural—r
I’ll ls T r e m i n d s m e v e ry m u c h o f a, c i r c u m s t a n c e w h ic h and (heir perm an ent record would be welcome to me now.
o c c u r r e d in m y o w n fa m ilv a b o v e (!() y e a r s ago, a m i w h ich, And as the Simla anecdotes have called up mv recollec­
fa i th f u l ly r e n d e r e d in its s i m p l e fo rm , is ns follows :— tions, so perchance my narrative may in turn evoke family,
My grandfather, to whom the relation is primarily due, tales illustrative of psychological experience.
was a ny th in g hut, a superstitions man ami prior to this
was no believer in spiritual appearances. Originally our Mu m inster. (E ta j.) l k r . IS UK
family were a Iloinan Catholic liranrh of (h a t of tho same
nam e at Leyburn, Wensby, N. II. V’orkshire, anil were in
point of fact a disinherited elder liraneh ; Iteeoming pro- |< 'uitlimic.1 from ihc Docuni^ur Xunihii-.]
tostnnts about th e year 170(1, from which period they pro­ EAST M A T K ill A M E D IC A . ■
bably atte n d e d ('hiircli about tlu ice in the course of a long
life— at baptism, marriage, ami death, they were therefore, Iiv l ’ANi>ui!AN<; (Jui'AI,, (i.G.M.O., F .T .S .
not, very likely to he spiritually superstitious, and in my
flefore taking up the classification of drug remedies as
family such matters as spiritual appearances were always
arranged by Sushruta, it is desirable to furnish our readers*
treated with contempt.
with n clear notion of the tm n ln v lo g // of which he seems
I have not the date at which t he occurrence which I to have been the first originator in Aryan Medicine. '
am relating, took place, blit it was a time when th e E n g ­ This terminology is entirely based 011 th e assumption
lish were expecting the invasion of the G reat Napoleon. th a t disease is n o th in g more or less than either a vitiation
In the (iovernm ent conscription my grandfath er was or corruption ot a te rna ry *>r triple force (triiloxha) which
drawn a.s a soldier, and was obliged eith er to serve himself pervades the fluids of th e body and influences th e ir
or provide a substitute. Accordingly he journeyed to the circulation, absorption or secretion, und er external
neighbouring town of TVnrith, ( 'miiherlaud, where be met conditions of b e at or cold, changes of weather, dif-
with and purchased a recruit in his own place. About twelve erenccs of food ; or th e inordinate exercise of natural
o’clock at night he was return in g through Low ther l ’ark, appetites and feelings. This corruption niay be exhibited
which is considered one of the finest old parks in the world, e ither by an exaltation or diminution and depression of
when he observed at his side a lady in an a ntiq ua te d cos­ one, two, or all of those manifestations which are included
tume, which lie described as a sort, of sugar-loaf hat, and under the terms vata (a,ir), p itta (bile or heat-producing
trailing dress of silk, the rustle of which he actually heard agent,) or kapha (the cold-producing agent), and a combi-
beside him. The lady resembled a middle-aged neig h­ tion of t w o ol thesis m ay determ ine changes in the fluids
bour, and his astonishm ent was groat at, beholding her a t or solids of the bod}' in proportion to the latent action of
th a t time of the nig h t in .such an a n tiqu a te d costume. tangible forces 01 th e imperceptible operation of con­
She passed on and disappeared, dissolving before his eyes ditions in the in te r n a 1 structures the body Vata, for
a.s he was saluting her with the rem ark— " I t ix a ii n<- instance, which is the most active manifestation m a y by i t ­
ii it/h t,. Misx S la t.” self cause incroaseilaetion, increased sensibility am ounting to
My grandfather was so frightened upon beholding this pain, and even swelling bv distension of the invaded vessels
that, being in a state of complete bew ilderment he h u r ­ 01 tubes, lin t when it acts in concert with p itta or h in t
ried home, and went tolled leaving the door unlocked. Af­ produces a sensation of internal heat, or the feeling of
te r relating the occurrence to his wile he remembered th a t burning, redness which may be visible externally, and a cor­
he had left tin; door unfastened, but neither of them ruption of blood contained in the affected parts with a
were valiant enough to remedy the oversight tendency to resolve into pus and similarly putrid and irri­
My father usually added that probably tin* relator had tating fluids. It will then give rise to abscesses in­
had a few glasses a t th e Penrith Inn when lie sought his ternal or external, or it not excessive, become tem pered
re cru it; b u t my grandfather was a very abstemious man. and modified iut-o th e harder material of tumours and
and totally devoid of what is usually called superstition. thickenings, by its combination with th e colder m anifesta­
My father himself had a boon companion who never dared tion or fluid, called ka p h a .
pass a particular gate. H e was always perfectly comforta­ T hese terms, used by S u sh ru ta to denote the internal
ble until he arrived a t certain field-gate when he became changes going on in th e circulating m aterials of th e body,
struck with t e n o r a t certain appearances and would say : were very widely applied, anil appear to have been used
" They are there, see, see !” and it was with the greatest d if ­ to designate the processes of diseased action from a care­
ficulty lie could be got [iast the stile. Perhaps th e spot ful observation ol the progress of disease or of u nh ealth y
may have been the scene of some c r im e ; b u t this story symptoms in a num erous selection of individuals placed
lias a more near affinity to delirium. under similar conditions. A n d though thoy cannot now be 1
revived for any purpose whatever, tlioii significance is as
My grandm o th erhadalso an anecdote in regard to a d a u g h ­ tixed and accurate as it could he before the dissection of
te r whom they lost a t 14 years of age. She was for a long bodies was largely practised and followed as th e ne p h is
tim e overwhelmed with grief, until, upon one occasion ultra of the profession of a physician.
whilst she lay abed fretting anil perfectly awake, her T he terminology itself, has no recomm endation to the
da u g h te r appeared to her, laid a cold hand upon h e r brow, student of the medicine a t the present day, for it can never
aniLsaid “ Do not grieve for me, mother, as I am very h a p p y ;” helji the u nderstanding of those other p henom ena of life,
and so struck was she with the reality of the vision th a t
which are ascertained and proved as e ith er the proxim ate or
she never renewed h e r lamentations.
ultim ate eflects of causes interposed by accident, or the
In the village where I resided when a boy there w;us one intended operation of artificial tutininli brought to bear on
old Wcslyan woman who used to make a similar .statement. them, as a means of experim ent or of questioning their
Slus was considered very truthful and invariably related v a ltire . Anil where we can accept as proved the latent
h er tale iu the same way. She too hail lost a d a u g h te r properties of organised m a tte r under the influence of a r ti­
and grieved much for her. On one particular occasion ficial irritation or of tb e partial application of those forces
she fell upon her knees in tho middle of the floor and which we can intercept from nature, we mat/ not be dispos­
earnestly prayed th a t the Lord, if it were possible, would ed to take for granted a grosser interpretation of those
allow her once again to behold her darling child. W hile properties, however consonant they may be to the first or •
ju the miijst of her prayer, her d a u g h te r suddenly ap p e ar­ primitive ideas of th e ir application in practice, i
 Wo, therefore, must be prepared to note simply the
record of © uc n u iu e observations which were, in accord
# with
nature and th e n te s t them by our own observations of the
present day. W e have no doubt we .shall m eet with much
th a t will m erit or command our acceptance and there; will
be little which cannot be explained away as errors or de­
fects of generalization which all early experience in the
study of n a tu re lias been known to be fraught with.
S u s h ru ta ’s terminology has a constant relation to fixed
ideas of the properties of medicinal substances, and as it is
important, in the interest of science t h a t his descriptions
m ust be tested by experience, we shall a tte m p t to in te r ­
pret them in the language of modern pathology and
therapeutics.
Sush ru ta in his definition of m a tte r or of th e u l­
timate properties of m a tte r a vein th a t m a tte r being th e
matrix of organic nature, tbe properties of juices residing
in the vegetable kingdom are th e result of certain traits-
• i •
formations which they undergo during the process of or­
ganic development. They are therefore unstable and readi­
ly prone to organic changes.
Bu t there is one fixed law wbieli determ ines and rules
over these transformations. It is this ; that all the forms of
vitalised m utter are c o n sta n t; they never exchange their
typical form, the heavier elements forming the solids being
never subject to transformation into aqueous fluids and
vice rn -M i.*
Organized m a tte r as S u shruta taught, is tbe receptacle
and generator of vegetable juices, and is the only m ed i­
um through which vegetable juices or those q u in te s ­
sences of force which a c to n th e different parts of the human
economy operate. Sushruta, therefore, enjoined a special
direction to the s tu d e n t to pay strict regard to the fact
tha t substances derived from the various parts of living or
fresh vegetables cannot bo exactly replaced in their action
or potency by the juices or ingredients forming such m a t­
ter. This, to a great extent, is absolutely true and the
difference lies iu those changes occurring in th e physio­
logical functions of vegetables which are, a.s we have now
come to understand, determined by the same conditions of
light, heat, electricity or oth er unknown forces which
determine the growth and progress of animal beings on
earth.
In the experience-of Sushruta, one species of a vegeta­
ble cannot be replaced by another, effectually and with the
sumo result. Combination of one with another, may
augm ent action, but it cannot produce identity of action
under any circumstances whatsoever, and he, therefore,
restricts tho application of the term “ iiinliciniil matter or
the Materia Mediea to those substances only which combine
in their form, sensible properties anil tangible effects on
the hum an system for good or for bad.
These arc clear, indisputable truths, which remain u n ­
shaken to the present day.
Su sh ru ta 's classification of medicinal agents derived
from vegetable n ature has a specific significance and ac­
cords with the more elaborate and precise experience of
the present day. H is explanations of the properties of
these substances m ay not be generally accepted, for they
are so difficult to reconcile with our new conceptions of
their remote effects as tested by the frequency of pulfo,
respiration, heat and the q u a n tity and quality of excre­
tions, th a t their mode or modes of operation on th e vari­
ous internal organs of the body or th e aggregate result
of their active constituents on the hum an economy may
well remain an o[)en question for scientific inquiry an d of
clinical experience.
Organised m atter, as all students of modern chemical
science are aware, evinces in its fresh state, or as the
various structural parts of vegetables evince after th e ir
severance from their p arent stem, a gre a te r energy of ac­
tion under all circumstances than when it is exposed to
the devitalising and decomposing influence of air and
moisture (which Leibig termed ervuuim usia) or when it
• This, liuwuror, is iui urror which la vlui.rly ilisjuovud 1•) tliu rcecarchui
y l Iu w U t i i nvicucv,
is subjected to tb e artificial agency aud opcrat ions of heat,
communitiou or precipitation even under the precise an»l
skilled manipulations ot the analytical chemist, anil though
our a tte m p ts to separate the constituents may each give us
renewed evidence of the actions of each individual consti­
tu e n t in ap parently different, forms, their combination may
to a large exlent represent the effects which are noticed,
by flu: unaided senses, when exhibited in man. O ur
experience n| I he ett'cts of active principles in drugs
has not yet furnished us with evidence of an id e ntity
ol action between tlieii principles and secondary cons­
tituents and the aggregate effects produced e ith er bv
Iresli juices or by the constituent principles dissolved
by water and other menstrua, and we can therefore affirm
th a t drugs used by themselves musl exert an action p e ­
culiar in itself and differing practically from the actions
of artificially separated constituents which are highly use ­
ful in •their own way.
The cause of this difference, it may be observed, is not
far lo seek. If. is deduced from the results of experim en­
tal physiology, and may be; considered to reside or rest
in the organic or vital (call it, molecular, if yon choose)
combination of the active principle or principles with
other less valuable constituents in a drug and is expressed
by the affinity which each of them is known to exert for
a given component tissue or organ of the animal frame.
One may act energetically on a soft tissue in such a
manner as instantly to create a chemical change ; an other
may simply mechanically irritate the muscular fibre and
produce a gentle wave, a.s subtle as electricity itself, in
its contractility, which will fade away with the applica­
tion. A third may shock or convulse a nerve-tibre and
make itself felt a t the very centres of the sym pathetic
system causing a. temporary paralysis ol local circula­
tion, to lie followed by reaction and return to its static
condition; whereas a fourth may become gently absorbed
en iihixsc thi'ough the circulation and select for stimulation
or depression the trophic (nutrition-carrying) nerves or
the unstripped muscular tibre of distant organs, thus influ­
encing their absorption or th e ir secretions, and finally te n d ­
ing to obstruct th e ir secretions or relieve them more
quickly than the ordinary n a tu re and course of th e ir spe­
cial functions Would require.
T he potency and kind of action of each drug, therefore,
will depend, a.s may be seen in a larger measure than is
ordinarily imagined, on the media in which th e active
principles or the secondary compounds of th a t drug may
be combined with each other, and will also vary in q u a n ­
tity as well as quality on the seat and stale of combination in
which they may b e ” found .it certain stages of vegetable
growth and perfection. These conditions, again, m a y b e
modified by the soil, a ltitu de and climate, tem perature and
light of certain regions of the earth where plants will
naturally grow, and until these are studied, and the com ­
binations in which they are found in nature more success­
fully im itated in pharmacy, our knowledge of drugs as
derived from the conflicting observations of individuals
viewing each from a different standpoint a.s regards their
properties, must remain lamentably deficient and confused.
On these above grounds, therefore, we clearly perceive
the absolute necessity of a ttach in g greater value to this
study of Iresli drugs aud their trial iu controlling di­
sease as pointed out by Sushruta, and wo may confidently
look to new provings guided by S u s h ru ta ’s descriptions of
their nature, so tar as Indian drugs are concerned, for Va­
luable aid in our therapeutics of disease.
S ushruta divided all vegetable drugs into two largo
classes ol remedies, iu view and recognition of th e ir u lti­
mate effects oij tin; h u m a n economy during the progress
of disease, aud these be terms Sait.^/ioil/iaii/n/a
or those which evacuate morbid humours, and Sau</ioina-
iiriyu or those which regulate or moderate tho
excessive action of morbid humours.
This classification is based on the assumption th a t d i­
sease consists iu nothing more or less than either an increusi;
or dim inution of certain liquids of the body, occasioned by Chhagala. ^TCWf, ?TftW.Jloureia Santaloides.
changes in llw outer media of animal existence such, for /T>vjrff \ ( Euphorbiii arboresceus
instance, as air, food, and llio snli(,ler lornis of .stimuli, e. g., J resnooka. R ^ g 1! (tcf-mf.) j y I
light, heat and electricity which sustain tlio functions ami
structu re of bodily organs in a normal statu of health and Suvarnak.shoerec§^a|i?W . J ’ola.nasin, felina.
vigor. S ushruta lived in a time wlion the elem ents of tlio Pooga. g ’-frcl. A.reea Catechu.
earth were not apparently studied lieyond (Iieirsensible influ­ I lareetakeo. Ternunalia chelmli.
ence on human existence, and whatever phenom ena struck Amalaka. 39(7%. I’hyllaiithus eniblica.
him and his contemporaries witli wonder anil awe were a t t r i ­
Vibhcotakce. Termiiialia belleriea.
buted to the operation ol inscrutable Ibices which were
personified and held to em anate from a higher, creative C h a t u r a n g a l or^ ( f r f s ^ ' f i | I j ' o u u e a cerulea.
force which was assumed to exercise functions similar to Laghu nilee. j 4). 1 (Clitoria ternata).
man but in a more transcendent form. He and his con­
temporaries, including Charaka who gives us more p rac­ Aragvadhii . ( 'at harfocarpus fistula.
tical descriptions of the properties ol vegetables, had not Riciiius Communis.
Erumla.
apparently studied the minute changes of .structure which
are caused by disease ami rev wiled alter death, and having Pooteeka. Pongamia glabra.
assumed I,hat the human body wa.s a. microcosm ol all the Saptacchada | ( S eeds and ju ic e of Alsloliia
H frfK
forces exhibited by nalure, fell, perhaps little necessity to or Saplaparna, | | Scholaris.
impiire into (lie more proximate nalure of those forces Ark a. Calolropis gigantea.
which govern the mechanism of the body.
Sushrutn has shown in bis treatise on the Materia Jotishm atee. { } (:,'laslnlH l'tt'iwi'liita.
Medicn of India a most extensive acquaintance with the
properties nf a wide range of vegetables, a n d ill reference
(o the two la r g e classes of therapeutic remedies, has d i­
vided them into two large groups, in one of which he spe­
cifies flic parts used, and in the other gives a catalogue of T i l l - : B A R O S <!n J ' V T K T , I b ; ,. F . T. S.
groups which influence each so-called hum our in prefer­ Bv II. S. f ) t.o n r.
ence to t heir action on others.
We shall lake up in this num ber and consider the first President of tlio Society.
class only, specifying the parts used in the tr e a tm e n t of
At, the foundation uf the Theosophical Society its m em ­
disease.
bership was divided into the three classes of Active,
They were all supposed to be evaciiants of bile, b u t
Corresponding and Honorary Follows. The diploma of
some of them act indirectly on increasing the sweat or
Honorary Fellow, was to be conferred only upon such persons
perspiration also. They are as follows:—
as had contributed iu an em in ent degree to the advance­
JOVAUUANTS OK B IL K A N D M U C U S. m ent of Psychological science. Since th a t rule wa.s itdop-
tod this diploma has been voted b ut twice— once to a
certain mystic of W estern birth b u t long Eastern associa­
tion, whoso name it is not, permissible to divulge but
/■ m il* . whose occult knowledge and personal characteristics can
... . only he compared with those of th a t marvel of th e 18tli
fStfUtWtfliK, Century, th e C oun t do St. (lermain, and now upon an
M.nl.iihi Jrs;, Randia diimetorum. illustrious F re n c h m a n — the Baron Jules Denis du Potet.
h llh ljll. 'Wrightin antidysonterieu. Iu accepting from us this mark of homage Baron du
1 >o Potet confers distinction upon th e Theosophical Society.
Jri'llllin llll't ( 'iicnmis ( 'olocynthis.
The expression of his sym pathy iu our work and approval
H-s/m inil-iH ) sjq p T T T S ir. I.agenaria Vulgaris. of our designs, when couched in such terms as ho employs
Dlfihwnjnnt ■3TRITI, Ac 11ry a n 111es A s pe l a. in the letter to th e Society's Corresponding Secretary,
KnitcM 'ina undeterm ined gives a definite value to the diploma of every Active aud
Sirissa (Mimosa). Corresponding fellow. For. foremost among the great W e s­
S'lislm /i'i rsrnT.
tern psychologists of this century stands this Apostle of
i"rt I il/llllllu Kmbclia ribes.
Magnetic Science. He, more than any o ther E uropean
m sr. I’iper longiim. experim entalist has sounded the depths of hum an nature,
htinm jii Pongamia
O ( Habra. and made easy the comprehension of t he secret thoug ht of
Sitl</niiij"ii | the Indian sages. For the mysteries of man and of nature
s r w i. Morvnga I’terygosperma. can only lie.1 soon, studied and understood, by the deve­
(i/' Shit/reii, j
loped faculties of th e soul ; and Mesmerism, or Animal
Jiiiri’s o f ft'nilx "//(/ irtires ( succus and loli.) Magnetism, is the science of tha t part of us which we
W estern people clumsily call the Soul. In atte m p tin g
Koshalakeo. ^iFrsl. I .uffa A mai n. to teach our young Indian members the m eaning of I n ­
Saptala. f ^ T ir. M imosa ( 'occima. dian philosophers,'wo have begun by showing theoretically
Sirissa Mimosa. and experim entally what. Magnetism is. A nd the Baron
Shankhini ijtcW.
du Potet has done more than any living man of tiie past
I )evadali. ( !) (,'ucumis ('olocynthis.
century to show w h a t are the possibilities of h u m a n m a g ­
Kara val lee. Momordica Charautii. netism. T he scientific world has honored him in degree,
JJingu or Bal- though far less th an his deserts, while still alive: after
Iiika ( I n ‘in I .Kerula (wsafb/fida. his death, m onum ents will be raised lo him which will
ST.
Balkli in Af- i bear fin’ lardy eulogiuius wit,held unlil then through
ghanistan.) J envy or moral cowardice. So is it always, and Saintiiio
expressed a. real tru th when In.: wrote, 'T h e penalty of
i'tilji im'l I’.'-cd <><()•' o f ncnls or I’nnl.''. greatness is isolation.’
Dauli. ^5TTf55. Urostignm Volubile.
* This (ilnnt wjifj imt h ith erto Monlifioil. nii't i » e i I D r . Oorlya Chutulu,
Dravnfili. $C. E upho rbia tirucalli. inti' the w riter (in tlii.^ article iu W min^'* hnlinu I’lmrmaeopicia seem to
liu rcrlnin nil this (nuut. T he p la n t U how ever mimed «imi!nrly both in
Vishanika. th e Snnskrit aud in tho m odem Latinised nnmo a fte r th e charncter of it«
Uaviikshi. ^f'7T55. Ci trull us Colocynthis. flowers.
 O ur new colleague, who recently celebrated his eighty-
fourth birthilny, has been practising th e ra p e u tic magnetism
fur about sixty years, uml during this tim e lias healed
more sick persons anil achieved m o r e marvellous cures, than
perhaps any physician of our days. 11 is benevolent spirit
has made him devote bis noble powers to this object ra th e r
than figure as a mere wonder-worker, although in this res­
pect lie stands w ithout a peer. Those who would satisfy
their curiosity upon this point an d who can read ii'unch,
should consult an Svo. work of his, published in 1821 at
Paris, entitled ‘ Fxpose des experiences pnbliques sur le
Magnetism, faites a 1’ Hotel-1 )ieu en .1820.’ It may be
found in any liuropcan public library.
Baron dn Potet is deseeinle.il from the D ukes of B u r­
gundy, ( h a t is to say, from one ot the greatest and most illus­
trious families of France ; bu t his own eminence as a man
of science, and especially ns a benefactor of suffering hu -.
inanity, confers n lustre upon his nam e which no quartered
shield or family escutcheon can add to. May he koo yet.
many more natal days dawn upon him, belorc he pays that
tribute to d eath which is exacted from us all at our a p ­
pointed times. T he age can b e tte r spare m any a younger
man. _ and Hassan was brought to my house, direct from the asv-
Following, is a translation of the te x t of his le tte r ac­
cepting the diploma of our society:
I’i.At'K i n * P l a t a n k s ,
M a i s o x dk s B a i n s ,
N ice (J l/ie s M n riti mes),
t Jth hecem hcr iS'J f).
M ad a m i:,
It is with extrem e gratification that I have learnt, of
the existence of your Society.
To seek after the tru th in th a t cradle-land where it was
once honoured, to cultivate it. for the happiness of all, to
bring out in full splendour this ray of th e divine power,—
this is to labor for hum anity, and to remind the, world that,
a divine Power exists, and th a t m an possesses iu himself
a ray of this Power by means of which lie can re m ount to
the very source. Some day all men, by perfecting th e ir inner
selves, will become seers. •
Thanks, an hundredfold, for the honour which your
Society has done me. I accept, with a great, joy the diplo­
ma of Honorary Fellow of the Theosophical .Society.
Receive me then as one, closely identified with your
labors, and rest assured that, th e rem ainder of my life
will be consecrated to the researches that, your great.
Indian sages have opened out for us.
Accept, dear Madame, the record ot m y pledges and
my hopes.
(Sd.) BA RON du POTKT,
H A ,sW/l AT A 7 /.liY ‘ Ih J fX N I."
There died, some th ree or four years ago, in a jail in the
N. \V. P. a man whose performances as a juggler, or, as
some claim, a sorcerer, must, have outdone all th a t is ascribed
to our modern spiritualistic mediums. He was a M oham ­
medan by faith, ami or warrior by social rank ;
about HO or 3-) years of age, thin, dark complexion, m ode­
rately stout, and of medium stature. F ro m an older man
of his faith he had a t some time learnt, o r i s supposed to
have learnt, the secret of power over th e dj'cu ii i, or ele­
mental spirits or goblins, as Aladdin, of romantic memory,
did before him. A t many different places in th e presence
of m any witnesses, his wonders were performed. H e re­
quired neither darkness, nor ‘ cabinets,’ nor the singing of
hymns. H e would go to any stranger’s house, and do his
feats in broad daylig ht; without apparatus or confederates.
A t a recent conference a t Allahabad between Col. Olcott.
and certain learned natives, this m an was the subject ot
conversation and the following facts were elicited :
S ta tem en t o f S r i A iu jm lra m S h a s h i o f lto h tlc u n d .
J im*t Hassnn K han at A lighur some 8 years ago.
was a man of depraved habits, a drunkard and debauchee,
and a t (lie tim e of my m eeting him he was living with
some nautch girls. The performances J witnessed were a t
th e private house of Rajah Ja i Kishendass, C.S.I., now
D e p u ty Collector a t Cawnporc. It was iu day light.
A m ong other feats, I rem em ber th a t lie ordered a third
party, a gentlem an and not nn acquaintance of his, to
collect from several persons present their finger rings,
he h im s e lf not touchii)f/ them. Three were given. Tho
gentlem an was then instructed to throw' them into the
house-well. H e did so. Hassan then walked to an orange
tree, plucked a large fruit, and calling fora, knife, cut. it.
open, and from th e inside took out the throe rings, which
until th at m om ent had not been in his hands.
S ta tem en t q/ Jiiibu G u'lthacihil, A.<xtsl<tlit S a p criiiten ilo it
o f Police, j\r. ir. P .
This same experiment. I saw performed at my own house
at Bareilly. Hassan was then confined in the. lunatic asylum
b u t the ]iower was app arently not impaired. 1 obtained
permission from th e medical officer iu charge of flu- asylum,
him , by the chuprassios or keepers who watched him. It,
was perhaps 2 o’clock i*. M., aud I bad gathered a n u m b e r
of friends to witnesst.be performance. N othing specially
strange could lie noticed in his face, nor did he make any
ceremonies, but when we told him w e were ready for him
begin, be crossed th e ‘ b all’* and standing o n the threshold
of a side room, raised his hands backwards above his head
so as to conceal them temporarily from mir view, and the
next, m inute bringing them down again, .showed us a large
pomolo.f In the same wav he produced a num ber of
other fruits, some, as I remember, out of season, and some
from a distance, as, for instance,grapes that grow in (a lnil.
H e then in like m anner produced for us toys for the children,
and last of all did the teat with the rings. In this instance
he himself collected the rings, but when we expressed some
apprehension lest our property should go lo I’atal, or the
Christian hell, he laughingly told me. to take them into my
own hand and throw them into my well. I looked wist­
fully at my own costly ring w hich was among the number,
but. finally concluded to see the thing through at all hazards.
So I went. out. to the well and east the jewels in a i u l saw
them sink in the water. Coming hack into ilie hall, I r e ­
ported to Hassan what. 1 had done. Thereupon be again
placed himself iu th e doorway, raised his hands a.s before,
m u tte rin g his charm or m en trnm — which 1 om itted m e n ­
tioning before—and iu an instant held out for our inspect ion
an orange. 11, was cut open, an d— there were our rings
packed snugly inside and quite uninjured,
X t t / I O A S T K I A X / S M A. V/ t T U E n s < > P t l V.
B v KiiAitsKD.ii N. S kkuvai ,
l!i:.’nntiii;,' Sm 'i'ctai-}1 ' l ' l . c o s o j S m i u t j ' [lu isl.'n i JVivi.--ii.ii.]
J u s t as th e oldest religious teachings of the H ind us
nre contained in th e Vedas, so the most, ancient reli­
gious teachings of th e Zoroastrians am embodied in the
Zend Avasta or, m ore properly, those portions of tho
A vasta which are distinguished as the Giitlms. These
portions are ascribed directly to Zarat.hustra o r Zoroaster,
as the 0 reeks called him, while the o i l i e r parts o f the
Avasta were the writings of his disciples and followers.
“ T he relationship” says Dr. M artin I l a u g “ of th e Avasta
language to the m ost ancient Sanskrit, th e so called
Yedic dialect, is as close as th a t of the different, dialects
of th e G reek language (./Folic, Ionic, Doric, or Attic) to
each other. The languages of the sacred hymns o f the
Brahmans, and of those of the Pars is, are only th e two
dialects of the two separate tribes of one and the same
* Tho ‘ hull’ is the laiy e cen tral ap artm en t in <MorvlVi>t linn-o
iu which tho fam ily life is Small rooms t(iw into it from tho
He i A fruit as Inrjrc as fi l«rgc musk-tnt-hm.
nation. As th e lonians, D onnas, .•'Kolia.ns, &«., writ'
different tribes of the Greek nation, whoso general annie
was Hftllenes, so tlio a.ncient B rahm ans and Parsis were
two tribes of the nation which is called Ari/u* both in th e
Veda, and Zend Avnsia.
T h e close relationship thus seen in language and n a­
tionality also existed in respect of religious truths. P u re
Yndeism an d pure Zoroastrianism are. one. Zoroastrianism
sprang up a.s a reformatory revolution against Ihe corrup­
tions and superstitions which had obscured Ihe primitive
Vedic tru th s, anil which stood in the place of th e pure old
religion to serve the purposes of priestcraft, and despotism.
Zoroaster did in th e lar olf antiipiil v what the great, and
saitly Builha did afler him, ;md what I he heroic. Swami
Davanand Saraswati does in our own times. Zoroaster was
called “ th e famous in Airyana Vaeju,” /. <•. “ tho famous
in the Aryan home.” Exiles from the old Aryan home,
ignorant of the old Aryan wisdom, forgetful of Ihe closest
relationship, these two branches in course of ages grew
more and more separated and estranged from one another.
The comparative study of languages and of religions has
had to a certain extent, the effect of bringing Ihem to­
gether. B u t it is necessary to dive deeper. To the in ­
vestigation and expounding of tho h idden and occult
t ruths which assuredly are treasured in I lie sacred writings
of the H ind us and the Parsis, is left Ihe lot of unitin g into
perm anent religious concord, the p resent direct descendants
of the oldest human fam ily; and this ureal work I lie
Theosophical Society has prescribed to itself, and lo a very
good e xte nt already accomplished.
T he European nations first became acquainted with Ihe
contents ot the Zoroaslriau Scriptures through Ihe French
translation of Ampietil Duperron. S ir William Jon es could
n o t persuade himself to believe th a t Ihe w ritings as re­
presented by th e French translation could belong lo “ the
celebrated Z oroaster.’ K ant was disappointed to find
th ere was no philosophy traceable in these writings. And
ye t the most learned of the a ncient G reeks and the Romans'
held Zoroaster, and his teachings in the highest veneration.
Zoroaster as spoken ot by them appears as a. demi-god,
most profound in learning,— the b rig h t star’ am ong men,
one to whom n a tu re had revealed all her secrets, master
of the deepest mystic lore, th e head of the Magi— the areal
magicians. “ T he great lame,” -ays Dr. H ang, “ which
Zoroaster enjoyed, even with llie a n c ie n t Greeks and Ho­
m ans who U'CfC sr> p r o ilil o f tjir lr m i il h n v v i l l f / m i l l 1 I'ix-
rhni), is a sufficient proot oi the high and pre-em inent posi­
tion he m u s t once have occupied in the histoiy of the
progress of th e h um an m ind .”- 'flic translation o f A n -
ipietil D u perron was, however, imperfect, and inaccurate.
W e are now iu possession of translations by Bnniiuf,
Speigel, and H ang, which nre pronounced to be suffi­
ciently accurate anti scientific. B u t ev< n in tin sc we can
hardly find thin gs which could have desei veil the high pa n e ­
gyrics bestowed by th e Greek and liomnn pliiloroplir is.
W h a t inference then do these l a d s n igg cst ? E ith e r th a t
m en like Pythagoras. Plato, Aristotle, Hcimippoe, Plutarch
and Pliny, who lived n earer th e tim e of Zoroaster than
ourselves, and who studied and wrote so n m ih about the
Zoroastrinn w ritings w h in Ihof-e writings were nlmcst
wholly preserved and well understood in Peisia, fo m u d a.
wrong e stim a te of Zoroaster and Zoroastrinn writings, or
th a t the m e a n in g we a t present m ake of these writings is
n o t correct. I h e la tte r seems to be the more reasonable
conclusion.
I t is said of P la to ’s writings th a t th e re arc m an y parts the
real m ean in g of which is different, from what appears to be.
In the Academi he taught, th e mysteries th e knowledge of
which could only be im parted to the initiates. W hen he
had to write about these mysteries lit* wrote so as to con­
vey to t he vulgar a, different, and often absurd meaning, the
real m e a n i n g b e i n g intelligible only to th e initiates who
possessed the key to th e reading. T he Egyptian H iero­
phants hid their mysteries u n d e r I he hieroglyphics. The
Kosicrucian.s and oilier mystic phili (Hophcrs of the middle
ages adopted similar device to keep away from the vulgar
and the undeserving the great, occult and mystic truths of
which th e y were the masters. May not the same, be the
case with regard to the Zoroastrian writings ?
T he following passage from Dr. H a n g ’s learned essays
is highly suggestive on this p o i n t :
“ Zoroaster exhorts his party to respect and revere tho
AiVra, i. c., the Angiras of th e Vedic hymns, who form­
ed one of the most ancient and celebrated priestly families
of the ancient, Aryans, and who seem to have been more
closely connected with the aate-Zoroastrian form of the
Parsi religion than any other of the later Brahmanienl fam i­
lies. These Angiras are often mentioned together with
the A tharvans or lire-priests (which word, in the form
iithra.va, is the general name given to the priest cast6 in
the Zend-Avesta), and both are regarded in the Vedic
lite ra tu re as the authors of the Atharvnveda which is
called the Veda, of th e Atharvangiras, or the Atharvana,
or Angirasa Veda, I. i\, the Veda of the A tharvans or A ngi­
ras. This work was for a. long time not acknowledged as
a proper Veda, by the Brahmans, because its contents,
which consist chiefly of spoils, charms, curses, m an tra s for
killing enemies, ttc., were mostly foreign to the three other
Vedas, which alone were originally required for sacrifices.
On com paring its contents with some passages in the
Y ashts and Vendidad, we discover a great, similarity.
Although a close connection between the ftntc-Zoronstria.11
and the A tharv ana and Angirasa religion can hardly be
doubted, yet, this relationship refers only to tin' Miti/iml
purl, ifh'irli it'tix M ! i‘i'i'<l I"/ thr unrii-iil <!n ’ck* lo In' the rrrif
*iil>shtiiri‘ iniil m il mu* oj Iin’ A o i‘oo.<l vm u I'rlii/ion. t
And a. closer view of the rites and ceremonies of the
Zoroastrinn religion, c. </. the Afringan and more especi­
ally the Ijashnc ceremonies, go to confirm th a t what the
ancient. Greeks believed was the truth. It is not possible
within the space of the present, article to describe in
detail these ceremonies. A full account of them is given
in Dr. H a n g ’s Kssays, pages 304 et. seq. Unless these
ceremonies can be accounted for as being for some spiritual
or occult purpose, th e ir performance seems to be quite a
farce. We know on the a u th o rity of the author of the
‘ Dabist.an ’ t h a t A kb ar the Great, the celebrated Mogal
E m pero r of India, was a great, enquirer of religious truths.
H e had assembled in his court the learned men of all the
different faiths,— Mahomedans of all sects, Hindus, Jews,
Christ inns, and Zoroastrians. T h e re were frequent public
discussions between these doctors, each striving to up-hold
th e superiority of his own faith. And as the result of all
these discussions and researches, he formed a new religious
sect, called Ilahi, introduced a new era. called llahi, and,
says A nthon y Trover in his synopsis of th e Dabistan, “ the
months were regulated according to th e mode ol Iran, and
fourteen festivals established in concordance with those of
Zoroaster’s religion. I t was to this ancient Persian creed,
th a t he gave th e preference, having been instructed in its
sacred te n e ts and practices by a. learned fire-worshiper
who had joined him, and from books which were sent to
him . from Persia and Kirman. l i e received th e sacred
fire, and com m itted it to the faithful hands of Abulfazil,
his confidential m inister : th e holy flames of Zardusht
blazed again upon th e alters of A n n , and after a sepa­
ration of m any centuries, Persians and Indians were
reunited in a common worship.’’
Is it. possible t h a t a sovereign so wise, and one who had
tak en such pains to inform himself carefully of the merits
of the different faiths, and who had before him each faith
mercilessly criticised and analysed by its opponents, could
have given his preference to the Zoroastrian religion, if its
rites and ceremonies were a farce, or a t best were u nin­
telligible, and if its writings lia-1 no more m eaning than
we at, present understand,— m eaning th a t the merest,
sehool-boy can now-a-days well afford to sneer at, ? No ;
Zoroastrian religion in a mystery. How shall the vail be
lifted up to show us w h a t is behind ? W e believed not
in mysteries, we believed not in occult and spiritual
potencies. T he era of this disbelief is past,. T h a t m a r­
vellous work of this century, ‘ Isis Unvailed,’ establishes
beyond a doubt for every unbiased and unprejudiced
th in k e r th a t there is u universe with vast powers beyond
w hat we know as the physical. T ru th s regarding this
universe and powers, as men in different times and plaices
come to know, they locked up iu mysteries, in o rder to
save them from falling' into the hands of the im pure and
the selfish. Happily what these mysteries guard is not
yet lost to the knowledge of men. Those tru th s are known
to some m ighty few, the great initiates and adep ts in
India and elsewhere. T h e Theosophical studies have for
their aim and object th e acquisition of these truths, and
the special interest tha t a Zoroastrian has in these studies
aud investigations is th a t they will throw light upon th e
mystery which enshrouds his own glorious faith, and reveal
the teachings © of the ogreat, Bactriau sageo in th e ir true
essence.
As an instance illustrating in some small way w hat is
thus possible, we may ipiote the following verse from
g a th a Ustavaiti :
*■‘ 12. And when Thou earnest to instruct me, and
tau gh test me righteousness; then Thou gavest me T hy
command not to app e a r without having received a reve­
lation, before the angel Sraosha, endowed with the *«/>-
lime rii/liteiillxnesx lehirli mm/ im /m rt i/mir rii/litniils thim/K
to tin■ hni / ‘r iilimi iriMiilx (by means of which the holiest
fire, the source of all good things in th e creation, is pro­
duced) for the benefit (of all •things), shall have come to me.”
Like almost all the passages in the Gatlias this pas­
sage is very unintelligible, and tho portion in italics is
especially so. Zoroaster seems to say th a t he was for­
bidden to app ear on his mission in the public till he
had received inspiration and was visited by Sm ash whose
sublime righteous was to im part righteous things “ to
the two friction woods.” As Dr. H a n g explains by th e
parenthetical clause which he interposes in this verse,
the phrase “ the two friction woods” is specially m e n ­
tioned as denoting th e means by which fire— th e most
sacred elem ent in Zoroastrian worship— is produced. B u t
Zoroaster’s was not the a g e in which fire was first dis­
covered by the accidental friction of two pieces of wood,
as is supposed to have been the way in which it become
known to th e savages. The prominence, therefore, with
which this mode of producing fire is mentioned, .needs
some explanation. Besides, how can righteous thin gs be
imparted to two pieces of wood by the friction of which fire
is produced ? And again how can the im partin g of rig h te ­
ous things to the two pieces of wood furnish Zoroaster
with th e necessary qualifications to go on his mission i
W e fail to see our way through these difficulties. Let us
see now if the hints given in the article headed “' ( Voss and
Fire,” in the'T H K osm ’HisT for Nov. last, do not throw a
ray of light on these difficulties. L et us ponder carefully
these passages in the article.
“ Perhaps the most, widespread aud u niversal'am ong th e
symbols in the old astronomical systems, which have pass­
ed down th e stream of time to our century, and have left
traces everywhere, in the Christian religion as elsewhere
— are the (.Voss and Eire— tho latter, th e emblem of the
sun. The ancient Aryans had them both as the symbols
of Agni. W henever the ancient Hindu devotee desired to
worship A gni— says E. B uruouf— he arranged two pieces
of wood in the form of a cross, and, by a peculiar whirling
and friction obtained fire for his sacrifice. As a symbol, it
is called Sinisiiiii, and as an instrum ent manufactured out
of a sacred tree and in possession of every Brahmin, it is
known as - I rani.”
I f then, we find these two— the Cross and the Fire— so
closely associated in the esoteric symbolism of nearly every
nation, it is because ou the combined powers of the two
rests the whole plan of the universal laws. In astronomy,
physics, chemistry, in the whole range of natural philoso­
phy in short, they always come out as th e invisible cause
and th e visible result ; and only m etaphysics and alchemy
* Kssnyn on tho Sncreil Writing*, »iml Helicon of tho Pnr>is, hy
Mflvtin How? 1*H l>. pair©
(m etachem istry) can fully and conclusively solve th e
m vs t e r io u s m ea n i n g.'’
“ The central point, or th e great central sun ol the Kos-
mos, as th e Kabalists call it, is th«! Deity. It is the point
of intersection between the two great conflicting powers,—•
the centripetal and centrifugal forces.”
“ Plato calls the universe a “ blessed g " d ” which was
made in a circle and decussated in t he Ibrm of th e le tte r X.”
“ In Masonry the Royal Arch degree retains the cross a.s
the triple Egyptian Tau.”
May we not after reading these passage's conclude th a t
w hat is m eant by “ the two friction woods" is the same a.s
th at m e a n t by the Hindu Sm istiin or . Inm i, or the ( Vfi« of
th e Kabalists, or the Egyptian V’>///. As among the Hindus,
“ the two friction woods” were used to obtain tire for certain
ceremonies, and th e cross made of “ the two woods” was
with Zoroaster what A n m i was with the Brahmin, and as
such possessed the efficacies of what m a y b e called a magic
wand in the hand of Zoroaster. Understood in this light
it becomes intelligible how the virtues of ‘ the two friction
woods” could have furnished Zoroaster with qualifications to
go on his mission of a prophet. This reminds us of the a n ­
alogous case of Moses with his magic rod. T he aliove in ­
te rp re ta tio n — i.e. th a t the instru m ent indicated by “ the
two friction wood ” is the same as the A nm i, in the hand ot
the B ra h m in — comes to he most happily confirmed when we
find out th e word in Zend Avasta which Dr. H ang trans­
lateis as " the t wo friction woods." That word is Runa, the
dative dual of which is Itmioilmi : l{imn]\\ Zend Avasta, and
A n m i in Sanscrit.
J u s t as lu m u resembles A n m i, may we be perm itted to
suppose t h a t Till in the Zoroastrian rites resembles the Tail ]
T a i are th e twigs of a particular sacred tree (now not known)
which th e Zoroastrian Mobad is required to keep iu his
hand when perform ing the most sacred ceremonies of
Ijasno and D arun. And may we say that /'u n it in th e
h a nd of Zoroaster, A n m i in the hand of the Brahmin,
and 'I'un am ong the Egyptians, is preserved in the T iH
th a t the Mobad at tin; present dav holds in his hand
w hen performing the sacred ceremonies of his faith ?
B u t the wand iu th e hand of the Mobad of the present
day has lost its virtues, because the key to the mysteries
of the Zoroastrian faith is lost. Perhaps there are some
even now to whom Zoroastrianism is not a dum b
m y s t e r y : unkno w n to the world they hold in their
faithful keeping th e sacred trust. W e know with b etter
certainty th a t tliert1 are men to whom the Brahmi-
nical, E gyptian, and Kahalistic mysteries have given up
their secrets. T h e knowledge of th e one elucidates
the other, ami viewed from this stand-poiut, what new
aud sublime m eaning th e sacred words of the Zend
A vasta m ay not unfold. T he Gatlias which are understood
to be Zoroaster’s own composition or th a t of his im m e ­
diate disciples, have h ith e rto completely battled th e
a tte m p ts of all scholars to make any consistent m eaning
out ot them . This may no longer be t he case if wo s»sek
help towards th e ir interpretation, in the righ t quarters,
which have h ith e rto been sadly neglected.
T iik E m i g r a t i o n H h t u h n s .— Tho emigration returns for
October show a rem arkable increase in the num ber of e m i­
grants from Liverpool. T he total num ber of emigrants
sailing from the M e rse y to the United States, British
N o rth America, Australia, South America, linst and West
Indies, C hina and th e West Coast of Africa was
no fewer than I.’i,0(i2 emigrants, being 7,2.)!S
above th e figures of the corresponding month of l.S7*S. O f
th e number, N,(i2-S were English, I,7’>1 Irish, 200 Scotch,
4,04”) foreigners, and 440 whose nationality Wi i s not known.
T he e m igrants to th e United States were 1 1,72!) in n u m ­
ber, being more th a n double all the others put together.
A n o th er bad season in G reat ISritain would enormously
increase this exodus to th e fertile and the West.
 A N I NDI AN . ETHROHAT.
Bv Haiih K ui si i .na I nhua S anovai ..
Tn th e November issue of this journal I read an in te ­
resting; niticle on )'»{/>' ] nhjii by I*. 1 . S. . ' . based upon
th e SuhJhix of Mhagwan Sri Krishna. It is of course well
known to H indu readers th a t although the Voija philoso-
]>hy was first taught by Patanjali iu times immemorial,
ye t th e subject was not more fully discussed elsewhere
than in the tlicologistic discourses between Sri K rishna and
his friend Arjiiiia ( ‘ Geetn', chapter v m .) Indeed it is
tru e th a t in th e course of tim e this ] or/u Vitlhi/a has
been entirely lost, to us, and iu the present, sceptical aye of
Materialism it, is almost, imposihle to have even a concep­
tion of that, philosophy, lint, if we iire to believe the sa­
cred writings of I lindu sages, it, is quite clear that the
Siddhis A ii.hnii and M tihinui pertain to the conditions of
even the physical body (as wa.s manifest in V ira l R n p a
thirnhaua (‘ ( ieeta’ chap. X I.) and here I differ from
th e contributor K, T. S. though I lollow him in other
respects.* _ one day with a part,y of workmen went, to th e jungles of
As to the other Siddhi, Lui/hivui, which that, w riter
says, pertains to the physical a.s well as to the a-stral body,
I can bear mv pei-sonal testimony to th e phenomenon.
About .‘>0 years ago, whilst I was a little boy of ten a t
Benares, I saw an old relative of mine, Amareliand Mai-
treya, who was widely known throughout Benares, prac­
tising ) ()</<' l)lnt w im. This venerable old Gentleman could
raise his body in the air about a lout and a half from
th e "round, and remain so suspended for more than a q u a r­
te r of an hour. Myself and his two grandsons who were
of about the same ago with me, out of curiosity and child­
ish inqiiisitivencss sometimes asked him the secret of this
phenomenon, and I have a distinct, recollection that lu-
said that, by l\ tniibliol.' Yoga (suspension of breath) the
hu m an body becomes lighter than the surround ini' air and
th u s it floats upon it. To our small minds this explana­
tion seemed quite satisfactory, for it was not only reason­
able but scientific t o o , that according to th e laws of D yna­
mics the atmospheric pressure on tlio body being ascer­
tained to be I-'12 lbs. i11min every square inch, any process
of complete inlialal ion and exlialat ion of air would |iroduce
an ofi’oet. of giavilation and levitation which th e Hindu
philosophers, call (ia riinn and L at/h i m a respectively.
* f a f i t t h ' <U a b n K r i s h n a if* w m n j f , I t \< i m p o s s i b l e t o s o i n f l a t e
t ) i o e x t r e m i t i e s o f t l i o l i u i i i ’i n h o d y w i t h s i m p l e nil* n s t o
In nil*. A b o d y M o a t s i n w a t e r I ’o c a u s c ' i t d i s p l a c e ? n n e * p w l h u l k w i t h i t *
ow n of th n t d e n s e r e le m e n t If h o will b u t tiuurci t o
m a t e r i a l a s d e n s e n s h u m a n lle sh n n d l>onc, ti ll e d e v e r n o c o m p a c t l y w itli
i i i n i i i " t i nil* nim 1 l e f t I v i n j f o n t h o g r o u n d , l i e w i l l f c o t h a t h i * t h e o r y o f
n « th r o b a < y is u n t e n a b l e : fo r, j u s t t lio v e s s e l i n •p i c s i i o n w o u l d lie o n t l io
g ro u n d w h e re placed an in d efin ite tim e w ith o u t s h o u in :' th o slig h te st te n ­
d e n c y t o ris e , s o w o u ld t h o a * c e iic s b o d y , th o m /li p u m p e d full of nip fr o m
c r o w n t o t«*cs N o , t h e r e i« a n o t h e r c a u s e f o r thi-* a ' t h r o b a c y a n d i f \< t h e
o n e d e s ' i i ‘>ed b y h’. T . S . . \ a s *• a l t e r e d p o l a r i t y . ’’ T h o s y s t e m o f i n h a l a ­
t i o n * iiimI e x h a l a t i o n s in V n " ii e ffe c t tl.is p o l a r i c cltan j;o b y a l t e r a ­
tio n s p ro d u c e d , of b o th n p h y sio lo g ic al a n d p s y c h o lo g ic a l d i a m e t e r
Tho Iin l»u is a Ixo mixlnken in supposim ' th a t this body of Mesh enn be
ncparatcd into atom s ami made to till tho whole void of space, or compics-
y>e<l into one infinitesim al atom ic point like a diam ond-yrain. J*ct him icflect
Imt one in stan t ujM.n the n atu ic of bioplastic m a tte r nml he will s e e th e
fact nn it is It in the innersclf which, l*y virtue of its ethcrcnl nature and
its relationship to th e a llp e n n d in i; ‘ Atiinm Mundi* or W'oild Soul, is
capable of cxltil»itint; the pro perties of . I am I A nything in
Aryan literatu re seem ing to convey a contrary idea may i»e a t once tik e n
as figurative laiii'tiatfo intended to Ikj understooW only l*y tho #*■#'.<*•. Tho
»(I4 cm who wrote these books were ad ep ts in psychological science, nml wo
m ust mu lak e them to htn e l*eeu ignorant of its plainest laws.
/'itsfscrt/tl,
Siuco th e al»ovo was in lypo a letter has heen received from Or. n»jcn-
dralnla Mitra, D , of C alcutta in wh h h h o K iv e^ h i' recollections of the
iHMir Yoj^i who was the victim of tho al»ovo dcseribe<l iuoxcusa*»le Inuta*
lity. I>r IJajendiulala fays : “ I wns a t school then —it was •!;"> years n^o,
l*ut. I rcT.emlior tf'dntf to soo tho ascotie To the host of my memory he
nppearod a man of middlo aye, in excellent health, dark complcxioned,
and of average Kliituro, 11o was Heated in calm rcpopo with his eyes
elosed nnd his liml>s stilfiMied in catalepsy. Sm«;l1in^-salts nppHcd to his
nostrils proiluccd no porcei>til*le ellect on him. Ho was brought, 1 do not
know how, from th e Sunderl»aii jungles where lie was found by some
uoo d -cn tto rs W hen I sa*v him 1 was told th a t lie had eaten nothing
tdticu he had been brought, b ut his appcarnncc wns th a t of a well-fed
person, tending to fatness. I heard afterw ards th a t he had been routed
from 1ti s st*no\tU,t and inado to e a t and drink (wine) freely. 11r» died of
dysentery b ro u g h t on l>v this inteni|>oranco Ihit of this, however I lmvo
m- personal kuowled^<>. I wnw him for ahont a ipiai te r of nn hour. I had
run away from school, w ithout th e knowledge of my parents, to satisfy
nit' cirio fitv ."
1 linve not come across th e proper theory of A v i m a and
M uhinai, but if the other two Siddhis were possible to the
condit ions of the physical body, I do not see any reason to
disbelieve the other two as mentioned in th e Bliagvata-
gita above quoted. BlingwAn Sri Krishna, however,
says to A rjuu a th a t he ( Arjun) will n ° t be able to
lieliold him in this Rupa (Mahima) with these eyes,
and therefore f ^ | ^ n i r # JT’JrntTMC (“Geetn” eha]i.
IX. verse 8), and here by the Words I understand
fTIH' or “iknowledge.” It is therefore ipiite clear th a t with
the knowledge of the Vntja X h h ja Arjun really saw tho
Bhagavan in his tV-iRIT “ thousanil heads, thousand eyes,
thousand feet, Ac. &c. &e."
Vour sceptic readers may not, readily beli(*ve in tho
power of suspension of breath Ibr a considerable time,
but, for their benefit I shall ment ion a case which really oc­
curred some S.S years ago in the metropolis of (Jalcut.ta.
T he discoverer wa.s a ( 'hristian nnd an Englishman by
birth, and the story as narrated to me goes on to say that
a Mr. Jones, who wa.s an iron m anufacturer at, Howrah,
Sunderhans (the Delta of the (hinges) to cut. fuel. H a v ­
ing entered the forests he discovered from a.distance three
men seated in a posture of devotional meditation.
Upon hearing them, two of the devotees disappeared in the
midst of a sudden dust -cloud ;. b u t the third did not nnd
could not leave his position, as his thighs were entwined
with the roots of a banian tree under which he had taken
his seat. O u r ('hristian adv enturer went nearer nnd
nearer, and found the Yoqi in a state of coma, his (’yes
shut, his right hand fastened with the Brahmanienl sacred
thread made of .skin, and the great finger of his left hand
indicating the fl'fr'T or the ordinal num ber of ^ 7 . T he ba­
nian roots were dissevered and the Yoi/i! was brought into the
metropolis a.s though a statue. In Air. Jo n e s’ compound lie
was k e p t for IU days, and many thousand men women and
children w ent th ith e r to see him. B u t 110 change was
found in him. Ultim ately the Raja of B h u Kailas, 011
whose property the Yof/i was found, brought him to his
house, and many a tte m p ts were made to bring him to his
senses. Me was thrown in the tide of the Ganges with n.
rope fastened to his body, and there submerged four days
and nights. Afterwards the services of Dr. O ’Shaiighnessy
were called for, who administered carbonate of salt (xic.)
in its crude .s tati! which made the Yogi open his eyes. On
if. t o ll**:it
siieing around him the scene, his eyes flooded with tears
n vessel of nnv and lie exclaimed “ I have not, molested any man,why did
you molest me.” Shortly after, he opened his m outh a.s a
sign of hunger, and a good d eal'of w ent and d rill I" wa.s put
into his m outh, which he mechanically swallowed. In the
course1 ot two months from the date of his re tu rn to the
land of the living, he was dead. The imm ediate cause of the
death being dinrrlnea produced by 1111 im mense qu a ntity of
unaccustomed m eat aud a rden t spirits, taken into an empty
stomach. Y our leaders who may be very curious to have a
more authentic account of this Yor/i may with advantage
rum m age through the old files of th e ‘ Friend of In dia’ of
that time, or enquire from Dr. R ajendra Lala Mittra, still
living in <'alcutta. And as regards Amareliand Moytreya
1 can refer you, am ongst hundreds of others, to the
part ners of t he house of Jam es I’roudie & (Jo. of Allahabad,
whose almost next door neighbour th e said Moytreya was.
A llahabad, 2‘ 7 th December 187!>.
A writer in “ Reimaun's Farber Zeitung ’’ points out that
tartar-euiotie, as used in cotton dyeing, serves not to fix
the aniline colors themselves, b u t merely to fasten the
tannin, thus playing the part of an indirect mordant. Water
in which cotton yarns dyed with aniline colors on a
m ordant of tannin nnd tartar-em etic had been steeped, or,
especially, boiled, gave distinct indications of antimony
when tested in the ordinary manners, b u t the q ua ntity of
the metallic compound fixed upon the fibre seems far too
small to have any injurious effect, upon hu m an life.
 IN D R A .
B y I U jk n d k o N aiitii D o t t a .
A u th o r of th e “ A n tien t W orks of In d ia.”
Inilra * is the n am e of one of these H indu deities that
were worshiped more especially in th e Vedic period ot
the Aryan religion, b u t enjoyed a g re a t legendary p o p u ­
larity also in the Epic and P u ranik periods. In th a t class
of Rigveda hymns which then: is reason to look upon ns
the oldest portion of Vedic poetry, th e character ol India
is th a t of a m ighty ruler of th e bright firmament, and his
principal feat is th a t of conquering th e demon l r r i t r t ( , a
symbolical personification of the cloud which obstructs
the clearness of the sky, and withholds the fructifying
rain from th e earth. Iu his battles with Vritra, lu; is th e r e ­
fore described as ‘ opening the receptacles of the waters,’ us
‘ cleaving the cloud’ with his ‘ far-whirling thund erb olt,’ as
‘ casting th e waters down to earth,’ and ‘ restoring th e sun
to the sky.’ H e is, in consequence, ‘ the upholder ol
heaven, earth, and firmament,’ and the god ‘ who has e n ­
gendered the sun and th e dawn.’ A nd since the atm os­
pherical phenomena personified in this conception are ever
and ever recurring, he is ‘ undecaying and ‘ ever youthful.
All the wonderful deeds of India, however, are performed
by him merely for th e benefit of the good, which in the
language of th e Veda means th e pious m en who worship
him in their songs, and invigorate him with the offerings
of the juice of the .soma plant. H e is therefore th e lord
of the virtuous,’ and the ‘ disconifiter of those who neg­
lect religious rites. Many other epithets, which we have
not space to enumerate, illustrate the same conception.
I t is on account of the param o unt influence which the
deeds of Ind ra exercise on the m aterial interests of man,
that this deity occupies a foremost la n k in the Vedic wor­
ship, anil th a t a greater num ber of invocations are address­
ed to him than to any other of the gods. B u t to und er­
stand the gradual expansion of his mythical character, and
liis ultim ate degradation to an inferior position in the
Hindu pantheon of a later period, it is necessary to bear
in mind that, however much the Vedic poets call India the
protector of th e pious and virtuous, he is in th e ir songs
essentially a warlike god, and gradually endowed by im a­
gination, not only with the qualities of a m ighty, but also
of a self-willed king. . The legends which represent him in
this light seem, it is true, to belong to a la te r class of the
Rigveda hymns, b u t they show th a t th e original concep­
tion of l n d r a excluded from bis nature those ethical con­
siderations which in time changed the panth eon of elem en­
tary gods into one of a different stamp. W h e th e r th e idea
of an incarnation of the deity, which, at the Epic and P u ­
ranik periods, played so im portant a part in the history of
Vishnu, did not exercise its influence as early as the com­
position of some of the Vedic hymns in hon ou r ot Indra,
may a t least be m a tte r of doubt. H e is, for instance, fre­
quently invoked as the destroyer of cities— ol seven, of
ninety-nine, even of a hundred cities— and h e is not only
repeatedly called the slayer of th e hostile tribes which
surrounded the A ryan Hindus, b u t some of tb e chief's
slain by him are enum erated by name. T he co m m enta­
tors, of course, turn those ‘ robbers’ and their ‘ chiefs' into
demons, and their cities into celestial abodes ; b u t as it is
improbable th a t all these names should be nothing hut
personifications of clouds destroyed by the th u n d e rb o lt of
Indra, it is, to say the least, questionable w heth er events
in tho early history of In d ia may not have been associated
with th e deeds of In d ra himself; in like m an ner as, at the
Epic period, mortal heroes were looked upon as incarna­
tions of Vishnu, and mortal deeds transformed into ex­
ploits of this god.-f
* Derived from tho S anskrit /'/, which probably m eant * to sec, to dis­
cover,^1 hence literally, 4 ho who see* or discovers,* *»•</, the doings of iho
world.
f Tho atten tiv e render of tho Christian Bible is constantly im pressed with its
strong resem blnnco to tho Aryan sacred w ritings, and since tlio Hebrews aro a
far younger nation thau tho A ryas, it is a fair inference th a t if thoir litera tu re
wns not copied from, it was a t least inspired by tho prim itive sublim e model.
Compare tho Yedie conception of lutlra, for instance, as alike the p ro tecto r
The purely regal character of In d ia assumes its typical
shape in th e ‘ Aitareya Brahmana,' where his installation
as lord of th e inferior gods is described with much mystical
detail ; and from th a t time he continues to be the supreme,
lord of the minor gods, and the type of a mortal king.
D u rin g the Epic and P uranik periods, where ethical con­
ceptions of th e divine powers prevail over ideas based on
elem entary impressions, ln d ra ceases to enjoy the worship
he had acquired a t the Vedic time, aud his existence is
chiefly upheld by the poets, who, in their turn, however,
work it out in the most fantastical detail. Of the eight
guardians of the world, he is then th e one who presides
over the East, and he is still the god who sends rain and
wields the t h u n d e r b o l t ; b u t poetry is more engrossed by
th e beauty ol his paradise, S-i'xiri/tt, the happy abode of
the inferior gods, and of those pious men who a ttain it
after death in consequence of having, during life, properly
discharged th e ir religions duties : by the charms of his
heavenly nymphs, the 1ps<(ras, who now and then de­
scend to earth, to disturb th e equanim ity of austere peni­
tents ; by the musical performance’s of his choristers, the
(rautUiarcu-'i: by the fabulous beauty of his garden, X a n -
iluit'i K a u u ia t, &c. A rem arkable trait iu this legendary
life of Indra is the series of his conflicts with Krisna, an
incarnation of Vishnu, which end, however, ill his becom­
ing reconciled w ith th e more im p ortant god. As the god
who is emphatically called the god of th e hundred sacri­
fices (SiU dkrutu), lndra. is jealous of every mortal who
may have the presum ption to aim a t the performance of
th a t num ber of sacrifices, for the accomplishment of such
an intention would raise the sacrificer to a rank equal to
that which he occupies. H e is therefore ever a t hand to
disturb sacrificial acts which may expose him to the
danger o:' having his power shared by another India.
According to th e Puranas, th e reign of this god Indra, who
is frequently also called Suhrti, or th e Mighty, does not
last longer th a u th e first M tiin n n itu r.i, or m undane epoch.
A fter each successive destruction of the objective world,
a new ln d r a was created, together with other gods, saints,
and mortal beings. Thus, th e ln d ra of the second Man-
wan la ra is Vijutfi chit ; of the third, S u iitiu fi; of tho fourth,
S ir i ; of the fifth, I ihliU ; of the sixth, Ala im jm v ; and the
ln d r a of the present age is V a m m la ra . W h e n represent­
ed in works of art, In dra is generally seen riding on his
e l e p h a n t ; and where he is painted, he is covered w ith
eyes. T h e nam e of the wife of this H in d u deity is In-
drani or Sitchi.
-
- -
'The Saturday evening lectures a t the Library on Mes­
merism are becoming very interesting. Several excellent
sensitives have been found among the Eellows, while nearly
all the rest show u nm istakcable signs of a magnetic sensi­
bility which can readily be increased.
o f h is w o r . - h i p e r s a n d th*.! d o s t r o y o r o f c i t i e s . w i t h t h e s o p a s - c v i e s f r o m t h o
P s a l m s of D a v id :
T h e L o r d k u o w o t h t h o d a y s o f I h e u p r i g h t : n n d thru * i n h e r i t a n c e s h a l l 1m
f o r o v er . T h o y s h a ll n o t b o a s h a m e d i n t h o ev il t i m e ; n n d i u t h e d a y s u f
f a m i n e t h e y s h a l l bo s a t i s l i e d — f o r s u e h a> b e b l e s s e d of h i m >h;dl i n h u r i t t h o
K a r l h ; a n d t h o y t h a t b e c u r s e d o f h i m s h a l l Iu’ e u l o |f . IV. x x w i i i
T h o L o r d a l s a t h u n d e r e d in t h e h e a v e n s , a n d t h e I l i i r h e s t g a v e h i s v oi c e ;
h ai l, s t o n e s a n d c o a l s of tire V e a , h e s*-nt o u t h is a r r o w s , a n d s c a t t e r e d
th e m ; a n d h e s h o t o u t l i g h tn in g s , a n d di-icom liU d t h c m , . , U o d e liv e re d m u
f r o m m y s t r o n g e n e m y , e t c . Ps. xvii.
T h o v oi c e o f t h o L o r d is u p o n t h e w a t e r s ; I h o G o d o f <jiorv t l m n d o r e t h :
t h e L o r d is u p o n m a n y w a i o r s . . . T h e L o r d s i t t e t h u p o n t h e H o o d ; j*oa t h o
L o rd s i t t e i h K in g fo r over, Ps. xxix
A n d b e r o d e u p r .n a c h e r u b , n m l d i d lly : y o a , h o d i d tly u p o n t h o w i n g s of
t h e w i n d 1’s xv ii i.
S in g u n t o (iod, s in g p raise s to h is n a n m , ex to l him t h a t r i d c t h u p o n th o
h e a v e n s b y h i s n a m e .1A1I, a n d r e j o i c e b e f o r e h i m . ]*s. I xviii.
Tie ( t h e H e b r e w ( lo c h cast, o u t t h e h e a t h e n a l s o b e f o r e t h e m ( th o Hobro w<>
a n d div id er ! t h e m a n i n h e r i t a n c e b y lint*, e t c . P s. 1x x v i i i . ( I o d is
g r e a t l y t o h o f e a r e d i n t h o a s s e m b l y o f t h o s a i n t s , a n d t o b o h a d tit
r e v o r c n c o o f all t h e m t h a t a r o a b o u t h i m . l ’s. j . x x x i x .
A g r e a t king1 a b o v e all go d s. xcv. flo is to be feared nbovo all
g o d s. xcvl.
W h o s m o t e g r e a t n a t i o n s , a n d s l e w mi -jhl.v K i n g s ; S i h o n , K i n g of t h o
A m o r i l e s , a n d o u , K i n g o f JJa-shnn, a n d a l l t h o k i n g d o m s o f C a n a a n , c x x x v .
S n o r o s o f s i m i l a r p n s s a g o s m i u h t b o ijm ded t o s h o w t h a t th o thnuder*
h urling, m a rtia l tu t e la r d o ity of th e H eb rew s, J A M o r .JA H V K , who wni
a d o p t e d b y t h o C h r i s t i a n s a s t h o c h i e f p o r s o n g c o f th ru * T rin ity am i mado
tho p u ti tiv e f a t h e r of th e ir second personage, Jenna, w a s a l m o s t if uofc
ip t it o ft r e m i n i s c e n c e q f t h e A r y a n l n d r a , T l ie o s .} ‘

IHlDDHISiM AUTHORITATIVELY
DEFINED.
|<_'ontinuc<l from the Novem ber Num ber.]
T l I E N A T U R E A N D O F F IC E O F B l 'V D l L V S
R E I .h ilO X .
By T1IK R T . P.KV. II.
] / tiflt I ' r i r t l o f A i l a m 't / ’i t i l , a m i / ‘n -r .ii/fiil n f I itlj/o d tn /a C u /fi t/c \
S r ) i " ‘i' jin d i l h i * t .Vt-uilx-r <>/’ //"■ I r r n i 'r a l I 'o m i r i l i i f th r T l f 'W i -
J i h i i t l l S ‘» t ' t ' ! .
I low does man Ix-cmue |>nre or liolv { How can lie Ik1
freed from his many sutiorintjM or sorrows I
Mini Inis to destroy 11is evils by 11is good actions— by
iractising n morally virtuous lilt*. O ur Lord, Omniscient
I biddlia. has opened to us :i suprem e path (ariyo magga)
for sanctification ; and, it consists of eight parts or m e m ­
bers, doscril»eil in detail in many S u tra s of His l) lm n n d
( ( 'ode of Laws.)
I ipmte here a portion from one «,(' thoso S utra* ; and,
let it lie a citation from th a t wliicli is deiioininated the
Sali/H iltlm »a S iitlnin.
Katamainca Bhikkhavc iliikklui-nir< mIlia-rrainini-|uitijui-
ilA-ariva-saceain ; Ayamcva arivo atthaingiko nnggo, sey-
yathidam ; samma-ditthi, samma-sainkappo, samina-vaca,
sainnm-kammanto, samma-aji vo, santma-va yamo. saimna-
sati, samma-samadhi.
O Bhikkus 1 what is the holy path which ought to he
walk?d over, in order to destroy sorrows {
It is the nr!i/o path consisting of eight m cinhcr-itcms
or component p a rtia l la ix. Anil, they are, (1) right Seeing
or correct Belief (sanima ditthi), (2) right T h in k in g (sam-
mA, sainkappo), (.’!) right Words (s. vaca), (4) right Actions
(s. kainnianto), (.'>) right Living (s. ajivo), (I!) right E x e r­
tions (s. vavamo), (7) right Recollecting (s. sati), and (8 )
I ight <Vi!ii|xjsiiig of the m in d — thr j tract ice o f Yoya.
" t l i a n m i k o .«•( I tin"
S A .M A M iA I.A .
all. ("2) Avvya-pada-samkappo, the loathing to take away
the life of any one, (•"?) Avihimsa-sainkappo, the not-think-
ing of h urting a sentient being. It is the continued th in k ­
ing or th e repeated exercise of th e mental powers th a t is
signified by the term sainkappo,
III. T he third item of the eight-fold path is samma
vAcft (right words or good speech). It. embraces lying,
slandering, u tte rin g rough (vulgar) words, and vain babb­
ling or e m pty talk.
IV. Sanctifying the actions of the body by refraining
from killing, stealing, enjoying unlawful connubial plea­
sures, &e. is called siim m 'i-kohiwinih).
V. N o t obtaining one’s livelihood hy “ evil ways and
means,” b u t supporting one’s self, being worthily employed,
is the sii)v qua non of “ a right living.”
VI. “ Right, exertion" denotes labouring willingly anil
earnestly to prevent evil thoughts from rising in the mind,
nipping even the buds of any such thoug hts already sprung,
and cherishing and nourishing good t houghts and exerting
to create morally virtuous ideas when the heart and mind
is vacant and e m p ty of them.
VII. T h e seventh memlter ol the suprem e Path is the
aforementioned four sati-patthAnas.
V III. And, the last is the four ilhyiinas, elsewhere
known (as we suppose) as th e four systems of Yoi/ns.
A separate contribution setting forth, a t some length,
a description of the illiynniis (Yoga) will he sent for publi­
cation in a future num b er of your exceedingly interesting
and very valuable journal, the TllKiisni’HI.s'r.
Colombo, C ryluv, I •’>//< Diri'mbcr I87!>.
(To be continued.)
/ ’n x l x i r i / i t .

S ;i'c a n ;n n c;itur«* |*;i«ln,”

** Y i r n j ' n M ' t t l i o « 111;« t n t t i t V i i n i u " fomSr qifaqi R^fr qq arrfiiTcr q^-
“ J)\ i|i.'i'iriii,'iin«.rt ('jtk k liim m .* ’
Iqq-q^r sfawr *^3
Of all the Paths, tin; cight-niemlicrcd (one) is tlio stipre-
mest, ; ot tlie I'ruths, the four-fold tru th is the highest ; of q qqr qqmnqr sqi-q-uft 11
the illiurwii.s (knowledge) N irvana is the most excellent; qc*Tcfi^ri qteqq^=q 1 q;q^r ftqsm:
and, of the hipods, Buddha is the highest and most su ­
premely exalted and enlightened (Being). € qifaqf l^^r I
I. " T in1 right Seeing,” ahovenientioned as being a
component part or an aspect of the1 suprem e nirttjt/ii, is
thus explained a t length :— All (Buddha's) i l h a r n m * .-in­ rT?T flltoiaiR^ iltq 3IfciTr5 ^
divided into four parLs; and, they are, ( 1) sorrows (duk- m i^-?r m rfq r q^qr^R rd- 1 ^ s J i ^ i ^ i 'S r - f f
knni), ("2) origin of sorrows (dukkha-samudayo), (.3) des­
truction of sorrows (dukkha-uii'odho), and (4) “ ways and 11 1 sn^ifa^Tmttmr-
m e a n s " used for the destruction of sorrows (dukklia-
nin hI ha-ga mini-pa tipada).
?^-fi ^Rirrq^qRRr^i^ I
T he right and full comprehension of these four (facts) rr^-
vft 'Or.-^r^drT: '| qm^iOOH^T R^rH^^irf
'O 1
is what is understood by “ the right Seeing” or “ correct
Belief.'' And, this “ right S e e i n g ” or correct Belief is.
j^r^ri^icT: II t ?fi? l garep.rott
further, viewed under two aspects— v n rh lh /, one way, and
o o r - x ' i n l i l l j / , another wa v. Good or hail deeds dolTe hy one’s
self, and producing happiness or sorrow, as their respec­
aTifiTRi^cfricrs^’Tra^ lqiRqiq^^-Tr:
tive cfl'ects reflecting on the doer or doers, together with 11 ire *r$r>r?rri'^‘>T^rT»T5sT
II ltelief th a t the said doings brought about th e said effects
srfr^i
and n knowledge of them conformable to “ the four veri­ *-n
.

ties" is “ th e n o il'll;/ right Seeing." T h e good knowledge

of the excellent conduct of sentient Iteings, who have not
destroyed their lusts &c., is “ the worldly right Seeing” u n ­ q.£|p*qq ^q liqrqq^'nm^Rqi'q: 1HrqK'qjfiqqiTcr-
derstood by the term “ lavki'ka-iia nrniyak-itrlxht!.'' And, q r f f i ’q r: ^ ^'['^rqqr'TTf:
the other, “ lokottara-sammyak-drishti’’ (over-worldly right
Seeing) is obtained by destroying our lusts, passions, anger, w *: 1 ^q qq: R^riq-
iSro. aud rightly comprehending what are known as “ ca tta r 11
ariyiv saccAni,” " the four suprem e Verities.”
I I. Tlie right T hink in g (sammA. sainkappo) compre­ qq^qs-qrs-q^cqifr qrq 1 ^iinfq q ^-qrRqr-
hends pondering on (nckkhauima-samkappo), the ab a n ­ rW^rr: 1q^^q?^ ^.:^r q^qr-ir qii^m qiH^i .
doning of all worldly happiness, all had desires, lusts, i'tc.
and the cherishing of thoughts to live sejwirnte from th em q«r aii^r Rq*w: Hqf qE *V q;-
 I'eLmary, 1!S80.] t ii k fr h e b s b t*i t i s f
fafaafr m
>0 ^ a -t a m
N&r s f r - w a r'C*^ a ? ^ : %•
crrfa^ar q^r°r^«T Tfrarff^r
SJ, , Si
cTT % .£ * K R R * T c W I bour who had (lied a few m onths before. T h a t he was reduc­
q^^<mqrft<T fw R^i% Rrcir jh t ^ ii
^ irrfoT'T
vt v!/
W in te r:
G tI
q tjfri^qR T ^T r^ K m ^-
f^rcrw[^rcri^3Tfff|^effcqrc wrr^?ira*ifte: I +*?»TrTlr-
R s n ^ ftftfs ^ n i cr'-rrfc ^ R r * m * T R % s - 3 i T -
37 j c r n ^ R ^ ^ crqr
cfq-f ^Rf^eqr^i^Rr^:*r<T:'rc*i<reir Rf^tKfa^r
tffa c J T R r c r V tT f^ r c r c f^ s ^ t f l ^ R > T C c r *r-
w rfap K w r 1 n w r i f a s i g ; : II 11,
a r . i.s’A’ o r a r x n x r u r x / x / m i : i >i i 'm s i i i i '
By B ahu N d iu n K. B a n n k iu k k , D k i t t v (JuL-
1.IKTOR AND MAUISTIIATK.
About 41 years, ago, nt a certain village in tlio .sulxirlis
ol' Calcutta, one morning, a bo ut >S A. M., our family
— tlicn consisting of my grandfather, my grandm other,
their live sons, tin: youngest of whom was my father, five
daiighters-in-law, tliuir children and relatives— were sud ­
denly surprised by the strange dem eanour of my second
aunt. As she. was not liked in th e family various hints
were thrown out, aud a t last tliey subjected h er to rough
treatm ent accusing n h er of feigning
o ©the ghost.
o T he result
was th a t the next morning © .slu; wa.s found to be all Oright.
, Before, however, a week had hardly passed m y fourth
■Hint one evening betrayed sim ilar signs. As she was
in age the youngest iu the family, and a very ignorant
village girl, she had all along been considered incapable of
practising any deception. This fact m ade the o th e r m e m ­
bers of the family tak e the m a tte r into serious considera­
tion. A t last my grandm other, who liked her much for
her simplicity, undertook to fathom the secret.
After various other devices, she questioned the girl,
saying tluit if he— meaning the gho.st obsessing her, for
my a unt had dressed herself like a, man, was any d e p a r t­
ed spirit, he would do b e tte r to reveal himself and his
wants, which if reasonable, would be complied with. Upon
this my a u n t (or ra th e r th e spirit who had taken pos­
session of her person for th e tim e being) replied th a t he
would talk to my grandfather on th e .subject. My g r a n d ­
mother then surmised th a t he (the ghost) m u st be some
near relative. Now in H in d u society, as u rule, d a u g h ­
ters-in-law do not appear before th eir fathers-in-law or
brothers-in-law older than th eir husbands, much less do they
ever converse with them. The very request, therefore, wa.s
unprecedented and shocking. T h en a consultation was held
at which it was decided that the daughter-in-law should for
the m om ent be lost sight of and the ghost possessing her
* < ? t 3 T T ^ '^ i 3 T R ^ i ff55ir3qT>Ri^^rcr^f%r^3Tr'ii(3TR^— |
RjJlffT'T $ [ % lT 7 3 ^ 3 T ^ 3 T F # .T ^ r
f ^ n f ' ^ [ 3 T q 3 T ^ r R w i p 't a w m wr
only k ep t in view. This settled, m y grandfather, accom ­
panied by other children and my grandmother, approached,
her and repeated the question. My a u n t was rejoiced a t
this— as she expressed it— and spoke to the following effect.
T h a t he (the .spirit) was none other th a n 11. M.— a neigh­
ed to the condition of an earth-bound soul, because of his
having died in a locked room, uncared for by his son, who
had gone to witness a musical performance th a t night. That,
feeling sure th a t he (my grandfather) was the only person
who would perform a pilgrimage to Gaya and offer the
Pinda, cake or balls, for his (the spirit's) sake, he had been
for some tim e endeavouring to approach my grandfather.
H e further said th a t a few days ago he had taken possession
of my second alint, b u t as the circumstances led to h e r ill-
treatm ent, he had to give her up. At last, finding an op­
portunity, he took possession of my fourth a u n t ’s person.
T h a t he would do no mischief to any one, b u t intended to
stay in the family until the Pin da was offered a t (jaya.
T h a t he was at the head o f <>-t other spirits in the same
predicament, whose names he W o u l d reveal in due time.
T h a t the party lived in a guava tree, close to the house where
he would come every m orning and evening to perform his
regular p o o ja h and tu m ic lx (timely worship and prayer) Ibr
which preparations should be made. Thus reassuring the
family, the spirit left my aunt, for th e night. She fell down
at once and swooned awa v. W hen sin; came to h er senses,
she was found unhurt, did not recollect a n ything of what
had occurred, aud l o o k e d amazed.
T hen commenced daily visits, morning and evening fur
the jinii/iili, on which occasions my au n t acted exactly in
the same m a n n e r as the spirit while living wa.s wont to
act. In the beginning she became entranced. Shortly
after she would reeovcl and dress like a m an— exact­
ly after the m an n e r of the deceased when living,-—
walk out aud tak e her seat at the place prepared, im ita ­
ting the m an even in the very posture of sifting in his voice,
and even to th e m inutest details.
A lthough a simple ignorant country girl unacquainted
even with the alphabet, she would during tl
recite Bireshur’s (a nam e of MVdiiidev) prayer aloud, (lie
very one which the m an when living used to recite— aud
exactly after his manner. She even used to peruse (pat-
k uru) aloud th e very punfhtis (longitudinal religious m a­
nuscript books) supplied to her a t her call, and even cor­
rected it, as it was th a t of m y second uncle, in some
places where she said th ere were errors, which proved to
be the case on enquiry.
T he above seances, especially tin; m orning ones, took
place iu th e presence of large audiences, who were drawn
to the house by the circumstance becoming the topic of con­
versation a t th e tim e in the neighbourhood. Even the sun
of tho deceased, who is a .Government .Pensioner a t piesent,
and who was then a youth of about l(i, used to be present.
This state of th in g s lasted for about four m onths during
wliieli period innum erable strange incidents happened, i
note a few of them only.
In the adjoining house, occupied by a nother branch of
our family, a n o th e r a u n t got possessed by a ghost. This
spirit would not reveal himself. At the next visit, m y
g ran d m o th e r questioned h im (my aunt) about the affair
whereupon lie disclosed the ghost as being one T. another’
neighbour who had died some six m onths before and who
formed one of a band of (j4. ( )n this occasion he directed my
g ra ndm o th e r to enjoin on all the ladies of the house not.
to >/<>■<• l/tciitselci'.s uj> In jin i'ri) or nar mv/i/.v, for many
spirits were in and about the house, and telling h er th a t
all th e m embers of th e party of ti/ml.s were not equally
good tempered, and t h a t those of the lower order were
ra th e r what we call sensual in th eir propensities, and ready
for mischief, l ie also said th a t their present condition was
far from being happy, and that it would be a g reat favor
done to them it th e pilgrimage to Gaya promised by my
g randfather for their emancipation, were accomplished soon.
On auolhcr occasion, a.s he was ill-treating his “ medium,”
as he 11. M., the first spirit came. Complaint was a t once
made \u him ami lie repaired ty the other hyuse immediately,
 upbraided him for liis misconduct, gave l i i m a I h i x on tho
car, uml sternly observe*I that if lie <li*l not nieml liis wavs
lie would In- excommunicate*I = A t 111is I. quailed, ami
suppliantIv, witli folded liauils Indeed to be excuseil, anil
im m cdiatcly after left liis medium lor the. day.
'I'., unlike It. M., was a mischievous and troublesome
.spirit, and his misdeeds wore many. Relbre taking pos­
session of I lie medium, lie had Ibr some days been throw­
ing sculls, night dirt, legs and hands ol corpses, &c., into his
own house (<’. r. (lie house of his own father i n our neighbour­
hood). Hn one occasion lie stole our sanctified rupee. (In
H indu households an old silver or gold coin, rubbed all
over with vei million, is preserved in th e throne of the la-
milv idol, or some sanctified r e c o p f a e l c , with much c a r e ,
aud is, along with l ice, rou i ies, or shells, itc., worshipped
as a sv1111m>1 of Lakshmi. llie goddess of plenty, at certain
p e r i o d s ol i Se year. W hen loiinil missing and It. M. wa.s
questioned at liis next \isit. lie angrily ordered 'I'., to re­
place il al o n c e . V, il seems, had carried it off anil kept
it in t h e n e x t h o u s e with t h e r u p e e ol the house. On
being ordered :isabo\c, lie in Ins hurry ic/ilm -eil the im u ii/
ruin. Il was detected immediately. It. Al. wa.s ready to
have t h e mistake r e c t i f i e d , but my g ra n d fa th e r said
that there was no iiecessitv for it ; the value ol both
the coins being the same I lie new one might, be al­
lowed to remain a s a token ol spirit deeds iu the family
One exciting my mother while playing with Iter sistcrs-
in-laxv (my other aunts) in a tte m p tin g to cast away a
little f r o g ( o f xvltich sin- wa.s very much afraid) throxvu
u p o n her by o n e of mv aunts lot fun, and happened lo
strike one o f my aunts upon the neck, and tore away her
sat nor (a sort of golden necklace of small cut balls, loosely
worn, hav ing seven lines.) T h e little balls fell on the
l l o o r , bill eoiiId be found nowhere although search lor
them was made xvith a light. It. M. xvas iixvaited, ami
when interrogated bv m\' g ran dm other abou t flu: lost
halls a little while after his coming, he to the surprise
o| all ii plied that his little d a u g h te r It. had a p prop ria ­
ted thi i n f o r a nose-ring, and that therefore all search
Mould be xain. It may b ; mentioned here th a t It. M.
had a little d aug hter who died shortly alter him by
drowning. She was one of I lie hand of sixty-four.
Sometimes my grandlal her, to satisfy some nexv guest,
would u-sk lor a token, such as seine fruit, not to be had
within some miles, or out of season, xx lien it would drop
immediately before them. This occurred several times.
A t last, the time lor tin- d eparture of my grandfather on
liis pilgrimage to (lava arrived. My father xx'as to ac­
company him. A few days prior to starting, the names
names of my grandfather asked I!, for a list of the names
ol his comrades, which xvas furnished. Iu this list a p p e a r ­
ed the name of a near relative xvho had committed a theft
and being ashamed to appear in ( lie family had disappeared,
and xvas not heard of Ibr about four years, l i i s wife
xvas then living in our house. Tho circumstance raised
great curiosity and all were anxious to le.irit the facts.
The lamily up to that lime knew nothing of the theft ;
anil tlierefoie did not know the reason of his disappea­
rance. All then circumstances xvere then related, beginning
from tin' I hell, down, to lioxv lie came by his death at a
distance and iu a foreign land.
It was then thought advisable to consult pandits as to
w hether or not, Cl s. (the name o l the relative) wile was t o
behave thenceforth as Hindu widows do. T he pandits
declared that there was no such provision in th e Sliris-
tras. That she m ust await 12 years from the date ol
her husband's disappearance, and then, if no news of his
being still alive was received, she should burn (ecmati)
on a I'mDe i a I pile a K usu piil.I.ra (an clligy made of Kuslia
grass and certain o t h e r leaves) anil then act a.s a widow.
I need hardly say th a t this wa.s actually performed, in
tim e iu my presence, though in piactice my a u n t abs­
tained from all animal food and other pleasures, denied
to Hindu widows, fiom the time of the above revelation
by the spirit.
Now to our narrative. Thorewere no railways then,
lior wns a journ ey to distant par Is so safe, especially for
travellers who had any money with them anti happened
to be men of consequence. My grandfather therefore
consulted It. on th e subject, who promised to depute two
of the sixty-fbur spirits with th e party as an escort.
T he escort was to change every evening, two nexv ones
hrinimi<x news from the house, while the returners would
. i
carry home the news from the travellers. He also under­
took to protect the persons and property of the travellers,
a.s well a.s the m em bers of the family xvho remained a t
home, up to the tim e of th e ottering of Pinda; after which
event, (which was to l>e notified to the family, a t the very
moment, by th e b reaking of the branch of the guava tree,
the abode of the spirits) neither he nor his comrades
would have any more communication whatever with any
one. ■
This contract wns acted upon to the letter by It. and his
gang. T h e following are some of the instances told to
me by my lather who had accompanied the pilgrims. '
( Ini' day, while halting for breakfast at a serai (orcluitter,
a.s they are called a t Behar) a servant xvas draw ing water from
an itidvia (big xvell) when th e lota (water pot) dropped into
the xvell, a.s lie had tied th e noose of the rope ra th e r loose
around the pot. Lightly equipped as the travellers were,
this loss was of great concern to them. A fter th inking
a while, my grandfathei said that It hail promised them
every assistance on th e journey. " I am s u r e ” he said
“ his promised escort is with us. Let us drop th e n ip e
with the noose into the w ater and sec if his spirits will
not find us the lota.” H e did accordingly, and a number
of persons who were then drawing w ater from the same
xvell l o o k him for a m adm an when they saxv him drop
a rope in a xvell with no lota on it. Suddenly my g ra n d­
father felt the rope heavy, and xvlien lie pulled it, out,
up came the very lota, firmly tied anil full of wafer. The
by stauilcrs at once changed their minds, and th oug ht the
oitl man was a Jiidugar (Magician) or endowed with
superhum an powers. T h e news spread like wildfire ail
over th e serai, and large crowds gathered at the dour of.
the shop in which th e t r a v e l l e r had put up. The party
now thought th a t it was not expedient to stop at the
place any longer, and therefore taking their meal as fast
as they could, they left the place speedily anil quietly.
In ano th er serai one of their i/n in e s (clothes &c. tied
in a bundle by another piece of cloth) was somehow or
other stolen by some one. A t some of th e serais in India,
dogs are trained for purposes of theft. And so It xvas
again invoked anil shortly after a dog xvith the iju h ii' iu
its m outh approached as if being dragged by the ear,
dropped the y v tr ic liefnrc my grandfather, and then pro­
ducing a sound, as if it had received a slap, it ran away
with all speed.
One evening while seatetl at the door of a seraie, some
voice spoke to the party from over their heads, informing
them th a t the nig h t before a th ie f had committed a
robbery iu their house. T he inmates xvere all fast asleep.
T he spirits however made certain sounds which awoke
them, and the thief with his accomplices made away a.s
last as he could. T h e fact, was noted down and comm uni­
cated to the family, who in reply confirmed it.
On the noon of the day on xvltich the pilgrims ottered
the Pinda, my a u n t became suddenly entranced a t home
(it should be remembered th a t it was not the usual hour),
then became conscious, rose up, dressed like a man as
usual, xvalked to th e yard, called my g ran d m o th e r and
the rest of the family near her, and talked to th e cfleet
th at he and his party would always rem em ber with g ra ti­
tude the trouble which my grandfather, and the family
had taken for their sa k e ; that, the time for their eman­
cipation had a t last arrived ; th a t the pilgrims had already
entered the t e m p l e ; that, the Pinda was in their hand,
then th e re — there— there. My aunt fell Hat ou the
ground, and simultaneously th e branch of the guava tree
came down xvith a crash... ; young boys and maidens ran
away in a fright, believing the sixty-four ghosts were
about to perpetrate some serious mischief.
T h e jaxvs of m y aunt, which were locked at first, were
now released, and when she returned to consciousness,
 feeling shocked a t seeing so m an y spectators present on
the occasion she repaired at once to th e inner apa rtm en ts
like a true H in d u zenana, modest lady.
From t h a t tim e to her death, in October 1878, she
remained the same ignorant H in d u lady as she had been
before tlie event. She could n e ith e r road nor write, nor
recite any more a word of th e Bireshw ar’s prayer which
she had boon in th e habit of doing every morning and
evening for about four months.
One particular event I have om itted to mention here.
R. had on the occasion of his son’s marriage, privately
borrowed lls. sixteenfrom my second uncle. Before my
grandfather's departure for Gaya, one m orning while his
son' was present am ong others, he beseeched my gra n d ­
father to release him from the debt as it was preying on
his mind. My grandfather therefore rem arked th a t he
and his son (my second uncle) had no recollection of the
transaction. To this he replied th a t he had signed the l-hat
for the money and it was still in existence. A fter this he
turned to his son (K.) and asked him if he had a mind to
repay the debt, who replied in th e affirmative. Jl. how­
ever, was not satisfied b u t rem arked th a t ns my g ra n d ­
father was about to incur so m uch expense for the ir sake
it would be a favor and 110 great 'loss to him if the debt
was paid. My uncle th ereu pon took out a bundle of
I / kiI.i , and threw it before (my aunt). R. picked out his
bond and gave it to m y uncle, who then rem arked to the
audience present “ I hereby absolve him from his debt,”
and tore u p th e bond. The spirit th e n uttered hurried
thanks and departed, leaving my a u n t in a swoon.
In connection with th e narrative I may m ention tha t
my father died in December 1800, my first uncle in 1802,
my third uncle in 1803, and my fourth uncle in 1807.
My m other is still alive, so are also several neighbours
who won! eye-witnesses of th e above events. 1 have, tried
to give in the narrative as brief an account, as I could
om itting all minor and insignificant details as much as
]tossiblc. Before com m itting the above to paper, I in te r­
rogated some of the living eye-witnesses abo ut the inci­
dents. Tlie circumstance is widely known in the neigh ­
bourhood, and as the son of the spirit is now a pensioner,
it would l>e perhaps as well to suppress the names rather
than wound his feelings.
.Mtmt'shi'iliihiul, IJth Janiun'U 1SS0.
A ( M E A T L I G H T U N I >E l i A I! I LSI I E L.
Tf, according to th e ironical definition of a F rench writer,
language! were not given to man “ th a t he m ight the hotter
dissimulate his th ought,” a t some future day, in a cate­
chism of sciences, we m ight hope to see the following
answer under the heading of Phyxwloiii/.
Qiicx.— W h at is Physiology ?
. l/).v.— T he art of denying all th a t its specialists have
not yet come to know, and, of unconsciously disfiguring
th at which they do know.
The relevancy of this answer.posterity will fully recog­
nize and appreciate ; especially when mesmerism, or animal
magnetism, shall have become a recognized science, and
generations of stubborn physicians shall have been p u b ­
licly accused by history, of having sacrificed generations
of their contemporary suffering millions to their ferocious
conceit and obstinacy.
For those of our readers who may know but little of
this most ancient science, practised since prehistoric times
in India, L g yp t ami C h ald e a ; and, who have never heard
th at it was th e basis of th e wonderful “ magic a r t” of the
Phrygian Dactyls and of the initiated priests of Memphis,
we will briefly sketch its history, and show w hat— as now
confessed by the greatest men of modern science— it is
able to perform.
" A n im a l M acJ n k t is m , called also mesmerism, is a force
or fluid by moans of which a peculiar and mysterious in ­
f lu en cem ay be exerted on tho animal system ” says the
‘ American C yclopedia.’ Since th e destruction of the
pagan tem ples and after an .interval of several centuries,
it was practised and ta u g h t by Paracelsus, 11it! great mvstie
and one of the sect of the “ fire philosophers.” Among
these this force was known under tho various nam es of
“ living fire,” the “ Spirit, of Light,” etc. ; the Pythagoreans
(‘ailed it the “ Sold of tlie world,’ (um iun itiiim ltj mid
the Alchemists, “ Alui/m'*•, and the. “ Celestial Virgin.”
A bout the middle of the LSth century, Max Hell, profes­
sor of astronomy a t Vienna, nnd a friend of Dr. F. Anthony
Mesmer, advised him to try whether, like ano th er Paracel­
sus ami Kircher, hi; could not. cure diseases with tho
magnet. Mesmer improved upon the idea and ended in
performing the most miraculous cures- no more by m i­
neral, but, as he claimed, by cm ntu! ma^iiei ism. Iu 1778
Mesmer w ent to Paris : caused in this city the greatest
excitement, and from th e f i r s t , (noils' mastered public opi­
nion. He. would not, however, give his secn i to the or>-
vernment, but. instead of that formed a class, and nearly
J-,000 persons studied un der his d ii.i I ions a! various tim es;
Lafayette, the Man pi is de Ptiysogiii', and I he famous Dr.
D’lilslon being his pupils. 11 is loci hods were not those of
the present, day, but lie treated his patients by placing*
magnets on various parts of I heir bodies, or bv having
them sit. round a covered tub trom t he eov e r of which an iron
rod went out to each person, the whole party thus being
connected by touching hands. He also made passes with
his hands over their bodies. While Mesmer provoking iu
the hotly aiul limbs ol the sick persons a cold prickling
sensation, nervous twitehiugs, diwv s i ness. s l e e | i , aiul procur­
ing thereby an alleviation ami olieii a total cure did not
go further than to cure nervous tliseases.il was the Mar-
f| i i is tie Piiysegur, his pupil, who discovered som nam bu­
lism— the most im portant result, of animal magnetism.
Anti it, was Delcuxe, the famous ualtiralisl of I lie J a rd iu
des I’lantes, a man greatly ivspecled lor his probity and as
an author, who published in. I.SI.‘I a ‘ Critical History of
Animal Magnetism.’ At I his time, not wit lislantling its
evident success ami benefit, mesmerism had nearly lost,
ground. In I78-J-, the French (iovernm ent hail ordered
the Medical Faculty of Paris to m ake an enipiiry into M es­
m er s practices ami theory, aud report. A commission
was appointed ol such men a.s the American philoso­
p h er Franklin, Lavoisier, Bnilli, ami others. But, as
Mesmer refused to deliver his secrel ami make it. public,
th e result, was that, having carefully investigated the mode
of treatm ent, the report adm itted I hat. a great influence
was wrought upon th e subjects, bill iliis influence was
ascribed by them chit'fly to iinuijiuiitmn The impression
left thereby on the public mind was that Mesmer was a
charlatan, and his pupils— dupes.
N o tw ithstan ding th e general prejudice, m a g n e tism
throve and got known over the whole world. It had m ad e
an invasion upon the grounds of medical routine anti
fought its way step by step. It appealed from ihe stu b ­
born hostility of th e Academy anil the old traditions of
its members to the ju d g m e n t nf the multitude, promising
to abide by the decree of tho majority. " I t was in vain
that, its Iricuds were treated as charlatans by the medical
faculty and the majority of the learned,” writes Dclenze,
“ the man, who had witnessed mesmeric, experiments
among his Iriemls, would believe despite all Ihe authority
which could be brought to bear upon him.” A t last, in
182."), owing to th e efforts of Dr. Foissac, a ym'ing physi­
cian of note and an enthusiastic adm irer of Mesmer, th e
lloyal Academy of Medicine in I’aris appointed another
learned commission and had a serious investigation made.
Would any one believe it { Owing to numerous intrigues,
tin! opinion of the learned investigators was wit held for
over five years'; anil it was only in 1831, th a t the report,
was rendered, and th en found to the great discomfiture of
th e old academical and mouldy brains lo cun fa in a itimni-
molts decision to the following:—
It was reported that —
(I) Mr-'iiwrism is a. force capable of exercising a pow er­
ful influence on the hum an system ; (2) th a t this influence
<lo/'.< not ilfjiciiil IIJ'OII inittiiiitti/toit ; (3) t ha I it does not. act
with eipial force on all persons, and upon some is entirely
 pow erless; (J-) tliat it produces som nam bulic sle e p : (•">)
t h a t in this sleep injury to tho nerves uf sensation does
not cause the slightest sense of pain ; ((i) th a t tin;
sleeper mil hear 110 sound save the voiee of the magne-
liz e r; (7) that the sleeper's nerves of touch and smell
carry no sensation to th e brain, unless excited by the
m a g n e tiz e r; (.S) th a t some sleepers can see with their
eyes closed, run j'o re /e ll n eeu ru teh /, (>ven m ouths ill advance
(a.s was am ply proved) various events, anil espeeiallv
the time ot th e return of epileptic tits, their cure, and
discover (In' diseases of persons w ith whom tliey are
placed in m agnetic connection; and that, persons suf-
lerni" wilh weakness, pains, epilepsy, and paralysis, were
partially or entirely cured l>y magnetic treatm ent.
The report created tin* greatest, sensation. Mesmerism
extended all fiver the world. S tu d e n ts of the new science
became more numerous than ever, the ablest writers k ep t
track o( its progress and high am on g all others as a,
liie.smorizer and a, w riter stood Uarmi .f. I), du Potet.*
About the year 1840, Paron Karl von lieichonbach, an
em inent (Jernian chemist, and tho discoverer of creosote,
discovered a new force, llnid, or principle,— which we
regard rather as ono of t he correlat ions of the . Iiiin m
M uiu/i— which lie called oil or ixh/lr. This agent, accord­
ing to his theory, “ is not confined to th e animal kingdom,
hut pervades the universe, is perceived in various ways hy
sensitives, has th e greatest, influence upon life and health,
and like electricity and galvanism, has two opposite poles,
and may he accumulated in, or conducted away from,
animal bodies.” Then came tho discovery of Dr. ISraid
ol Manchester, who found that, ho could produce sleep in
p atients hy ordering th em to look steadily a t some small
and brilliant, object, about a foot from th e ir eyes and above
their level. H e called the process ln /p n iillsm and gave
to his theory the graceful name of iirnri/iuinliuii/ setting
it down as a mesmeric antidote.
Such is, in brief, tho history of this wonderful principle
m n a t u r e ; a principle, as little understood as were electri­
city ami galvanism in days of old. And yet while the
latter, as soon a.s demonstrated, were unanim ously accepted
and even greeted, the former, however great its claims for
alleviating th e pains of suffering h um anity, however much
demonstrated, is to-day as bitterly denied and decried us
it. was in the days of Mesmer. Shall we say why? Because,
while electricity and galvanism in t heir practical application
by, and meaning, in science aro the gross manifestations of
the universal Proteus, the g rea t . Ininm \[ n m li— Magnetism,
in its broadest and most mysterious sense, discovers beyond
mere physical results horizons so mysterious and vast,
tha t the m a tte r of fact and sceptical scientists stagger and
repulse its spiritual possibilities with all the m ig ht of
their narrow-minded materialism, (luce th a t they adm it
il„s existence and give it rights of citizenship, the whole of
their schools will have to be remodelled. Ou th e other
hand, the clergy are a.s bit ter against it, for its results, in
their beneficent, effects, upset, every necessity for believing
in divine. “ miracles,'’ or fearing the diabolical, and give
the lie direct to tlicir old slanders.
W e will now show th e progress of magnet ism u n d e r its
various modern names of mesmerism, magnetism, h ypno­
tism and other isms, am ong th e men of science, anil
mosmcrizors who explain it, each iu his own way.
M esm kim sm a n d H y pn o t ism in F hance.
As we propose to deal with that, dangerous hug-bear of
physical science— mesmerism, we will have to exam ine
these apples of discord freshly [ducked hy us in the garden
ol the scientists, with due caution and respect. W e mean
to cut, oil every possible re tre a t from the enemy, and will,
therefore, strictly hold b u t to the personal experim ents
and explanations of some of the recognized leaders of
medicine.
^ n fls iilM mnnv ni n<! n n ami v rry nl*lo (,pri<.<1irr. Ik *mc!i :is ttin .Mutj.
rniMhiMp'l untlcr llio p.*ilronniro of ilir vrnornlilr Pnron iln P n lrl,
I Innoi-nry K>llmv of n n r Society, ni Pnrii, nnd tin* i .lA'i/i./Viyw'* 1.y li*i-
iiftlo, nmmiir I ho licst works ii|mn inni.'nc?i*ro nro lhosi> nf II. fl. Atkin*nii,
J i r 1.11i M , nnd Prof*«^ir W illiam Orofmry, of K' 1i 111i r j 411 ,
One such is M. Naipiet,, d e puty for Vaucluse, Pro­
fessor of the Faculty of Medicine at Paris, and au th or of
‘ Ancient and Modern Revelations.’* This gentleman, who
is a hard-shelled materialist, to whom th e mere idea of
soul iu man is as unwelcome as the smell of incense used
to be tn the traditional devil, is just now giving a series of
scientific lectures in Paris, the main object of which seems
tu b e to admit the phenom ena of mesmerism (at last!) an d —
light, against tho theory of the hum an soul having a n y ­
thing to do with them. Having successfully pulled out
t in! props from un der the ancient revelation, !. r., the bible—
nnd dem onstrated the absurdit y of belief in the modern <-a-
tholic “ miracles” ol L oiirdesandSalette—against which |n»si-
tion we will not protest,— he tries his hand at, Spiritualism
and Mesmerism. U nfortunately for the able lecturer he
seems to labour u n de r th e impression th a t the votaries of
both s p i r i t intercourse and Mesmer m ust necessarily b e ­
lieve in Supcriiaturalisni — lienee inira ele.i. O f course, he
makes a mess of it. We. quote., translating portions of
his lecture r e r lm tin i ................................................................................................
“ Hand iu hand w ith these persons (the spiritualists)
who b ring forward such weak a rgum ents we find
moving, nevertheless, a few others ( mcsmei’izcrs )
whose ideas deserve to be taken into consideration and
discusscd. These pretend ( ?) to produce at will in some h u ­
man beings a peculiar kind of sleep, called th e magnetic.
They aflirm their ability to communicate to certain sub­
jects this faculty of seeing through opaipie lxxlies, and
they m ain tain that such facts remain inexplainahlc unless
we a d m it the existence of a soul in man.”
" To begin with : an! th e facts from which these men
draw their conclusions at all certjiin/f- A dm itting that
they are, cannot they be explained upon any o ther liy|>o-
thesis than the existence of this Soul
“ T h e facts u nd er consideration are affirmed by e n lig h t­
ened and honorable m en ; thus, in this case, they do not
offer t h a t u to r tliiu / e li'ir a r te r o f iin lie ril ih f o w l tin p it'/H rt‘
ir/iirh e o u it i t u te s tin > j 'ln iila n ie iitu l J e n I n r e o f' S j iir itn n lix in . J
Therefore, I will not im m ediately pronounce upon th e u n ­
reality of all they tvll’ us of magnetism : but, at the
same time I propose to show th a t these facts, however real,
do not in the least, prove any necessity for the interven­
tion of a soul to account for them .”
" Magnetic sleep can be explained ipiite naturally. The
phenom ena of electric attraction daily produced before onr
very eyes, and which no one ever a tte m p ted to a ttrib u te to
a .supernatural cause, are, at least as extraordinary as the
mesmeric influence of one man upon an other man. For
th(! last several years, sleep followed by complete insensibili­
ty and identical in all points with the magnetic sleep, is
produced by purely mechanical means. To obtain it,
one has but to approach a light to the p a tie n t’s
nose. T h e fixing of his eyes upon the luminous p iin t
produces a cerebral fatigue which results in sleep. At this
day, it is no longer to be doubted t h a t magnetism belongs
to a, phenomenon of th e same kind, light being replaced
by o ther agents and expedients which bring on the same
cerebral fatigue, and finally sleep."
“ Lucidity seems more doubtful than simple magnetic
sleep, and it becomes still more difficult, to give it, cre­
dence. A dm itting it to he demonstrated, however, we
could again explain it w ithout meddling with the S p i r i t . "
“ We will know th a t light and heat are b u t vibratory
m otio ns; th a t light and he a t differ hut in th e length of their
undulations ; th a t these undulations which are perceptible
to our eye, are of various lengths, producing in us th e sen­
sation of various colours; that, moreover am ong th e un-
dulatory motions which we recognize a.s heat,, there are
waves of different l e n g t h s ; that there exists, in short,
such a th in g as a real calorific » p e e triin i. On the other
* Htu'rhitUul tn-l't/t"' it Mtn/t'i'ue.
+ A t tlio J i m o o f t h i s t o r t u r e t l i o e m i n e n t l i l t y j i d n n b e l i e v e d h u t l i t t l e in
t h o m c > m e t ic p h c n o n i e n n . S i n c e t h o u , I n v m t * r e p e a t e d l y w i t n e s s e d px|**ri-
n n 'iiU of nniinnl m n g tie tN m b y P rofr*«or< h n rc o t, ho d o n h t* no l o n g e r ; nay -
hr* In dio i' e* , n m l v e t , xvliilo findint* it impo«*il>lo t o d o u b t , h o t r i e s t o e x p l a i n
t h o w h o l e ujM.n h i s o w n m a t e r i a l i s t i c h y p o t h c x i * . - A V . T/*^a.
t M«»ro t h n n o n e s p i r i t n a l U t m i g h t r e t u r n t h o c o m p l i m e n t t o m n t e r in l i« m
nnd w ith i n n r y . ^
hand, as, beyond th e red ray, there are motions which r e ­
main unperecivable by th e eye, but which become sensible
to th e touch as heat, so there are others beyond th e violet
vay, which develop in us n either impressions of heat nor
those of luminosity, b u t which we can m ak e manifest by the
chemical influence which they exercise upon certain sub­
stances. Finally, experim ent shows to us th a t th ere are
bodies permeable to heat, yet perfectly im permeable to
light, and rice rerntt."
“ Thus, Ave can adm it th e production of vibrations of
waves of various lengths and infinitely variable. B u t of
all such possible motions there is b u t a certain n u m b e r
only, w ithin very restricted limits, th a t are, perceived by
us as light, heat or chemical rays. All g re a te r and smaller
motions escape our senses, a.s would the luminous motions
had we 110 organ of sight. T hey escape us simply
because we have 110 organs fit to perceive th e m .”
“ L e t us now suppose,” he says “ th at, owing to a n e r ­
vous snr-oxcitcmont, our organs may become impressionable
to tlit! extra-calorific or extra-lum inous rays. Til K I’ACTS
Ol'MAUNKTIC I.ncmiTV WOULD UK VKIil'KCTLY KX IM.AIX Kl >.”
W e th a n k modern Science for teaching us such tru t hs and
explaining such a profoundly involved problem. B u t we
can hardly refrain from rem inding the erudite lecturer
that he b u t repeats th a t which was explained by nearly
every ancient philosopher aud repeated by many a m odern
writer, who has treated upon clairvoyance.
T h e N eo-Platonists explained clairvoyance on the same
principle; B ap tist van lie lm o n t in his ‘ O pera Om nia,’
A. n. KiS^, (p. 7 20) treats this second sight in th e realm
of th e occult universe most elaborately. T h e H in d u Yogi
reaches clairvoyance by purely physiological processes,
which does not prevent him from often discerning' things
real, not intayinary.
“ Light, heat and chemical raj's,” our wise lecturer goes
on to say, “ nre propagated by m eans of vibrations, and
according to the same law ; thus, m u s t it be for the rays
which remain imperceptible to our senses. L e t only our
eyes become tit for perceiving them, and th e ‘ double sig h t’
has nothing in it to surprise u s........J lu ‘day when these fnctx
(of mesmerism) .-7ndl he xnffuientli/ proreil, our liyjmtltett* will
become more accejiftthle titan that o f the mud. It trill nlloir
o f erery e.rplanation, without tnvjHtfxiiii/ beyond the hurt* trhtr/t
(jorem the nnirer.se.’’
W e m ake haste to deny and emphatically protest against
th e im p utation of believing in th e supernatural. T h e hy ­
pothesis of Af. N aquet, the physiologist, if ever accepted,
beyond the small m inority of his colleagues will never prove
“ acceptable.” As to accusing, as he does, th e vast body
of Spiritualists, Spiritists, and Mesmerists of trespass­
ing in their explanation beyond the late* which yorern the
nnirerse, it is as false as it is ridiculous. Once more it
shows how a p t are our opponents, an d especially physio­
logists, to disfigure facts whenever th e se ehush with their
ideas. T h eir argum ents were unique. If, said they, artificial
sleep can be produced by purely tueclntnieal means, (hypno­
tism) w hat use is there in calling sjnrit and xoid to our help
to explain this phenomenon { N o use whatever, indeed.
B ut neither did we ever pretend to explain this preliminary
stage to clairvoyance— sleep w h ether natural, hypnotic, or
mesmeric, by any soul or spirit theory. This im pu tation
lies only in th e case of uneducated Spiritualists, who
a ttrib u te all such p henom ena to “ disembodied spirits.”
B ut can th ey themselves— these high priests of intellect
— the agency of th e spiritual <*</« bein g p u t aside— any
more rationally explain the phenom enon of som n am bu ­
lism, clairvoyance (which some of th e m as we see are forced
to admit) or even sleep and simple dreams, th a n we, not
“ scientifically trained ” mortals ( Even ordinary sleep
with its infinite modifications is a.s good as unknow n to
physiology. A d m ittin g even th a t th e w ill o f man is not
the direct cause of m agnetic effects, it yet, as M. Donato,
the celebrated m agnetizcr of Paris, remarks, “ plays upon
and guides many a mysterious force in nature, th e mere
existence of which is totally unknow n to science.”
D r. C h a r c o t ok P a r is.
(The ftltistrioua DUeoocrer of the “ Jlyiteric.il Conk.”)
Meanwhile science fishes in the same water with th e
mesmorizers and for the same fish— only inventing for it
when caught, a new, and as it thinks, a more scientific names'
T he alwive accusation is easily demonstrated. As a proof
we may cite th e case of Dr. Charcot. It is th e same great
Parisian professor who, having proved to his own satisfac­
tion th a t no mesmeric effects can be obtained with a su b ­
je c t unless this subject be naturally hysterical, mesmeriz­
ed a rooster and thus became the original discoverer of
th e "H ysterical (Jock. ”* Professor ( Jlmrcot is an au th o ­
rity upon all m ann er of nervous diseases, a high rival of
Broca, Vulpian, Luys, etc., and besides being th e celebra­
ted physician of th e hospitals of Paris, is a m em ber of
the A cademy ot Medicine. Like the less scientific b u t
equally famous Dr. W . A. Hammond, of New York, he
believes in th e etticaey of the metallic discs of Dr. Biirck
for curing more than one incurable disease, b u t unlike th a t
neurologist, does not a ttrib u te any of either the cures or
other p henom ena to im agination; for catalepsy can he prac­
tised upon animals, according to his own experiments. H e
also gives credit in his own way to th e genuineness of
somnabulism and the freaks of catalepsy, a ttrib u tin g to
the la tte r all m edium istic phenomena. On the a u th o r ity
of a correspondent of M. Itagazzi, the E ditor of th e
.foarm d da Muynetimne. of Geneva, he proceeds in th e
following fashion :—
Dr. Charcot first introduces to his audience a t the hos­
pital of La Stdpeleirre (Paris,) a sick girl in a state of p e r­
fect insensibility. Pins and needles are stuck iu her head
and body w ithout the least effect. A n application of a
collar of zinc discs for five m inutes return s life into th e
regions of th e throat. T hen the two poles of a horse-shoe
m agnet are applied to her left arm aud th a t spot exhibits
sensibility, while tins rest of the body rem ains in it previ­
ous state. T h e same magnet, placed in contact with the
leg, instead of b ringing th e limb back to life, produces a
violent contraction of th e foot, drawing the toes to tho
heel ; it ceases b u t upon an application of electricity.
“ These experiments of iiielullotherapia and mineral
m agnetism remind one of the gropings of Mosmer in
1774, and of his applications of magnetized pieces in th e
case of nervous diseases” says M. Pony, th e medical s t u ­
dent, iu his le tte r to th e Journal de Mnynetisme, and an
eye-witness.
A n othe r subject is brought. She is hysterical like the
first one, and appears in a state of complete aniesthesia.
A strong ray of electric light is directed on her, and th e
patient is instantaneously cataleptized. She is made to
assume the most u n na tura l positions; and, according to
the a t titu d e commanded have her countenance “ by sug­
gestion” says Dr. Charcot, "express t h a t which her ges­
tures imply. T h u s her hands, crossed 011 her bosom, are
followed by an expression of ecstacy on her face ; her arms,
stretched forward, produce iu h e r features an air of suppli­
c a tio n .. .”
If, while th e uhject is in this state, th e luminous ray is
ab ru ptly withdrawn, th e p a tie n t collapses and falls again
into *iiutnambidi,<ut— a word which shocks Professor C ha r­
cot beyond description. A t the command of the physi­
cian, and while lie proves her u tt e r insensibility by stick­
ing pins in every portion of her body, th e p atien t is made
to obey th e doctor a t every word of command. H e forces
her to rise, to walk, to write, etc.
I 11 a le tte r from M. Aksakof, which is published further
011, it will be seen t h a t Donato, the professional magnetizcr,
produces by will power all th a t is produced by the sceptical
xncattt by electricity an d mechanical means. Does th e la t­
ter experim ent prove t h a t mesmerism is b u t a nam e ! Can
we not, rather, see in both a m utual corroboration ; a proof,
moreover, of th e presence in m a n ’s system of all those
subtle powers of n a tu re th e grosser manifestations of
wliieli are only known to us as electricity and magnetism ;
• S e o K n 'ttr M titfn tin y t* , f o r KeKruay, edited l>y D o n a t e a t l ‘uri»\
 n n d th e fin e r e s c a p in g e n tir e ly th e s c r u tin y ol p h y sic a l tho periphery of the nerves.' If Hu n it can be proved that
sc ic n c e ? hum an thought, is n ot limited to th e domain of the body,
B u t o n e n f flic m ost c u rio u s fe a tu r e s n f tlie p h e n o m e n o n , b u t th a t it can act a t a distance upon another human
b ro u g h t, m i by Dr. C h a rc o t's e x p e r im e n ts , is to b e (o m u l in body, transm it itself to an other brain without, visible and
t h e effe c t p ro d u c e d on 11 is p a ti e n ts b y v ib r a tio n s lik e th o s e recognised communication, and be reproduced by word,
felt, on a ra ilw a y tr a in . U p o n p o ie c iv in g it, (lie illu s ­ movement., or any other means, we obtain an immense
tr io u s p ro fe sso r h ad a h u g e d ia p a s o n , 4 0 c e n ti m e t r e s h ig h , fact before which material physiology should bow down,
p la c e d u p o n a la rg e c h e st. A s so o n a s th i s in s tru m e n t, is and which should be seized by psychology and philosophy
m a d e to v ib r a te , th e p a ti e n ts at. o n c e fall in to c a ta le p s y ; to give a new support and a new development, to their
a n d w h e n e v e r tlie v ib r a tio n s a re a b r u p t ly s to p p e d , t h e p a ­ metaphysical speculations. 'Phis fact, has in many ways
t i e n ts s in k in to c o m p le te s o n in a b u lis m . and under many forms been proved by animal magnetism ;
It w o u ld s e e m , th e n , llia t D r. C h a rc o t in o r d e r to p ro ­ but in tho experim ents which I planned, I wished to see
d u c e th e n lm v e d e sc rib e d e ffe c ts u se s b u t tw o a g e n t s — it, presented in a form at, once convincing and easy to re­
/•iiiuiiI a n d lii/hl. T h u s , th is a s s u ra n c e m a y b e c o m e o f a n produce by any person acquainted with magnetism.
im m e n s e im p o r ta n c e to all th e A ry a n s t u d e n t s o f T h e o ­ W h en I asked M. Donato if lie would accord me a pri-
so p h y , e s p e c ia lly to th o s e w ho s tu d y th e S a n sk rit., a n d f al.e in te rv ie w Ibi c e r ta in e x p e r im e n ts w h ic h I h a d iu view ,
w ho, th a n k s to S w a m i D a y n m in d , a r e now e n a b le d to le a rn ic c o n s e n te d w illin g ly a n d p ro m is e d to h o ld h im s e lf a t
th e re a l a n d s p ir itu a l m e a n in g o f c e r ta in d is p u te d w ords. m v s e rv ic e fo r th e d a y a n d h o u r I sh o u ld in d ic a te . So,
T h o s e o f o u r F ello w s w ho h a v e m a s te re d t h e o c c u lt h a v in g a n n o u n c e d m y s e lf b y a te le g ra m , I w e n t to h is h o u se
sig n ific a n c e o f th e w o rd s I 'm h m tiM h /riu n i i/u ifiirhlm * in th e i r on th e 1 7 th o f N o v e m b e r a t tw o o ’c lo ck , n n d a f t e r a few
a p p lic a tio n to “ s o u n d ” a n d “ lig h t" w ill h a v e iu th e a b o v e m i n u te s ’ c o n v e rs a tio n , w e b e g a n o u r w o rk .
an a d d itio n a l p ro o f o f th e g r e a t w isd o m o f t h e i r fo re fa ­ /■'/V.7 c.f/n'riiiicnt.— 1 begged M. Donato to commence by
th e r s , a u d th e p ro fo u n d a n d s p ir itu a l k n o w le d g e c o n ta in e d p u ttin g to sleep, his subject, Mile. Lueilo, and he a t once
in th e V eilas, a n d e v e n iu o th e r sa c re d lS ra h m a n ic a l b o o k s, placed an arm -chair between the two windows of the room
w h e n p ro p e r ly in te r p r e te d . and a few paces from th e wall ; in it Mile. Lucile seated
In c o n s id e rin g th e p h e n o m e n a p ro d u c e d b y D r. C lia r- herself, and slept (magnetically) in a few moments. We
e o t, th e cold m a te r ia lis t a m i m a n o f sc ie n c e , i t is h ig h ly took our places a t th e other end of the room, opposite
i n t e r e s t in g to le a d a le t t e r on h is o w n p e rs o n a l e x p e rie n c e s the sleeper, and I th e n drew from my pocket, a card-case
in m a g n e tis m , w ith th e fa m o u s m a g n e ti/.e r, M. D o n a to , o f from which I took a card and handed it to M. Donato, beg­
l ’a ris, b y M. A le x a n d re A k sa k o f, F .T .S ., K n ssia n Im p e ria l ging him, simply by looking at, Mile. Lucile, to induce her
C o u n c illo r, w h ich w as re c e n tly a d d re s s e d by h im to a F le n c h to make th e movem ent indicated on the card. On it was
jo u r n a l. T h e re s u lts o b ta in e d a.re all th e m o re w o rth y o f written ‘ Fxtond the left arm.’ M. Donato rose, remain­
n o tic e from th e fact that. M. D o n a to h a d not. p re v io u s ly a t ­ ed motionless near me, and looked at Mile. Lucile; after
te m p te d th e so -c a lle d '' tr a n s m is s io n o f th o u g h t " from an instant her left arm began to move, slowly extended
o n e ]iei'son to a n o th e r bv th e m e r e w ill o f th e m a g n e tiz o r itself, and remained in th a t position until M. Donato
a n d fe lt a n d e x p re s s e d c o n s id e ra b le d o u b t, as to (h e su c ce ss replaced it by her side.
o f h is e ffo rts in t h a t d ire c tio n . Scrmiil r.iyn'riiiiriif.— I passed to M. Donato a white
Two F re n c h p a p e rs , th e llu /i/'i'l a n d th e I tillm rr, h a v e handkerchief which I had brought with me, and begged
b o rn e f l a tte r in g te s tim o n y to t h e c h a r a c t e r a n d a t t a i n ­ him to cover with it, th e lace and head of Mile. Lucile.
m e n ts o f M. D o n a to , a n d h e is g e n e r a lly know n a s o n e o f This being done, and th e edges of th e handkerchief falling
th o s e m e n w ho h a v e d a re d to q u it, th e r u t s tra c e d b y on her shoulders, we took our places again, and in silence
h a b i t a,ml tr a d itio n , a n d in v e s tig a te , to q u o te h is ow n I gave to M. Donato a second card on which was written,
w o rd s, “ T h e o c c u lt m o to r w h ic h a n im a te s ns, th e ' liaise th e right, arm vertically.’ M. Donato fixed his eyes
m y s te r io u s fo rces w h ich c r e a te life, th e b o n d s th a t u n ite, on the mot ion less body of Mile. Lucile and soon her right
u s to o n e a n o th e r , o u r m u tu a l a ffin itie s , a n d o u r c o n n e c ­ arm, obedient to the th o ugh t which directed it, executed the
tio n w ith th e s u p r e m o p o w er, t h e e te r n a l lev e r o f t h e movement indicated— slowly, gently, stopping always when
w o rld ." M. Donato turned his head to look at me. I felicitated
S o m u c h for M. D o n a to . A s to M. A k sa k o f, lie is him on his success and begged him, that, all danger of ovor-
a h ig h ly in te llig e n t, a n d t r u th f u l g e n tle m a n ; r e p u t e d to fatigue might, be avoided, to remove the handkerchief
b e in h is e a rn e s t re s e a rc h e s iu t h e d o m a in o f m a g n e tis m and awake Mile. Lucile.
a n d p sy c h o lo g y , n o t o n ly a c a u tio u s in v e s tig a to r, b u t T h in / I’.rjirrmirnt.— A fter ten m inutes of conversation,
r a t h e r o f a too d is tr u s tf u l n a tu r e . W e h e re g iv e th e Mile. Lucile is again asleep, and her head covered by the
rrrlm liiu tr a n s la tio n o f h is a r t ic l e p u b lis h e d b y h im in handkerchief; we resume our places, and I pass to M.
l,t< llfi’itc A /tit/m iit/n r . o f F e b ru a r y , I<S“ L). Donato a third card bearing the words, ‘ Put. both hands
upon your head,’ and I ask M. Donato to stand this time
M. D o n a t o a x i > M i . i. k. L r c i i j ; : F x i ’k iu k n v k s in behind Mile. Lucile. H e expresses some doubt as to the pos­
“ T u o i 'i i i i r T u a n s m is k ii >n ." sibility of success in this position, but makes the attem pt
anil fails : a. fact, which did not, surprise me, as the polaric
" H a v in g h a d th e p le a s u re o f m a k in g , a t P a ris, th e a c ­
connection between the operator and his subject, was
q u a in t a n c e o f M. D o n a to a n d o f h is a m i a b le a n d e x c e lle n t
reversed. At. this moment I approached M. Donato and a
p u p il, I d id not w ish to lo se th e o p p o r t u n it y of a t t e m p t ­
rem arkable phenomenon was produced. As I wished to ask
in g a n e x p e r im e n t, u n d e r m y o w n d ir e c tio n , to a s c e r ta in
the magnetizer to concentrate his will on the occiput of the
th e p o s s ib ility o f tr a n s m it,tin g t h o u g h t fro m o n e h u m a n
sleeper, my hand made an involuntary movement towards
b e in g to a n o t h e r b y the. v e h ic le o f th e w ill a lo n e . I t is
her back to indicate th e place named, and while it was still
k n o w n t h a t o n e o f t h e m o st o r d in a r y a p h o r is m s o f m o d e r n
some inches distant. Mile. Lucile moved suddenly forward.
p sy c h o lo g y is ‘ P sy c h o lo g ic a l a c tiv ity c a n n o t g o b e y o n d
T hu s I obtained in an unexpected and conclusive manner
the confirmation of the phenomenon of polarity, or of
* T r a n s l a t e d hy I’rofi»s-«nr M u x M i i l l c r its w h e r e a s it r e a l l y m e n u s
“ d i v i n e l i g h t , ” in t h o e v n e t . s o u s e u n d e r s t o o d b y t h o m c d u i ’val a l c h e m i s t s . In
attraction and repulsion, which I had already observed nt
his S a n s k r it w o rk..V v 4 *>>/»' < ! , • < > , t h o l e a r n e d phih>loj»i<t,nn t h e g r o u n d t h a t the public representations, and which proves very clearly
t l i e xvord ;<g o 1d ” is f o u n d in tho M a n tra J */<*//</ that th e sleep of Mile. Lucile was neither natural nor
r r . h h ta k 'e s t h o o p p o r t u n i t y o f c*oing ftgn i n ^ t tl io a n t i q u i t y **f t h o V e d a* , a n d feigned. ‘ If you will allow me to use m y 'h a n d s ’ said
t o p r o v e t h a t t h e y n r o i i " t .os oM a* c o m m o n l y t h o u g h t , s i n c o t h o e x p l o r a ­
t i o n of g o l d - m i n e * i.< of c o m p a r a t i v e l y m o d e r n d a t e . I n liis t u r n , ftw at ui M. Donato ‘ I am sure to succeed.' ' Use them ,’ I said,
D n y n n d N .ir n s w a ti s h o w s in h i s A*o/.,vr/,rV; llhun,}nL,i. Honk iw p. 7ft and, still behind Mile. Lucile. he m ade a few passes from
Hint t h o 1’r o f o s s o r i>« e n t i r e l y w r o n g . T h e w o p I / / / n t <n<i/>< d o e s n o t m e n u
“ g o l d 1 I m t t h e g o l d e n litrh t o f d i v i n e k n o w l e d g e , I h o Hrst p r i n c i p l e in th e shoulders to the elbows, when th e hands of the subject
w hos* ' ' v m i i l * i* c o n t - d u c d Hie l i y h t . o f t h e e t e r n a l t r u t h w h i c h i l l n m i i i n t c s t h e rising slowly placed themselves upon her head.
)il»c;rntod s o u l w h e n il Ii i> r c a c h o d it-* h i g h e s t a h o d e I t is, in s h o r t . t h o
P h i l o s o p h e r ' s S t o n e ’ o f t h e a l c h e m i s t , n n d t h o K t c n . n l L i g h t o f t h o K irc /■'mirth r.rprrimriil.— M ile. L u c ile s till r e m a in in g asleep
Philosopher. — Tlnu*, w ith h e r h e a d u n d e r t h e h a n d k e rc h ie f, I g a v e to M. D o n a to
 st card on which was written, ‘ Jo in the luinds a.s if praying,’ M A G X ETH : fH E St IKXt
anil I place m yself on u sofa to the left ol' MI It-. Lucilc,
the b etter to observe tlic movements ol M. Donato. H e Bv 1!, B a t h s , F. ’P. S.
remains motionless at five or six paces from her anti looks
Possibly many clairvoyants are in the habit of claiming
at her fixedly, her hands take the desired position anil re­
an amount, of credit for lucid prescience to which they al e
tain it until M. Donato removes the handkerchief and
by no means entitled, but th a t the soul set free, for the
awakes her,
time being by mesmerism, no longer bound down by the
I'ifth c.vjici’niicnl.— Alter ten minutes' rest, Mile. Lucile
weight of physical passions nnd inlii milies, finds its powers
goes back to the arm-chair and is again pul. to sleep. Tho
of perception anil induction infinitely increased, cannot be
fifth card orders her to m ake a knot with the h a n d k e r ­
denied w ithout a t the same time rejecting the fruit of
chief, anti M. Donato placing himself behind, Mile. Lucilu
much con.-cientious anil patient li st aich. It is even cer­
extends his hand over her head without touching her.
tain that u n d e r m esm eiie i u lh n iu e the mind becomes
She rises anti he directs her by his th o u g h t towards the
capable of receiving impressions uthciw isc than by the
table on which the ham lkeichief has, unknow n to her,
recognised channel of the senses ; but w hether the veil
been placed. Obeying the attraction of the hand, she
that shrouds the future can be drawn aside, or the d i­
reaches th e table, M. Donato still keeping th e sanieJ
fficulties of tim e and space overcome is still an open
position behind her, anti I .standing near him. W ith
question. ( 'eitainly if all the marvels claimed by mes-
growing interest we watch her movements, and see her
mciists were jossihlc Ihe world wi ultl l e revolu­
hand seize the handkerchief, draw out one of it^s ends,
tionized, a coi ps oftraineil mugm-t iscrs anil t l u i r subjects
anti tie the knot. M. Donato him self was astonished,
Would supersede th e electric tc h g la p h , pen aud ink Would
for this time it was no longer a simple exercise of will,
no longer be required to give ns news of absent friends, no
hut a thought transm itted anti executed !
crime could remain a mystery, no secret lie hidden. As
Sixth am i la.*t f.r/>?runntt.— It was almost useless to Con­
things are, n e ith e r the stockbroker nor the detective are
tinue, hut as M. Donato insisted, I handed him a n o th er
in the habit of appealing for aid to magnetism, and the
fiinl with the following inscription, ‘ Touch yo ur left ear
criminal pursues his dark path undeterred by the fear of
with your right hand.’ Mile. Lucile still asleep was al­
mesmeric revelations.
ready back in her arm -chair; M. Donato stood in front of
In an other field mesmerism has achieved greater
her, and I occupied my former place on th e sola. Motion­
results The cures perlormed by Mesmei and his dis­
less and silent, the magnetizcr looked a t his subject, whose
ciples, by th e Baron tin Potct, the Zouave Jacob,
light arm soon executed the order given, by three succes­
Newton, of New York, and many ano th er practised
sive movements, the hand approaching the breast, anil
then the ear, which it finally touched. magnetise!', prove that I his science, so me I iines overrated aud
so ol t en maligned, has a wide field of her own, aud i n k s a
These experiments were Ibr me perfectly conclusive;
domain full of interest aud usefulness. A t her feet, suffer­
Mile. Lucile executed the movonicnts’dosirod without the
ing hum anity will y e t bow down, and medicine be com­
least hesitation. T he thoughts th a t M. Donato was to
pelled to hail her as a sister and valuable aid. H er
transmit to her were indicated to him by me only by cants
essence can pellet rate where the Surgeon’s scalpel dare in it
prepared in advance, and in most cases he acted on her
venture, and claiivoyaut, skill tan n w al the cause and
fii>m a distance which rendered any conventional sign or
cure of many a mysterious malady. (lifted with more or
signal difficult, even if her face had not been covered with
a handkerchief, which I . had. ascertained was thick einmeh less power to help others, the clairvoyant appeals to be
. . O endowed with special lucidity wln n the M-ciets of his own
to hide from her any slight sign given by the hands or
physical frame and the dangers and misfortunes that
face of M. D onato; besides which it would have reipiired
threaten it are involved, and if true magnetic prescience
a very complicated system of m inute telegraphy to indi­
exists, it will probably be most frequently met. with in
cate the movements rci|iiircd.
this dep artm en t of the science. T he incident I am about
I asketl M. Donato it he had ever attem p te d to produce
to relate came u nder my own observation, aud at first
anything of the kind in public, aud In; answered that these
sight would ap p e a r to olfer a strong proof of lucid p r e ­
cxjierimeiits exacted very harmonious conditions, difficult
to obtain iu large assemblies, anil th a t he did not. like to science. W hether, however, it can be explained away on
risk a failure. 1 think if M. Donato would exercise his the supposition of increased powers ol percept ion anil
induction aroused in the patient by her magnetic sleep
pupil oftener in this direction, he would finish by produc­
and the strong personal interest of the subject that
ing a series of public phenomena ol this kind with the
engaged her a t t e n t i o n ; — w h ether an abiiomal clear­
same case* with which lie produces the others. It would
ness of vision may have enabled her to foresee an accident
he well worth the trouble, for none can deny th a t these
experiments illustrate especially the phenomena of luci­ that was rendered imminent by some already existing
organic lesion or attenu atio n of the tissues, 1 leave my
dity anil clairvoyance, aud present them in th e ir .simplest
and clearest form. readers to determine.
Some years ago, when residing in Paris 1 became
As I left Paris the day after our interview, I could only
acquainted wit,ha widow lady named Mine, de I!, and her
express my satisfaction to M. Donato by a little note
very charming d a u g h te r Mile. Irma. T h e y lived in the
which was printed iu No. hi of l.n I'ccm-, It is with
qiiartier St.. (iermain, and many a p le a sa n t-■and unplea­
great pleasure that I now fulfil my promise to publish all
tlio details of our experiments, and I profit by this oppor­ sa n t—day have 1 crossed the Pont des Alts, lin g e n d over
tunity to signify publicly to M. Donato, my high apprecia­ the old print and book sellers stalls on tin; qilai, and then
tion of the zeal, knowledge, anti loyalty with which he followed the narrow crooked rue de Seine on my way to
devotes himself to tin: defence and promulgation of the their little I'litrffol. Mine, de 15. had long sulteied from a
most interestin'; science of hum an magnetism. mortal disease, b u t she bore the mingled evils of pain and
poverty, with a graceful cheerfulness aud absence of
im iiirn i* c h n n tc th a t won all hearts. Her own anil her
A I.MX A N I • IIK A K.NA K H I’. *
d a u g h te r’s toilettes were severely economical and the
I'>lli J a n u a r y , l»S7!*. simply lurnished looms they occupied, were kept iu order
St. Petersburg, Nevsky Prospect, No. (!. by a female servant who also performed the offices of
■ ♦ - - -
cook anti general factotum 1 must give Celcstine a word
of introduction, for she is the principal personage of my
The ‘ Philosophic Inquirer,’ of Madras, au able and story. She was celestial in name only ; a short broad
fearless F re e-thought organ would find many readers at woman of fifty, large of limb aud feiture, with thick
tlio West if its m erits were only known. masses of coarse iron-gray hair, a brown healthy face, and
* I'usuinii tran slato r of tlio of tlio ( ’om it S/.tu iii-y, St. a pair of most peculiar eyes. They were very dark and
I'yUTsbury, 1800 ; editor of tho Uunurm Kcvivw, tittutivu. very witle open, at once stony, dreamy, and penetrating.
 t ri e the
( ‘d e s tin e professed entire devotion ♦«* lier mistresses, and
words of coaxing flattery e:nne readily to lier lips, lmt I
dn nut, tliink she was at all unmindful of lier own interests,
or disposed to sacrifice herself beyond measure, and she
certainly never told the truth when she imagined th a t
eonvenieiiee or expediency demanded a, falsehood. .Slio
possessed a natural and uncultivated taste for romance,
pretended to occult powers in th e way of telling fortunes
hy curds or teacups, was not without a certain ready " i t ,
too strongly flavored to he agreeable to all tastes, and was
in short a thorough f e m m e tin jie ii/ile . Now it so chanced
that Mine, de H. finding little lieuctit from th e prescrip­
tions of her doctor, was induced to give magnetism a trial,
and M. Henri I a 1 Hoy, a moderately strong magnetiser,
visited her every day, without however affording her much
relief. ( >ne afternoon, when I happened to be there, and
M. I,c Hoy had been m agnetising Mine, do B. for some
time, Irma had occasion to en ter the kitchen, anil found
( 'd e s tin e in a sleep from which it seemed impossible to
rouse lier. The news appeared in no way to surprise
Al. I.e Roy, he expressed liis conviction that the sleep was
magnetic, and caused by him, and proposed th a t wo should
adjourn to the kitchen. This was im mediately done, and
while we seated ourselves on stools and woihIImixcs M. Lo
Hoy began to examine his subject. She was leaning back
in the only chair in the room, a half peeled potatoc had
apparently fallen from h e r hand, and a kitchen knife lay
on her knee. An ins|>ection of her eyes showed th a t the
halls were turned upward, aud nothing we could do seem­
ed to make her aware of our presence. W ith M. Lo Boy
it was ipiite otherwise, alter a few downward passes, lie
spoke to her, and she answered him lucidly and with
alacrity. First he endeavoured to put ( 'elestine eii
eoj'/mel with Mine, de B. and obtjiin from her some facts
th a t m ight be of use in the treatm ent of Mine, de li.’s
illness, but the clairvoyant evidently was entirely lacking
in discretion, ami her first words. “ (Hi the ] * w woman,
she is lost. ! lost !" caused so much distress and alarm to
all present, th a t the m agnetiser hastily ordered his si ihject
to turn her atten tion to her own state of health, which wa.s
generally believed to be particularly good. “ T ak e your
time,” In; said, “ look well.” Slowly the placid expression of
the woman’s face changed for a look of distress, horror,
and fear, her features worked convulsively, and her hands
clutched her garments. “ Calm yourself" said M. Lc Hoy
“ and tell me what troubles you.” The answer came
hoarsely in broken whispers " I see it — I see an acci­
dent, the beds— the white wall it is l.n f'/m rilr* S u r ­
geons, knives blood— Oh (iod save m e !" I t wns im-
)<ossihle to m ake her say more, and M. Lo Hoy found it
necessary to use all his power to calm her convulsions
and awaken her. Of course on aw akening she retained
no recollection of what had passed, and we m utually
agreed not even to tell her she had spoken, it was
satcr aud kinder to leave her in ignorance of th e entire
transaction, but her words had produced a most u n ­
pleasant, olfoct on its all, aud Mine, de M„ was visibly cast,
down by them. " A f te r all Maman,” said Irma, “ ( ' d e s ­
tine never tells the truth when she is awake, so 1 do not.
see why we should attach any importance to what she
has j u s t uttered iu hoi sleep." It would not do, we could
none ol us shake off a certain dread th a t had seized us,
and M. Lo Hoy acknowledged to me, as we descended the
stairs together, his fears that Mine, de B. was really lost,
and that some terrible misfortune would overtake Colcs-
tme. “ I'.iifiit, i/ui riern rerro" he added, a.s we parted at
the corner of the street, and took our separate ways through
the misty Novem ber twilight.
Six or seven weeks passed almost, w ithout incident,
M. Lo Hoy had discontinued his visits, but Mine, de B.,
was no worse, Colostinc robust a.s ever, and nothing a p p a ­
rently remained of her prophecy hut the few notes I had
written down in my pocket-booft. Some time in J a n u a r y
I went to England, and though the ladies had premised to
write to me during my absence, I returned to Paris a
• The nmiie of nu lip-ptnl at I'nrij,
o s o p n rs r. [ K d m i a r y . 1SSO.
month later w ithout having heard from them. Of course
my first visit was to their house, and my foot was already
on the stairs th a t led to their a p a rtm e n t when the con­
cierge called me back. “ No one there,” she said, Mine,
de IS., had resolved to try the effects of a milder climate,
and sli5> and her d a u g h te r were staying with relatives in
the South of France. “ H ad ( 'elestine gone with them
I asked. " A h non, In p i m r r e she had been at FjH ('Im rilr
these ten days.” “ /,<; ( 'lnn ih ' I exclaimed. “ Yes,” she
continued, “ soon after Madame left, ( 'd e stin e had lifted
Madame's bed, which was a very heavy one, to place a
roller under it ; she had done the same thing a dozen
times before, b u t this tim e she had felt a new and painful
sensation, as if some internal organ had given way, she
had grown worse and worse, and was now at, t h e hospital
and her life despaired of.” It wa.s impossible to obtain n
perm it to visit th e patient, that night, lint, the next day I
obtained admission to th e hospital and found poor Celestine
in a pitiable plight indeed. A difficult and dangerous
operation had been performed, and she was a t the last
degree of prostration. N ot a glim m er of recognition cross­
ed her face when 1 s p ik e to her, and liotli doctors and
sisters of charity assured me that recovery from th e c ri­
tical operation performed on her was extrem ely rare.
She did recover however, thanks to an extraordinary
am ou nt of vitality, b u t it wa.s three months before she
was able to sit up, and during th a t time I made the ac­
quaintance of every inm ate of the ward, and knew by
heart every dark spot on the white wall by the side of
Celestiiies bed. Poor creature ! how that, wall m ust have
glared down on her during all the weary hours she passed
near it. She left /,<' <’lioilh: at last., weak and tottering,
but friends cared for her during lier long convalescence,
and afterwards provided her with a fish stall at Belleville.
T he last tim e i saw her, the ruddy color had come back to
her cheeks, her rolled up sleeves disclosed a pair of brawny
arms, her hands rested on her substantial hips, her ready
tongue bandied complements with the neighbouring
butcher, ami it would have been hard to find in all Paris a
heartier and healthier woman af her age th an Celestine
Diihamel.
Mine, de B. returned to Paris only to die. They buried
her in Pore la Chaise, and Malle-lrnui returned to her rela­
tives in the South.
• •
a .u r s A u iA S A i i n A i . ( v <h ; i .)
B v S v i;i> M a i i m o o d , E sc;., D is t r iit J t ' i x :i; at
R ai B a t i k i i . i .v (O rm i.)
I lie original of the following narrative will be found
among the anecdotes in C h apter III. of th e ‘ Bostan,’
one ot th e most celebrated |>ocms iu Persian, by the world-
renowned Sadi of Shiraz, who is regarded by Musalmans
not onl^y as a ^ re a t poet, b u t also as a very pious and holy
man. I he original anecdote in Persian is found a t page
2I.‘l of the Edition of Ch. II. (Jraf, and was printed at
A ionna in l.S.i.N. ] am afraid the translation is not a very
good one, b u t I have atte m p te d to make it literal. The
narrative runs t h u s : —
^ It so happened, once, that myself and an old m an from
Faryab arrived a t a river in the West,. 1 had a diram (sil­
ver coin) which the boatmen took from m e and allowed
mo to en ter the boat, lnit thoy loft the ])orvesh liehind.
T he blacks (i. e, th e lioatmen) rowed the boat— it glided
like smoko. T h e head boatman was not a God-fearing
man. I felt sore at, heart at parting from my companion ;
but he laughed at my sorrow and said " Be not sorry for
me inv good friend— me H e will take across who lets the
lniat. float.. 1 horelore he spread his Sojjtulo (i. e. a small
carpet used by Mahomedans while repeating tl id r prayers)
on the face of the water.— Jl,appeared to b e a n imagination
or a dream. I slept not the whole of th a t night, th in k in g of
the wonderful occurrence. On th e morrow he looked at me
and said : “ You were struck with wonder m y good friend •
but the boat brought you over, niid Uud me.” *
 W h y do tlie opponents not believe t h a t ubtlal»* can go
into w ater or fire ? For an infant th a t docs no t know th e
effect of'fire is looked after by his loving mother. S im i­
larly those who are lost in contemplation (of th e Deity) are
•day aud n ig h t u n d e r the im m ediate care of the Deity.
He it is who preserved l\lutTil'\ from tire, and Moses from
th e water of the Nile. Even a little child supported
on the hands of a swimmer does not care liow .swollen the
Tigris is. Hut how can you walk 011 water with a manly
heart, when even tin the dry land you arc full of sin (
.h'dihir’x Xott- :— This anecdote, kindly furnished by the
accomplished Mr. Malmiood, lias a real interest and valu e;
in that it reminds th e stu d e n t of psychological science
th a t a certain range of psycho-physiological powers may
be developed, irrespective of creed or race, by whoever will
undergo a certain system of training, or, as Mr. Mulnnood ex­
presses it in his note to his translation, who lead boly lives
and so overcome th e ordinary, th a t is, th e more lamiliar,
laws of m atter. M ahommedan literature teems with a u ­
thentic accounts ot psychical phenom en a performed by
devotees and ascetics of t h a t faith, and it is to be hoped
that a portion, a t least, m ay find th e ir way into these
columns through the friendly aid of Persian a n d -A ra b ic
.scholars.
TH E MYSTIC s YLLAHLE OXKAHA : ITS
M E A X 1X G , A X T / n l l T Y , A X D r X I V E U S A I .
Ari'JJl'ATIOX.
Bv P ad B a h a w h D adoha P anih jh a .n c .
S enator of the IJombaA U niversity, ‘A uthor of thuM tiratlii (Jran m iar/ <>f
*A Hindu n T houghts un Swodonbopy,*
It will, I imagine, have appeared to all th e Hindu
readers of th e 1 HKUSOI'IITST, as it has appeared t o m e , a
felicitous choice, or taste oven if it be so called, on th e
part of th e editor of th a t journal to have displayed so
prominently and beautifully th e most holy Vedic syllable
0 in on its title-page. I t is held in such a degree of ve­
neration am ong the Aryas th at they have distinguished it.
by the peculiar and appropriate appellation of Prannawa,
.and by their m andate -that no S hudra is perm itted to pol­
lute it by his utterance. W ith it the B rahm an s begin and
end th e recital of their holy m an tras and th e ir daily
prayers, and with it the ^ods address th e M o s t H o l y
O ne . In the Upanislnids, it being not unfrequently iden­
tified with the Brahm a itself its adoration and m e d ita ­
tion are iound here and there perem ptorily enjoined by
their sacred authors, as the means, of obtain in g divine
knowledge. I h e Uhhaiidogya Upanishad opens with its
commendation ami eulogium u n d e r its other kindred
denomination— the U dgitha, the most lu.ly song of the
Siima Veda with which it is thero identified. 0) In th e
enum eration of the essences, beginning with tho earth as
the essence of the elements, water of the earth, shrubs of
the water, and so forth, the IJdgitha is represented as the
essence of the Satna Veda. Nay, it is declared to lie the.
quintessence ot all; it is th e Supreme, the most adorable,
CT with whom the U d gith a is here identified.
The Syllable O m is composed of three letters,— n, n,
and in, each of which is said to typify ono of the three "oils
Vishnu, Brahma, and Shiva, respectively. I t is also "said
to typify the three g reat regions or spheres of the world,
the three sacred fires, th e three steps of Vishnu in his
avatara of Trivikrama.O)
* P e r s o n s w h o b y ieu'lin;jf h o l y li v e s o v e r c o m e t h e u n i i u u r y la w ; o f m a t t e r .
+ T h o M a h o i m n e i l u i i n a m e f o r A b r a h a m , t o w h o m t h e m i r a c l e o f b e i n '-
iwe<l f r o m li r e w h e n t h r o w n i n t o i t is a t t r i b u t e d .
( 3) ir q ; W&U3*TW<ZfTW: |
N u m e ro u s long and short treatises are e x ta n t in sepa­
rate bodies, and also found largely interspersed ill th e
Vedic anil Pu ran nie literature of the Aryas, com mending
in strong terms the efficacy of the mystic syllable Om.
Shankaracharya in his Sharir Bluishya has dwelt largely
ou it, and the Vayu Para n a hits devoted one whole chap ter
to its elucidation. Now a question m ig h t naturally occur
to a reflecting; mind, why a body of the learned saints an d
sages of the old Aryavarta should labour in a m ental task
which to all appearances is so m uch gibberish and devoid
of any sound and deep sense. What, mysticism could
there exist in th e u tterance and recitation of a mere word
or syllable th a t could lead, as is averred, to the ob taim nent
o f the knowledge o f the Su prem e Brahma, and conse­
quently o l'eternal bliss {
Let us now seelc for some reasonable answer to tin; above
question by philosophising on the subject, its rationale
appears to lie too deep) below th e surface to buoy up at
once to the gaze of the vulgar. In the ( lihaudogya or
some other ITpanishad.— I now ibrgot which.— 1 well re­
collect th a t this Oui is compared to an arrow in the hands
of a skilful archer, aim ing and throwing it a t a mark ; and
the mark fixed in the present instance is the knowledge
of the Brahma. Well m ay we compare the head of this
arrow, or ra the r its sharp point to the first letter a, the
reed or in term ediate part, to 3 n, and the barb to 10, as
the component, of letters of the Om as shown above. A
Yogi in the act of m editation (dhyana) may be said or
imagined to pierce or rend with this shaft the thick mental
veil which hides his knowledge of B r a h m a :— thick iu the
spiritual sense of the word. T he hum an mind, spiritually
considered, is the thickest of all substances we can con­
ceive of if encum bered wholly with worldly ideas and
worldly pleasures, which nnm istakcably have the effect of
rendering it q uite im penetrable to sublimed thoughts
nnd conceptions concerning (Jod and the destiny of m an ;
and therefore a candidate for divine knowledge is, in th e
first place, fitrietly enjoined to wash his mind clean of all
such g rossucss; or else bis a tte m p ts in th a t direction are
.sure to prove wholly ineffectual and fruitless. T h u s equip­
ped, it Yogi with his concentrated mind may be said to be
well prepared now with this arrow to penetrate deeper
and deeper into the very na tu re and origin of his knowledge
of sound, which ultim ately leads him inevitably
to see and identify it with the very essence of Oodhead.
The following extinct from a treatise by Raja Rani-
liiohun Itoy as quoted by Babu Uajcndralal Mitra in his
valuable translation of the ( 'hhandogya Upanishad,may also
serve further to elucidate and corroborate the view taken
above.— Om, when considered as om- let ter u ttered by
“ the help of our articulation, is the symbol of the supreme
“ Spirit. ‘ One letter (Om) is the enil'lcin of the Most
“ H ig h ’ Mann II. N3. ‘ This om-, ’ letter. Om, is the ein-
“ blcm of the Suprem e B eing Bhagavadgitii. * * *
“ But when considered _as a triliteral word consistim;' O of
“■ 3T (a), 3 (u), * (111), O m implies the three I '<■</«.<, th e
“ three .iliilc-* o f hum an nature, tin.* three i/iris!,,nx o f the
“ universe, and th e three ik-ilii-s— .Brahma, Vishnu aud
“ Shiva, agents in the m-nlton, pri-fvrt'ttl ton, and </<'••>■/I'uritoll,
" of this world ; or, properly speaking, th e three principal.
at,tributes of th e Su prem e Being personified as Brahm a
“ Vishnu, and Shiva.. In this sense it implies in fact the
“ universe controlled bytlie S u pre m e S p irit’— 1’ammohun
Hi 1V. ‘
1 hope I may be allowed here to prolong this idea of
the whole universe beinu'
. O evolved _from and included in
the one word O m, to which the Raja has th u s briefly al­
luded, with my own observation or rather theory on this
im portant and interesting point.. My long ratiocination
on the analysis of this mystic word as given by the sages
^ of India, has led me to tlie discovery of a rationale, which
may, 1 trust, be considered as calculated to account
with some satisfaction for the very high sacred impor­
tance attached to it. It is a well-known and established fact
th a t th e vowel 3T (a) takes the precedence of all th e let­
ters of th e known alphabets of the world ; at least I can
affirm this as far as my knowledge goes ; and why so, b e ­
cause it is tlic very foundation, tin- first germ, ns it it
win.’, of the N adahrahm a (divine resonance) or tin* Na-
dasrishti (the whole resonant system supposed to In- iu-
norinoistlv pervading tin' universe), all other letters or
vnrit lies of sounds being eonsidereil to he no more tlinu
m odulations of tho same sound generated in the organs
of utterance, or in the vibrations produced by musieal in­
stillments. The sound re presented hy the second letter
3 (u) mav he well conceived to he the modification which
th e same sound undergoes in its passage outward through
a slight pressure yiven to it Imm above and helow ; and the
sound of the last letter H (in) is what is produced hy its
u ltim ate stoppage altogether between two outward pres­
sures. Now the utterance or ra th e r the proceeding ol
these th ie e sounds inherent in the symbolic syllable Oil
from the Malia, Purusha or tin; O reat Universal Spirit or
Being may be well imagined to typify the production ol'
th e whole niierocosm, its sustenance, and its stoppage or
destruction at the Malm Pralaya. in all its grand and m i­
nute operations. I have nol met witli this explanation
in anv of the Upanishads or other books that I have eonie
jieross, but I should not wonder a t all if such rationale or
something approaching it wero found in some other books
or in the large body of the Ta.nfrika literature of the
Aryas.
It, is a m atter of the most wonderful coincidence, if
coincidence it be called at all, that the experience ol St.
John, th e g reat evangelist, should have driven him to the
same conclusion at which the ancient authors of the Vedas
long before him had arrived, as appears evident, from his
solemn and profound opening of Ihe first chapter ot his
oospel, in which the hu/os or II o n l is so clearly mid uu-
mislakcabl ‘ ‘y expounded and identified with the second
personage in the (lodhead,— na.y, God himself, when the
evangelist declares that the ‘ word was (Iod. Now tha t the
O M o fth e Vedas, which is said to be the essence trom which
proceeded the Poe// 01 speech, may be conceived to be the
same and identical ideal with that of the /oyo.*, iu the ori­
ginal conception of the evangelist, there appears to me
not the shadow of a doubt.
Nor does this Vedic O.m app e ar to m e to stop here. It
assimilates itself to our equally great wonder also, into
th e verv sound of a word of nearly the same sacred im­
port, and performing the same sacred office. in the rituals
and praversol the Bauddhas, the Jains, the <1ews, the ( ’liris-
tians, and th e Musalmans— in fact in all the principal re­
ligions of the world, as it. does in th a t ot th e A edas ; 1 mean
the word j\w c » . Such are tho meaning, the antiquity, and
the univ ersal diffusion and application of the mystic syllable
w hich ap]tears on the title-page of the T h k o s o p h i s t — (hit
tot Kid, Amen.
I). 1.’.
A t'o l.I .lH 'T I o N OK Till-: (/I 'A I NT WKA I’OXS t i K W A l l A X D
th e chase, for th e manufacture of which the Province of
C utch has ever been noted, is now on free exhibition at
the l/ihrary of the Theosophical Society. They were k in d ­
ly sent for the purpose by J’ao B ahadur Mannihhni Jes-
liliai, Dcwau of (Jutch-Blmj to the Bombay Agent, of the
State, Mr. Javerilal Umiashaiikar, anil hy th a t gentleman
turned over to our Society. In all then; are sixty
lots, comprising battle-axes, spears, swords, daggers and
hiinting-knives. Most of the shapes are highly artistic
and in any W estern centre of taste would he eagerly p u r­
chased as trophies wherewith to adorn libraries, halls and
dining rooms, the more so as the juices at which they are
invoiced to pass through the (h istout H ouse are. exceeding­
ly moderate. How, for instance, would an American c u t ­
ler fancy m aking steel spear-heads of four c u ttin g edges
aiid with sockets arabesquetl, for less th a n two dollars ; or
double-blnded daggers, with tem pered blades blued and
emblazoned with gilt stars, nml arabesquetl hilts, for less
th a n four dollars ? Besides the arm s th e re are articles of
jewellery in gold and silver. H e re are a t least two arts
not y et quite destroyed by foreign competition.
T h k IniJinn■ S p e d a t or (Bh.misav). w h ic h took o c c a ­
sion to send kind won Is to our Society while we were still
iu America, and has ever since manifested an appreciative
interest iu Theosophy, has recently passed into the hands
of a Parsi gentlem an whose abilities as a prose writer nnd
poet have been long anti widely appreciated. The paper
ought to enjoy a great prosperity under its new manage­
ment.
SkVKKAI. VKit V 1NT Kit KSTI N(i AI1TIOI.KS INTKNDKII Foil
the present nu m b e r have been crowded out, and must, lie
over until n ext m onth. Among these is one, in Pali, from
('cvlon. Is there any scholar am ong our friends in this
[•art, of India who would be so obliging as to translate oc­
casional articles from Pali into English or one of the V er­
naculars for us ? I t is next, to impossible to have it done
in ( Vylon, there being, it. appears, b u t one B u dd hist priest
in that island whose knowledge of English is intimate
enough to qualify him for this work. B ut for this, a n u m ­
b e r of valuable contributions from learned priests of that
sublime faith would have enriched these pages.
T iik k m i n k n t o h t h o d o x p a n d i t s a t t a c h h i > t o iik n a -
res ( 'ollege, having heard our President’s public exposition
of Theosophy in th a t city, called a special m eeting of the ir
Literary S o c ie ty ,th c B rah m a m rit Varshini Sablia— and paid
that, gentlem an th e g rea t honor of electing him an Hono­
rary Member of th e Society. The speeches were in Sans­
krit, Hindi and English. A strong effort is being made
by th ese learned gentlem en to revive an interest in Sans­
krit literature, and a bi-weekly Magazine— l ’ij/rcha Shi-
l-nr— is to be started at the very moderate rate of Its. 7
[ter annum . By next month we hope to be able to give
further particulars.
I k M u. Wai.t., t h k M a o i s t u a t k a t I ’.knauks, h a s iu:-
seindcd bis singularly unwise order that Swamiji Dava-
uiind Sarasvvati shall not be perm itted to deliver any lec­
tures upon the A ryan re.ligion in that city until further ad­
vised by him, the fact has not yet been reported to us hv
the parly most interested. T h e Sw am i’s most, recent letter
to us stales, on th e contrary, that the M agistrate had not
even noticed his le tte r of protest and inquiry. Unless the
( lovcrnmcnt of th e N o rth West Provinces* is willing to have
it understood th a t froe-spocch is denied to all except those
who in te rpre t th e Vedas in a certain wa v, we may reason­
ably expect, this affair to be settled in a very peremptory
fashion before long. Wo may say this since there is no
question of politics b u t only free speech involved. The
visit of our party to Benares wns memorable iu many
ways. W hile it resulted in binding still closer the ties
of friendship between the Swami anil ourselves, it also
gained for us the good will of a n u m b e r of very important
orthodox laymen, among them His Highness, the Maha­
rajah of Benares who, being absent from home a t the
time, lias ju s t sent us a cordial invitation to revisit the
sacred city, and p a rta k e of the princely hospitality for
which he is noted.
T A lifjK OK C O N T EN T S.
I'nge. l*npc..
Tlit* lln 'tliiv n of tlie Ii’osy I n tln i ............................................... 121
Cress ..................................10S The N ature nml Ottii-e of
O ur D u ty to Inilia ............ I l l J^uihlha's Religion............ [ 2 2
Sonnets ..................................]I2 A Case of Genuine Ilim hi
L o ! Tin* “ Poor M issionary". 112 Metliunislup .................... I2.T-
An Inilinu l ’litriot’s l ’rnyer lilt A Clreat Light iniitui' a
English C!Ilost Stories ........1 II Jiushel..............................12,"i.
K.nst Im li.inM ntoriuM cilicn.l 1 t M agnetic I ’rescitsnuo............ 1 2 !)
The 11,•iron tin P o tet, lio n . A Miiwilniiin A 1><IjiI (Vogi.) 13t>
K.T..S. ....................... ......... 1 1 (i The M ystic .Syllable Onkn-
H nssan K han “ D jiim i ’’ ...117 r n : its Meaning, A nti-
Z oroastrianism nml Theo- t|iiitv. ami Universal A |h
soi>1iv ............. .............. ....117 p lic n tio n ............................. 1 D1
A n Im linn ^E throhat ........ 1 2 0
P r i n t e d n t t h e I n ilv M r in l J’iftt l>y .11. C u r s c t j i k Co., a l u t iitil.IMicd
l'V t l i c Tl ic t is o i' li i cn l S o c i e t y , n t N o . It'S , (M iy ii m n I.inck li ontl, li o n ilm v.
 /Ocreativ
^com m ons
Attribution-NonCom m ercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported

Y o u are free:

to S h a r e — t 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 th e f o llo w in g c o n d it 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 ith th e u n d e r s t a n d in 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 .
 liG i
M

HEOSOPHIST
fc d to iv - tilta
i s s r s i la a r s i i
h l 11

A MONTHLY JOURNAL DEVOTED TO ORIENTAL PHILOSOPHY, ART, LITERATURE AND OCCULTISM: EMBRACING
MESMERISM, SPIRITUALISM, AND OTHER SECRET SCIENCES.

Vol . I. B O M B A Y , M A R C H , 1SSO. No. 6.

S P E C IA L N O T IC K S. I n Q U IU IK S AUK CON STANTLY SIADK l»K O l'U S O l'IK T Y AS-

It is oviilont th a t tho Tili:ohoi*u 1ST will offer to ndvortisor* unusual a d ­ to th o possibility of im porting from America h an d -m a-
vantages in circulation. Wo have already subscribers in every p a rt of
I n d i a , in Ceylon, Hurm ah, ami ou tlio P ersian Uulf. Our paper also goos chinos for various industrial purposes. T here is no lack
to (ire a t B ritain, Kranoo, Germ any, H ungary, Creeco, Russia, C o nstanti­ in Am erica of inventive capacity to produce a n y ,h a n d -
nople, Kgypt, A ustralia, and N orth and S outh America. Tlio follow ing very
m oderate rates have boon adopted :
machine th a t India m ig h t need for any branch of m a n u ­
• A d v e r t is in g R it k s . facture, b u t the whole resources of our mechanical genius
F irst in sertio n .............16 linos aud u n d e r........... 1 Uupco. have for many years been applied to the production of
F or each additio n al lino........................................ \ Anna. machines to be worked by steam. T h e case of Am erica
Spaco h charged for a t tb e rate of 12 line* to tho inch. Special arra n g e ­ is th e exact op]>osite of th a t of India. Here, manual
m e n t * can bo made for large advertisement-*, and for longer aud fixed labor is superabundant ; there, it is excessively scarce and
poncnU. For fu rth e r inform ation and coutracU for ad v ertisin g , a p p ’y to
costly. Steam machinery has, therefore, been b ro u g h t to
I U :s6»3. C O O P E R k Co.
th e highest pitch of perfection. T he true way to pro­
A dvertising Agent*, Bookseller* an d Publishers, Meadow S tre e t, F o rt, cure w hat India needs in this direction is for some e n ­
Bombay.
lightened princes lo otter prizes for machines that will do
such or such work by hand or bullock power, and p u b ­
T o SU B SC R IB E R S.
lish the same in th e American journals th a t circulate
T h e S u b s c r i p t i o n p r i e o n t w h i c h t h o T h k o s o p h i s t is p u b l i s h e d b a r e l y among the inventive classes. Such are the JS'eiv Vorh
c o v e r s c o a t t h o d e » i g u i n e s t a b l i s h i n g Miq j o u r n a l h a v i n g b o o n r a t h e r
t o r e a c h a v ery w ide circle of ro a d e rs, t h a n to m a k o a profit. Wo cannot
Tril'iriif and the Scientific . \werie«n. The American D e ­
affo rd , th e re fo re , to s e n d s p o e im o n copies freo, n o r to s u p p ly lib ra rie s, so- p a rtm e n t of S tate m ig h t also, it' requested hy Colonel
c i eti o* , o r in d i v i d u a l * g r a t u i t o u s l y . F o r t h e i»amo r e a s o n wo a r o o b l i g e d
t o a d o p t t h o p l a n , n o w u u i v o r * a i in A m o r i c a , o f r e q u i r i n g s u b s c r i b e r s t o
Olcott, who holds the ap p o in tm en t of United S tates C o m ­
p a y iu a d v a n c e , a n d of b t o p p i n g th o p a p e r a t t h o e n d of th o t e r m p a i d fo r. missioner to the East Indies, cause th e offer of the prize
M a n y y o u r* o f p r a c t i c a l c x p c r i c n c o h a s c o n v i n c e d W e s t o r n p u b l i s h e r s t h a t
t h i s s y s t e m o f c a s h p a y m e n t is t h o b e s t a n d m o s t s a t i s f a c t o r y t o b o t h
or prizes to be announced in the official circular ot th e
p a r t i e s ; a n d al l r e s p e c t a b l e j o u r n a l s n r o n o w c o n d u c t e d o u t h i s p l a n . P a te n t Office, and th u s ensure it the widest publicity.
Sub-M.TilHirs w i s h i n g n p r i n t e d r e c e i p t f o r t h e i r r c m i t t a u c c s m u s t s e n d Should this suggestion so far commend itself to the n a ­
s t a m p s f o r r e t u r n p o s t a g e . O t h e r w i s e , a c k n o w l e d g m e n t s will b o u i a d o
t h r o u g h tho journal.
tive princes a.s to be carried out, certain things must be
T b o T i i k u j w p i i i s t will a p p e a r e a c h m o n t h . T h o r a t e s , f o r t w o l v o n u m - borne in mind. First, th a t inventors are, as a rule, poor
l»ers o f n o t le ss t h a u 40 c o l u m n s R o y a l -Ho o a c h , o f r o a d i n g m a t t e r , o r mechanics, employed on wages, and unable to devote tim e
4S0 c o l u m n s in all a r e a s fo llo ws :— T o S u b s c r i b e r * in a n y p a r t o f I n d i a ,
Ks. ti p e r a n n u m ; i n C e y l o n , Us 7 ; iu t h o S t r a i t s S e t t l e m e n t s , ( J h i u a , J a m m , to th in k in g out such inventions as India wants, or invest
n n d A u s t r a l i a Ks. ij ; i n A f r i c a , E u r o p e , a n d t h o U n i t e d S t a t o s , i . 1. H a l f th e ir scanty means in th e purchase of materials of con­
y e a r ( I n d i a ) R s , 4 ; S i n g l e c o p i e s a u n a s \'l. R e m i t t a n c e s in post-al u t a m p s
m u s t b o a t t i i e r a t e o f a n n a s 1/ t o t h o K u p o o t o c o v e r d i s c o u u t . T h o a b o v o
struction, unless certain of a sufficient, reward, if a cer­
r a t e * i n c l u d e p o s t a g e . -Vo nauie will be otfcrtd on the bonis or f>a/>tr sent tain stated result, should bo obtained. Secondly, th a t I n ­
u n til the tmuuif u rem itted; and invariably the paper will be dtsotntinved dia is so far away from America as to practically prevent
at the rx)>t> u(iun »»/’ the Urn, subscribed for. R e m i t t a n c e s s h o u l d b o t u a d o i n
M o n e y - o r d e r s , H u n d i s , Kill c h & p i c s , ( o r T r e a s u r y b il ls , if i u ro g is te ro <l them from reaping any profit from th e sale of royalties,
J o t t e r s ) , n n d m u d o p a y a b l e o n l y t o t b o P n o r u i K T u i t s oK T i l t T u k o s u w i s t , or by sharing in the gains of any company th a t m ig h t
108, ( . l i r g a u m R a c k R o a d , B o m b a y , I n d i a .
u n d ertak e the introduction of the new machines. Even
A m . s t h : I «o nd on ( K n g ), B o m a n l Q t i a r i t c b , 1;*» P i c c a d i l l y . \V. ; N o w Y o r k , if Indian companies should form, and take the j)atent or
S . U. W e l l s & C o . , 7ti7, B r o a d w a y ; B o s t o n , M a * * , C o l b y a n d R i c h , 9 , M o n t ­
g o m e r y P l a c e ; C h i c a g o , HI. J . C- U n ti d y , W , I * S a l l e S t . A m e r i c a n s u b ­ p aten ts on royalty, th e inventor would be too far d istan t
s c r i b e r s m a y a U o o r d e r t h e i r p a p e r s t h r o u g h W . Q. J u d g o , Us*p, 71. B r o a d ­ to enable him to watch over his interests ; -while if he
w a y , N o w York.
should come here at great expense, he, being ignorant of
C o y h m : lsa ;ie W e o r c a o o r i y a , D e p u t y C o r o n o r , D o d a u d m v n : J o h n R o b e r t
d e S i l v a , C o lo m b o . th e vernaculars, would be almost as badly off. Tiio in­
ference, then, is th a t th e offer should be either of a round
sum for a successful invention, with a stated yearly bonus
THE THEOSOPHIST. for so m any years to th e discoverer, or a greater lum p
sum for the invention, and all the inventor’s right and
BOM BAY, M A R C H 1s t , 1HS0. title to its use. Knowing w hat we do of American i n ­
ventors and th eir capabilities, we feel no hesitancy in say ­
T h e Editors disclaim responsibility for opinions expressed ing th a t any desired machine to be worked by either hand
by contributors in their articles. Great latitude is allowed or bullocl^ power, may be h ad by India for the asking.
to porres|M>ndent.s, and they alone are accountable for w hat B u t the asking m ust be done in the rig h t way.
th e y write. Rejected MSS. are not returned. T h ere are numl>erlcss ingenious machines in Am erica
th a t would bo wholly valueless here, because th e h a ­
bits aud wants of th e people do not call for such m e ­
If a n y ok o u u h e a d e rs a r k n o t in tk n d in o to sa v k chanical helps. So, too, much good intention has h ith erto
■op their num bers of the journal for binding, we will pur- been wasted on foolish a tte m p ts to im port E uiopean
chuse back the issues of October and November, a t minaa methods of agriculture, when the country is utterly u n ­
six each ; either in cash or credit on next year’s subscrip­ suited to them. Common sense ought to have suggested
tion as may be preferred. Though more than twice a.s that, rude as Indian plows, harrows nnd drills are, a n d
many copies of those numbars were printed as ail experi­ strange as Indian systems of rotation may appear t o
enced Indian journalist advised, they are o ut of print, while W estern eyes, th e imperative demands of hunger a n d
even those of iater m onths are fast disappearing. poverty would, ages ago, have compelled th eir reliu*
quislinicnt if they were utterly bail. Tin' fact is tliiit the.
Imliiiii climates
• ’ anil soils .i Ii m i u i i i i I one kind( ot' agriculture,
O ’
aiul the climates aiul soils of Europe q u ite another. If
there be such a th ing am ong' Europeans as t n i r friend­
liness for India, let it be shown iu giving her help to im ­
prove upon her own methods,, not to import, foreign ones,
in assisting her to manufacture her own raw products hy
utilising her superabundant labor, not to send them awav
and bring them back wlirn worked up. I f any one knows
ol one more ...... i en.p that ean be introdueed, or can tell
when; there is a. seed-grain that, will yield more f<trn» to
the I'iifhi', let him, for mercy's sake, speak. O r if any
Knglish im plem ent-m aker c;in show si common Hindu
blacksmith how to shape his monld-board so as to pul­
verize the ryot’s ground better, with no mole expenditure
of bullock-power and no greater cost, lie may earn tlie
blessings ot a wretched people by showing the fact. But.
to persuade e ith e r a rajah, o r a zemindar to import costly
im plements or machinery on mere guess-work, is sim­
ply cruel, for il. destroys their confidence ;iml tu rns them
into b itter toes of progress. We have been often im por­
tuned Ibr American catalogues, and had thousands of
rupees offered us to scud awav for machines of any
kind we might, think suitable for importation, lint, as
this is now our people and our permanent home, we have
lelt obliged to decline forwarding th e orders when we
were not quite sure the m achinery or implements were
really adi pted to Indian wants. T here is not. so much
Native capital left that it should be Hung away oil m e ­
chanical toys, g re a t or small.
Skvkkai. must i . n u c i i u r s i'imntkis’s .m istakes iia v k
occurred lately within our experience. T he P rv n ii Slur,
noticing a hook written bv the Conductor of this magazine,
called it “ /<■<•'■ U nveiled;” iu printing, last, month, the
Viceroy's letter to us, the compositor made .Mr. B atten
say he had subm itted three of our itn'iith,/-*-, instead of
numbers, to 11 is Kxeclleiicv ; and, instead of allowing one
of our metaphysical contributors to write about, develop­
ing the inner or spiritual Kgo, compelled I lie un hap py
man to appear anxious to develop the spiritual ‘‘[t'j".
Filially, the sober I h ii nlnl- .1/isitlbnn/ of ( 'aleiitta. tor
February, conies prating to us about, the I rue spiritual
philosopher uniting himself to th e S'-ul of the Universe !
If a ny th in g more clearly justifying compositorcide th a n
th e sc c a n be shown, let us know il, by all means.
A no th e r error, not at all ludicrous but very annoying,
was the conversion of th e lion. George II. Al. Batten's
official title from Personal Assistant into Personal ,!//.■»-
Jiinl of His Kxcclloncy the Viceroy, We trust th a t the
stupid blunder may hi' excused.
— ]. The Kssay shall be of a high m e r it;
T hat wittv and kimcisamiiatic .i oci i xai ,, tiik
Ihririr, has favored us with several friendly notices, for
which it merits, ami will kindly accept, our best, thanks.
But, one remark upon our February n u m b e r must not pass
w ithout rejoinder. It. says " The Til K<>s<>I“Hist ghost,-
stories we have noted once and tor ever— t hey m ake very
uncanny reading.” They do, if taken only in one sense ;
and the less one has of ghost-stories in general, judging
from that point, of view, the better. If they were only
meant to feed the morbid fancies of sentim ental jiovcl-
rcaders, the ir room might well be thought b e tte r than
their company. But, since they app ear in a magazine
professedly devoted to a serious enquiry into questions of
scicnce and religion, it, is not unreasonable to presume tliafc
the editors have a definite purpose to show their connec­
tion w ith one or both of these d epartm en ts of research.
Such, a t an}’ rate, is the fact. B e f o r e we have done with
our readers, it, will be made very clear that, every story of
ghost, goblin, and b/mfn adm itted into our columns has this
value of an illustration of some one phase of that, miscon­
ceived but, most, important science, Psychology. O ur friend
of th e .//<nulhii/ Rfi-bic is hasty in ju m p in g at, the conclu­
sion th a t he has had his last say about our Phantom J)ogs,
Ensouled Violins, anil stalking shades of th e departed.
A M E D A L OF J r o S O li: /
T he importance of the action, tak e n at its late meeting
by the General ( 'ounoil of our Society, in voting the foun­
dation of a Medal of Honor, to be annually awarded by an
unbiassed .Jury of N ative gentlem en of em inent character
an d lea riling to N ative authors, will doubtless bcappreeiateil.
To recognize th a t Aryavarta. has a. grand history, and that,
the sons ol t he soil are her proper historiographers ; and to
stim ulate a brotherly competition fora prize of real dignity,
with ample? g uarantees for the impartiality of the awards,
is to ta k e a long step towards creating tha t feeling of
nationality on which alone great states can rise. Let this
action stand as one more pledge that the honor of Ind ia
is dear to th e heart of ever\' true Theosophist. O u r inner­
most feelings are sum med up in a single sentence of a
letter received by last mail from America. “ W h en I
read of those noble B u ddhists and Hindus who have passed
through so much to m ake the soul dominant m a s te r,’
writes the respected .Dr. .Ditsou, “ I feel as if I could
kneel and kiss their foot. Ilow grand they seem to m e !
Tell all such whom you mny chance to meet tha t I am
with tIn-in in deep s y m p a th y .” At ano th er time we shall
publish extracts from th e letters of Theosophists iu differ­
ent parts of the world to show how universal is this love
and reverence Ibr In d ia am ong them. Meanwhile wo
give the following:—
(E x ! mu! fro m !h<’ M inute* ■;/' flu' n></ <>/’ the General
Ctiiiiicil. bi h! id ]]<imbm/, Feb r u e >■//, •<//( /■w o .)
“ W ith a view to stim ulate enquiry, by. the N atives of
India, into the literature of ancient, times, to increase their
respect, Ibr their ancestors, and to thus accomplish one im­
portant, object for which the Theosophical Society was
formed, it is by the General ( 'oiincil
l ’v K S n l . V Kl)
T hat there shall be founded a high prize and dignity to
be known and designated as ' T h e Medal of H onor of th e
Theosophical Society,’ for a,ward u n de r competition.”
“ Tho said medal shall be of pure silver and made from
Indian coins melted down for the purpose ; and shall bo
suitably engraved, stamped, carved or embossed with a.
device expressive of its high character as a. Medal of
I l.onor. It shall be annually awarded by a commit,too of
N ative scholars, designa,tod by the President., to the N ative
a u th o r of the best original Essay upon any subject con­
nected with tin* ancient religions, philosophies or sciences;
preference being given in the D e p a rtm e n t of Science, other
things being equal, to th e occult, or mystical, branch of
science as known and practised by the ancients.”
“ T he following conditions to govern the award, viz.—-
2. Kacli Kssa v shall bear a cipher, initial, verse or m o t­
to, but no other sign by which th e authorship m ay lie.
detected. T h e author's name, in each case, to be w ritten
in a. closed envelope outside which shall be inscribed the
cipher or other device which he has a,tt,ached to his essay.
T h e M anuscript to be placed by the President in this
hands of the Ju ry , and th e envelopes filed away unopened
and not examined until the. J u r y shall have, made th e ir
awards;.
:t. All Essays subm itted to be at the disposal of tlio
Society, whose officers m ay designate such as are pro­
nounced most meritorious for publication in the T jik o so -
IM11ST, with the ir a u th o r’s names attached, so that, th e ir
leai ning m ay be properly appreciated by their c o u u tiy -
incn.
4. T he Society to be allowed to publish as a .se p a ra te
pamphlet, the Kssay which shall be deemed worthy of this
Medal of Honor, on condition of giving to its au th or this
entire n e tt profits of the publication. ’
Essays to comprise not less than 2,-'»()() nor more
than 4,000 words— foot-notes and quotations included.
(J. The J u r y sliall also award to the authors of the
Essays which they consider second and third in degree of
 Maitli, 18,SO.] .THE T H EOHO P H I S T .
merit, special diplomas, to 1«* entitled Diplomas of Honor
jmd au th en tica te d by the seal of tlio Society. -
7. I lie J iiry may also speeificidly name throe o th e r
Essays liesides tiie throe aforesaid, for th e distinction of
certificates of honorable mention, to Ik- issued to 11it: re­
ts] lective a u th o rs u n d er the seal of th e Socictv.
N. Essays to be subm itted in English, b u t it is not
obligatory th a t the a u th or shall him self know tliat lan­
guage. _ ^ ^ • ' , and whose hopes were of conquest. I t is easy .to im a ­
!•. All coni|>eting niaiinseri)its to be in tlio P re s id e n t’s
hands by 12 o’clock noon of the Jst day of J u n e lSfSO,
and the J u r y to announce th e ir awards on tin: 1st day
•if S e p tem b e r l!S<N().
HI. Upon the receipt of th e rejiort of th e J u ry , the
President shall at once-identity the nam es of the successful
authors, and officially publish tin- same throu gh out India
and in nil countries where there aro branches of th e
Theosophical Society.
II . Full authority is given to the P resident to adopt
whatever measures may be required to carry into effect
this Resolution.”
A tte s t :—. KhajtsKD.ii N. S k k k v a t,
. S c c n tu n j, JCii.slcm J
Z ( > l! O A S T i: i! .
15V S<lit AIU I JAMASIUI J’ADSHAll, F.T.S.
Of all th e g reat names of ancient tim es— of saints and
prophets— none have come down to us with less im purity
attached to their memories th an those of Zoroaster and
Buddha. W hile th e oth er groat ones of the earth have
hardly stood the severe scrutiny of modern sceptical criti­
cism, those two “ Lights of Asia" have never flickered Ibr
a moment, b u t shone on steadily with a Hamc whose
splendour was ever visible over th e din and tho darkness
of the storms of ago succeeding age. People have begun
to question th e pretensions of .Moses lo be ranked as a
prophet a t all ; ( ’hrist has so far lost the faith, on which
the foundations of liis religion were laid, of the m ajority of
his followers, th a t they are beginning t,o ask if the exis­
tence of th a t prophet was not merely an ornam ental m yth ;
Mahomet's assertion, th a t “ there is no (Jod b u t (Jod
and M ahomet is h is p r o p h e t,” is subscribed to not without,
a limitation, and in spite of the e loquent vindication of
liis claims by tlio learned a u th o r of the “ Conflict bet ween
Religion and Science,” the n u m b e r of people who aro
willing to regard him as the One Prophet, is lessening. B u t
Zoroaster and B uddha stand w ithout th e slightest breath
of' slander sullying th eir fair fame. H ow ever modern
thinkers may quarrel with their teachings and th e m a nn er
-of their teaching, it lia.s never been denied th a t they had
a mission to accomplish— a great, a divine mission, which
they accomplished rem arkably w e ll; t h a t th e y were g re a t
reformers, and appeared when th e ir presence wa.s most
needed to counteract the vico?» of th e respective clinics nnd
times in which they flourished.
But th e results of the work of these two g lo at m en—
how vastly different they are when exam ined by th e facts
of the present day i I t would appear th a t B ud dhism was
.an evergreen plant— it is now almost a.s fresh as it was in
the days of its princely founder. One third of th e world’s
population own B ud dha as th e ir Lord. But how different
is it with Zoroastrianism I . It is a painful fact th a t Zoro­
astrianism never spread much beyond th e limits of Persia,
and th a t as time advanced, it had fewer a n d fewer follow­
ers, till at this day it numbers in its fold no more than
-about, a hundred thousand half-believing souls. How is
this to be accounted for {
N either Zoroaster nor B u d d h a was so m uc h tlio
founder of a new religion,
O ’ as tho reformer of tin: existing ft
religion of his country. B u t th e ways in which each
was received, were different. B uddha's career wa.s com­
paratively unruffled— ho had not so much to contend with
liis enemies as with him self and his friends. B u t Zoroaster
had a serious opposition to encounter from tho very begin-
ning. Then, again, B u d d h a preachcd his doctrines
amongst a people naturally mild and thoughtful. B u t
Zoroaster hail to shout from the housetops to a proud and
h a u g h ty nice of warriors, who were from their vc ry infancy
trained to sjieak the tru th and In iriehl the sw »/•(/, b u t
whose thoughts ami ambition scarcely winged th e ir way
beyond these. T he Persians were a rough set— a
ki|id ol m ilitary oligarchy, whose dreams were of war,
gine what kind ol reception the novel teachings o f Zoro-
jister m ust have m et with from such people. T h a t lie
eventually made an impression on them and succeeded in
converting them to his tenets, is a wonderful proof of his
eloquence and the power of his writings. Zoroastrianism
became th e religion of the sta te ; an d the religion of th e
monarch was th e religion of tho subject. B u t religion soon
assumes a secondary im portance am ong a people who
live by blood aud conquest. Tim words and laws of Zoro­
aste r were, indeed, listened to and observed, b u t only iii
ail apathetic spirit — the sun of faith shone on, b u t the
heat was taken out of him. I have said that the Persians
Were proud— they were proud of th eir country, of th e ir
women, of th e ir weapons, of their horses, and of th e ir
kings. In the same, way they were proud of th eir reli­
gion. T he ir pride forbade them to seek proselytes, though
Zoroaster had enjoined them expressly to do so. It was
th u s th a t Zoroastrianism spread not beyond the bounds
of Persia. T h e final blow was given bv the Mahomedans.
These people were, iu th e ir turn, in th e Hush of victoiy,
and did nut deign to spare the religion of th e ir foes. A.
very large n u m b e r— I may say, almost all— of the h u m il­
iated Persians yielded up the freedom ol their conscience
without any serious struggle. I'ew, very lew csca]ted to
India, true to Zoroaster and themselves. This, 1 believe,
accounts for th e g reat difference in t he results of Buddhism
and Zoroastriauism.
There is also a n o th e r reason, and more valid, which
accounts lor the neglect into which I lie writ ings and precepts
of Zoroaster have fallen, even am ong his professed fol­
lowers. These writings are too abstruse and philosophi­
cal Ibr a nation ot mere lighters or traders— and the a n ­
cient Persians were nothing, if not soldiers or so
(merchants). T hey had n e ith e r the learning nor the neces­
sary elevation ol thought to road between the lines, so to
s a y ; nor did they take an y pains to look lor the vast,
stores of treasure concealed under the th:bri* ol hymns and
ceremonies. .And the Parsees ol to-day have not taken a.
single step in advance in tin.: right direction. They liavo
tacitly subscribed to a n y th in g th a t those modern dicta­
tors of hum an th o u g h t— the Ocrnmn tinea,its— asked
them to believe. W h a t is Zoroastrianism, as in terpreted
by the letter, but a commonplace sort ol religion with
( t o d and Satan as its central ligures, and with angels aud
devils h ym ning and cursing for ever and e v e r ' I be­
lieve th a t Zoroastrianism has never been rightly com ­
prehended, save by the initiated lew, the venerable Magi,
the Wise Men of the East. T he tirst step to rightly u n ­
derstand the merits o f Zoroastriauism is to comprehend
th e life and character of its founder. That life was not
ordinary nor common. It was not the life, as narrated in
our day, of a precocious child, a miracle-working young man,
u pious old sage. I t was a great deal more than this.
Very few persons have a ttained to th e real conception of
th e personal greatness of Zoroaster, l i e was not only a
wonder-worker, a man learned in chemistry and astrology.
T h ere live a few who imagine th a t when they have dul)-
lied their prophet its th e greatest sanitary officer th a t ever
lived, they have done him the highest honour! Zoroas­
trianism m ust have fallen low, indeed, when its followers
have recourse to such shifts as this !
Who and w hat was Zoroaster { An answer to this
question will materially assist us in th e right conception
ol the h o l ir a li i a li l if of I hat extraordinary man. 1 will not
appeal to traditional m yths for a reply. T h e writings of
all great men are unconsciously autobiographical, anil the
host answer to our question is found iu the writings of
Zoroaster himself. H ow eloquently and with w hat pathos
 t h e struggles of his noble lifo are chronicled in tin* over­
living pages ? W h a t glimpses have we there of a man,
searching and yearning for T r u th with his whole soul
wrapt, tip in Hormazd ; how he often struggles in the d a rk ­
ness for light, how lie has to battle with tem ptations, how
often lit; is lost in despair ! H e exclaims in th e h eig ht
of his god-like a g o n y :— " To w hat land shall I proceed—
in w h a t direction shall I take m y way ! I have very few
helpers. Who will plead for me w hen th e lying people
look on me with jealous eyes?”
W h a t was Zoroaster before he appeared before th e P e r ­
sian people with his new system of religion? What, in­
duced him to th ink out. a. new system of religion at all ? I
ha v e said before th a t Zoroaster was only a reformer of th e
old faith ol Persia. Tho followers of this old faith wero
called “ Porio-dakesh." They believed in one God. Zoroas­
t e r has spoken ot them with respect in his writings. O th e r
forms of faith, also, had had th e ir day before" Zoroaster
appeared. But ho saw that, excellent as all these faiths
wero, when taken superficially, th e re was .something w a n t ­
ing in them . They were like so m any models of sculp­
t u r e — b u t the life was wanting. H o, therefore, set ab o u t
to find tha t which should gratify his spiritual instincts.
I cannot say if ho had ever come across th e Vedas. H e
m a y have done so in his m a tu re r ago. P u t, it is certain
t h a t lie had not soon them in his youth. H e has not
mentioned anyw here in his writings th a t he had had the
adv antag e ot tho assistance of e ith e r i/iiriis or books.
I t is certain th a t ho. resolved to th in k for himself. H e
wished to have a personal communion with Horinazd.
In order to do this successfully, he did what, others have
done before and after him. H e retired to th e solitude of
m ountains. Alone, and with no oth e r companion save
tho wild gran deu r of n a tu re around him, and far from th e
influence of the throbbing heart of h um anity, he sat lost
in contemplation.
H e wished to know (Iod— not through the agency of
men, but. through God himself. In th e A vesta, it. is m e n ­
tioned th a t the assistance of “ IJehmnn” was invoked for
th e furtherance of this desire. This word has boon vari­
ously interpreted. I t has now come to m ean— ‘ th e noble
m ind .” But 1 cannot help thinking, th a t it moans tho
“ spirit.” Zoroaster wished to know God, and since he
had 110 faith in th e assistance of man, he would o u t of his
own consciousness work out th a t knowledge— th rough his
own spirit lie would know God. JBut between tho wish
and its accomplishment, what an e te rn ity seems to i n t e r ­
ve n e I Zoroaster despairingly exclaim s:— “ Oh! T ho u
T ru th fu l Ono, when shall I be able t<> see T h e e and Bell­
m an ? ’ All this appeai-s to me very much like th e posi­
tion of B uddha and other Yogis. I cannot help believing
th a t Zoroaster was a Yogi, though, perhaps, he did mil,
know it himself. And this is th e more probable from th e
fact t h a t the Magi, t h e initiated followers of th a t prophet,
have m uch in common with th e In d ia n Yogis and are
fully aware of th e resemblance. A nd, then, th e process
of the e n ligh te nm e n t of Zoroaster— his soul-connnunion—
his tem ptation— his trance— all those are tho mystical
symbols mentioned in th e 'Yog-Vidya. So, in solitude,
lie hoped and dreamed and planned, now radiant w ith th e
expectation ot the fulfilment of his wish, and now p l u n ­
ged in despair. A t length, the fullness of knowledge bu rst
upon his spirit. H e saw God face to face, not as Moses
saw th rough tho filmy veil of a cloud, b u t in all the s m i­
ling glory of his real presence. H e felt. God in h i m s e l f ;
he conversed familiarly with th e D e i t y ; ho tpiestioned
a n d received a n s w e r s ; ho learned tho mystery of b e in g ;
life opened all its secrets ; and death opened its portals,
and beyond th e portals lie saw— li f e ! All this is n arrated
in the A vesta w ith a simplicity and vet-a gra n d e u r that,
a t once fill the reader with conviction anil with hope.
T have said before th a t Zoroaster wished to know God
th r o u g h “ Beliman. ’ H e said, or ra th e r wrote, distinctly,
t h a t he saw Hormazd in his eye. T his may mean much.
W h a t eye does ho moan— the mind's eye ? I have tr a n s ­
lated “ Beliman” as th e spirit. H e saw God through
-Bellman. H e had his wish— lie saw th e D eity th rough
his own consciousness, throughout his own spirit__he felt
God in himself. H o s a y s “ W h e n I fixed T hee in my
eye, I felt, t h a t Thou wast worthy of th e homage of the
high est m ind in th e Universe, th a t T hou wast. th e Father
of the inspiration of th e noblest, intellect, and th a t Thou
wast th e entrance to th e World of T r u th .” This passage
is remarkable. Zoroaster's God was not th e God of his mo­
dern followers, who m ingle terror w ith worship, ascribe
to H i m all kinds of material thunderbolts, and make
h im a huge, gigantic M a n !
H ow is it t h a t th e re exists such a close resemblance
betw een the sacred writings of th e Parseos and th e H in ­
doos ? Is it because the a u th o r of tho A vesta passed
th ro u g h th e same experiences as the a u th o r or authors o f
th e Vedas ? T his much is probable, th a t Zoroaster had
not w ritten a word of th e Zend Avesta before he had
preached its doctrines orally to th e people. T h a t great
work was written in tho quiet of his la tte r days. H e
m ight have then come across th e Vedas. B u t this is a
p o in t on which I am not com petent to form an y opinion.
Can a n y m em bers of th e Theosophical Society throw any
light on tho subject ? It m u st be first determ ined if the
Avesta or th e Vedas wero first w ritten. Modern opinion
is extrem ely divided on th e subject. T h a t learned Parsee-
scholar, Mr. Iv. R. K am a, and several G erm an philologists,,
would have us believe th a t th e A vesta writings are t h e
more ancient. B u t th e tim e when Zoroaster flourished
has been traced back to about eight thousand two h u n ­
dred years ; while tho a u th o r of “ Isis U nveiled” has con­
clusively proved, in spite of Max Miiller and his school,
th a t tho Vedas m ust have been w ritte n ages before th e
Bible. "
V I S I T O R S F R O M S I / A D O U '-L A iY JX
11V W IL L IA M T K M i'L K .
T am greatly e n te rta in e d — nay I m ay say excited, and
ye t th a t is not q uite tho correct word— by the ghost stories-
1 have read iu the T h k o s o i m i i s t . I tun a believer in ghosts
— I would not go into a re p u te d ly h a u n te d house and stay
there all night for anything. W riters- of ghost-stories
always say— “ I laughed when th e y told m e the place was
hau nted.” P lucky story-tellers! P erhap s .^ory-tellors, in
more senses th a n one. However, t h a t is n e ith e r here nor
th ere ; m y object is, if you care to have them, to relate a
few stories th a t I can vouch for. •
T h e first was told mo by a friend of mine, named P.
(well known in Lucknow, and alas ! now no more) which
he declared true, and I believe him to have been inca­
pable of a. falsehood as lie was one of th e best m en th a t
ov e rste p p e d . H e said th a t on one occasion he was on the
eve of his d e pa rtu re for India from London, when, as lie
was driving down to th e docks, he espied a well-known
friend whom he had parted with in Bombaj’, w alking
along th e pavement. H o stopped his cab, and entered into
conversation with his friend. Arriving in Bombay, w h at
was his surprise, his astonishm ent, to m oot this very friend,
who declared to h im solemnly ho had never left Bombay
since th e oth e r’s departu re. I cannot in the least account
for this. It is possible m y friend suffered from a diseased
brain, b u t I hardly th in k so. B u t what the p u rp o rt of
such an apparition could bo, goodness only knows.
A sim ilar ad v en tu re occurred onco to myself. I was
w alking up Broadway, N ew York, one day, and stopped
to look in a t a shop nearly opposite A. T. Stew art's retail
dry-goods store, when I became conscious th a t some ono
whom I niusl look a t was standing beside me. I m igh t as
well have looked in a mirror. I beheld m y double in every
respect, and you bet I stared. H e did ditto, and we stood
th ere for several m in u te s in m u te astonishm ent ore w e ■
passed on our way. I t was not a ghost. If it was, it was ■
th e m ost substantial ono g o i n g ; and I only mention the
incident because it m a y afford a sort of key to m y friend’s
adventure, by showing th a t th e world dors contain hum an
duplicates. However, th e following story is tr u e — a t least
i f I m ay believe m y m o th e r and sisters.
i T h e y were visiting some relutives who resided in T un -
"bridge Wells. My a u nt and cousins (all save one) had
gone out to spend the evening, and m y m other, sisters, and
cousin were seated in tho drawing-room about 10 P.M .
■working and talking. The door was open. S uddenly they
he a rd some one coming down stairs. N a tu ra lly th ey
th o u g h t it was th e servant. B u t no, th e sound of feet ami
a rustling dress certainly passed by th e door, b u t no body.
My mother, who knows no fear, rushed ou t on the landing,
while the girls, poor children, huddled to g e th e r from
fright. My m o th e r says she distinctly heard th e foot­
steps and rustle of th e dress till th e — w hatev er it was—
seemed to reach th e foot of the stairs, w hen all sounds
ceased. Again,---------- my eldest sister is left-handed.
W1 tether t h a t affects m atters or not, I am not prepared
to say. All I know is, sho in left-handed, and people say
left-handed jtcoplc are always more susceptible to sp irit­
ualistic influences than others. However, she says th a t
once when a child, she awoke from her sleep iu a g rea t four-
poster bed, and saw two figures, app arently h e r father and
mother, at th e foot of th e bed. T h e y tu rn e d round soon
after she awoke and had called to th e m in her childish
way, b u t their faces were so hideous th a t she instantly
xetreated un d e r the clothes in almost a fit. O u r parents
were a t the tim e a t su p p e r down stairs. Now, she is grown
up, she th in k s it m ust have been n ig h tm a re — b u t I don’t
know. I t was told w ith too much solid earnestness a t
tho time, and if I am right in my theory of n ightm are
it generally results in your waking u p ; whereas she lay
wide awake and q u a k in g u nder th e clothes till her father
and m other came to bed.
T hrou gh ou t our family, a belief in sup ernatu ral a p p e a r­
ances is strong. I rem em ber seeing one myself a t Yonkers,
New York, once, when I first wont out to America in 18GG.
T h e relative with whom I was staying, (well known to
New Y orkers as “ Triangle B ” ) lived a few miles o u t of th e
village, and one n ig h t as I was going along th e road, and
past one of his meadows, I saw a dim m isty figure s ta n d ­
ing some distance on th e other side of th e rail fence. Som e­
how I had th e pluck to go u p to th e fence and have a look
a t it. F irst of all I th o u g h t it was m y shadow, but, as a
rule, shadows falling on grass lie down. This stood up.
Well, I had my Iook, and then like a brave man, I took
to my heels, and never stopped till I got inside our house !
I had carried my investigations as far as I considered
prudent.
1 believe in spirits, b u t I m u st say, I don’t care about
m eeting them. B u t m y grandfather was a g re a t b e ­
liever in apparitions. H e too was a m an who like George
W ashington “ could not tell a lie,” and ho has often
affirmed th a t when awake in his bed, he has seen his
deceased wife standing beside him, “ a n d ” he used to add
“ 1 felt no fear.” I t is singular his seeing m y g ra n d ­
mother ; for an uncle of m ine who was in A ustralia a t th e
time of her death declares (and with good show of tru th )
th a t she called him by nam e several tim es on th a t night.
“ I was resting” said he “ in my te n t smoking, when I
heard a voice call---------- . Again and again it was repeated,
and I felt convinced I recognised my d ear m o th er’s voice.
Arising, I noted th e day and hour, and allowing for th e
difference of time, I should say, she m u st have died in E n g ­
land about th e same tim e I heard her in Australia.”
A t CHICAGO, ON'K OF THK HUSIKST CITIES OK AMERICA,
is published one of th e two most prosperous and widely
circulated journals devoted to modern Spiritualism . T h e
number of its subscribers wo have seen stated a t nearly-
30,000, and th e y are scattered all over th e world. I t is a
bold, incisive paper, and its E ditor seems really anxious
to expose fraud wherever he can find it practised by m e ­
diums upon th e credulaus. Recently, it has earned the
thanks of th e public by unm asking a gross c h eat nam ed
Mrs. Stewart, who for years has been p retend in g to pro ­
duce materialized spirit-forms, when in fact th e y wera
only herself and confederates dressed u p for th e occa­
sion.
T R U E A N 1) F A L S E P E R S O N A L IT Y . *
II r C. C. MASSKV, F.T.S.
T h e title prefixed to th e following observations m a y
well have suggested a more metaphysical tre a tm e n t of th e
subject th a n can be a tte m p ted on th e p resent occasion.
T he doctrine of th e trinity, or trichotomy of man, which
distinguishes soul from spirit, comes to us with such weighty,
venerable, and even sacred authority th a t we m ay well be
content, for th e moment, with confirmations th a t should
be intelligible to all, forbearing th e abstruscr questions
which have divided m inds of th e highest philosophical
capacity. W e will not now inquire w hether the difference
is one of states or of e n titie s; w hether tho phenomenal or
mind consciousness is merely the external condition of one
indivisible Ego, or has its origin and n ature in an alto­
g eth e r different principle ; the Spirit, or immortal part of
us, being of D ivine birth, while the senses and u n de rsta nd ­
ing, with th e consciousness— A h a n k a ra — thereto a p p e r­
taining, are from an A n im a A lu n d i, or w h a t in th e Sankya
philosophy is called P rakriti. My utmost expectations,
will have been exceeded if it should happen th a t any con­
siderations here offered should throw even a faint sug­
g e s t i v e light upon the bearings of this great problem. I t
may be th a t th e mere irreconcilability of all tliat is charac­
teristic of th e temporal Ego w ith th e conditions of t h e
superior life— if th a t can be m ade ap paren t— will incline
you to regartl the latter ra th e r as th e Redeemer, t h a t has
indeed to be born w ithin us for our salvation and our im ­
mortality, th a n a-s th e inmost, central, and inseparable
principle of our phenomenal life. I t may be th a t by th e
light of such reflexions th e sense ot identity will present
no insuperable difficulty to the conception ot its contin­
gency, or to recognition that, the mere consciousness which
fails to attach itself to a high er principle is no g u a ra n te e
of an eternal individuality.
I t is only by a survey of w hat individuality, regarded
as th e source of all our affections, thoughts, and actions, is,
t h a t we can realise its intrinsic worthlessness ; and only
when we have b ro u g h t ourselves to a real and felt
acknow ledgm ent ot t h a t fact, can we accept with full
understanding those “ hard sayings ” of sacred autho rity
which bid us “ die to ourselves, ” and which proclaim th e
necessity of a veritable new birth. This mystic d e a th
anti birth is th e keynote of all profound religious te aching;
and th a t which distinguishes th e ordinal)' religious m ind
from spiritual insight is ju s t the tendency to in te rp ie t
these expressions as merely figurative, or, indeed, to
overlook th em altogether.
O f all th e reproaches which modern Spiritualism , w i t h
th e prospect it is th o ug ht to hold out ol an individual
temporal immortality, has had to encounter, there is none
th a t we can less afford to neglect th a n th a t which
represents it as an ideal essentially egotistical and borne.
T ru e it is th a t our critics do us injustice through ignorance
of th e enlarged views as to the progress of th e soul in
which th e speculations of individual Spiritualists coincide
w ith m an y rem arkable spirit teachings. These are, u n ­
doubtedly, a great advance upon popular theological opin­
ions, while Home of th em go far to satisfy the claim of
Spiritualism to be regarded as a religion. Nevertheless,
th a t slight estim ate ot individuality, as we know it, which
in one view too easily allies itself to materialism, is also
the a ttitu d e of spiritual idealism, and is ^seemingly a t
variance with th e excessive value placed by Spiritualists ou
th e discovery of our mere psychic survival. The idealist may
recognise this survival ; but, w h ether he does so or not,
he occupies a post ot vantage when he tells us that; it
is of no u ltim a te importance. F o r he, like th e S p ir it­
ualist who proclaims his “ proof palpable of im m or­
tality,” is th in k in g of th e mere temporal, self-regarding
consciousness— its sensibilities, desires, gratifications, and
affections— which are u n im p o rta n t absolutely, th a t is t<>
say, their importance is relative solely to the individual.
• A i>»p»r re a d b«foro th o B ritis h T h»o«ophical S o c ie ty , » t L o u d o n . It*
p u b lic a tio n h a s b«ou u n a v o id a b ly d e la y e d u n til now . lie . T U O S .
 There is, indeed, no more characteristic out birth of m a te ­
rialism than th a t wliieli makes a telcological centre of tho
indiviilunl. Ideas have become mere abstractions ; the
only reality is the infinitely little. T h u s utilitarianism can
see in the S ta te only a collection of individuals whoso
•' g reatest happiness,” m utually limited by nice a d ju stm e nt
to t he requirements of “ the g reatest num bers,” becomes
th e supreme end of g overnm ent aud law. A nd it cannot ,
1 think, be pretended th a t Spiritualists in general have
advanced beyond this siibstitiit ion of a relative for an
absolute standard. Their “ glad tidings of g re a t jo y ” are
not truly religious. They have regard to th e perpetuation
jii tim e of th a t lower consciousness whose manifestations,
delights, and activity are in time, and of tim e alone.
T heir glorious message is not essentially different from
th a t which we can conceive as b ro u g h t t o n s by some g reat
alchemist, who had discovered the secret of conferrintr
upon us and upon our friends a m u nd an e p e rp e tu ity of
you th and health. Its highest religious claim is th a t it
eidarges the horizon of our opportunities. As such, then,
let us hail it with g ra titu d e aud relief ; but, on jx-ril of
our salvation, if I may not say of our immortality, let us
no t repose upon a prospect which is, a t best, one of
renewed labours anil trials, and efforts to be free even of
th a t very life whose only value is opportunity.
To estim ate the value of individuality, we cannot do
b e tte r than regard man in his several m un da n e relations,
supposing th a t either of these might, become th e central,
a ctu atin g focus of his being— his ruling love,” as Sw eden­
borg would call it— displacing his m ere egoism, or self-love,
th ru stin g th a t more to the circumference, and identifying
him , so to speak, with th a t circle of interests to which all
bis energies and affections relate. O utside this substituted
ego we are to suppose th a t he has no conscience, no desire,
no will. J u s t as th e entirely selfish m an views the whole
of life, so far as it can really interest him solely in relation
to his individual well-being, so our supposed m an
of a family, of a society, of a church, or a State, has no eye
for any tr u th or any interest more abstract or more in­
dividual than tha t of which lie m a y b e rightly termed th e
incarnation. H istory shows approximations to this ideal
man. Such a one, for instance, I conceive to have been
Loyola ; such another, possibly, is Bismarck. Now these
men have ceased to be individuals in th e ir own eyes, so far
as concerns any value attach in g to th e ir own special in­
dividualities. T hey are devotees. A c ertain" conversion ” has
been effected, by which from mere individuals they have
become “ representative ” men. And we— the individuals
— esteem them precisely in proportion to th e remoteness
from individualism of the spirit th a t actu ates them. As
th e circle of interests to which they are “ devoted ” enlarges
— th a t is to say, as th e dross of individualism is purged
aw ay— we accord th em indulgence, respect, adm iration
and love. From self to th e family, from th e family to the
scct or society, from the sect or society to th e Church (in no
denominational sense) and State, th ere is th e ascending
scale and widening circle, th e successive transitions which
m a k e the worth of an individual depend on th e more or
less complete subversion of his individuality by a more
comprehensive soul or spirit. T h e very modesty which
suppresses, as far as possible, th e personal pronoun iu our
addresses to others, testifies to our sense th a t wc arc hiding
away some utterly insignificant and unw orthy thing; a
th in g th a t has no business even to be, except in th a t u tte r
privacy which is ra th e r a sleep and a rest th a n living.
Well, b u t iu th e above instances, even those most remote
from sordid individuality, we have fallen far short of th a t
ideal in which th e very conception of th e partial, the
atomic, is lost in the abstraction of universal being,
transfigured in the glory of a Divine personality. You are
familiar with Swedenborg’s distinction between discrete
And continuous degrees. H ith e rto we have seen how m an
— th e individual— may rise continuously by throwing h im ­
self heart and soul into th e living interests of th e world,
a n d lose his own limitations by adoption of a larger
m un da n e spirit. B u t still he has b u t ascended nearer to
his own m und an e source, t h a t soul of th e world, or P ra k riti
to which, if I m u st not too literally insist on it, I
m ay still resort as a convenient figure. To transcend it, lie
m u s t advance by the discrete degree. N o simple “ b e tter­
ing ” of th e ordinary self, which leaves it alive, ns the
focus— th e French word “ foyer ” is the more expressive—
of hi.1' thou gh ts a n d iic tio n s ; not even th a t ideiifi/ication
with higher interests in th e world’s plane just spoken of,
is, or can progressively become, in the least adequate to
tho realisation of his Divine ideal. This “ bettering ” of
our present nature, it alone being recognised as essential,
albeit capable of “ improvement,” is a commonplace
and to use a now familiar term a " Philistine ” conception.
I t is th e substitution of th e continuous for the discrete
degree. I t is a compromise with our dear old familiar
selves. “ And Saul and th e people spared Agag, and
th e best of th e sheep, and of the oxen, nnd of th e
fallings, nnd th e lambs, ami all thnt was good, and would
not utterly destroy th em ; b u t everything th n t was vile
and refuse, th a t they destroyed utterly.” W e know how
little acceptable th a t compromise was to the Uod of I s ­
rael ; and no illustration can be more a p t th an this nar­
rative, which we may well, as we would fain, believe to be
rath er typical than historical. Typical of th a t indiscrimi­
nate and radical sacrifice, or “ vastation,” of our lower na­
ture, which is insisted upon as th e one th in g needful by
all, or nearly all* th e g re a t religions of th e world. N o
language could seem more purposely chosen to indicate
th a t it is th e individual nature itself, and not merely its
accidental evils, th a t has to be abandoned nnd annihilated.
I t is not denied th a t w hat was spared was good ; there is
no suggestion of an universal infection of physical or
moral e v i l ; it is simply t h a t w hat is good and useful re­
latively to a lower state of being m ust perish with it if
th e la tte r is to m ake way for som ething better. And the
illustration is th e more suitable in th a t the purpose of
this paper is not ethical, b u t points to a metaphysical con­
clusion, though w ithou t any a tte m p t a t metaphysical ex­
position. T h ere is no question here of moral distinctions;
they are ne ith e r denied nor affirmed. According to th e
highest moral standard, A may be a most virtuous nnd
estimable person. According to the lowest, Ii may be ex­
actly the reverse. T h e moral interval between the two
is within what J have called, following Swedenborg, the
“ continuous degree.” And perhaps the distinction can be
still b e tte r expressed by another reference to t h a t Hook
which we theosophical students do not less regard, because
we are disposed to protest against all exclusive pretensions
of religious systems. T h e good m an w ho has, however, not
y e t attain ed his “ sonship of God ’’ is “ u n d er the law ”—
th a t moral law which is educational and preparatory,
“ the schoolmaster to bring us into Christ," our own Divine
spirit, or higher personality. To conceive th e differ­
ence between these two states is to apprehend exactly
w h a t is here m e a n t by the false, temporal, and th e true,
eternal personality, and the sense in which th e word per­
sonality is here intended to be understood. W e do not
know whether, when th a t g re a t change has come over us,
when t h a t g reat work -f- of our lives has been accomplish­
e d— here or hereafter— we shall or shall not retain a
sense of id entity with our past, and for ever discarded-
selves. I n philosophical parlance, th e “ m a t t e r ” will have
gone, and th e very “ form ” will have been changed.' O ur
transcendental identity with the A or B th a t now i s j
m u st depend on th a t question, already disclaimed in this
paper, w heth er tho D ivine spirit is our originally central
essential beinff, or is nn hypostasis.* N o w ; being “ un ­
der th e law ’’ implies th a t we do not, act directly from our
, ,______I ,1. . j .. , |,
* Of tho h ig h er religion* teaching* of Mohmnutednnient I knt»A’ n ex t to
nothing, mid therofuro cannot nay if it *hduld he excepted froni th e fiiato-
niont*
■ . •.• i ■i i
»f i,* ■ ■
+ Tho “ g re a t w o rk ,” so ofton m entioned hy tho H erm otic philosopher*,
nml which is exactly typifiou hy tho operation of nlchetny,' r th e cohvorftioh
of th e base metal* to gold i* now well uudcm tood to refer to tho aualogourt
spiritual conversion. T hcro U al*o good reason to believe th a t th e m aterial.
proceM was a real one. '
J " A person may h are won hi* im m ortal lifo, and remninod tho fcamd inntri
M l/ ho un* on earth , through e tern ity ; b u t thin does n ot im ply nocOKmirily
tlm t he m ust e ith e r rem ain tlio Mr. Sm ith or lirown he was on earth, or lone
his individuality.” — I t u l ’HVciU>lt vol. i , p, 310, 1‘ ’
 own will, b u t indirectly, th a t is, in willing obedience to
ano th er will. T he will from which we should naturally
act-r-ouv own will— is of course to be understood not os
mere volition, b u t as our nature—ou r “ ru lin g love,” which
makes such and such things agreeable to us, and others
the reverse. As “ u n de r th e law,” this n a tu r e is k e p t in
sus]>ension, and because it is suspended only as to its a c ti­
vity and manifestation, anil by no means abrogated, is th e
law— the substitu tion of a foreign will— necessary for us.
O ur own will or n a tu re is still c e n t r a l ; t h a t which we
obey by effort and resistance to ourselves is more circum ­
ferential or hypostatic. Constancy in th is obedience and
resistance tends to draw the circumferential will more and
more to th e centre, till th ere ensues t h a t “ explosion,” as
St. Martin called it, by which our natural will is for ever
dispersed and annihilated by contact with th e divine, and
th e latter henceforth becomes our very own. T h u s has
“ the schoolmaster ” b rought us u nto " C h rist ”, and if by
“ C h r i s t ” we understand no historically divine individual,
bu t th e logos, word, or manifestation of God in u.<— then
we have, I believe, the essential tru th th a t was ta u g h t in
th e Vedanta, by Kapila, by Blm ddha, by Confucius, by
Plato, and by Jesus. There is ano th e r presentation of
possibly the same truth, for a reference to which 1 am
indebted to our b rother J . W . Farquhar. I t is from S w eden­
borg, in th e Apocalypse J'J.vpluined, No. 5 2 7 :— “ E very
man has an inferior or exterior mind, and a m ind superior
or interior. These two minds are altogether distinct. By
the inferior m ind m an is in the natural world together
with m en th e re ; b u t by the superior m ind he is in th e
spiritual world with th e angels there. T hese two minds
are so distinct th a t man so long as he lives in the world
does not know w hat is performing w ithin himself in
his superior mind ; b u t when he becomes a spirit, which
is immediately after death, ho does not know w hat is
performing in his m ind.” T h e consciousness o f th e
“ superior mind,” us a result of mere separation from th e
earthly body, certainly does not suggest t h a t sublim e con­
dition which implies separation from so m uch more than
the outer g a rm e n t of flesh, b u t otherwise th e distinction
between thi^ two lives, or minds, seems to correspond with
th a t now u nd e r consideration.
W h a t is it th a t strikes us especially about this s u b stitu ­
tion of the divine-hum an for th e h u m an -natural personality ?
Is it not th e loss of individualism ? (Individualism, pray
observe, not individuality.) There are certain sayings of
Jesus which have probably offended m any in th e ir heaits,
though they m ay not have dared to acknowledge such a
•feeling to them selves: "W o m a n , w hat have I to do with,
thee r and those other disclaimers of special ties and
relationships which m a r the perfect sym p athy of our
reverence. T h ere is som ething awful and incom prehen­
sible to us in this repudiation of individualism, even in
its most amiable relations. B u t it is in th e Aryan philo­
sophies t h a t we see this negation of all t h a t we associate
Avith individual life most emphatically and explicitly in ­
sisted on. I t is, indeed, th e imjiossibility of otherwise
•than thus negatively characterising the soul t h a t has a tta in ­
ed Moksha (deliverance from bonds) which has caused th e
Hindu consummation to be regarded as th e loss of indivi­
duality and conscious existence. It is j u s t because we
cannot easily dissociate individuality from individualism
that we tu rn from the sublime conception of primitive
philosophy as from w h a t concerns us as little as th e
ceaseless activity an d germ ination in other brains of
.thought once thrown off ami severed from the t hinking
source, which is the im mortality promised by Mr. Frederick
Harrison to th e select specimens of h u m a n ity whose
thoughts have any reproductive power. I t is not a mere
preference of nothingness, or unconscious absorption, to
limitation th a t inspires th e intense yearning o f th e Hindu
mind for Nirvana. Even in the Ujmnishiuls there are
many evidences of a contrary W ie f , while in tho S a n k y a
the aphorisms of Kapila unm istakably vindicate th e in ­
dividuality of soul (spirit). Individual consciousness is
maintained, perhaps infinitely intensified, b u t its “ m a t t e r ”
is do longer personal. Only try to realise w hat “ freedom
from desire,” the favourite phrase in which individualism
is negated in these systems, implies ! E ven in th a t form,
o f devotion which consists in action, th e soul is w arned
in th e Bhagaviul-Gita th a t it m ust be indifferent to results.
Modern Spiritualism itself testifies to som ething of th e
same sort. T h u s we are told by one of its most gifted an d
experienced champions, “ Sometimes the evidence will come
from an impersonal source, from some instructor who has
passed through the plane on which individuality is dem o n­
strable. — M. A. (Oxon), S p ir it Id e n tity , p. 7. Again,
“ And if h e ” (the investigator) “ penetrates far enough, he
will find himself in a region for which his p resen t
embodied state unfits him: a region in which the very
individuality is merged, and tho highest and subtlest tr u th s
are not locked within one breast, b u t emanate from repre­
sentative companies whose spheres of life are interblended.”
— Id., p. l.i. By this “ interblending ” is of course m e an t
only a perfect sym pathy and com m unity of th o u g h t; and
I should doubtless misrepresent, th e a u th o r quoted
were I to claim an e ntire identity of the idea he wishes
to convey, aud that, now u nd e r consideration. Y et what,
after all, is sy m pa thy b u t the loosening of th a t hard
“ astrin g e n t ” quality (to use Bohme’s phrase) wherein
individualism consists ( And ju s t a.s iu true sympathy, th e
partial suppression of individualism and of what is distinc­
tive, we experience a superior delight and intensity of being,
8o it may be th a t in parting* with all th a t shuts us up iu
Hie spiritual penthouse of an 1’go— all, w ith o u t exception
or reserve— we may for the first tim e know w hat true life
is, and w hat are its ineffable privileges. Y e t it is not ou
this ground th a t acceptance can be hoped for th e conception,
of immortality here crudely and vaguely presented in
contrast to th a t boai'gvoix eternity of individualism and the
family affections, which is probably the great charm of
Spiritualism to th e majority of its proselytes. I t is d o ubt­
ful w hether the things th a t “ eye hath not seen, nor e a r
heard," have ever taken stronghold of th e imagination, or
reconciled it to the loss of all th a t is definitely associated
w ith the joy nnd movem ent of living. N o t as consummate
bliss can th e dweller on th e lower plane presume to commend
th a t transcendent life. A t th e u tm ost lie can b u t echo th e
revelation th a t came to the troubled mind iu S a rto r
Jienartus, “ A man may do w ithout happiness, ami instead
th ereof find blessedness.” I t is no sublimation of hope,
but the necessities of th o u g h t th a t compel us to seek th e
condition of true being and imm ortality elsewhere th a n
in the satisfactions of individualism. T rue personality
can only subsist in consciousness by participation of th a t
of which we can only say t h a t it is th e very negation of
individuality in any sense in which individuality can be
conceived by us. W h a t is th e c ontent or “ m a tte r ” of
consciousness we cannot define, save by vaguely calling
it ideal. B u t we can say th a t in th a t region individual
interests ami concerns will find no place. Nay, more, we
can affirm th a t only th en has the influx of the new lit'e a
free channel when th e obstructions of individualism are
already removed. Hence th e necessity of th e mystic,
death, which is as truly a death as th a t which restores our
physical body to th e elements. “ N e ith e r 1 am, nor is
a u g h t mine, nor do [ exist,” a passage which has been
well explained by a Hindu Theosophist (Peary Chand Mittra),
as m eaning “ th a t when the spiritual state is arrived at,
/ and mine, which belong to tl w. finite mind, cease, and th e
soul, living in th e univerxum an d participating iu infinity
w ith God, manifests its infinite stale.” I cannot refrain
from quoting tin; following passage from the same in ­
structive w r i t e r :— •
Kvery hum an being has a soul w hich, while not separable from
tho brain ornerves, ix m ind, nvjeedtini), or sentient soul, lint when re ­
generated o r sp iritualised by it in fiee from boudnpe, nmi
m anifests th e divine essence. It rises above all phenomenal states
— joy, sorrow, ”rief, fear, hope, and ill fact nil states rcsullin;.' in juiin
o r pleasure, ami lieeouie-s blissful, roali.'itig im m ortality, intinit'. ile,
nmi felicity of wisdom w ithin itself. Tho sen tien t soul ix nervous,
sensational, emotional, phenomenal, anil impressioiml. I t constitutes
th e n atu ral life am i is Unite. T h e soul and the non-soul nre th u s
the two landm arks. W h a t is non-soul is p rn lrit, or created. I t is
not the lot of every one to know w lm t soul ix, ami therefore millions
live au d die possessing m inds cultivated iu intellect and feeling, h u t
 not raised to tlio soul .state. In proportion a.* one's soul is emanci­
pated from ^>ra/‘n7 or sensuous bondage, in tliat proportion his ap­
proximation to the soid state is attained ; and it is this that consti­
tutes disparities in (lie intellectual, moral, and religious culture of
human beings, and their consequent approximation to God.—iip iri-
tv.al Stray / , « « , Calcutta, 137!*.
H e also cites some wonls of Fichte, which prove th a t
t h e like conclusion is reached in th e philosophy of W e s t­
e r n idealism : “ The real spirit which comes to itself in
h u m a n consciousness is to be regarded as an impersonal
p n e u m a —universal reason, nay, as th e spirit of God H i m ­
self ; and the good of m a n ’s whole development, th e r e ­
fore, can be no other th a n to su b stitu te the universal for
t h e individual consciousness.”
T h a t th e r e may be, and are affirmed to be, in te rm e ­
diate stages, states, .or discrete• degrees, ® will, of course, be
understood. T he aim of this paper has been to call a t ­
tentio n to th e abstract condition of th e immortalised con­
sciousness ; negatively it is true, b u t it is on this very ac­
c o u n t more suggestive of practical applications. T he con­
nection of this Society with the Sp iritualist m ovem ent is
so intim ately sympathetic, th a t I hope one of these may
be pointed o ut without offence. I t is th a t im mortality
cannot be phenom enally demonstrated. W h a t I have
called psychic survival can be, and probably is. B u t im­
m ortality is th e a tta in m e n t of a state, and that, sta te the
very negation of phenom enal existence. A n o th e r con­
sequence refers to th e direction our culture should take.
W c have to conqx>se ourselves to death. N o th in g less.
W e are each of us a complex of desires, passions,
interests, modes of th in k in g and feeling, opinions,
prejudices, ju d g m e n t of others, likings and dislikings,
affections, aims public and private. T hese things, and
w h atever else constitutes th e recognisable content- of our
p re se n t temporal individuality, are all in derogation of our
ideal of impersonal being— saving consciousness, tho m ani­
festation of being. I n some m inute, imperfect, relative, and
almost worthless sense wc may do rig h t in m any of our
judg m e nts, and amiable in m any of our sym pathies and
affections. W e cannot be sure even of this. Only people
u n h ab itu a te d to introspection and self-analysis are quite
sure of it. These are ever those who are loudest in their
censures, and most dogmatic in th e ir opinionative u tte r ­
ances. I n some coarse, rude fashion they are useful, it,
m a y be indispensable, to the world’s work, which is not
ours, save in a transcendental sense and operation. W e
have to strip ourselves of all that, and to seek jierfect
passionless tranquillity. T h e n we may hope to die. Medi­
tation, if it be deep, and long, and frequ en t enough, will
teach even our practical W estern m ind to understand the
H in d u m ind in its yearning for Nirvana. One infinitessi-
m al atom of th e great conglomerate of hum anity, who
enjoys the temporal, sensual life, with its gratifications an d
excitements as much <is most, will testify with unaffected
sincerity th a t he would ra th e r be annih ilated altogeth er
th a u remain for ever w ha t h e knows him self to be, or even
recognisably like it. A n d he is a very average moral speci­
men. I have heard it said, “ The world’s life and business
would come to an end, th ere would be an end to all its
h e a lth y activity, an end of commerce, arts, manufactures,
social intercourse, government, law, an d science, if we were
all to devoto ourselves to th e practice of Yoga, which is
p re tty much w hat your ideal comes to.” A n d th e criticism
is perfectly j u s t and true. Only I believe it does not go
q u ite far enough. N o t only th e activities of th e world b u t
th e phenomenal world itself, which is upheld in conscious­
ness, would disappear or take new, more interior, more
living, and more significant forms, a t least for hum anity,
i f the consciousness of h u m a n ity was itself raised to a
superior sta.te. Readers of St. Martin, and of th a t im ­
pressive book of th e late Ja m e s H inton, M an arid H is
D w elling-plaec, especially if they have also by chance been
stu d e n ts of the idealistic philosophies, will not th in k this
suggestion extravagant. I f all th e world were Yogis, th e
world would have no need of those special activities, th e
u ltim a te end and purpose of which, by-the-by, our critic
■would find it not easy to define. A nd if only a few w ith­
draw, th e world can spare them. E nough of th at.
Only let us not ta lk of this ideal of impersonal, universal
being in individual consciousness as an unverified dream.
O u r sense and im patience of limitations are the guarantees
th a t th e y are not final and insuperable. W hence is this
power of stand in g outside myself, of recognising the worth­
lessness of th e pseudo-judgments, of the prejudices with
th e ir lurid colouring of passion, of th e tem poral interests,
of the ephem eral appetites, of all the sensibilities of egoism,
to which I nevertheless surrender myself, so t h a t thoy
indeed seem myself ? T hrough and above this troubled
atm osphere I seo a being , pure, passionless, rightly m e a ­
suring th e proportions and relations of tilings, for whom
th ere is, properly speaking, no present, with its phantasms,
falsities, and h a lf-tru th s : who has nothing personal in the
sense of being opposed to th e whole of related personalities:
who sees th e tr u th ra th e r th a n struggles logically towards
it, an d tr u th of which I can a t present form no con­
ception ; whose activities are unim peded by intellectual
doubt, uuperverted by moral depravity, and who is indiffer­
e n t to results, because he has not to guide his conduct by
calculation of them, or by any estim ate of th e ir value. I
look u p to him with awe, because in being passionless he
sometimes seems to m e to be w itho ut love. Y e t I know
th a t this is n o t s o ; only t h a t his love is diffused by its
range, an d elevated in abstraction beyond my gaze and
comprehension. A nd I see in this being my ideal, my
higher, my only true, in a word, my immortal self.
O uit KUROl’EAN AND PAIISf KEADKRS SHOULD KNOW
th e d a nge r th e y incur in using th e various “ restorers, ”
dyes, and washes for th e hair which are very widely
advertised just. now. Besides being needlessly expensive,
th e y are in most, cases positively poisonous. Instances of
paralysis and even d eath from th e effects of h a ir lotions
have come un d e r our personal notice. Tho m a tte r has
been considered grave enough to engage th e atten tion of
E u ro pean and A m erican Boards of H e a lth ; and Professor
C. F. Chandler, a noted chemist and President of tho
H e a lth Board of N ew York City, after analyzing samples
ta k e n from bottles t h a t were purchased in open market,
denounces th e nostrum s and their m akers and vendors in
the following strong term s :—
A tte n tio n cannot too strongly be called to th e dangers of the
indiscrim inate use of th e so-called Ila ir dyes, R estorers, Invigora-
tors, etc., of w hich th ere are two classes in the m ark et : tlio first
ono usually offered as instantaneous h air dyes, coiuo mostly in two
small vials, th e one containing a w atery solution of gum arabic and
soda, or an alcoholic solution of gallic acid (obtained from nut-
galls), th e oth er a solution of n itrate of silver, in dilute aqua ammo­
nia (hartshorn). These dyes, when carefully applied, may be
considered harm less. Batchelor's, B riest’s, C ristadoro’s, H ill's,
M iller’s, Vessey’s dyes,niul H o y t’s H iaw atha H a ir R estorative belong
to th is class. T hey can readily be com pounded for less cost by every
pharm acist.
The o th er class, oft'ered w ith moro pretentious names and claims,
coino iu 6 to 8 ounce bottles and consist, w ith b u t few exceptions, of
a m ix tu re of w ater [(! fluid parts], glycerin [ 1 fluid part], and alcohol
[ 1 fluid part], scented w ith rose, lavender, o r oth er flavors, and
w hich contain various quan tities of acotate of lead (sugar of lead) in
solution, and sulphur (lac sulphur), and small q u an tities of carbonate
and sulphate of lead in suspension. By th e chemical action of the
lead upon co n stitu en ts of th e hair, its color is gradually darkened,
b u t th ere cannot be any doubt th a t th e continuous application of
such lead solutions to the scalp acts injuriously, and gives rise to
m ost serious consequences, frequently causing obstinate and fatal
sickncss. _
Tlio q u a n tity of sugar of lead varies much iu th e different res­
torers and is not uniform even in the same m aker's preparation.
The average qu a n tity of acetate o f lead in th e following h air restor­
ativ es is, for each jtvid , miner, as follows :
C hevalier's Life for the H a ir.............................. l i grain* •
P earson’s Circassian I la ir llcjuV enator........... 2 f „
A yer's I la ir Vigor................................................. „
W ood's H a ir R estorative.................................... 3 ,,
O ’B rien’s R estorer of A m erica............ ............ 3 | „
G rqy's I la ir R estorative...................................... 3J
P h alo n ’s V italia.................................................... -H ,>
R ing’s Vegetable Ambrosia .............................. „
Sterling's A m brosia ............... ......................... 4 j „ .
M rs. A llen's W orld’s H a ir R e sto re r.............. „
H a ll’s Vegetable Sicilian H air R enew er......... 7 „.
T ebbet's Physiological H air R egenerator........ 7 J „
M arth a W ashington's H a ir R e sto ra tiv e ....... 9?
S inger’s H a ir R e sto ra tiv e ................, . . , , , .......... lG f
 N il'.L I // v ersu s MISS/OXAHV.
The debate at Ajmere between Pundit Thn/mnnid Sarattrati Steam!,
« ud the Ilev. Dr. (rather Mr.) (,'rtty.
ItV T i l l ': HKV. J . O K A Y , M I S S I O N A I ! V.
I t was onljf yesterday th a t m y attentio n was draw n to
a n article with tho above heading in the T jikoso I'HIst
for Jan uary . As the w riter has fallen into not a lew in ­
accuracies, some ot’ which serve to p u t my conduct in
q u ite ft false light, I m u st beg to be allowed to correct th e
more im portant of them.
I t is stated at tho outset th a t of three copies of th e
Record o f J Hscttssion one was taken away by me a t th e
close of the meeting. T his is not correct. I n e ith e r a sk ­
ed nor was offered any record of the discussion, and though
I had heard of its being in circulation, I had never seen
a ny th in g of it till yesterday, when you r issue for Jan uary ,
with extracts from the Record, and Munshi S a m a rth a d a n ’s
comments thereon, was put into my hand.
T h e circumstances u nder which th e diseussionfini.se were
as follows :— I atten de d a lecture of Pundit Dayanand
Saraswati, towards th e close of which lie undertook to
show th a t there were a great m any errors iu th e liiblo and
the Koran. A fter the list of Scriptural errors had been
read out, I addressed myself to th e Swami to the effect,
th a t I understood no discussion was allowable 011 the spot
during his lecture hours ; b u t it would only be fair th a t
he should supply m e with a copy of his list of objections
and fix a tim e and place to h ear my reply. To this th e
Sw am i a t once assented as cpiite fair and reasonable, and
I left with th e full understanding thnt the objections would
b e sent to me, and th a t there would afterwards be a p u b ­
lic discussion. Munshi Samarthadiiu, therefore, does th e
Swami injustice— qu ite un intentionally 110 d o u bt— in
speaking as if I had to iitsixt “ th a t the questions should
be communicated ” to me in writing ; and he does m e 110
less injustice in conveying the impression th a t I wished to
reply in writing, and to avoid an open discussion ot tlio
points in dispute. N o thing could possibly be further from
m y intention. A public discussion was exactly w ha t I
desired, and in requesting a list of the S w am i’s objections,
I distinctly intim ated th a t 1 would expect him to give mo
an opportunity of replying as publicly as he had m ade th e
attack. T he list, duly sent to me, contained, ns Munshi
Samarthadiin states, abo ut fifty quotations from Scripture.
I saw th a t unless some lim it were set to th e discussion,
th e patience of th e audience would become exhausted,
and m any of th e im portant points would never be over­
taken, b u t th e s ta te m e n t of th e Munshi th a t I suggested
a t th e outset th a t the questions and answers on each pas­
sage should be limited to two, is liable to be m isunder­
stood. W h a t I stipulated for was th a t after the Swami
had fu lly stated his objections on any one passage, and I
had replied as fully as I th ou gh t necessary, he should be
a t liberty to dispose of my reply - as best he might., and
then after my rejoinder to his second speech, wo should
go on to the next point. My only object in this wa.s to
secure th a t we should get over the ground of controversy,
from the beginning to th e end of th e Bible, and not consume
all tho tim e iu wrangling abo ut a few points in Genesis.
My object was frustrated, however, by a n o th e r device on
which th e Swami insisted, viz., t h a t every word of th e
debate should be tak en down in writing. I was delighted
to see three reporters present, b u t I understood lit tirst
th a t they were to act as reporters in all o th e r cases do—
take down as full and correct a report as possible w ithout
interfering with tho course of debate. W e had 110 sooner
begun th an 1 found o u t my mistake. T h e Sw am i dictated
to-tlio slow-going H indi a n d U rd u writers his objections
on the first passage lie liad selected. Ab th is took u p a
considerable time, I replied more briefly th a n I had in ­
tended, and perhaps, th a n I o u gh t to have done, in order
to save time. A second course of dictation 011 th e p a r t of
the Swami was followed by a few brief sentences on m y p a rt
by way of reply ; and so on, till a t tho close of th e first
two hours we had only got to th e third of th e fifty pas­
' sages. Meanwhile, th e people, who had assembled with
lively interest to hear th e discussion, had got tired o f
looking on a t this dictation business. Many had not been
able to hear, and some had very naturally gone to sleep.
Tile I'ccurtl o f .Discussion had to be rend over at the close
of tho m eeting tha t the auditors might know what had
been said. T h ere had been 110 life, or l u t f as one of th e
chief men present declared in s u c h a discussion. 1 sug ­
gested th a t if it was to be a m a tte r of dictation— to
which personally I entirely objected— it would be much
b e tte r for the Swami to dictate his objections a t his own
residence, and for me to write my replies similarly, w ith ­
out bringing th e people to g e th e r every night for a month
to see th e writing going 011. Sardar B ahadur M unshi
Aniinehand expressed his approval of this suggestion
with the addition th a t there should be a m eeting or m e e t­
ings a t the close to hear w ha t had been written. To this
th e Swami refused to consent. I again urged th a t it
ought to be a free, open discussion, iu which all present
could take nn in te ie st ; and I p u t it to the meeting to in­
dicate w hether tha t was n o t the general desire. T he res­
ponse in favour of an oral discussion, instead of one by
dictation, was all b u t unanimous, and I hoped some of th e
leading m en present would succeed by next day in in ­
ducing the Swami to give up the work ot dictation which
had dragged so heavily. On the following day 1 sent a
note to the Swami, asking if he would agree to a free oral
discussion unimpeded by dictation, so th a t th e ground
m ight all be overtaken, and the interest k e p t up. l i e d e­
clined to accede to my request, and added— “ I t is not
necessary th a t all th e points should be discussed a t th e
present time, and by you personally. L e t some ot tbe
points lie settled now, and th e remainder can be discussed
in some o ther place and by some other Pitdri Stdteb.
T his was the point upon which the Swami and I differed.
H e th ou ght it was not necessary to have all th e points
discussed in Ajmere, while I was decidedly of opinion
th a t as th e objections had been set forth a t a public meet-
in*r iu Ajmere, they should all be answered in the sam e
place with equal publicity. My chief objection to th e
system of dictation had been th a t the ground could never
be overtaken iu this way. T h e people would not have
continued to c o m e to such meetings, even it the Swami
had been willing to stay for a m o nth to discuss all th e
points, and the Swami never professed any intention of
staying to complete the discussion. Munshi S a m a ith a -
dan, indeed, says he promised, in th e le tte r above referred
to, “ to stay a t A jm ere to continue the discussion as long
as he would be desired to do so,” b u t this is one of th e
num erous inaccuracies into which lie has somehow fallen.
T h e letter, as quoted above, repeated what the Swami had
said at the meeting, th a t there was 110 necessity for going
over all his objections in Ajmere. I t would be enough i f
only a few were thsrnssed. As soon as 1 got his leply, I
arranged to call a public meeting, where all the objections
could be ta k e n u p and answered. l o speak ol it as a
m eeting of th e " s t u d e n t s ” of th e Mission school aud
some others, is an entire misrepresentation. Notices wero
lithographed an d circulated as widely as possible, and th e
m eetin g was atte n d e d by th e elite, of Ajmere. Munshi
Saniarthaddn speaks of it as having ta k en place ‘ th e
day after th e Swami had left Ajmere, b u t he does not
m ention th a t th e notice had been issued, and it was well
known th a t th e m eeting was to ta k e place. I had taken
special care to have a notico sen t to the Swami, aud was
sorry to learn a t th e tim e of the m eeting th a t he had left
for Masudah. I throw o u t no insinuations after the m a n ­
n er of the Munshi. P erhaps th e S w a m i ’s a rrangem ents
did not allow him to stay ano th er day in Ajmere. O th e r ­
wise i t would have been only becoming in him to a tte nd
th e m eeting and h e a r w hat was to be said in reply to his.
charges.
As to Munshi SamarthadA n’s comments 011 th e extracts-
h e has furnished, I do not consider it necessary to say any­
th in g either as to th e t r u th or spirit of them. I should
not th in k of discussing th e m a tte r with him, or with any
one, b u t P u n d it Day&nand Saraswati himself. It th e
 Swnmi should soc fit to bring forward in yum columns in
m o n th ly instalm ents tho objections lie did not stay to hear
•answered, and if you would allow m e equal space in them
to reply, 1 should be very happy to continue th e discus­
sion which b e broke off in Ajmere. " in qu antity, and it by no means improves in quality.
A.im e r e :
27(/t Ja n u a ry , 1t»SO.
A H indi translation of th e above having been sen t to
iSwaniiji, he writes, under date of Benares, 10th February,
“ Wlirn the m eeting was held a t Ajm ere by me I asked
th e I'a d r i to come forward the next day and discuss, b u t
his answer was th a t he would n o t come. Therefore, I now
reply to him t h a t it does not suit me to carry on th e dis­
cussion h e now proposes. I f any well-educated bishop
should be ready to conduct a discussion of this kind in
your journal, there need be uo d o ubt b u t th a t I would
accept a proposal similar to th e one now made.”
T hough our columns m ight be occupied to b e tte r a d ­
vantage than with debates upon ( 'hristianity, which is
m oribund in its own strongholds and never was a vital
issue in India, yet, t h a t there may be no appearance of
partiality in our m anagem ent, th e TiiKOSOi’ii 1ST will print
th e discussion suggested by our B rothe r if any bishop
should be willing to expose his head to th e th u n d erin g
blows of a “ H e a th e n '’ mace of logic. Meanwhile it m ig ht
not be a bad idea for some l'o d r i Sahcb to read th e follow­
ingO editorial from a recent issue of th e N ew York S u n : —
W h y is T h e o i .o o y so N e g l e c t e d ?
I t is a remarkable circumstance th a t th ere has been of
recent years an actual decline in th e num b er of theological
stu dents in th e diviuity schools of some of our most im por­
ta n t P rotestant denominations.
T he graduates from colleges are yearly more numerous,
and th e e ntering classes a t our chief universities are ste a d ­
ily increasing in size and rendering necessary th e employ­
m e n t of additional instructors. H a rva rd never had so g re a t
a b o d y of students as now, though it has of late years
very much raised its standard for admission. Vale also
is fuller tl urn ever, while Colum bia is obtaining
classes two or three tim es as large :us those it instructed
before the war. T he th ron g of stu den ts a t Princeton has
much increased, and a t Williams, D a rtm o u th , and oth e r
smaller colleges of th e interior th e faculties and trustees
are rejoicing over classes rem arkable for th e ir numbers.
T h e l a w schools are crowded, th e lectures a t the medical
colleges were never before so well attended, and th e m ining
and scientific schools are nourishing to an unusual degree.
Y et theological seminaries, though th e y spend g re a t
efforts to obtain students, and frequently offer them not only
free tuition, b u t also entire or partial su p p o rt du rin g th e ir
course, m ust content themselves with a few young men, and
these, oftentimes n ot th e cream of our youth, b u t th e sk im ­
m ed and even th e watered milk.
I n the Presbyterian denomination, one of th e greatest
bulwarks of orthodoxy and one of th e strongest and richest
of P rotestant bodies, o u t of .>,415 churches 92(5 arc w itho ut
pastors. The n u m b e r of churches increased last year by
14G, and y e t there was an increase of m inisters of only 37,
thou gh 58 ministers came over to tho Presbyterians from
o th er denominations. The candidates for th e m inistry are
this year 22 fewer th a n last year, and 153 fewer th a n iu
1874 . . .
W h a t is th e m eaning of this rem arkable decline in th e
num ber of theological students ? Though the population
lias been g r o w i n g "steadily and largely in six years, and th e
Presbyterians have manifested their interest in th e ir religi­
ous doctrines by organizing hundreds of new churches, th e
Presbyterian young men tu rn w ith aversion from th e m in i­
s tr y or pass it by to u n d e rta k e a more congenial career.
O u t of all th e thousands of them, a few score only, and
t h e y by no means the most promising of these youth, are
tu r n in g th e ir attentio n to th e stud y of theology. Money
for th e education of m inisters is n o t lacking, and th e re
never was an abler body of divinity professors th a n now.
T h e principal churches th rou gh ou t the country are anxioufk
for ]>n.stors of eloquence and power, and are ready to pay
them salaries larger than ever before. B u t th e m aterial
o u t of which acceptable ministers may be m ade grows less
Is this decline due to th e superior inducem ents in th e
way of worldly success offered by ot her professions than tho
sacred one ? T h a t cannot be the cause, for a young m inister
especially a dapted to his calling, and who can dem onstrate’
liis ability to preach to th e satisfaction of a church, a t once
leaps into a place where lie gets both consequence an d n.
sure and am ple living, while if his heart is in his work ho
has full em ploym ent for his powers. In other professions
a young man m u s t m a ke bis way upward by slow ami
arduous climbing.
is it not ra th e r because the zeal for th e faith is g e ttin g
so cold t h a t young men have no spirit and enthusiasm to
u n d e rta k e its propagation ? T he ranks of th e lawyers,
doctors, engineers, and business m en are gaining new
recruits faster than th ey need, and yet orthodox churches
cannot keep lip their supply of m inisters !
T H E E X V A N E S ! 1 1'A R T . v
An English Theosophist asked in th e J a n u a ry nu m b e r
for information about “ t h a t most mystic of all mystic
books,” T h e / h ij/fin e s h n ir i ,- “ Can any of y ou r corres­
pondents,” ho exclaims, “ give any account of this book ?
Who w;is A lundi ?” H e was answered briefly last m onth
b y a Bengali Babu ; now he may read w hat this friend a t
Poona writes :— •
J ’ooua, J a n u a ry 18ifi, 1S80.
I n (Ik; D ecember num ber of the T i i k o s o i m i i s t th ere is a comm uni­
cation by a E uropean, n t th e end of which he iuijuircfc ‘a bout the
Jhiyancshcari nnd A lundi. I nm certain th a t many native subscribers
of the Jo u rn al m ust have w ritten to you a b o u tit ; b u t still I take thin
o p portunity of lettin g you know th e following facts T he D nyan-
cshrari is a com m entary on th a t master-piece of the author of
th e .Vuhitbhdratu, th e M a-yinitfjiti). I t wa-s w ritten by D nyaii-
eshvara, an in h a b ita n t of A lundi (A lakiipuri.) H e w rote it in the
Saka year 1212, which shows th a t the work lias been in the handH
of the public of the MaharaKtni for nearly six centuries. T his
work which, owing to th e degeneracy of th e present age, is littlo
known to tlie so-called educated natives, was the stan d ard work on
V edanta for th e MalmWistras. and w ith th e men th a t were and nre
"enerally know n as th e Y arkaris or th e followers o f the Vithnba a t
i ’andharpur, it stood in th e place of th e Vedas. As to its m erits,
I th in k th a t I am not able to do justice to them , owing to m y
ignorance, b u t I may safely assert from w hat little knowledge I
have of the work, th a t it is ‘first of its class iu th e whole range of
M arathi literature. I t is to th is day th e te x t of the Vedi'iutis.
Owing to th e lapse of centuries, its language differs very much
from th a t of tho Inter poets, am i so a o p iire s a considerable am ount
of study. _
I t has been prin ted and published lately in Bombay, aud can bo
had for a few rupees. I have iu m y possession an old M anuscript
o f the same, and am willing to se n d 'it to your L ibrary, if re<juired.
A s to A lundi, it is a village somo tea miles from Poona, an d is held
sacred owing to its being th e place where the g reat D nyaneshvara
lived. A n annual fair is held th ere in liis honor.
I beg to rem ain,
Yours, &c.(
M. V. L E L E .
Engineering College, P oona.
A K E L b O W OK T H E l o M A N ' T h E O S O P H IC .U , S O C I E T Y O K
Corfu, Greece, C o u n t N . de Gonemys, M . I ) . , announces
his intention to publish a critical work upon th e three,
th erapeutic systems of Allopathy, H o m e o p a th y and A ni­
mal Magnetism, in which th e ir respective claims an d m erits
will be exhaustively and impartially set forth. C o u n t de
G onemys is a gentlem an of superior medical as well as
general education, and, as we are informed, likely to do
well w hat h e has undertak en . T he work will be ill
G r e e k w ith a translation into F rench alongside th e text.
I t is to appear in abo ut <10 m on thly parts, a t the ra te of
1’2 parts each year, and th e subscription price; is fixed a t
12 francs (0 shillings and 8 pence sterling) per year.. T h e
work m ay be ordered th ro ug h th e M anager of th e
T h e o s o p h i s t , who will also see to the delivery of th o
] vi its. ’.
 H O W B E S T TO B E C O M E A T IIE O S O P IIIST.
HY HKN'ltY K. ()!,(,’OTT.
Tho London S p ir itu a lis t gives space to a lull report of
th e in aug ural address of George Wyld, Esq., M. I)., (Edin.)
th e newly elected President of tho British Theosophical
Society, a branch of our own, which wc lack tho room to
print. l)r. W yld’s p aper is m arked by th e force, learning
and sincerity which arc liis recognised personal character^
istics. I t teaches tlio tru e doctrine th a t adoptship, or tlio
a tta in m e n t of a lull spiritual condition, is only possible
for those who b ring th e bodily lusts of all kinds u n d e r
th e control of th e h igher and b ettor nature ; and, in a series
of a p t quotations from th e four Gospels of tho N ow T esta ­
m ent, he endeavours to convince liis audience th a t Jesus,
thou gh perhaps not the very nnd only Son of God, was
a t least th e highest type of hum an spirituality over vouch­
safed to m ankind. A t th e same time, Dr. W yld affirms
th a t every m an may become a “ Son of God," his rule
being " -So to e m p ty o u r souls o f s e lf th a t the Father,
becom ing m a n ife s t h i H is S o n #, illu m in a te s a n d regene­
rates the w orld." T h is species of Christian adoptship our
respected bro th er places even above th e adoptship of tho
E a st which, he says “ is secret and mysterious, and hidden
from all except a select few, who have passed th ro ug h an
ordeal so severe and dangerous tliat many, it is said, perish
in body or in soul ou m aking tho a ttem p t, and into which
select few, so far as we know, no woman has over been
adm itted.”
In these utterances, so foreign to th e views e n te rta in e d
by a largo majority of Thcosophists, our Oriental friends
will see a practical evidence of tho truly republican and
cosmopolitan n atu re of th e Theosophical Society. Dr.
Wyld is an enthusiastic adm irer of tl io character of Jesus,
and yet sees his way clear to th e accomplishment of th a t
personal spiritual unfolding towards which we all aspire.
Indeed, as is b u t natural w ith strong thinkers, his p ath
seems to him th e best and surest one, and lie lays his
scheme before his Society and tho world w ith an a rd e n t
longing for its acceptance. Brahmos will doubtless recog­
nize tlie very essence of th e ir own ideas coming from this
good T hcosophists lips, and sec tliat our jou rn a l was not
wide of the m ark in saying u j k i i i its first appearance th a t
th ere was am ple room for Brahm o and P ia r th a n a Sam a-
jists and even liberal Christians, in our fellowship. O ur
London brother means every word he speaks on this theme,
and his opinions are respected by us j u s t as much as though
he had avowed his faith in e ither of th e ancient Eastern
religions, which some of us th in k th e best over evolved by
man. I f he had been in India, studied the a ncient philoso­
phies, and seen the E astern adepts and tho practical
proofs of th e ir lofty science, he would beyond do ubt change
th e views he now expounds so eloquently. A nd all th is
m ay come in time.
But, in th u s conceding to Dr. W yld th e full rig ht of
private jud gm ent, it m ust not bo forgotten t h a t like th e
rest of us, he speaks only for himself, and neith er tho T heo­
sophical Society as a whole, nor oven tho British branch, as
a body, is responsible. T h e very idea of “ Brotherhood of
H u m a n i t y ” and “ Republic of Conscience,” both of which
.synonyms apply to the basis 011 which our Society is build­
ing up, tovors tho principle of strict intellectual recipro­
city. A ny a t te m p t to m ake tho Society a propaganda,
w hether of C hristianity or any o ther single religion, would
a t once strip it of th e first quality of cosmopolitanism
and m ake it only a sect. F o r myself, I am free to say
th a t there is 110 adequate proof to my miiul e ith er th a t
Jesus was the Son of (Jod, th a t he said or did th e th in gs
ascribed to him, t h a t eith er one of tho four Gospels is a n y ­
th in g b e tte r th an a literary fabrication, or t h a t J e su s ever
lived. N o r do I see th a t tluj ideal character of Je su s is any
nobler th an th a t of G autam a, if so noble. A t tho proper
times and places I have m aintained these views, aud
hope to do so often again. So far from sharing Dr. W y ld ’s
ideal of Christianity, I have, after nearly fifty years of
practical observation and experience in Christian countries
and among th e teachers and professors of Christianity, been
forced to conclude th a t it is a had religion and fosters
eveiy sin and vice against which its ethical code inveighs.
A nd y e t this is b u t my individual opinion, and in express­
ing it, I no more compromise o n r Society than does Dr.
Wyld, who is so strong an adm irer of Jesus, liy expressing
liis, or than Mr. Massey hy his article in this nu m ber of
th e T h e o s o p h i s t , or the Swami Dayanand, or our ortho­
dox H indu fellows, or the high priest Sumangala, or any
other a d h e re n t of any special sect or theology, by what
they respectively teach. W e are all individual and freo
as to personal beliefs, b u t are knitted to geth er by th e
.strong ties of intellectual reciprocity and universal b roth er­
hood.
N o r is Dr. W yld warranted in his definition of th e
n a tu re of Oriental adoptship, as given in the following
te rm s : “ Tho Oriental adept obtains magical or soul
]x>wer over m atter, ivhtch he u s e s f u r his in n i eutls— and
over spirits. B u t the Christian ad ep t has no dealings
w ith low or weak spirits, except to convert them or to
oast them o u t ; h u t his life is spout in openly tra nsm utin g
his spiritual powers into good works for th e g o o d of m a n ­
kind.” Tho implication here is most unequivocal— tho,
E astern adept uses his acquired power for selfish ends
a n d consorts with low and weak spirits with a less com­
m endable object than that of converting or casting th e m
o u t ; and, unlike his Christian compeer, does not “ tra n s­
m ute his spiritual powers into good works for the good of
m ankind.” Since I, as an individual, am com m enting
upon th e opinions of Dr. Wyld as an individual, I am
bound to sa)r th a t nothing could bo farther from the real
state of thocn.se. W h a te v er the Christian adept m a y o r
m ay not do of beneficent deeds— and church history is
not all one-sided on th a t question— it is most certain th a t
th e Eastern a d e p t’s first and last, aspiration is to benefit
m ankind by m ak in g him self pu rer and b e tte r than they.
So far from consorting with low and weak spirits, the very
elem entary instruction he receives is to avoid them, and
rid himself of th e ir fatal influence hy becoming too holy
for them to approach him. Not a single “ Eastern a d o ] it”
comes w ithin Dr. W yld’s hypothesis, except th e proble­
matical practitioner of Black Magic or Sorcery, who uses
liis knowledge of arcane natural powers to gratify carnal
apjiotites and desires, and ia e a iiitU y f a l l s Victim to the
c e il s p ir its he has drairu t<>h is a id .
I t is equally incorrect to say th a t no woman has lie-
come au adept. N o t to mention o n e example which will
im m ediately recall itself to every Theosophist, 1 m ay say
t h a t I personally have encountered in India two other ini­
tiated women, and know of a num ber of others iu th e
E ast. Some women, it m u st be remembered, are of t h a t
sex only in body— taking sex to mean th a t negative q ual­
ity of individuality which Dr. Wyld evidently had in mi ml
w hen thinking of them. I f Je sus made adepts by b re ath ­
ing 011 men, so th a t they could un der this afflatus do
“ m iracles;” and if Loyola, Theresa, Savonarola, and th e
C ure D ’Ars, possessed the power of afthrobaey and heal­
ing, so have hundreds o f ‘ Eastern a d e p t s ” in Indian
history healed the ir multitudes, “ miraculously ” fed tho
hungry, and raised the dead : as for air-walking, tho
readers of this paper need not be told th a t in India,
oven a'11 English doctor adm its it is an exact physiological
science.
My friend Dr. W yld deplores that in G reat Britain there
are 110 examples of adoptship to refer to ; to which I
reply th a t I could nam e to him a t least one British F e l ­
low of th e Society who, in modest privacy has by intelli­
g e n t self-discipline already acquired very m arked results
in this direction ; while I have, with my own eyes, seen
in th e streets of London one of tho most em inent of Eas­
te rn adepts, who has th a t to look after which is a tra n s m u ta ­
tion of his jxnvers for th e good of hum anity. Those “ adepts,”
“ Rosicruoaiis,” “ initiates,” or whatever else we ma)'choose
to call them, go abo ut th e world— as Professor Alexander
W ild er so clearly told us last m onth— w itho ut being sus-
jHjcted ; m ingling in crowds b u t not affected by them, and
doing w h a t is best to be done, and o u t of purest love
lor th e ir fellow-men. Those only are perm itted to recog­
nise them whom it is necessary they should reveal th e m ­
selves to for th e a tta in m e n t of a definite object. Hut
th is one tiling is indisputable, that, w h e th e r they o u t ­
w ardly call themselves Buddhists, H indus, Parsis or C hris­
tians, they are absolutely a t 011c in spirit, ; and that spirit
is to become spiritually great, so tha t g re a t good may he
d o n e by them to the whole world.
-------- ♦--------
T H E M ’D D H I S T I D E A A B O U T SO U L.*
Erotii thr Sanskrit of the Iliyht Hiw If. Svuuittrjtdn.
Ts th e re an everlasting and constant soul ? T his ques-
tioii occupies th e thoughts of the world. The doctrine
that, the soul exists, though held by various sects of p h i­
losophers, docs not find n place in the B u d d h a system, tor
t h e B ud dh a rejects th e doctrine of tlic existence of the
pohI. Herein lies th e great, g u lf between tin? Buddhistic
and oth e r systems of belief. A nd i t behoves learned
th in k e rs to settle this disputed point w h e th e r nn eternal
:md undying soul exists in living beings or not. F o r it is
«>f th e utm ost importance in the exam ination of modern
.systems of belief. According to th e J a r t u k a s (Naiyayikas)
flic soul is the eighth in the category of nine .substances
th a t exist in the world. This soul is of two kinds, liumnn
(or rather animal) soul and the suprem e soul. T h e a n i­
m al soul is eternal. And thus it is said iu th e T ark a -
f^angraha. " T h e soul is th e repository of knowledge. It
is of two kinds, th e animal soul and th e suprem e soul.
O f these th e suprem e soul is one only. I t is alm ighty
nnd omniscient and is n o t subject to pain nnd pleasure.”
T h e hum an soul is different in different bodies. I t is all
pervading and eternal and is subject to pain and pleasure.
Ami so it is said in th e '‘ D ip ik a ’’— “ T h e characteristic
of the hum an (animal) soul is th a t it is subject to pain
and pleasure.” According to the Buddhas, there is 110
o th e r soul (in living beings) th a n the five aggregates.
E v ery living being has the five aggregates. T hese are tho
sensational, th e affectional, th e nominal, th e imprcssional,
ih e perceptional. T he scnsationals are th e bodies, begin­
ning with atom s upwards, subject to changes 011 account,
of their being affected hy heat and cold. Th ey are called
t h e sensational aggregates inasmuch as the}’ are the agg re­
ga te s of sensible objects. T he aflectional aggregates are
sill.the pains and pleasures, See., th a t a r c felt, or are cap a­
ble of being felt. T he nominal aggregates are those th a t
give names as characterising recognition (of distinct ob­
jects). T h e impressional aggregates are all the im pres­
sions of th e general, th e beautiful, and so on. T he p e r­
ceptional aggregates are all those m ental p henom ena
■which lead to acts th a t are liked (or to th e rejection of acts
t h a t arc not liked.)
All these aggregates are m utable nnd perishable. N o t
one of them is constant, or perm anent. T hey are all
changeable and perishable as the foam or th e vapour. T h e
J a r tu k a s hold an atom to be eternal. T his belief is e n ­
tirely rejected by th e Buddhas. T h a t which knows growth
a n d decay m ust be inconstant. Those who assert th a t
th e re exists a constant (perm anent) soul in a living being
nre wrong in their assertion. T h ey see th nt th e visible
organs of sense, eyes, &c., are liable to destruction, b u t
of th e invisible mind they do not witness its destruction.
H enco th e y conclude th a t the mind is eternal. B y in ­
duction they identify th e soul with th e m in d and a tt r i­
b u t e its qualities of immutability, &c., to th e soul. A s
i\ bud leaves one tre e for another, so does the soul leave
one body to m igrate in another. This is th e ir doctrine
sis explained by th e ir learned philosophers.
Now inasmuch as th ey hold th e existence of different
souls in different bodies, and one cannot exist sim ul­
taneously in different places, th e y (souls) m u st be m any.
T h a t which is more than one m ust necessarily be incon­
s ta n t and mutable.
• T rn n d a to 'l from tlic F cbrunry num ber of tho T heosophist ,
f< IV M ncript.”
A JE W E L J jY T H E O L D R U B B I S H .
HY fiO V IN I) \V. K A N IT K A U .
I am an hum ble adm irer of Physical Science. While,
therefore, 1 was tu rn in g over the pages of a big volume o f
a ncient learning, entitled ‘ Tho B rih a t Sanhita,' com­
posed by th e well-known scientist Varuha Mihira, I h a p ­
pened to read th e ch apter on llain-Fall. T he second*
verso in it gives a description of w hat to us moderns is
known as th e liain-Gnnr/e. The author says : ‘ The in­
s tru m e n t to measure rain-fall should be constructed in the
following manner. M ake a k un d a k a or circular vessel as
wide as your hand. Place it in th e open air where rain
begins to fall. T his in stru m e n t will enable you toknow how
m uch w ater falls from heaven. Divide it into fifty parts.
Fifty ptthts (one pala equals four tolas) will m ake one
Ail/inlit (a higher measure).’ Now, Sir, 1 feel my patriotic
feeling much gratified when I reflect upon this ingenious
and original way of m easuring rainfall which suggested
itself to th e inventive and keenly observant mind of th e
learned Varsiha Mihira— for, I cannot possibly believe th a t
lie pilfered it from a W estern scientific Acharya, a
Thomson or a Ganot. No, Sir, VarAha Mihira, tho w riter
of this verse, lived in tho time of K in g Vikrama, a con­
tem po rary of our Sanscrit royal bard KalidAsa. This
book (B rihat S anhita) contains m any interesting chap­
ters, full of most valuable and original information. B u t
alas 1 who is to dig o u t tho treasure from the mines and to
utilize it ? T h e cost of it is immense. Tlio poor anuiot
do it unaided, and th e rich won’t do it. W e have how­
ever m any hopes from your noble attemptB a t reviving our
ancient learning. Well, let us see w hat comes out of it. I
am iuduccd to send you this short note in the hope o f
co ntributing m y poor little m ite towards tho grand object
of your Society. P u t it into th e TnEOSOPHi.ST if you think
fit. A s tim e and tide shall p e rm it I hope to m ake more
notes of this kind and sond th e m to you.
Tho B rihat Stm hita is properly speaking a work on As­
trology. B u t m an y oth e r useful subjects are also treated
in connection w ith it. T here is a lengthy ch apter ( ’>3) in
it entitled th e A r t of B gilding a H ouse (Architecture!)
Similarly th ere is ano th e r ono headed “ T he knowledge
respecting th e life and rearing of plants," ch. ;'>•>. I may
call this th e science of gardening. C h a p te r 54 treats o f
digging wells and fiuding out water, &c.
G injaum B u c k Rood, K n m tk a r H ull,
Kheticadcc, 8th Jan. 1880.
T m -. G o v k h x m k x t o k E m v a x w a s a l w a y s k x o w n r o i t
th e wealth of its m o nu m en ts and relics of antiquity. A n d
now, a Russian daily paper, The Ctntctim.?, announces re­
cent discoveries invaluable to arclueology, in th e shape of
inscriptions upon solid rocks and isolated stones. T h e y
are all in cuneiform characters. T h e earliest of them
having attracted th e a tte n tio n of th e em in en t arclia ologist
and A rm enian scholar, Professor N o rm an , w ith th e help,
of the photograph forwarded to h im from E tc ln n ia th in e
(The oldest A rm enian monastery) he first discovered the-
key to these characters, and has proved th e ir historical ini--
portnncc. Besides this, th e Professor has demonstrated by
his discovery that, previous to th e invention of th e now
existing alphabet, by Mesrob, <he A rm enians had cuneiform
or arrow-headed characters, especially rem arkable in all that,
have a similar form of rectangular triangles; tho significance
of each character, i.e. of th e triangle, depending upon t h e
m u tu a l conjunction and position of these trian gu lar forms.
T h e h u l k s o k t h i : t h k o s o p h ic a l socnrrv, a s -
recently revised a t Benares, together witli nu address to-
th e friends of tr u th from th e General Council, will shortly
be issued in English, M arathi, Guzerati, Bengalee, Cana--'
rese, and H indi. Price— As. 4.
12*J, ICICI II
xxiii.
 THE MADRAS YOGI S A / i H A P A T Y S W A M I .
11V AX A DM I It KR.
S ab liap aty Swamy was born iu Madras in the year 1840.
H e came from one of the richest and noblest B rahm an
families of Dakkan, where his father was well-known for
h is magnificent gifts and charities.
N a tu r e had endowed him with- a precocious in tel­
lect, since a t th e age of eighteen hu was th o u g h t to possess
a very creditable knowledge ot the English language, and
a tolerably good acquaintance with th e oth er branches of
learning. H e was educated in the Free ( Hunch Mission
College.
H e was gifted with a poetic and well-regulated im agina­
tion, so th a t while y et a student, he acquired th e approba­
tion of his friends and superiors for his excellent Tamil
poems. Some of them have become standard works iu th e
language.
o O
F rom his early ago he showed g re a t interest in religion,
a nd all the noblest faculties of his poetic genius were often
brought into play iu singing hym ns in praise of th e G reat
God, the Msihudeva. liis verses were well received by his
countrym en and gained for him th e title of “ Arootpa,
moorti.” H e is a m aster of music also.
His great desire to learn w hat the religions of other
people had to teach, caused him to travel to B urm ah. l i e
lived there with his father-in-law who carried on a great
mercantile traffic. H e re he learned from th e Poongees
(the Buddhistic priests) tho doctrines of th e ir renowned
Teacher. H e stayed there for about a year.
A fter his return from B u rm a h ho w e n t to th e tem p le of
N agoor Masthan in N a g ap a ta m and gained the tru th s of
t h e Moslem faith from the well-known and learned fakirs of
t h e place. These travels took him -th ree years. T h e result
o f his search was th a t none of these three religions, viz.,
Buddhism, Christianity, aud M oham m edanism could satisfy
his aspirations. Ho found to his great disap pointm ent
th a t none of them had the tru e knowledge and complete
m e th o d of holding communion with th e Infinite Spirit.
H e therefore return ed to his own country, easily obtained
a G overnm ent employment, and applied all the stre n g th
of his body aud m ind to th e diligent study of the H in d u
Sh£stros. H is labours were not in vain since he becam e
a perfect m aster of all the Vedas, Darshanas, &c. These
studies took him seven years, and he had finished now his
tw en ty -ninth year.
B u t though he hail learned all th e sacred books of th e
Aryas, he was far from obtaining tb e tru e Brahinagiyana.
H e had learned to be pious and religious, kind and chari­
table to all. B u t in spite of all his p iety an d devotion his
m ind was not at ease. H e had longed for direct and face
to face communion with God, and he was still unsuc­
cessful. H e found o ut t h a t books could not teach him this
knowledge, and God alone could reveal to him the mys­
teries of Godhead.
I t was in the tw en ty -ninth year of his age, w hen the
anx iety of his m ind for B rahinagiyana was the greatest,
th a t he had a vision of the infinite Spirit, i t said unto
h im “ Know, O Sabhapati, th a t I, th e Infinite Spirit, am in
all creations, and all th e creations aro in me. You are
not separate from me, n eith er is any soul distinct from me.
1 reveal this directly unto you, because I see you to be holy
aud sincere. I accept you as m y disciple an d bid you rise
and go to A g usty a Ash rum where you will find mo in
shape of Rishees and Yogis.” T h e words ceased, he sprang
up from his bed aud found h im self to be full of holy and
divine ecstasy t h a t made him forget every thing. All
things dropped from him as of themselves, he was to tally
unconscious even of his ownself. In th e dead of the night,
for it was one o'clock of th e m ornim g w hen he saw th e
divine vision, he left his wife and two sons, w rapped his
body with only a sheet, w e n t o u t of his home and travelled
all the n ig h t till he reached th e tem ple of Mahddeva, also
called Vedashreni Sw ayam bbu Sth alum . T h is te m p le is
situated seven m ile3 south of Madras. T h e re he sa t before
the Mahudeva for threo days and three nights immersed iu
deep contemplation. O u th e th ird day he hud tho vision
(darshonum) of Mahudeva who said :— “ Consider th e
L ingam to be nothing more th a n m y U niversal Infinite
Spiritu al Circle or Brahmosaroopa itself. H e who th in ks
so receives Brahinagiyana. Therefore, go, m y son to th e
A gustya A shrum and have m y blessings with thee.”
T his vision confirmed him more in his d e term ination t o
go to N ilghirry hills, where th e A g u s ty a A sh ru m is situated.
E n te rin g a thick forest, he crossed it aud passed through
Soorooli, Aliigur, a u d S a th ra g iri hill, thence th rou gh Kootala
P apanashan to A gusty a Ashrum. This A sh ru m is su r­
rounded ou all sides by jungles, and he suffered much iu
crossing these dreary and pathless forests. He was m any
tim es in th e close and terrible vicinity of wild beasts, and
had it n ot been for th e grace and protection of th e
Infinite Spirit, he should have long fallen a prey to these
ferocious creatures. T he sufferings of his way were in­
creased by th e w a n t of proper nourishment. H e had to
live for days on fruits and roots, and he was not even certain
w h e th e r h e should n ot pick up some poisonous roots.
He searched these forests for th e caves of the Rishees.
One day as he was sittin g un der a tree exhausted and
disappointed from m any days’ unsuccessful search, ho had
a vision. I t said that, th re e miles from the place where he
was then sitting was a Yogi raja to whom he m ust go and
become his disciple. H e rose up cheered by th e vision and
proceeded on his way. l i e reached th e spot. I t was a cave
half a mile long and cu t into the solid rock. A t th e
entrance of the cave he saw a man whom he found after­
wards to be the first disciple of the Yogi. On requesting
th is personage to introduce him to th e Guroo, he said “ Are
you the same person who had the vision of Muhadeva while
in the tem ple of Vedshreni, for my Guroo has been lately
ta lk in g to me of such a one coming to us.” O u r a u th o r
answered in the affirmative, and the delight and elevation
of his h e a rt cannot be described when he found him self
ushered into th e presence of th e m ost venerable p a ra m
Guroo Y ogi R is h i. H e prostrated him self before the Yogi
who was about two hu nd red years old, and whose face was
benign an d shining w ith divinity. H e blessed our a u th o r
and said, “ I understood in my Sam adhi th a t Mahudeva
had ordered you to come to me and learn Brahmagiyana.
I accept you as my disciple and henceforth I will call you
A hiitat K oonda Moorti ( i .e ., called out.)
T he first instructions ol the Guroo were certain secret
mantras, &c., which served to guard against the a ttac k of
beasts in case of danger, to which they were b u t too often
exposed. H is second instructions were to give D ivine sight
to our author, which facilitated his a cquirem ent of \ o g a .
W ith in a short tim e he became Brahmagiyana, and
w e n t on practising Samadhi, so t h a t he could sit several
days together w ithout any food ; and enjoying full absorp­
tion. H e lived in the same cave with liis Guroo, and his
food was roots, &c.
After nine years he took leave from his Guroo to m ake
pilgrim age to the A shruins ol tho Rishees of India. T h e
Guroo blessed him and said : “ Go my son, and try to do
good to the world by revealing th e tru th s which thou hast
learned from me. Be liberal in im parting the t r u t h t h a t
should benefit th e Grihastees. I in i beware lent thy vanity
or the import un ity oj the w orld lead thru to perjovm
■miracles a n d show iconders to the profane." H e bowed
down an d promised to his Guroo not to divulge th e higher
secrets of Yoga to any b u t th e Moomookhshoo. H e de p a rt­
ed and came down to the plains. ^
He published in T am il a Soorooti called V edanta Si-
d h a n ta Snm arasa Brahm agiyana Shiva Raja \ o g u e Kaiulia
A nubhooti, as soon as he entered th e pilgrimage, l i e
also delivered lectures in m any ol the great cities in India.
H e has visited nearly all the holy shrines and A shrum s
of India, and iu some ot these places he m e t with genuine
Yo>'is and Rishees. H e had many adventures w ith these
depositories ot an c ie n t lore. W e select one of them , it b e ­
ing ra th e r singular and unique. I t was after his crossing
th e H im alayas and on th e coast ot Manasarovar Bake, and
while ho was in his contem plation t h a t ho lelt some one
approaching near him. O n opening his eyes he saw tln ee
Rishees in a ntique Aryan dress stan ding before him. H e
 instantly rose up, inspired with awe and admiration. They
sat down and beckoned him to do so. But. lie respectfully
declined to sit beforo thoir presence, and stood all th e
while they talked. They asked him a b o u t his Guroo and
th e Agustya Ashruni, ab out his tin veils and progress in Yoga
an d m any other questions of th e sam e nature. To all of
these he gave appropriate! answers, and it seemed th a t
they were pleased with his m anners an d knowledge. They
th e n told him to ask any boon from th em a.s th e y were
ready to confer it. : they w ent so tin* as to say that, they
would give him A shtam a Siddbis, ifh c liked. T he A.slitama,
Siddhis are eig ht kinds of psychic powers,* th e acquisition of
which enables one to perform (w hat is vulgarly called)
miracles. O u r Swaniy answered “ I th a n k you for your
kindness, O holy sages, and I th in k myself highly honour­
ed hy your visit. As for Siddhis 1 m ay say I do not like
to have them, I have all my desires satisfied and now only
wish to pass the rem ainder of my days on th e e a rth in Nisli-
kamya Brahnmgiya.ua, Yoga Tap,am'.’’ T h e y were satisfied
w ith his answer and conferred upon h im th e title of Brah-
'nagiyana Guroo Yogi, and then told h im to ask any other
th in g which they can do for him. H e expressed his desire
of .seeing Kailas or th e celestial m ountain, which, it, is said,
is invisible to ordinary mortals. They granted his request,,
and they and ou r Swaniy began to fly in air for a time
towards the direction of the m o un tain ; then they pointed
him out th e w hite peaks of th e holy m ountain where I k s
had the good fortune to see Mahudeva sittin g iu Saniadhi
in a cave. On the sight of it bis h e art swelled with ex u lta ­
tion and ra p tu re and gave vent to its overcharged emotions
by c.r. tempore, versification. The Risbe.es gave to the sloka.s
th u s uttered th e nam e of “ Shiva v arnan a stuti mj’i la.”
I hen they descended and came back to the place where,
they were formerly sitting. H e then prayed them to
oblige him by telling th e ir names. T h e first Risliee gave,
himself ou t to be Sooga, th e o ther Bhringi, b u t the third
said “ never mind about, my name, we are all satisfied to
find you N ishkainya Brahmagiyanee.” A fter blessing him
by “ nityn m ap k a Bralimagiyana sadastoo,” they vanished
from th e very spot. H e afterwards found out. t h a t they
were the same Rishees whose names we find in th e Maiiii-
bhrtrata, and th a t they hail taken a hu m a n form to test his
piety and bless him.
He now began to retu rn to Tndia an d m e t with m any
hardships on his way, which he of course easily surmounted.
On one occasion when he and some other s/idhoos were
passing through th e bills of Nepal, th e snow began to fall
heavily, and th e cold was piercing. Many of bis comrades
were on the point of being killed when he changed th e ir
im pending fate through his divinity. H e caused the snow
to fall on both sides, leaving th em an open passage through
which they passed w itho ut suffering a n y cold.
H e visited I’anclia Kedar, P a n ch a Bhadrie, and Pn.supati
!Nath in Nepal, and return in g from th e m is now staying a t
Lahore. H e re a t t h r request of m an y he gave two lec­
tures on V edanta and Yoga. T his book is th e substance
of those lectures, th ou gh considerable additions have been
made, and th e second p a r t is altogether new. I f any
gen tle m a n has leisure or inclination to translate and p u b ­
lish th is book in Bengalee or H in d u sta n e e or any o ther
language, with th e diagram and th e a u th o r ’s name, he has
the full permission of our venerable Sw am y to do so.
Such is th e brief and unfinished sketch of th e life of one
who renounced in the prime of his manhood th e house of
his forefathers, th e society of his dear wife and children
and all th a t is dearest and most fascinating. T he life of
such a m an is far more deserving our admiration, wonder,
and reverence, th a n all th e histories of generals and states­
men. H e who fights with his own carnal passions and
appetites and comes out victorious, is far more heroic th a n
he who conquers nations. A nd th a t th e lives of such
m e n are valued far above those of heroes and warriors, is
evident when we rem em ber th at, whilst kings have lived,
•died and been forgotten, th e unanim o us voicc of m a nk in d
has consigned th e memory of th e ir g re a te st benefactors to
im mortality. Hoping, therefore, th a t his life will not Vie
less interesting and instructive th a n those of G autum
Buddha, Christ,, and Sankaracharya, T need m ake no apology
for my a ttem pt. How far I have succeeded, it is for tho
public to judge, b u t I may say it has been a labour of love
with me to write th e life of one for whose kindness and
instructions I feel th e most sincere respect and admiration.
The fo llo w in g ix a co m m u n ica tio n fr o m the venerable
S w a m y describing how the Yogi* a n d Rishees p a ss their
lives in the A s h r u m , which “ The - \dmirer" had reccired
J fo m him irhcn hix nuumxeript icax in print.
T h e Rishees and Yogis after remaining as m any h u n d re d
years as th e y choose (like our Guroo, who is two h u n ­
dred years old, though he seems to be eighty) in th e
state of Jevium iu kti (i. e„ full absorption even while in
body,), change their body an d bless it to become Sw am bhu
Malia Lingam, and th e ir spirit joins th e Infinite Spirit.
Thus m an y of th e lingains (phallic stones) seen in tlio
Ashrum are nothing more or less th a n th e metamorphosed
bodies of th e Holy Rishees. O thers ble*s their bodies to
remain uncorruptcd and unputrefied, and in the same pos­
ture for centuries, while the ir spirits rem ain absorbed in
th e Infinite Spirit. T he bodies of Yogis, in this state of
Sam udhi (w hich is N irv ik u lp a Saniadhi) are also in our
Ashrums.
T he founder of our Ashrum, viz., H is Holiness t h e
A gustiya Moonee, who died, according to th e common
chronology, m any thousand years ago, is s till liv in g , w ith
m any o th e r Rishees of his t une. He lives in a cave on the
top of th e hills. T h e entrance of th e . cave is three feet
high and one foot broad. T h e present Yogis who live
around this cave go to have th e darshanam once in fifty
years. A t all other times the cave is inaccessible, and if
any Yogi w ants to pay special reverence, for some special
reason, he assumes th e shape of a bird and th e n enters tho
cave. B u t a t th e appointed time (after fifty years) all th e
Yogis o f the A sh ru m go in a. procession, the door is
spontaneously opened, and th e y prostrate themselves a t
th e feet of the Holy Risliee, who blesses them, a n d
enjoins them to keep secret w hat passes in his presence
and in th e Ashrum. All Shnstias and Vedas and many
oth er books which are now supposed to be lost, aro" also
preserved in th a t cave : b u t our Holy A gustya Mooneo
has n o t allowed us to open th em and reveal th eir contents
to mankind, as th e tim e has not come.”
In reference to th e miracles performed by a Yogi of his
Ashrum, th e venerable Swamy adds— “ A b o u t 180 years
ago, a Yogi passed through Mysore du rin g his pil­
grimage, and visited the Rajah of the country, who r e ­
ceived him w ith g re at reverence a n d hospitality, and
requested the holy Yogi to take him to th e A gustya
Ashrum, where he wished to pay his reverence to tlie
o th e r Yogis. Meanwhile th e Nabob of Arcot paid a visit
to Mysore Rajah, and they all w ent with the Yogi to the
A shrum. The Rajah paid the greatest reverence to the
holy Yogis, b u t th e Nabob, being a Mussalman, asked
‘ w hat powers have you t h a t you arrogate to yourself
divine honor, a n d w ha t have you, t h a t you should call
yourself divine persons.’ A Yogi answered ‘ Yes, we pos­
sess th e full divine power toiler all t h a t God can d o ; where­
upon he took a stick, gave divine power to it, and threw it
in th e sky. T he stick was transformed into millions of
arrows and c u t down th e branches of th e forest trees to
pieces, th un de r began to roar in the air, and lightning began
to flash, «a deep darkness spread over th e land, clouds
overcast th e sky and rain began to fall in torrents. All th e
forest was ablaze, th e constant peals of th u n d e r shook the
earth, aud th e stormy winds howled th rough the trees.
Destruction was im pending ; and in th e m idst of this con­
flict of elem ents th e voice of th e Yogi was heard to say—■
‘ I f I give more power, th e world will be ruined.’ B ut
they (viz. the Rajah and th e Nabob) were already too much
frightened to wish for any prolongation of this terrible, awe­
inspiring scene, and they implored th e Yogi to calm this
universal havoc. H e willed, and th e tempest, and th e th un ­
de r,th e rain,and th e wind,and th e tire and all, werestbpped,
the sky became as serene and calm as ever. T he Nabob,
who wns now thoroughly convinced o) th e divinity of the
Yogis, wished to show his reverence by endowing th e ir
A shnini with some presents and money. T h e Yogi told
him : ‘ W e live 011 roots and fruits, and require 110 money;’
and he th e n took the Nabob and th e Rajah with him into
th e interio r of the cave and showed th e m heaps o f d ia­
monds, rubies, emeralds and otherpreeious stones,and heaps
ot gold and silver, anil said ‘ 1 have created these delusions
ot riches even just now, to show you, th a t we are iu no need
ot your gifts, for we can have riches fr o m ournclces w h e n ­
ever and w herever we choose, if we only like them . For
our wills can produce t h a t which it m ay ta k e all you r lives
to accumulate.’ So saying he dismissed them, with strict
injunctions of secresy.”
Tho foregoing narrative, which is certainly a valuable
a d d itio n to o u r scries of biographical articles upon In d ia n
saints, has been se n t us b y a subscriber to ou r journal.
I t will form tho Introduction in a forthcoming p a m p h le t
a t Lahore, in which the science of Y oga will bo expounded,
by tho venerable Swami, whose re m a rk a b le adv en tu res
in th e pursuit of tho D ivine know ledge aro so p ic ture s­
quely described in this chapter. W c p r in t it a t th e re ­
quest of a valued friend and in tho hope of th u s assisting
in th e circulation of a p a m p h le t of unique and s trik in g
character. I t is presum ably almost needless, in view of
th e paragraph on th e opening page, to rem in d th e read er
t h a t th e E d ito rs of this journal are n o t responsible for any
views or statem ents contained in com m uuicated articles •
even though, as iu tho presen t instance, m a n y o f tho
l ’ellows of ou r Society m a y personally agree with th 0
writers. — En. Tiik< i s .
T H E S O C I E T Y 'S F O U R T H A N N I V E R S A R Y .
Though frequently requested to furnish m a nu sc ript
notes of th e ir addresses a t th e late anniversary celebra­
tion, for publication in th e p a m p h le t promised in our
J a n u a ry number, Messrs. Nowrozji Kurd001 iji, K. T. Teldng,
Shdntaram Nardyen, and N arm adilsankar have failed to
do so, and the p a m p h le t will now be dispensed with.
Subscribers who have rem itted money for th e same will
receive it back, anil m u s t exonerate the officers of th e
Society from all blame for th e ir disappointm ent. The
President’s address is herewith published, since its them e
is one th a t has lost 110 interest by th e enforced delay.
T h e introductory rem arks of th e learned chairman,
Ruo Bdhd.lur Gopdlrdo H m r y Deshmuk, who is President
of th e Bombay Arya San id j, express th e good feelings which
exist betw een th e Sanuij and our Society, and were as
follows :—
X jA diks a n d G k n t l k m k n ,
A s chairm an of this meeting, I am very glad to welcome
you all 011 this occasion of the 4th anniversary of th e
Theosophical Society. 1 am glad to see here the different
members of the g re a t Aryan family assembled a t this
headquarters of th e Society. One branch of it is repre­
sented by Hindus, an o th e r by Parsis, and th e th ird by
Americans and Europeans whom I see around us. Accord­
ing to the usage, I m ust speak to you a few words reg ard­
ing th e establishm ent of the Society which we have m e t
here to felicitate. This Society was established 111 A m e ri­
ca four years ago, an d its object is to enquire into th e
philosophies of th e East, to announce th e brotherhood of
man, and to create th e bonds of fellowship am ong nations
and sects of different denominations. T h e leader o f th is
Society heard there th e name of th e g re a t P a n d it Sw am i
Daydnand Saraswati, who is working zealously and en er­
getically in India, and preaching doctrines and philosophies
contained in th e Veda, which is th e most ancient book in
possession of th e A ryans and perhaps of th e whole world.
His labours have kindled, in all parts of this g re a t country,
a spirit of e n q iiiiy n n d interest in the interpretation a n d
contents of the Veda, and these are now m ak in g a rapid
progress. There tire a t present two interpretations of th is
ancient book of knowledge being published in India. T h e
one professes to give its m eaning according to the tra d i­
tion and has for its basis the work of Shayanacharya. T h e
other is being published by the Swaini himself according
to the more a n c ie n t authorities as they are understood by
him aud by th e Aryas before the time of MahdbhdraUi.
T he Sw ami was iu Bombay four years ago and m any hero
have heard him. He is a great scholar, an earnest reform­
er, and a zealous worker. The chiefs of this Society had a.
g re at curiosity to see th e Swdtni in person, and after th e i r
arrival here, they proceeded to Meerut to m e e t him a n d
have found him a worthy man in all respects. It is by t h e
labours of such a man as this that India will be elevated
to its proper rank am ong the nations of the Earth. T h is
was the first nation which made a rapid progress in civili­
zation, b u t by revolution of fortune it has come like a.
caterpillar into a larval condition. Hut I th in k the tim e
is not d istant when th e caterpillar will be reproduced as a
beautiful and floating butterfly, to the astonishm ent ot
those who iu th e ir u tte r despondency considered th e r e ­
generation of this nation as hopeless. T hirty years ago,
Educational road was felt as a great want, b u t now th is
want has been pretty well supplied by th e aid of G overn­
m ent, and we now earnestly look to th e new industries
and m achinery as a means ot m aintaining increasing p o p u ­
lation. On this and o ther subjects Colonel Olcott., th o
P resident of the Society, will now address you a t length
with his usual power of oratory and eloquence.
T he President then said :—
On th e evening of th e 17th day of November 1875, T
had the honor of delivering, in th e city ot N ew York,
m y inaugural iulilress as President ot th e rheosophical
Society. T h a t was th e first regular meet ing of this body,
and hero in iny hand I hold the printed notice sent to th e
members to attend the same. D u rin g the four years t h a t
have since come and gone, we have experienced those
changes which tim e always brings to societies a.s well as to
individuals. O f the th irteen officers and councillors elect­
ed a t tho m eetin g above referred to, only three remain ;
th e rest have dropped of! for one reason or an o th e r a n d
left us to carry 011 our work with new associates who r e ­
placed them. B u t th e work has gone on, day by^ day,
month by m onth, year by year, without one m o m en t’s in ­
terruption, anil always growing more important. O ur field
has widened so as to embrace almost th e whole world.
T he little company of one score ot m en and women has
increased to thousands. Instead ot my remarks b e in g ’
addressed, as then, to Americans alone, I am now, a t this
fourth ann ual celebration, confronted by Hindus, Parsis,
Mohammedans, J a in s and Buddhists, besides many E n g ­
lish representatives of H e r Gracious Majesty s Im pe ria l
G overnm ent in India. Comm ittees to represent our tw in
sister society, th e A rya Sam aj,— whose anniversary this is,
as well as ours— and th e Poona G ayan Samaj, honor u s
with th e ir presence. Here are g reat m erchants and b ank ­
ers, some titled, some untitled ; here th e executive officers
of native, princes. From others a t th e N oith, the South,
th e E ast and th e West, who could not be. present, we have
letters of affection and encouragement. Instead of occupy­
ing th e platform of a hall in the Metropolis ot th e W e st­
ern Hemisphere, I stand to-night in an Indian bungalow,
dedicated to th e use of ou r Library, to celebrate th e o p en ­
ing of t h a t Library in th e commercial Metropolis of W e s t­
ern India, an d to com m em orate the foundation of t b e
Society’s new magazine, th e T i i k o s o p h i k t , which has prov­
ed an unprecedented success from the very start, a n d
within th e first two m o n th s of its existence been called for
by subscribers all over In d ia and Ceylon, a n d in e v e ry
q u a r te r of Christendom , as well, trie m ls, one and all.
brothers of every race, complexion, creed and tongue, I
give you th e rig h t hand of fellowship and bid you wel­
come. W ritte n in letters of tire, 011 this arch over m y
head, is th a t word of friendship, W k lo o M k ; let t h e i r
 flame typify that p u r e r light of Tmt.li, wliieli h u m s for
every mini who seeks it. Here, at the door of th is Library,
i t most eloquently speaks in th e language of symbols, to
bid all e n te r and search with the help of lwoks after
t h a t hidden glory of spiritual knowledge which th e a n ­
cient, sages and mystic saw, but, which this sceptical g e n e ­
ra tion falsely supposes to have been long since e x tin g u ish ­
ed. T ins fact th a t we deny t h a t the sun of A ryan W is­
dom has set to rise 110 more, is th e one memorable feature
of this e v e n in g s festivity. Brothers, th a t glorious sun will
again shine over the world throug h tho gloom of this
K a l i - \ u g . Already, th e p a tie u t w atchers see th e first
golden gleam ol its coming. F rom afar, as th ou gh it wero
a w hisper borne on the breeze, th e voicc of th e Piist
m u r m u r s th e promise of a revival of spiritual learning.
O u r ears have cau ght the welcome sound, and our souls
arc refreshed and made strong to continue our efforts.
As, a t th e first streak of dawn, one, standing a t some dis­
tance from a camp, first hears th e confused rustle of arms,
o f stum ping steeds, nml the calls of the relieving sentries,
before th e sleeping arm y awake us to th e day’s march ami
battle, so we may now perceive th e premonitions of the
active struggle th a t is coming between tho Old and th e
New in the domain of thought. T h e touch of th e m a g i­
cian has been laid upon the lips of the sleeping Aryan
.Mother, and she is ready to instruct, her willing descend­
a n ts in th e knowledge which her im m ediate sons learned
a t her knees. • spirit of tru th , set to work to study. I f they would enjoy
How olten since we came to In d ia have I heard it said
b y Natives, th a t it was a strange anomaly th a t white men
had to journ ey from the antipodes— from /'n id i— to tell
th e m about th e ir forefathers’ religion ' A nd y et it ought,
no t to surprise you so very much, after all. H av e we not
all looked from a height upon th e plain and noticed how
m uc h more we could see of the movem ents of people th ere
th a n could th e people themselves ? i t is so as regards alt
hu m a n affairs— the d ista n t observer can often tak e a more
correct view of a national question th a n th e people m ost
im m ediately interested. O u r late civil war looked very
different to you th an it did to us, and so we arc in a posi­
tion to g et a quicker glimpse of this question of A ryan
learning, than you who have long got out of the hab it ol"
consulting your ancient literature, and must break through
m an y prejudices and fixed habits of th o u g h t before you
will bo ready to resume the s tu dy of the Veda. And,
moreover, is not our coming like the reflux of the wave
which easts u p upon the beach t h a t which in its flux it
bore away a t the last turn of the tide ? W e bring no
new doctrine to you, teach 110 new t h i n g ; wo only rem ind
you of the facts of your own history, expound b u t the
philosophy ami .science which your own wise m en ta ught.
I n th e far d istan t Past— so far removed from th e presen t
th a t our modern books of history contain no records of it,
b u t which th e archa-ologists and philologists vouch for
upon th e stre n g th of intrinsic probabilities— th e A ry a n
wisdom was carried from these shores to the o th e r side of
th e globe. A m ong th e remains of th e prehistoric nations
of N o rth and S o u th America, the explorer finds vestiges
of this trans-m undane outflow of A ryan ideas, in th o reli­
gious symbolism of th e ir lithic remains, and th e lingering
traditions of degenerate tribes. I f th e Zoroastrian Magi
fed th e sacred fire on their C haldean towers, so did the
priests of th e S u n in Mexico and Peru. Nay, so, to-day
do th e wretched Zuni Indians of Arizona and N ew Mexico,
who go o u t every morning to g re e t th e rising sun w ith
reverential prayers and prostrations. I cannot enlarge upon
th is m ost wonderful them e in th e few m in utes d u rin g
which I shall now speak, b u t it will be treated, as occa­
sion offers, in our jo u rn a l where you may all read it.
You will see then, in view of th e above facts, t h a t— as
I rem arked before— the coming of our party to In d ia for
th o purpose of studying th e A ryan philosophy is b u t a
n a tu ra l result of events occurring thousands of years ago
— ages before m y own people or a n y other white race of
th o W est existed. I wish I m ig h t say t h a t we find you
a s a body willing to help our studies, or even capable. I t
i s a melancholy lact th a t modern Ind ia knows so little of
th e Veda t h a t its contents are not even suspected ; while
th e Rishis, and even th e founders of th e -se v e ra l philoso­
phical schools, were long ago turned into gods or, made
incarnations of the Sup rem e Power, set u p as images to
worship. Your young men, totally uneducated in H indu
literature, and stuffed with th e hot-spiced scraps of guess­
ing W estern Science, tu rn away from th e superstitious
stories of Snnknrnchamyn's miracles, and pronounce Patan-
ja li’s “ aphorisms of the Yoga philosophy ” !is the ravings
of a credulous mind. .A nd when we tell the modern Parsi
th e secret m e a n in g of his DaxtUir, or show the modern
H in d u th a t every so-called supernatural phenomenon,
ascribed to th e old Yogis, can be explained and proved
possible by scientific rules, they reply in one breath “ Show
us n miracle and we will believe ; let one of these adep ts
t h a t you say still live, come forth from his hiding-place,
and do wonders before us, and we will be willing to ad m it
t h a t you are speaking th e tru th .” Wo have had a score of
messages sen t us by rich m en to the effect, th a t if we
would show them one of those pretended magical feats,
th ey would m ake us rich presents and join our Society.
Poor, ignorant men, th e y imngine th a t their money gives
th e m importance in th e eyes of a student, and th a t the
divine powers of th e soul can be made the subject of b ar­
te r anil traffic ! I f th e y have any . desire to learn th e
secrets of n a tu re and of man, let. them throw all th e ir
van ity and conceit, behind them, and humbly, and in th e
t h e presence and counsel of the lo i/itt, let them wash off
th e d ir t of th e world, and then seek the feet of those holy
men, in th e presence of whose pu rity and learning even
kings are unfit to stand with covered feet.
T h e best friends of India, h e r most patriotic sons, have
deplored to me th e moral darkness and degradation o f
h e r people. N a tiv e judges, who have sat on th e bench
for m any years to ad m inister justice, have bowed th eir
w hite heads in sham e when they said th a t th e vice of
lying and th e crime of perjury prevailed to a fearful
extent. A nd the worst part of it w j i s th a t th e moral
sense w;is so far gone, t h a t people confessed th e ir false­
hood w ith ou t a blush, and without an idea that, they were
to be pitied. Has it indeed come to this, th a t modern
In d ia has lost th e power to discriminate between truth
and falsehood ! A re th e descendants of th e A ryas fal­
len so low ? Forbid it, 0 Thou Infinite and Inexorable
Law of Compensation, the E m bo dim en t of Ju stic e and
Ijaw • For, when a nation plunges to th e very bottom of
th e mire of immorality, its doom is written. W h e n false­
hood is set above tru th , when man loses his confidence in
man, when respectability counts in proportion to success,
and villany is not reproved if it only pour wealth into the
hungry coffer, then do the pillars of a nation rock and
totter, and th e building th a t took so long to rear crumbles
to its fall. But., for m y part, I do n ot believe things are
come to this j v l s s in this Ind ia of my love, this land of my
adoption. Falsehood there is, a dulled moral sense, a fail­
ing to keep promises, lack of patriotic fervor, treachery
and m u tu a l over-reaching. T hese are too painfully evi­
d e n t for us even to a tte m p t to deny or conceal th e fact.
But. I tell you, an d I fling into th e teeth of all India's
slanderers, t h a t these are b u t th e ulcers on a strong body,
and th a t th e y will pass away I say th a t In dia has touched
bottom and already is beginning to rise. ] see th e ele­
m ents of a g re a t revival of learning, of national health,
gath erin g together. These influences are stream ing ou t
from every school, college, and university th a t a wise and
h u m a n e G o vernm ent has established in this land. They
are diffused broadcast by every newspaper, w hether E n g ­
lish or vernacular, t h a t is circulating. T h ey came from
every reforming samaj, society and league. T h ey are pour­
ing m by every m ail-steam er t h a t brings W e ste h i thought,
ideas, and enterprising suggestions. O u r N a tiv e youth
enrolled a t E nglish Universities, are fitting themselves to
bccome th e apostles of national reform, th e heralds of a new
dispensation. Ideas of political economy are slowly hut
surely infusing them selves th ro u g h o u t th e nation, through
th e agency of th e N a tiv e clerks who drudge in public offices
 where these grave questions are discussed, and who, insen-
.sibly to themselves,are being gradually educated in practical
.affairs. H ow can this change, so desirable for both gover­
nors ami governed, so auspicious for th e world a t large, he
hastened ? L e t this be the th em e of m y closing remarks.
First, then, we m u st all promote education to th e u t ­
most of our united powers.' T h a t is th e key-stone of the
.arch of a nation, th e foundation of true national g re a t­
ness. And this education m u s t given to both sexes.
A n educated wife is the real companion aud comforter of
her husband, th e w orthy m o th er of great sons. I t is not
shallow ornamental education th a t is needed by th e I n ­
dian youth, b u t th a t kind of education which will tit them
for tho active pursuits of life, and help them to earn an
independent livelihood. T he first, most imperative demand
of th e hour is for technical schools. N o t g re a t em p ty p a ­
laces th a t serve only as m onum ents to a rich m a n ’s vanity,
b u t institutions wheie th e industrial and ornam ental arts
are ta u g h t by capable teachers in a thoroughly practical
way. Schools which can tu rn out young carpenters,
blacksmiths, carvers, builders, jew ellers,printers, lithograph­
ers and other artisans who can do work so much b etter
and more ingeniously th an others t h a t they will never
lack em ploym ent a t th e highest prices paid to skilled
labor. My talented colleague, Mr. Wimbridge, has written
upon this them e in our journal, and shown that, in the
present low state of Indian art, the apprenticeship system
is only pe rp e tu a tin g bad workmanship, and th a t tech­
nological schools are a prime necessity. You will find in
th e exhibition of products of native in dustry that, will be
thrown open to y o n as soon as the speeches are concluded,
some specimens sent for this exhibition by th e P a n d h a rp u r
School o f Industry. I hope you will examine them closely,
for you will in th em practically see w hat Mr. W im bridge
means. T heir workmanship is not perfect, y e t 1 v enture
to say th a t you will search through th e whole of the Bom­
bay bazaar and not find a lock, a key, a steel box, or a
hand device, of N a tiv e workmanship, to be compared with
these P a n d h a rp u r samples for quality of finish. Now
why cannot such schools be established everywhere VThink
of the crores of rupees as good as flung into th e tire every
year, on paltry shows aiul foolishness, only to put m en’s
names and sweetm eats into their neighbours’ m ouths for
a day, a t the cost of a week’s subsequent dyspepsia—
when one-fourth the-money would set all th ese schools in
operation ! People tell me th e nation is starving for w ant
of grain, th a t th eir industries are rooted out, th e ir work­
men selling their tools for bread i Well, charge il. upon
N ative millionaires who have th e money to waste upon
the gratification of th e ir own vanity and greediness, b u t
not a pice to give for education. W h a t does th e starving
agriculturist know of th e law of rainfall or th e u ltim ate
poverty and famine th a t luis befallen his district because
the faggot-gatherers and lum berm en have stripped th e
hills and m ountain slopes of th e ir forest growths ( I f any
of (hem have sons in town a t school, ten to one they are
being ta u g h t hard G reek names for alleged scientific dis­
coveries, and not a word th a t will be of use to th e m o u t­
side the public offices. Charge this ujxin th e rich men
who stin t themselves to get up showy feasts to unsym ­
pathetic strangers, b u t can spare nothing for schools. And
charge it all the more upon them when th e y will screw
the wages of skilled N ative artisans down to th e last point,
and ini|M>rt foreigners to do th e very same work, and pay
them three times or five tim es as much for their services.
W hy should w eim port skilled labor except to h e lp and found
technological schools ? Answer me th at, you capitalists
of India. W as there ever turned out of W estern looms a
fabric so fine as th e muslin of Dacca ? H av e European
weavers produced a shawl to rival the shawls of Cashmere I
Are there any b e tte r swords than those blades of the In ­
dian temperers, which would cleave th ro ug h an iron b a r
and then slit a veil of lace floating 011 th e a ir I Are the
mosaics of Florence finer than those of Surat, A h m ed a-
bad, and Bombay th a t you 'will sec in our present exhi­
bition ; the carvings of th e Swiss mountaineers more win­
ning than those th a t lie in those cases th ere in all th e ir
beauty ( W here, iu all th e W estern world, can you p o in t
me to more titanic engineering feats th a n th e ancient hy ­
draulic works of this country, or th e rock-teinples of Ele-
phanta, Kurli and til lorn ? And where is there an edifice
to rival the Taj Mahal { Shame, then, upon th e Aryan,
who talks of the ignorance or incapacity of his country ­
men. The men are here, and the t a l e n t ; all th a t is needed
is education and patronage.
My friend find Brother, Lalla Mulraj of th e Lahore
A rya Samaj, has j u s t sent me a most valuable p a m p h le t
of his upon th e sciencc of Sanitation. I wish it m ig h t be
read and pondered by every intelligent Native, for the laws
of health are universally ignored and violated here, and
th e welfare of the nation correspondingly suffers. And
am ong other causes of national degeneration is one t h a t
has entered upon its fatal work. I refer to the use of in­
toxicating liquors ami stupefying drugs. Those accursed
pest-holes, the toddy shops, are multiplying 011 every side,
th e maxims of th e good old religion are being forgotten,
even priests are becoming drinkers. This should Ix- stop­
ped a t once. T h e whole influence of the B rahm ins should
be a t once thrown 011 th e side; of Temperance. Total
A bstinence Societies should he organized by them every­
where, and they should be first to take pledge. I know
it will he said that th e ir very religion forbids th e ir touch­
ing liquor and so there is 110 need for them to sign ; that, in,
fact, their signing would be a lowering of their prestige.
B u t this is an argum ent of no weight. I t m atters not
w hat any religion forbids, the m il ijnestiou is whither its
coiiniHiiitl.i m e uliei/eil. C hristianity forbids m any things
— adultery, hypocrisy, lying, murder, false-wit ness, for
instance—yet this does not prevent tho whole Christendom
from being tilled with divorce-suits, perjury, manslaughters
and every other loentionable nod unm entionable crime.
A re the H ind us falling into habits of drunkenness ? If so,
th e Brahmins should be th e first to rescue them. Believing
this, to Ik; the common-senso view to take inv Brahm an
friend who occupies the chair nf this m eeting— lum ac­
cepted the Presidency of the Aryan Temperance Society
a body organized this very day under the auspices of the,
Theosophical Society, and himself was first to sign the.
pledge. People have asked what practical good we would
do for India: let them have a partial answer in this begin­
ning of u cru sad e against intem perance. As we have made
our Theosophical Society a success, despite a thousand
obstacles, and j u s t founded a paying journal iu the face
of difficulties which Indian jou rnalists painted to us in
blackest colors, so we mean to help to make a success for this
A ryan Tem perance Society, until there shall be branches
of it working for the regeneration of the people in the four
qu arters of India. W hy should we leave to Christians a
work th a t we can do far better ourselves; why leave T e m ­
perance to be used by the American Methodist cat to pull
th e heathen chesnuts out of the everlasting tire '
Besides our library, our journal, and this Tcmporance
Society, we have begun ano th e r practical work for India.
I n that, bungalow across the. compound is a work-shop
in which we have placed a lathe for metal turning, a
lithographic press, a drill, saw and other machines for
doing various kinds of work. It is not a school of techno­
logy but our private work-shop, whore we have begun
m anufacturing certain articles for export. T he money
realized from their sale in foreign countries will come
back here and be spent here in useful ways. You may
ju d g e w h eth er it is likely to In.* of any practical use to
th e country, when 1 tell you that a large num ber of the
beautiful invitation cards issued for this occasion, were
printed iu t h a t shop by a young Parsi who has en tirely
learned bis a r t from Mr. W im bridge within th e past few
weeks. I venture to challenge every lithographer in Bom­
bay, Calcutta, and Madras to produce a specimen of N a tiv e
work 1<i compare w ith it. And yet, work equally as good
o u ght to be turned o u t of every one of them, and would
be if the proper kind of technical education had been
accessible. You will see a t work this evening a n u m b e r
of machines nnd working models of machines made by
N a tiv e artisans. Compared with th e n um b e r which o u g h t
to be here they are few, b u t there wa.s no tim e for (is to
.make known our intention to bold this exhibition and
induce artisans to contribute. But. it is a t least, you
will admit., a fair b e g in n in g : when th e N ative workmen
discover th a t we are their friends th e v will come to us—■
.self-interest will compel them. W e have called you here
to look at wliat they have b r o u g h t -, I hope we m ay often
call you again, and th a t good results will come— as they
have in my own country and everywhere else— from th e
-bringing together of capital and skilled lalmr.
I m ust give place to o ther and more able speakers to
address you in your own vernacular tongues, and testify to
t h e ir love of th e country anil hopes for its resuscitation.
1 thank you for your presence to-night, I tru st th a t you
m a y go away feeling an interest in us and our work.
T h a t work is one iu which you have a deep interest. W e
aim with the help of the Arya Samaj and others, to revive
th e study of the Veda, th e formation of S a n sk rit classes,
and an enquiry into th e alleged la te n t powers of the hu-
.ntan soul, stated hy the ancient Aryas to exist and affirm­
ed by thousands of experimentalists since their time and
even in our own days. W e would call in the aid of modern
.science to help us to understand th a t ancient mystical philo­
sophy. For the debased forms of religion th a t so widely
prevail we would substitute the noble faiths of th e olden
time. W e would teach India th e useful arts, and thus
assist in reviving Indian prosperity and greatness. We
would help to abolish vicious habits, aud to form habits
of temperance, manliness aud self-respect. W e call upon
every man of you, and every lover of India to rally around
us. We do not. ask you to In- our followcm b u t our allies.
O u r ambition is not to be considered leaders, or te a c he rs;
not to m ake money, or gain power, or fame. Choose any
m a n hero, of either of the oid races represented, and show
us th a t he is the right- man to lend in either branch of
th is reformatory movement anil 1 will most gladly enlist
as a common soldier under him, ju s t as I have under my
brother Gopalrao H urry J)eshm uk in this Tem perance
Society. Come, let us labor together like brothers for the
welfare of our Motherland.
T h e re is one regret th a t comes to mar th e pleasure of
this evening, and somewhat dim the lustre of all these
Jam ps— our Buddhist brothers of Ceylon are absent. And
a bsent too, is th a t most beloved T eacher of ours, t h a t elder
brother, so wise, so good, so courageous,— Swamiji
D a yanu nd Saraswati, W ere ho and those others but. here,
n o th in g would bo left to desire— nothing b u t th a t the
Theosophists of our branch societies of Kurope and A m e ­
rica m ig h t a t least have reflected by some magician’s skill
upon th e sky above them the picture of the joyful scene
th a t we are witnessing. From afar th e ir longing eyes are
tu rn e d toward India, and thoy are w aiting to catch the
words of instruction and good cheer th a t our Eastern
teachers may utter. This is a novel thing, is it not, that.
W estern men of high position— authors, journalists, u n i­
versity professors, physicians, lawyers, m erchants; Russian
princes, English lords, German barons and counts— people
of high b irth and low birth should be looking to In d ia
•for instruction in religion and science ? Y e t this is th e
very fact, for all those are Fellows of the Theosophical
Society, and disposed to listen to D ayanund Swami in
his saffron robe and puggaree, nnd to all your oth e r bright
minds, rather thau to the paid m inisters who occupy
W e ste rn pulpits, and to th e guessing scientists who so often
p re te n d to a knowledge of man and nature they do not
possess.
The JolLm 'm g are the. names o f the H.rhihitors and their
I ft tele*, (tilt tiled to in the foregoing xpeeeh.
F r o m M e s h r i i u s J u g g a n n a t h , E s q ., — M a n u u h v i. 110 to 140 years, one, in th e town of Valciatium, near
1 Green gold embroidered Shawl. 1 Red do. 2 Silk Placentia, who lived 152 years. Dr. V an Oven gives
embroidered fancy Cashmere Shawls, .‘t Benares gold
embroidered lace Scarfs. 7 Silk embroidered fancy
Handkerchiefs. 4 Do. Togas. 1 Benares gold em broi­
dered Royal Toga. 2 Cashmere silk embroidered waist­
coats. 1 Delhi silk embroidered table-cover.
F rom R a n g il a l J u l l a n a t h , E s q . ,— M a m u d e v i. ■
0 B enares silk fancy Cloaks. 7 Silk embroidered Dress­
ing Gowns. 4 Benares fancy Frocks. A lot of fancy Mad­
ras Borders. A lot of fancy Madras Collars. A lot of
Delhi fancy Bottlestands. A lot of Chair ( ’overs embroider­
ed in gold and silk. A lot of H ydrabad and Madras fancy
Cushions. A lot of C u tch do. A lot of C utch and Delhi
silk em broidered Table Cloths. A lot of Delhi Shawls-
embroidered in silk. A lot of ladies’ handkerchiefs. A
lot of fancy Cashmere Gowns and Cloaks.
F r o m S o o r j e e L u i m i a , E sq .,— K h a d a k .
A lot of Flower Vases. A lot of Flower Pots. A lot of'
Goblets. A lot of Bowls. A lot of Plates. A lot of H in ­
du Gods and Goddesses. A lot of Pansopari Plates. A lot
of Hookas. A lot of Glasses with plates. A lot of S u g a r
Boxes. 2 T e a Sets.
C ashmkrk G oods.
A lot of Plates, large and small. A lot of Glasses. A
lot of Flower Vases. A lot of Flower Pots. A lot of
Bowls. A lot of H in d u Gods nnd Goddesses holding can­
dles in th eir hands.
F ro m S i t a r a m P r a g j i , E s q .,— Iih o o h sln m r.
2 Marble H in du Gods— Gunesh. 1 Do. do. Krishna.
F ro m A t m a r a m V i s h v a n a t h , E s q .,— P a n jra p o le.
P oona B rass W o r k s .
1 Brass Tree. 1 Pun Dan. 1 Sopari D in . A lot of
all Toys of H indu Gods and Goddesses. A lot of Animals,
Elephants, Horses.
F ro m G i r d i i a r l a l M a i i e s i i l a l , E s q ., — M arket.
A large and splendid lot of S u r a t Wood Ware. I Dozen
Animals. 1 Dozen Birds. 2 Celestial Cars.
M i s c e l l a n e o u s : Palanquin ill pith, with Sahib, bearers
&c. ; a pith tem ple ; buttons, studs, paper-cutters, etc. in
agate, cornelian, onyx, etc.
F r o m t h e P a n d i i a r i ’UR S c h o o l ok I n d u s t r y : Lock,
knife, stool box, and rings in gold ; from Baroda, through
th e kindness of .1. S. Gadgi!, Esq., a knife, scalpel, ring,
and chained stu d s ; from Vishrnm Je th a , of Cutch, working;
model of steam-engine, circular saw. grist mill, drill, force-
pum p and autom atic perfume-fountain ; from a Native
c a r p e n t e r , whose nam e the Exhibition Com m ittee unfor­
tun a te ly did not receive for registration, a highly inge­
nious im p enetrable w riting-desk; from the girls of the
A darji Cowasji School, through Mr. Ju gm o h u n d a s Samul-
das, a largo ex h ib it of fancy needle-work; and from the
wife of Mr. P u rsh otam Narayanji, specimens of embroidery.
Besides th e above there was received too late for the
exhibition, th e splendid collection ol Cutchee b u n tin g and
m ilitary weapons, kindly forwarded by th e patriotic Dewan
of H is H ighness the llao of Cutch-Bluij which has been
so adm ired since it was displayed in th e Library building.
T h e n a t u r a l o r r a t h e r a v e r a g e a g e o f m a n is fr o m
three scorc-and-ten to four-score-and-ten. I t may, however,
be cut short by accident or by disease, and often is prolonged
to twice th e average or more. T here arc many well a u ­
thenticated cases on record of m en and women who have
attained th e age of 100, and some 120, 1H0, 140, 1:>0, 1G0,.
170, or even as m uch as 185; the age of a Hungarian
peasant, P e te r Czartan, who was born in 1587 and died
1772. T h e la tte r is vouched for by th e New A m e ric a n
Cyclop m l ia, Vol. 1. p. 102. Pliny, giving instances of'
longevity, as found in the record of t h e census taken by
Vespasian, shows among 208 persons who reached from
seventeen examples of age exceeding 150 y e a r s ; and Mr.
Bailey, in his Records o f L ongevity, gives a catalogue of
a b o u t 4,000 cases in which not a few are shown as liAving.
reached 150 years. A fter this, th e stories of extreme-
longevity am ong H in d u ascetics appear less improbable.
 •• . ' . ' - I O U R “ A M E R I C A N P A N D I T ."
A n allusion was m ade last m on th to th e perfect u n d e r ­
sta n d in g which, during th e recent visit of our p a rty to
Benares, had been b ro ught abo ut betw een the learned o rtho ­
dox P andits of th a t Holy C ity and ourselves. T h e im ­
pression had until th e n been en te rta in e d th a t a ll Theoso-
phiats held to th e views o fS w a m iji Daydnund Saraswati,
an d 110 alliance was sought by ns w ith any b u t his follow­
ers. This entire misconception of th e platform of Theoso­
p h y having been removed, th e m ost friendly relations
were at once formed with th e orthodox party, and an
^ddress, signed by P aiidits Bala Shastri, Ramil Misra and
others, was presented to our President, and he was elected,
as was last m onth stated, an H onorary M ember of th e S o ­
ciety of Benares Pandits, or B ra h m a m rita V arshini Sablid.
T h e formafcertificate, u n d e r the seal of the Sabha, has since
th e n been received, and we ta k e pleasure in laying its te x t
before our readers. I t is as follows :—
B r a h m a m r it a V a r sh in i S a b h a ; o r , L it e r a r y
S o c ie t y o f t h k B e n a r e s P a n d it s .
We, the P andits of Benares, certify th a t Col. H. S. Olcott,
P re sid e n t of the Theosophical Society, has come to I n d ia
w ith the view of trying his best to aid in reviving ou r
Science and Philosophy. H is acceptance of th e H onorary
M embership of our L ite ra ry Society, the due consideration
paid by him towards Oriental Science and Philosophy, and
iiis j u s t an d unaffected inclination towards th e Vedic
t r u th s and principles, have encouraged tis to present him a
certificate stating the close ties of union which he has foim-
ed w ith our Society. W e th in k his journal, th e T h e o s o ­
p h i s t , has th e tru e m erit of presenting to our view th e exact
measures which should be ta k e n for th e revival and perfect
developm ent of our Philosophy fo r th e good of our country.
W e have been ta k e n by surprise a t th e daring e n te r ­
prise of a foreigner, solicitous to receive th e outrageous
darts of his fellow-countrymen a t this grand and noble u n ­
dertaking. As a m a tte r of fact, m en generally say th a t
t h e grand impulse to such a befitting revival of th e m uch
neglected Science and Philosophy of th e Aryans, is the.
work of several m a ste r minds, an d could not be produced
b y th e m editated effort of a single man. Being overpower­
ed w ith this exaggerated opinion, m en are in general not
■willing to risk th e ir individual efforts from th e fear of th e ir
ending in smoke. I n addition to all these, his unaffected
love towards our countrymen, as brothers and friends, has
produced such a deep and p e rm a n e n t effect on our m inds
th a t we cannot forbear m entioning it in these few lines.
R a m a M isr a S h a st r i, M anager.
B a i.k r i s h n a A c h a r a y a , M . A .,
^ 'frrwtf,
R am a K r isjim a ,
S u r v a N a iu y e n ,
Secretariat.
Considerations of delicacy would have prevented th e r e ­
c ip ient of this highly honourable testim onial from p e r ­
m ittin g its publication ; b u t tho General Council th o u g h t
it best t h a t it should appear, since i t is im p o rta n t t h a t our
whole Society should see t h a t th e benign principles which
we profess are w inning a way for us into th e hearts of our
Eastern brothel's, aud t h u s ensuring success for our efforts.
One collateral reason for th e publication of th e above
docum ent is th a t it tu rn s th e laugh upon certain W este rn
assailants of Theosophy, who enjoyed a b rief m errim e n t a t
o u r expense. S hortly before our C om m itte e sailed from
America, the N ew Y ork S u n , a very able and influential
newspaper, in an editorial entitled “ A Mission against
Christianity,” ironically bewailed th e m eagre results of m is­
sionary work iu India, and announced th e speedy d e p a rtu re
of the Theosopliists to ally themselves w ith th e “ heathens.”
This intelligence,the editor said jestingly, "is th e more s t a r t ­
ling because th e H iero ph an t (meaning our President) has
lately been received into th e Brahm anical sect, and is now
P a n d it of New York, an d Madame Blavatsky, who ha s
. long been an out-an d-o ut Brahmanist, with a c o n te m p tu o u s
opinion of C hristianity, has set her heart on over­
throw ing th e Bible and su bstitu ting the Vedas in th e
U n ite d S ta te s ........W e are not informed as to the exact
plan of campaign of t h e Pandit, nor do we know the means
he in tend s to use to g e t th e missionaries into a defensive
position ; b u t both he and Mme. Blavatsky are full of r e ­
sources and we d oubt n o t th e y have carefully considered
th eir strategy.” Speculating upon the reception we would
probably receive on our arrival, th e S u n r e m a r k s : “ T h e y
oug ht to be received w ith great pomp, for th e y are th e first
allies th e U n ite d S ta te s have sen t out to th e heathens an d
H ie ro p h a n t Olcott is th e first and only American P an d it.”
O u r sarcastic frieird m ay now, if these pages should
m e e t his eye, recall w ith profit the old adage, “ H e laughs
best who laughs hist • ”
S IIR A D D T IA A N D P IN D A .
A le tte r was received by us recently w hich was forward­
ed to Swamiji D a y a n a n d Saraswati w ith a request th a t
he would answer it. T h e following is the lette r aud Sw<4-
m iji’s reply, which also expresses our own v ie w s:—
T he L etter.
Bombay, Stli February 1880.
M adam ,
W ill y o u o b lig e a se c tio n o f y o u r read ers b y in se r tin g iu t h e n e x t
issu e o f th e T iik o s o Im iis t a paragraph e x p la in in g y o u r v ie w s on
tin; H in d u c u sto m o f p erfo rm in g S h r a d d h a to d ep arted a n c e s to r s ?
T h e p o in ts req u irin g n o tic e m e (« ) h o w su c h a cu sto m :arose, i.e.,
its p h ilo so p h ica l o rigin ; (6) w h e th e r th e o lle r in g o f jn m / a b en efits
in a n y w a y t h e p erso n s for w h om th e y are ottered, in th e sen s«
th a t th e ir n on -o tterin g w o u ld su b je c t th e )iiaiw.i to a n y su fferin g or
p r iv a tio n in th e o th e r w orld ; an d , if so, (c) w h y n o S h n id d h ti is
p erform ed to ch ild ren w h o L ave d ied y o u n g .
I s h a ll be th a n k fu l if y o u cou ld a lso g iv e th e v ie w s o f Sw atui.
D a y a n a n d S a ra sw a ti on t h is q u estio n .
S w am ps A n sw er .
^ ( a f r f c i s P £ ) 3P-TRT t JSTCJ % 3P-f
%f. jtrtt fa«rr airfcsft snjra 3^%
I. ^ 5ft # r jft fT
fierier ws t ^fr I sfw *rrcrr
farr jtcht
^ foosr I r r ^
crar.
(T r a n sla tio n .) T h o o rig in a l m e a n in g o f th e word S h r a d d h a i s ■
S h r a d d lu t, " d e v o tio n .” I t is th e d u ty o f e v e r y sou to se rv e h is
p a ren ts w itli all p ossib le d ev o tio n w h ile th e y are liv in g , lin t t h e
p erform an ce o f S h n i d d h u in h on or o f th e d e a d d oes not b ear o u t
th e origin al id ea a t a ll. S h r iid d h a really sig n ifies to se rv e th e liv in g
p a r e n ts w ith a ll d e v o tio n , n o t th e dead. A n d it is, therefore, u se le ss
to offer l 'i n d a (rice ball ;) in h on or o f th e d ead , as it r e s u lts in 1 1 0
good .
1) AVAN A N 1) S AII AS W ATI.
T he S a tu rd a y evening lectures a t th e Library upon th e
W e stern discoveries in the d e p a rtm e n t of occult science
and th e ir connection w ith O riental philosophy have reach­
ed th e second stage. T he first six lectures were devot­
ed to Magnetism and its experim ental proofs of tho
existence of a m iddle principle in N atu re , variously te r m ­
ed E ther, Astral Light, Akasa, e t c . ; its relation to th o
h u m an soul, o r in n e r s e l f ; and the possibility of concen­
tra tin g an d directing its currents a t will. N u m erou s prac­
tical experim ents were m ade 011 members of th e class,
proving the points taken. Tho seventh lecture was upon.
Crystallomancy, and th e several forms of cups, crystals,
mirrors, and liquids used for th e purpose of divination
were described. Among these were th e divining-cup of
Joseph spoken of in th e B ible; th e crystals of Dr. Dee,.
Cagliostro, and m an y others ; the black mirrors, formerly
prepared a t A gra ; th e A ra b conjuror’s drop of ink ; and
th e water-glasses used iu our own times.
 a Ki*'* ■-*
A T U R K I S H E F F E N D I O N C H R IS T E N D O M A N D
IS L A M .
In the suburb of one of the most romantically situated
towns in Asia Minor th e re lives the most rem arkable
oriental whom it has ever been m y fortune to meet.
T ravelling through tlm t interestin g country a few months
ago, with the view of assisting tlie British G overnm ent
to introduce some m uch-needed reforms, I arrived nt-------.
I purposely abstain from mentioning ( lie name, of th e jiln.ee,
as my Eastern friend, to whom J am indebted f o rt I k ;
following paper, desires his h u 'ognito to be observed,
for reasons which th e reader will easily un derstan d on
its perusal. I remained th e re some weeks examini ng th e
s ta te of th e surrounding country, nt th a t tim e a good
deal disturbed, and giving th e local authorities th e benefit
of a little wholesome counsel and advice, which, I need
-scarcely say, they wholly disregarded. My officious in te r­
ference in thoir affairs not u nn atura lly jirocured me some
n o to r ie ty ; and 1 received, in consequence, num erous visits
from members of all classes of th e com m un ity detailing
th e ir grievances, nnd anxious to know wlmt chance there
might be. of a forcible* intervention on the jia.rt of England
by which these should be redressed. In my intercourse
■with them I was struck hy th e ir constant allusion to an
ajjparcntly mysterious individual, who evidently enjoyed
a reputation for nn alm ost s u pern atural sagacity, and
■whose name they never mentioned exccjit in term s of the
greatest reverence, and indeed, I m ight alm ost say, of
awe. My curiosity a t last became excited, and I made
special inquiries in regard to this unknown sage. I found
t h a t he lived about a mile and a half out, o f the town, on
a farm which he had jiurclmsed abo ut live years a g o ;
t h a t no one knew from whence he hnd come : th a t he sjioke
both T u rk ish and Arabic as his native tongues ; b u t th a t
some sujijiosed him to be a F rank , o w i n g J,is c*iit.ir«!
neglect of all the ceremonial observances of a good Moslem,
and to a certain foreign mode of t h o u g h t ; while others
maintained th a t no man who had not been born an orien­
tal could adapt, himself so naturally to th e domestic life
of th e East, and acquirc its social habits with such ease
and jierfection. liis erudition was said to be extraordi­
nary, anti his life seemed jiassed in s tu dying th e literature
o f many languages— his a g e n t for the purchase and for­
w arding of such books anil ] tapers as he needed, being a
foreign merchant a t th e nearest sea j tort. l i e seemed
possessed of considerable wealth, b u t his mode of life was
simjtlc in the e x t r e m e ; and he employed large sum s’in
relieving th e distress by which he was surrounded, nnd
in protecting by the necessary bribes those who were
nnable to protect themselves from ojijtrcssion. T h e result
•was, th a t he was adored by th e country people for miles
round, while he was ra th e r respected and feared than
disliked by th e Turkish officials— for lie was extrem ely
tolerant of th e ir financial necessities, nnd quite understood
t h a t they were eomjtellcd to squeeze m oney o u t of the
peasantry, because, as they received no pay, th e y would
starve themselves unless th e y did.
To this gentleman I sent m y card, w ith a note in French,
sta tin g th a t I was a travelling Englishman, w ith a seat
in th e H ouse of Commons in im m ediate jirosjiect a t the
coming election, consumed with a desire to reform Asia
Minor, or, a t all events, to enlighten m y countrym en as
to how it should be done. Perhaps I am wrong in saying
t h a t I actually jm t all this in my note, b u t it was couched
in the usual tone of m em bers of P arliam ent who are cram ­
m ing political questions abroad which are likely to come
u p next session. I know the style, because I have been
iu the House myself. T h e note 1 received in reply was
in English, and ran as follows:—
“ D k a r S i r , — If you are not otherwise engaged, it will
give me g re a t pleasure if you will do me th e honour of
dining with me to-morrow evening a t seven. I tru s t you
will excuse th e prelim inary formality of a visit, b u t I
have an ap po in tm ent a t some distance in th e country,
which will detain me until too Into an hour to call.—
Believe me, yours very truly, -------E r t ' E N D l .
“ P .S .— As you inay have some difficulty iu finding’
your way, my servant will be with you nt half-past six to
serve os a guide.”
" Denr me,” 1 thought, as I read this civilised epistle
w ith am azem ent, “ I wonder w heth er he expects m e to
dress ; ” for I need scarcely sa3r 1 had come littvrly un­
provided for any such contingency, my wearing apparel, out
of regard for my baggage-mule, having been limited to
th e smallest allowance consistent with cleanliness. , P u n c ­
tually nt th e hour nnmcd, my dragoman informed nip
tha t-------Efiendi’s servant was in attendance ; and, arrayed
in the shooting-coat, knee-breeches, nnd riding-boots which
formed iny only costume, I followed him on foot th ro ug h
th e narrow winding streets of the town, until we emerged
into its gardens, and following a charming p a th between
orchards of fruit-trees, gradually reached its extrem e
outskirts, when it turned into a narrow glen, down which
foamed a brawling torrent. A stecji ascent for ab out ten
m inutes brought us to a large gate in a wall. This was
im m ediately opened by a porter who lived in a lodge
outside, ami I found myself in grounds t h a t were half
park, half flower-garden, in t h e centre of which, ou a te r ­
race commanding a magnificent view, stood th e house
of my host— a Turkish mansion with projecting latticed
windows, and a courtyard w ith a colonnade round it and
a fountain in th e middle. A broad flight of steps led to
th e jirincipal entrance, and a t th e toj) of it stood a tall
figure in the flowing 'Turkish costume of fifty years ago,
now, alius ! becoming very rare am ong th e ujtjtcr classes.
I wondered w h e th er this could be th e w riter of the in­
vitation to d in n e r ; b u t my doubts w e r e ’speedily solved
by the cm prew tem tnt with which this turbaned indivi­
dual, who seemed a m an of ab ou t fifty years of age, d es­
cended th e stejis, nnd with th e most consum m ate ease
nnd grnce of manner, advanced to shake hands nnd givo
m e a welcome of unaffected cordiality. H e spoke English
with th e g reatest fluency, though w ith a slight, accent,
and in appearance was of th e fair type n o t uncommonly
seen in T u rk e y ; th e eyes dark-blue, mild in repose, but,
w hen anim ated, e xpanding and flashing with th e bril­
liancy of the intelligence •■which lay behind them. The
beard was silky and slightly auburn. T he whole exjtres-
sion of the. face was inexpressibly w inning and attractive,
and I instinctively felt th a t if it only dejtended ujion me,
we should soon become fast friends. Such in fact proved
to be the case. W c had a perfect little dinner, cooked
in T u rk ish style, but, served in European fashion ; and
afterwards talked so far into th e night, th a t my host
would not h e ar of my returning, and p u t m e into a bed­
room as nicely furnished ns if it had been in a country-house
in England. N e x t m orning I found th a t my dragoman
and baggage had all been transferred from th e house of
th e family with whom I had been lodging in town, and
I was jtolitely given to understand th a t I was forcibly
taken jtossession of durin g th e rem ainder of my stay
a t-------. A t th e exjtiratiou of a week I was so much struck
by th e entirely novel view, as it seemed to me, ■which
m y host took of th e conflict between Christendom| and
Islam, and by th e philosophic asjiect u n d e r which he pre­
sented the E astern Question generally, th a t I asked him
w h e th e r he would object to p u ttin g his ideas in writing,
and nllowing m e to publish th e m — jtrofneing his rem arks
by any explanation m regard to his own personality which
lie m igh t feel disjwsed to give, lie was extrem ely re­
luctant to comply with this request, his na tiv e modesty
anil sh rinking from notoriety of nny sort presenting an
alm ost insurm ountable obstacle to his rushing 'into print,
even in th e strictest incognito. However, by d in t of per­
sistent, im portunity, I a t Inst succeeded in breaking through
his reserve, and he consented to throw into the form of
a jK-rsonal communication addressed to m e whatever he
had to say, an d to allow m e to m ake any use of it I
liked. ' 1
I confess t h a t w hen I came to read his letter, I was
somew hat ta k e n nback by th e uncompromising m a n n e r
in which th e EIT’e mli had stated his c a s e ; an d I should
have asked him to modify th e language in which he had.
-couched liis views, blit I felt convinced t h a t hail I done
so, ho would have withdrawn it altogether. I was, m ore­
over, asham ed to a d m it tliat I doubted w h e th e r I should
find a magazine in England with sufficient courage to
publish it. I need not say th a t 1 differ from it entirely,
and in our numerous conversations gave m y reasons for
doing so. B u t 1 have th o u g h t it well th a t it should, if
possible, be made public in E ngland, for m a ny reasons.
In the tirst place, th e question of reform, especially in
Asiatic Turkey, occupies a d o m inant position in English
p o litic s; and it is of g re a t im portance th a t we should
know, not only t h a t m any intelligent T u rk s consider a
reform of th e G overnm ent hopeless, b u t to w h a t causes
they a ttrib u te th e present decrepit and corrupt condition
of th e empire. W e can g a th e r from the views here e x ­
pressed, thou gh stated in a most uncom plim entary manner;
why m any o f the most enlightened Moslems, while lam en­
tin g the vices which have bro ug ht th e ir country to ruin,
refuse to co-operate in an a tte m p t, on th e jiart of th e
W estern Powers, which, in th e ir opinion, would only be
going from bad to worse. H ow ever m uch we may differ
from those whom we wish to benefit, it won It I be folly
to s h u t our ears to th e ir opinions in regard to ourselves
or our religion, sim ply because th e y are distasteful t o n s .
W e can best achieve our end by candidly listening to
w hat they m ay have to say. A nd this m ust be m y apo­
logy, ns well as th a t of th e magazine in which it up]>ears,
for th e publication of a le tte r so hostile in tone to our
cherished convictions and beliefs. A t the same time, I
cannot disguise from myself, t h a t while m any of its s ta te ­
m ents are prejudiced and highly coloured, others are not
altogether devoid of some foundation in tri u th ; it never
I
can do us an y harm to see ourselves sometimes as others
see us. T h e tendency of m ankind, and perhaps especially
of Englishmen, is so very m uch t h a t of th e ostrich, which
is satisfied to keep its head in th e sand and see nothing
th a t is disturbing to its self-complacency, t h a t a little
rough hand ling occasionally does no harm.
These considerations have induced me to do m y best
to m ake “ the bark of the distant E ffendi" be heard, to
use th e tine imagery of Bon G a u ltie r;* and with these
few words of introduction, I will leave him to tell his own
tale, and state his opinions on th e b u rning questions of
the day.
[The following letter, tog e th er with w hat precedes, was
originally published in Jilnchicooil's E dinburgh. M n y a zh ie
for Ja n u a ry .— Er>. T h k o s .]
“ M y d ear F u ik n d ,—
“ I proceed, in compliance w ith your request, to p u t
in writing a n'mmu! in a condensed form of tho views
which 1 liuve expressed in our various conversations to­
gether on th e E astern Question, prem ising only t h a t 1
have yielded to it u n d e r strong pres.sure,‘because I fear
they m ay wound the sensibilities or shock th e prejudices
■of you r countrymen. As, however, you assure me t h a t
they are sufficiently tolerant to have th e question in which
they are so much interested, presented to th e m from an
Oriental point o f view, I shall write with perfect frankness,
and in tlio conviction t h a t opinions, however un palatable
they may be, which are only offered to th e public in th e
earnest desire to advance th e cause of tru th , will m e e t
with some response in th e breasts of those who are a n i­
mated with an equally earnest desire to find i t In order
to explain how I have come to form these opinions, 1
must, a t the cost of seeming egoistic, m ake a few pre­
fatory remarks about myself. My father was an official of
high ra nk and old T u rkish family, resident for some tim e
iu Constantinople, and afterwards in an im p o rta n t sea­
port in the Levant. A n unusually enlightened and well-
educated man, he associated much with E uropeans ; and
from early life I have l>eeii familiar w ith th e Greek,
French, and Italian languages. H e died w hen I was ab ou t
* “ Say, in i t tho iflnnce of tho haughty vizior,
Or tlio Iwirk of tho d ista n t Ktfoiuli, you fear ? '*
—“ K a^tcm Scrcuario Boii G aultier's ‘ Book of Ballad*.*
tw enty years of a g e ; and [ determ ined to m ake use o f
th e affiuence to which I fell heir, by travelling in foreign
countries. 1 had already read largely th e literature of
both France and Italy, and had to a certain exten t become
em ancipated from the modes of thought, and I may even
say from the religious ideas, prevalent am ong my country­
men. I went in the first instance to Rome, and after a
y ea r’s sojourn there, proceeded to England, where I a s ­
sumed an Italian name, and devoted myself to the stu d y
of th e language, institutions, literature, and religion o f
th e country. I was a t all times extremely fond of p h i­
losophical speculation, and this led me to a study o f
G erman. My pu rsuits were so engrossing tliat I saw
little of society, aud th e few friends I made were am o n g
a comparatively hum ble class. I remained in E ngland
te n years, travelling occasionally on th e Continent., and
visiting T u rk e y twice du ring th a t time. I then proceed­
ed to America, where I passed a year, and thence w ent
to I n d ia by way of J a p a n and China. In Ind ia I rem ain­
ed two years, re su m in g during this period an O riental
garb, and living principally am ong my co-religionists. I
was chiefly occupied, however, iu studying th e religious
m ov em entam ong the Hindoos known as the B ra ln n o Sam aj.
F rom India 1 w ent to Ceylon, where I lived in g r e a t
retirem ent, and b e cam e deeply immersed in the more
occult knowledge of Buddhism . Indeed, these mystical
studies so intensely interested me, th a t it was with diffi­
culty, after a stay of three years, th a t 1 succeeded in te a r­
in g myself away from them . I then passed, by way of
th e Persian Gulf, into Persia, remained a year in Teheran,
whence I went to Damascus, where I lived for five years,
d u rin g which time I performed the Hailj, more out of
curiosity th a n as an ac t of devotion. Five yea re ago I
arrived here ou m y way to ( 'ontantinople, and was so
attra c te d by the beau ty of th e spot and th e repose which
it seemed to offer me, t h a t I determ ined to pitch my te n t
here for th e rem ain der of my days, and to spend th e m
in doing w hat I could do to improve the lot of those am id st
whom Providence hud throw n me.
“ 1 am aware th a t this record of my travels will be
received with considerable surprise by those acquainted
with the habits of life of T u rk s generally. I have given
it, however, to account for th e train of th ou gh t into which
I have been led, and the conclusions a t which I have
arrived, and to explain th e exceptional and isolated posi­
tion in which 1 find myself am ong my own countrymen,
who, as a rule, have no sy m pathy with th e motives which
have actuated me through o life,’ or with th e ir results. I
have hitherto observed, therefore, a complete reticence,
in regard to both. Should, however, these pages fall
u n d er th e eye of any m em ber of the Theosophical Society,
e ith e r in America, Europe, or Asia, they will a t once
recognise
O th e w riter as one of th e ir number, and will, I
.
feel sure, resjiect th a t reserve as to my |>ersonality which
1 wish to maintain.
“■I have already said t h a t in early life 1 became thorou gh ­
ly dissatisfied with the religion in which I was born
a n d bro u g h t u p ; aud, determ ined to discard all early pre­
judices, I resolved to travel over th e world, visiting th e
various centres of religious thought, with th e view of
m ak in g a comparative study of the value of its religions,
a nd of arriving at some conclusion as to th e one I o u g h t
myself to adopt. As, however, th e y each claimed to be
derived from an inspired source, I very soon became over­
whelmed with the presumption of the task which I had
undertak en ; for I was n ot conscious of the possession of
a n y verifying faculty which would w arrant m y deciding
between the claims of different revelations, or of ju d g in g
of th e m erits of rival forms of inspiration. N o r did i t
seem possible to m e th a t any evidence in favour of a re ­
velation which was in all instances offered by h u m a n beings
like myself, could be of such a nature t h a t a n o th e r h u m a n
beinjr should dare to assert th a t it could have none o th e r
th a n _a divine origin ; th e more especially as the a u th o r
of it was in all instances in external ap|>euranco also a.
hu m a n being. A t th e same time, 1 am far from being ho
da ring as to m aintain th a t no divine revelation, claim in g
 to Ik1 sucli, is not |>ervailed with ii divine afflatus. On
tin.* contrary, it would seem thnt to a •'renter or less extent,
■they must nil be so. Tlieii relative values must depend,
so far as our own earth is concerned, upon the am o u n t
o f moral tru th of a curative kind in regal'd to this world’s
m oral disease which they contain, and upon their prac­
tical influence upon tint lives and conduct of men. I was
therefore led to institute a comparison between the objects
■which were proposed by various re lig io n s; and I found
th a t just, in the degree in which they had been diverted
from their original design of woiid-regeneration, were tlio
results unsatisfactory, so liir as hum an righteousness wa.s
concerned ; ami that the concentnition of the m ind of tin?
devotee upon a future statu of life, and th e salvation of
liis soul alter lie left this world, tended to produce an
enlightened selfishness in his daily life, which has cul­
m inated in its extrem e form u nd e r th e inlluence of one
religion, ami finally resulted in what is commonly known
as W estern Civilization. For it is only logical, if a m an
be ta u g h t to consider his highest, religious d u ty to be
t h e salvation of his own soul, while the salvation of his
neighbour's occupies a secondary place, that he should in­
stinctively feel his highest earthly d u ty is the welfare
o f his own hum an personality and those belonging to it
in this world. I t m atters not w hether this future salva­
tion is to Ik* attained hy an act of faith, or by m e rit
throu gh good works— the effort, is none th e less a selfish
one. 1 he religion to which I am now referring will be a t
once recognised a.s the |»>pular form of Christianity. A fter
a careful study of tin: teaching of th e founder of this
religion, I am amazed at the distorted character it has
assumed u nder the influence of the three great sects into
which it has become divided— to-wit, the Greek, Catholic,
and Pro testant Christians. Then; is no teaching so
th oroughly alt ruistic in its character, and which, if it could
be literally applied, would, I believe, exercise so direct
aud beneficial an inlluence 011 the hu m an race, as the
teaching ot Christ ; but there is none, it seems to me, as
an impartial student,, the spirit of whose revelation has
been more perverted anil degraded by H is followers of all
denominations. The Buddhist, the Hindoo, and th e Mo­
hammedan, though they have all more or less lost th e in-
flm *nce of the afflatus which pervades th e ir sacred writings,
have not, actually constructed a theology based upon the
inversion of this original principles of their religion. T h eir
lig h t has died away till but a faint flicker rem ain s; b u t
Christians have developed th e ir social and ]*>litical m o ral­
ity out of th e very ; blackness of the shadow thrown by
‘ T h e light of the World.’ Hence it is th a t wherever
modern Christendom — which I will, for th e sake of dis­
tinguishing it from th e Christendom proposed by Christ,
style A nti-Christendom *— conies into contact with the
races who live u nder the dim religious light of th e ir res­
pective revelations, the feeble rays of th e la tte r become
extinguished by th e gross darkness of this A nti-Christen-.
dum, and they lie crushed and mangled u nder the iron
heel of its organised and sanctified selfishness. T h e real
God of Anti-Christendom is M a m m o n : in Catholic A nti-
Christendom, tempered by a lust of spiritual and te m po­
ral power; in Greek A nti-Christendom , tem pered by a
lust of race aggrandisement ; b u t iu Protestant A nti-C hris­
tendom, reigning supreme. The cultivation of th e sel­
fish instinct has unnaturally developed the purely intel­
lectual faculties a t the expense of the m o r a l; has stim u ­
lated c o m p e titio n ; and lias produced a combination of
mechanical inventions, political institutions, and an indivi­
dual force of character, against which so-called 1h e ath en ’
nations, whose cupidities and covetous propensities lie com­
paratively dormant, are utterly unable to prevail.
* I here rem nrkod to tho Effomli th n t there wns som othing very ofToiimvo
to Christmr.H in tho torni A wM.'hriHtondom, iih it posaufwod ft peculiar nip-
ntfic'ition in th eir roli^ious helioft and I re<|ue*tod ldm to xuhstitutc for ib
K o i n e o th er word. Thin he declined to do m ost |K>sdtively ; nnd h e pointed
to pnPKiires in tho K oran, in which M ahom et nrophoMen th e com ing of
A ntich rist, An ho xaid i t was an articlo of hi« faith th a t tho A ntichrist nl-
Inded to by th e p ro p h et wa* tho culm ination of tho invorted C hristianity
l>rofe*sed in thcso la tte r dayw, he could n ot so f«r com prom ise w ith his con*
*cioncca* to change tho term , nml rath er than do so no would w ithdraw th e
•letter. J have therefore been constrained to let it rem ain.
“ This overpowerin'; love of* the root of all evil/ with
the mechanical inventions in th e shape of railroads, tele­
graphs, ironclads, and other appliances which it has dis­
covered for th e accumulation of wealth, and the destruc­
tion of those who impede its accumulation, constitutes what
is called ‘ W estern Civilization.’ .
“ Countries in which there are 110 gigantic swindling
cori»orations, no financial crises by which millions are ruin­
ed, or Gatling guns by which they may be slain, are said to-
be in a state of barbarism. W hen the civilization of Anti-
Christendom conies into contact with barbarism of th is
sort, instead of lifting it out of its moral error, which would
be th e case if it were tru e Christendom, it almost invaria­
bly shivers it to pieces. The consequence of the arrival
of the so-called Christ,inn in a heathen country is, not,
to bring immortal life, but physical and moral death.
E ith e r th e native races die out, before him — as iu tho case
of the Red Indian of America and th e A ustralian and
New Z ealander— or they save themselves from physical
decay by worshipping, with all the ardour of perverts to
a new’ religion, a t the shrine of Mammon— as in th e case
of J a p a n — and fortify themselves against dissolution by
such a rapid developm ent of th e mental faculties and the
avaricious instincts, as may enable them to cope success­
fully with th e formidable invading influence of A nti-Chris­
tendom. T h e disastrous moral tendencies and disinte­
g ra tin g effects of inverted Christianity upon a race pro­
fessing a religion which was far inferior in its origin and
conception, hut, which hns been practised bv its professors
with more fidelity and devotion, has lteen strikingly illus­
trated in th e history of my own country. One of th e most
corrupt forms which C hristianity has ever assumed, was ■
to be found organised in the Byzantine empire a t th e tim e
of its coii(|uest. by th e T urks. H ad the so-called Chris­
tian races which fell u nder th e ir sway in Europe d u rin g
the ir victorious progress westward lieen compelled, w ith ­
out exception, to adopt the faith of Islam, it is certain,,
to my mind, that th e ir moral condition would have been
immensely improved. Indeed, j o u who have travelled
am ong th e Moslem Slavs of Bosnia and Herzegovina, w ho
are the descendants of converts to Islam a t th a t epo ch,.
will bear testimony to the fact th a t they contrast most
favourably in true Christian virtues with the descendants:
of their countrym en who remained Christians ; and I fear­
lessly appeal to th e Austrian authorities now governing
those provinces to bear m e out in this assertion. U n ­
fortunately, a sufficiently large nominally Christian po­
pulation was allowed by the T u rk s to remain in theiif
ncwly-acquircd possessions, to ta in t th e conquering race-
itself. T h e vices of Byzantinism speedily made th e m ­
selves felt in the body politic of Turkey. T h e subser­
vient races, intensely superstitious in th e form of their
religious belief, which had been degraded into a passport
systeni, by which the believer in the efficacy of certain*
dogmas and ceremonials m ight a tta in heaven irrespective
of his moral character on earth, were unrestrained b y
religious principles from giving free rein to their n a tu r a l
propensities, which wero dishonest and covetous in th e
extreme. T h e y th u s revenged themselves 011 their con­
querors, b y u n derm in in g them financially, ]K>litically, anil
m o r a lly ; tliey insidiously plundered those who were too*
indifferent to wealth to learn how to preserve it, and in­
fected others with the contagion of their own cupidity,,
un til t h e s e became as vicious and corrupt in their means -
of acquiring riches as they were themselves. T his process-
has been going 011 for the last, five hundred years, until
th e very fanaticism of th e race, which was its best pro­
tection against, inverted Christianity, has begun to diV
out, and th e governing class of T u rk s has with rare excep­
tions become as dishonest and degraded as the Ghiaours •­
they despise. Still they would have been able, for many
years y e t to come, to hold their own in Europe, b u t for
th e enormously increased facilities for the accumulation-
of wealth, and therefore for the gratification of covetous
propensities, created within th e last half-century by the
discoveries of steam and electricity. N o t only was T ur­
k e y protected formerly from th e sordid and contam inating
 influence of Anti-Christendom by th e difficulties e>f com­
m unication, hut the mania of developing th e resources of
foreign countries for th e purpose of appro priatin g th e
w ealth which they m ig h t contain, became proportionately
juigmentod with increased facilities of transpo rt— so th a t
now the very hahits of th o u g h t in regard to countries
styled barbarous have become changed. As an example of
this, I would again refer to m y own country. I can re­
m em b er tlie day when British tourists visited it with a
view to th e gratification of th e ir aesthetic tastes. T hey
delighted to contrast w h a t they were then pleased to term
* oriental civilization ’ w ith th e ir own. O u r very back­
wardness iu th e mechanical arts was an attractio n to them.
T h e y w ent home delighted with the picturesqueness and
t h e indolence of the East. Its bazaars, its costumes, its
prim itiv e old-world cachet, invested it in .th e ir eyes with
a n indescribable charm ; and books were w ritten which
fascinated th e W estern reader with pictures of our m a n ­
ners and customs, because they were so different from
those with which he was familiar. Now all this is chang­
ed ; the m odern traveller is in nine cases out of ten a
railroad speculator, or a m ining engineer, or a financial
promoter, or a concession hu nter, or perchance a would-be
m em ber of Parliam ent like yourself, coming to see how
pecuniary or political capital can be made out of us, and
how he can best cx/ilo lter th e resources of the country
to his own profit. This he calls * re fo rm in g ’ it. H is idea
is, not how to m ake th e people morally better, b u t how
best to develop th e ir p red ato iy instincts, and teach th e m
to prey upon each other’s pockets. F o r lie knows t h a t
by encouraging a rivalry in the pursuits of wealth am ongst
a people comparatively unskilled in th e a rt of money-
grubbing, his superior ta le n t and experience in th a t occu­
pation will enable him to tu rn th e ir efforts to his own
advantage. H o disguises from himself the immorality of
th e proceeding by the reflection th a t th e introduction of
foreign capital will add to th e wealth of th e country, and
increase th e m aterial well-being and happiness of th e
people. B u t apart from th e fallacy th a t wealth and h ap ­
piness are synonymous terms, reform of this kind rests
ou th e assum ption th a t natural teni|>crament and religious
tendencies of th e race will lend themselves to a keen com­
mercial rivalry of this description ; ami if it does not,
they, like th e A ustralian and th e Red Indian, m u st dis-
upitear before it. Already th e process has begun in E u ­
rope. T h e Moslem is rapidly being reformed out of- exis­
tence altogether. Between th e u p p e r and the n e th e r
millstone of Russian greed for territory and of British
greed for money, and behind th e mask of a prostituted
Christianity, th e Moslem in Europe has been ground to
p o w d e r : h undreds of thousands of innocent men, women,
and children have e ith e r perished by violence or starv a­
tion, or, driven from th eir homes, are now .struggling to
keep body ami soul together iisbest they can in misery and
desolation, crushed beneath th e wheels of tho J u g g e m a u th
o f ‘ Progress,’— th eir only crime, like th a t of the poor cross-
ing-swecper, I think, in one of you r own novels, th a t th e y
did not ‘ move on.’ This is called in modern parlance
• the civilizing influence of C hristianity.’ A t this m om ent
th e Russians are pushing roods thro ug h th e ir newly-nc-
quired territory towards Kars. 1 am informed by an in ­
telligent Moslem gentlem an who has ju s t arrived from
t h a t district, th a t th e effect of th e ir ‘civilizing ’ influence
upon th e inhabitants of th e villages through which these
roads pass, is to convert the women into prostitu tes mid
the; men into drunkarels. N o wonder th e Mohammedan
population is flocking in thousands across th e frontier into
T u rk ish territory, abandoning th e ir homes an d laiuleel
possessions in order to escape th e contamination of A nti-
Christendom.
“ In these days of steam and electricity, not only has
th e traveller no eye for th e moral virtues of a people, b u t
his lesthetic faculties have become blunted ; lie regards
them only as m oney-m aking machines, anil he esteems
th e m j u s t in th e elegree in which they excel in th e a rt e>f
wealth-accumulation. Blinded by a selfish utilitarianism,
h e can now see only barbarism in a c ountry where the
landscape is not obscureel by th e black smoke of factory-
cliinineys, and th e ear eleafened by the scream of the loco­
motive. For him a people who cling to the manners a m i
customs of a bygone epoch with which their own most glo­
rious traditions are associated, have no charm. H e sees
in a race which still endeavours to follow the faith o f
th e ir forefathers with simplicity and devotion, no thing
b u t ignorant fanaticism, for he lias long sinete substituted
hypocrisy for sincerity in his own belief. H e despises--
a peasantry whose instincts of submission aiul obeelience
induce th e m to suffer r a th e r than rise in revolt against a
(iovernm ent which oppresses them, because th e heael o f
it is invested in th e ir eyes with a sacred character. H e
can no longer find a n y th in g to adm ire or to interest in
th e contrast betw een th e E a st aiul West, b u t everything
to condemn ; and his only sy m pathy is with th a t section
of the population in T u rk e y who, called Christians like
himself, like him elevote themselves to th e sttiely of how
much can be maile, by fair means or foul, out of their
Moslem neighbours.
“ W hile I observe th a t th is change has come over the-
W e ste rn traveller of late years— a change which I a t t r i ­
b u te to th e mechanical appliances of th e ag e — a corres­
ponding effeert, owing to the same cause, has, I regret to
say, been produced upon my own countrymen. A gradual
assimilation liiis been for some tim e iu progress in the
E a s t with the habits and customs of the rest of Europe..
W e are abandoning our distinctive costume, and a d a p t­
ing ourselves te> a Weste:ru mode of life in many ways.
W e are becoming lax in the observances of our religion ;
and it is now the fashion for our women to get their h ig l i-
heclcel boots and bonnets from Paris, and for our youths
of gooel family to go to th a t city of pleasure, or to oner
of th e large capitals of Europe, for th e ir education. H e r e
tlieiy adopt all the vices of Anti-Christendom, for tho
attractions of a civilization based ii|x )n enlightened sel­
fishness are overpoweringly seductive, and they return-
w ithout religion of any sort— shallow, sceptical, egoistical,
a n d thoroughly demoralised. I t is next to impossible for
a Moslem youth, as I myself experienced, to come out o f
th a t fire uncontaininateel. His religion fits him to live
with simple and prim itive races, and even to acquire a
moral control over th e m ; but he is fascinated and over­
powered by th e m ighty influence of the glam our of the
W est. H e re tu rn s to T u rk e y with his principle's thorough­
ly underm ined, and, if he has sufficient ability, adds ono
to the n u m b e r ot those who misgovern it.
“ T h e two d om ina nt vices which characterise Anti-Cliris-
teuelom are cupidity and hypocrisy. T h a t which chiefly
revolts th e T u r k in this disguised attack upon the morals
of his people, no less th a n upon the; very existence of
liis empire, is, t h a t it should be made uiuler the p re te x t
of morality, an d behinel the flimsy veil of huinanitaria-
nism. I t is in th e nature; of the religious idea th a t j u s t
in proportion as it was originally penetrated with a divine
truth, which has become ]>erverted, does it engender hy ­
pocrisy. T his was so true of Judaism , t h a t when tlio
founder of C hristianity came, though himself a Jew , ho
scorchingly denounced th e class which most loudly pro-
fesseel th e religion which they profaned. But th e P lia-
riseeism which lias made war upon T urk ey is far more?
intense in elegree than th a t which lie attacked, for they
religion which it profanes contains th e most divine t r u t h
which th e worlel ever received. Mahomet divieled the>
n e th e r world into seven hells, and in the lowest he plae:eel
t h e hypocrites of all religions. I have now carefully exa­
m ined into m a ny religions, b u t as none of them elemaneled
so high a stand ard from its followers as Christianity, th ero
lias not been any developm ent of hypocrisy o u t of th em
a t all corresponeling to th a t which is peculiar to A n ti-
Christianity. F o r th a t reason I am constrained to th in k
t h a t its contributions to th e region assigned to hype>crites
by tho pro p h e t will be o ut of all proportion to the hypo­
crites of o th e r religions.
“ In illustration of this, see how the principles of moral­
ity anel ju stice are a t this m om ent being hypocritically
outraged iu Albania, where, on the moral ground th a t a
 nationality lias an in h e re n t right to tlio property of its
neighbour, if i t can m ake a claim of similarity of race, a
southern district of th e country is to lie forcibly given to
Greece ; while, in violation of the same moral principle,
a no rth e rn district is to be taken from th e A lbanian na ­
tionality, to which by rig h t of race it belongs, a n d violent­
ly and against the will of the people, who are in no way
consulted as to th e ir fate, is to be handed over for a n n e x a ­
tion to the M ontenegrins— a race whom the population
to be annexed traditionally hate and detest.
“ W hen A n ti-C h ristia n nations, sittin g in solemn con­
gress, can be guilty of such a prostitution of th e most
sacred principles in th e name of morality, and construct
an international code of ethics to be applicable to T u rk e y
alone, and which th e y would one and all refuse to a dm it
or be controlled by themselves,— when we know t h a t the
internal corruption, the adm inistrative abuses, and the
oppressive m isgovernm ent of the Power which lias j u s t
m ade war against us in th e nam e of hum anity, have driven
th e population to despair, and th e autho rities to th e most
cruel excesses in order to repress them,— and when, in the
face of all this most tra n sp a re n t hum bug, these Anti-
C hristian nations arrogate to themselves, on th e ground of
th e ir superior civilization and morality, th e righ t to im ­
pose reform upon Turkey,— we n e ith e r a d m it th e ir p re ­
tensions. covet their civilization, believe in th e ir good faith,
nor respect th e ir morality.
“ T h u s it is that, from first to last, th e woes o f T u rk e y
have been due to its contact w ith A nti-Christendom .
T h e race is now paying th e penalty for th a t lust of dom i­
nion and power which tem pted them in th e first instance
to cross the Bosphorus. From th e day on which the tree
of em pire was planted in Europe, th e canker, in th e shape
of th e opposing religion , began to gnaw a t its roots.
W h e n the Christians w ithin had thoroughly eaten out its
vitals, they called on th e C hristians w ith ou t for assistance ;
and it is morally impossible th a t th e decayed tr u n k can
much longer w ithstand th e ir combined efforts. B u t as I
commenced by saying, had th e invading Moslems in the
first instance converted th e entire population to their
creed, T u rk e y m ight have even now withstood th e assaults
of ‘ progress. Nay, more, it is not impossible t h a t her
victorious armies m ig h t have overrun Europe, and th a t
t h e faith of Islam m ig h t have extended over th e whole
o f w hat is now termed th e civilized world. I have often
th o u g h t how much happ ier it would have been for E u ­
rope, and unquestionably for th e rest of th e world, had such
been the case. T h a t wars and national antagonism s would
have continued, is doubtless true ; b u t we sh o rld have
been saved th e violent political an d social changes which
have resulted from steam and electricity, and have con­
tinued to live the simple and primitive life which satisfied
t h e aspirations of our ancestors, and in which th e y found
c o n ten tm e n t and happiness, while millions of barbarians
would to this day have rem ained in ignorance of th e g i­
gantic vices peculiar to A nti-C hristian civilization, l l i o
W est would then have been spared th e terrible conse­
qu e n c e s which arc even now impending, as th e inevitable
re su lt of an intellectual progress to which th e re has been
no corresponding moral advance. T h e persistent viola­
tion for eighteen centuries of th e g re a t altruistic law pro­
p ounded an d enjoined by th e great founder of the C hristian
religion, m u st inevitably produce a corresponding c a ta ­
stro p h e ; an d th e day is n o t far d istan t when m odern civili­
zation will find t h a t in its g re at scientific discoveries and
inventions, devised for th e purpose of m inistering to its
own extravag an t necessities, it has forged th e weapons
by which it will itself be destroyed. N o b e tte r evidence
of the tr u th of this can be found th an in th e fact th a t
A nti-Christendom alone is menaced with th e danger of
a g reat class revolution : already in every so-called Chris­
tia n country we hear th e m u tte r in g s o f the coming storm
w hen labour and capital will find themselves arrayed
a g ain st each other,— when rich a n d poor will m e e t ill d ead­
ly antagonism, and th e spoilers a n d th e spoiled solve, by
m eans of the most recently invented artillery, th e econo­
m ic problems of modern ‘ progress.’ I t is surely a re m a rk ­
able fact, th a t this struggle betw een rich and poor is spe­
cially reserved for those whose religion inculcates upon
them, a.s th e highest law— tin* love of their neighbour—
and most strongly denounces th e love of money. N o
country which does not bear the name of Christian is th u s
threatened. Even in Turkey, in spite of its bad govern­
m e n t and th e m any Christians who live in it, socialism,
communism, nihilism, internationalism, and all k ind re d
forms of class revolution, are unknown, for the simple rea­
son th a t T u rk e y has so fur, a t least, successfully resisted
the influence of ‘ A n ti-C hristian civilization.'
“ In th e degree in which the State d e p e nd s’ for its
political, commercial, and social well-being and prosperity,
not upon a moral b u t a mechanical basis, is its foundation
perilous. W h e n th e life-blood of a nation is its wealth, and
th e existence of th a t wealth depends upon the re gularity
with which railroads an d telegraphs perforin th e ir func­
tions, it is in th e ]iower o f a few skilled artisans, by menus
o f a combined operation, to strangle it. Only th e other
day the engineers and firemen of a few railroads in the
U n ite d S ta tes struck for a w e e k ; nearly a thousand men
were killed and wounded before th e trains could be set
r u n n in g again ; millions of dollars’ worth property was
destroyed. Tho contagion spread to th e mines aud facto­
ries, and had th e m ovem ent been more skilfully organised,
th e whole country would have been in revolution, and it
is impossible to tell w ha t the results m ight have been.
Com binations am ong th e working classes are now render­
ed practicable by rail and wire, which formerly were im­
possible ; and th e facilities which exist for secret conspi­
racy have turned Europe into a slum bering volcano, an
eruption of which is rapidly approaching.
“ T hu s it is th a t th e laws of retribution run th e ir course,
and th a t th e injuries th a t A nti-Christendom has inflicted
upon th e more primitive and simple races of the world,
which— u nd e r the p re te x t of civilizing th e m — it has ex­
plored to its own profit, will be amply avenged. Believe me,
m y dear friend, t h a t i t i s u n d e r 110 vindictive impulse or spirit
of religious intolerance th a t 1 write th u s : on the contrary,
though I consider Mussulmans generally to be far moro
religious th a n Christians, inasmuch as they practise more
conscientiously the teaching of their prophet, I feel th a t
teaching from an ethical point, of view to be infinitely in­
ferior to th a t of Christ. I have written, therefore, w ith ­
o u t prejudice, in this a t te m p t philosophically to analyse
th e nature and causes of th e collision which has a t last
culminated between th e E ast and the W est, between the so-
called Christendom and Islam. A nd I should only be too
thankful if it could be proved to me t h a t I had done the
form of religion you profess, or th e nation to which you
belong, an injustice. I am far from wishing to insinuate
t h a t am ong Christians, even as Christianity is a t p resent
professed and practised, there are not as good m en as
am ong nations called heathen and barbarous. I am even
prepared to ad m it there are b e tte r— for some struggle to
practise th e higher virtues of Christianity, not unsuccess­
fully, considering the m a n n e r in which these are conven­
tionally travestied ; while others, who reject the popular
theology altogether, have risen higher than ordinary mo­
dern C hristian practice by force of reaction against th e
hypocrisy and shams by which they are surrounded,— b u t
these are in a feeble minority, and unable to affect th e
popular standard. S uch men existed among th e Je w s a t
th e tim e of Christ, b u t th ey did not prevent H im from
denouncing th e moral iniquities of H is day, or th e Church
which countenanced them. A t the same time, I m u s t re­
m ind you th a t I shra nk from the task which you imposed
upon me, and only consented a t last to un dertak e it 011
y o u r repeated assurances t h a t by some, a t all events, of
y o u r countrymen, th e sp irit by which I have been a n im a t­
ed in w riting th u s frankly will not be misconceived.—
Believe me, m y d ear friend, yours very sincerely,
“ A T u r k i s h E f f e n d i .”
Mr. Ed. W im bridge, F.T.S., has j u s t etched a large m npof
th e railway system of In d ia for th e G. I. P. Railway Com­
pany, to accompany th e Guide th ey are abo ut publishing.
 T H E A R VA2T R K V I V A L .
A public m eeting was held a t 3 P. sr. on Sunday, tho
l l t l i Ja n u a ry , a t N a ty a M andir of th e late S ir Rajah
Rad ha K a n t D eb Bahadur, K.t'.S.l. More th a n three
hundred H in d u gentlemen were present.
Proposed by Babu Jiln'm Kissen Ghose, seconded i>y
B a b u Shoslii Bhoosun Mookerjee, luid carried unanimously,
t h a t Rajah Rajender N arain D eb B a ha d ur ta k e th e chair.
T he chairman requested Pan dit R ally Prossuno
V e d a ru tn a to deliver his lecture on th e “ superiority of
t h e Aryan religion and th e necessity of th e diffusion of its
knowledge by public preaching.”
After the lecturer h ad finished his lecture, the chair­
m an proposed “ t h a t a society he formed for th e diffusion
of the A ryan faith, and th a t steps bo ta k en for th a t p u r ­
pose on th e spot.” T h e proposal was carried new. con.
Proposed by Babu G irinder C h u n d e r Ghose, seconded
b y B abu Mohendra N a th Bose, and carried unanimously,
t h a t a society be formed for th e above purpose aud be called
th e B h a r a t y a r s a A r y a D i i a k m a P r o c i i a r i n i S a i i h a .
Proposed by Babu Kojla-sh C h u n d e r Mookerjee, second­
ed by Babu Obhoy C hu ru n M ittra, and carried u n a n i­
mously, t h a t Rajah K om ul K rish na U eb B a ha d ur and R a ­
j a h R ajendra N arain D eb B a h a d u r be elected Presidents
of the Sablm.
F ifty gentlem en were elected members, and Babu Shoo-
shee Bhoosun Mookerjee was appointed Secretary to
the Sabh£.
Proposed by Babi'i H e rra Laid R ukhit, seconded by Rabii
Nilcomid Banerjee, and carried unanimously, t h a t P a n d it
Kally Prossimu V e d aru tn a and Gocul C h u n d er Gossawmi
be ap])ointcd botli as Acharyas and Procharaks, (m is­
sionary) of the Sablii.
W ith a vote of th a n k s to th e chairman, tlie m eeting
broke up a t 7 i\ si.
S ho o sh ee B hoosun M o o k e k jj,
Secretary o f the JJItKrutnirxa A n /a
D hurm a P ro d u trin i Sabhd.
C A I.C U T T A :
No. o, R am Kissen B angchce’s Lane.
G E S T U li E -S P E E C H .
Observation* on the Sign Language o f the -Vorth American Indian.*•
UY COL. CiAKHICK MALLEIIY, U.S.A.
Anxious to avail of the first o p p o rtu nity ever offered for
m ak in g a close collation of tho language, superstitions,
customs a n d traditions of th e A ry ans an d those s tr a n g e
nomads of tho N o rth A m erican prairies inis-termed “ I n ­
dians,” Col. Olcott, some tim e ago, called th e a tte n tio n
of Col. G. Mallery an d Major J . W . Powell, of th e U n ite d
S ta te s A rm y , th e chiefs of th e Ethnological B ureau of tho
Sm ithsonian In s titu tio n , to th e subject. S ub joined is
Col. Mallery’s reply and th e re p o rt of his re c e n t lecture,
a t W ashington, D.C., w hich h e has k indly revised for our
magazine — Ei>. T h e o s .
Sniit/tnoiiian Institution, Bureau o f I'Jthnoloyy.
W ashington, D. C., Nov. l.S, 1871).
C o l . H . S. O l c o t t , U n ite d Suites C o m m r .
M y D e a r C olonkl,
T he subject you su g g e st is highly interesting, a u d i t
■will be m ost useful to collate in th e T ueosoi *iiist (grate­
fully received) tho parallels between th e N . A . Imlians
and tho real Indians, in psychology, philosophy, &c. 1 d e ­
livered last w inter a popular lecture u n d e r the title “ T h e
comparative m ythology of tho two In dies.’’ I will look it
over an d see w hat m ay bo excerpted. Major Powell
is iu Oregon, an d can no t have received y o u r le tte r y e t
I feel confident t h a t h e as well as inyself will gladly
give you “ notes,” if n o t carefully prep ared papers.
Neither of us will have much leisure d u r in g th e im ­
pending session of th e Congress, as wo are mixed
up in th e Pub lic Land Commission, C hange of Laws
Adapted for tho A rid Region, Irrigation, &C....I enclose a
. n e w s p a p e r s lip a b o u t s o m e o f m y r e c e n t w o rk s. P e r h a p s
I m a y g e t fro m y o u r o b s e r v e r s in I n d i a m a te r ia ls to c o lla te
t h o n a ti v e g e s t u r e s o f I n d i a n ra c e s w ith th o s e of i h e N .A .
I . a n d th o d e a f m u te s . I t is a n e w b u t im p o r t a n t field in
e v o lu tio n . I w ill p r i n t in a m o n th o r so m y p r e l im in a r y
p a p e r a n d s e n d i t to y o u . I t w ill n o t b e e x h a u s tiv e e v e n of
m a t e r i a ls a lr e a d y g a th e r e d , b u t w ill s e r v e to d ra w fire a n d
in d u c e c o r r e s p o n d e n c e fo r a c o m p le te m o n o g r a m , in w h ic h
th c T iiE O S O rm s T a n d its c o rp s o f c o n t r i b u t o r s c a n g r e a t l y a i d .
H eartily Yours,
G .u u u c k M a llk u y .
R eport.
Before th e A m erican Association for tho advance­
m e n t of Science, a t its late m eeting in Saratoga, Co­
lonel G arrick M allery of th e U nited States Army, and
attached to th e B u re a u of Eth no lo gy of th e Sm ithsonian
I n s titu tio n , read an elaborate p a p e r on “ T h e Sign L a n ­
g u a g e of tho N o rth Am erican In dians,” presenting points
both of novel, scientific in te re st as illu stra tin g th e ge stu re
speech of m an kind , and, of practical value. After tracing
th e history of g e sture speech, so far as know n in other
p a r ts of tho world, th e th e ory was controverted th a t tho
power of the visible g e stu re relative to, and its influence
upon, th e audible word was inversely proportioned to th o
d evelopm ent of th e oral language. The traveller’s tales
of people un able to u n d e rsta n d th e ir mother to n g u e in
t h e dark because not th e n able to see gestures, were of
d o u b tfu l tr u th anywhere, and certainly false .os regards
th e American tribes, m any of those t h a t ge sture most
freely having a copious vocabulary with highly differen­
tiated p a rts of speech. T h e tru e distinction is th a t w hero.
tho n u m b e r of m en speaking tho saino dialect is small,
and when they are throw n into contact on equal term s
w ith others of different tongues, ge stu re is necessarily
resorted to for converse, while large bodies enjoying a
common language, and eith o r isolated from foreigners, or
if in contact with them , so d o m in a nt as to compel tho
learn in g and adoption of th e ir own tongue, become i m ­
passive in its delivery. Instances of this from tho old
world were presented. B u t nowhere as on our continent
was th e re spread over so vast a space so small a n u m b e r
of individuals divided by so m any linguistic boundaries.
T h e general use of signs originating from the necessity
for extra tribal communication becam e also convenient
from the habits of hu nte rs and th e military tactics of s u r­
prise. So, naturally, th e practice of a sign language
am ong our Indians is noticed by all travellers, and tho
assertion has been c u r r e n t th a t it was a single, universal
and absolute code. To test this rem arkable sta te m e n t a
n u m b e r of sign vocabularies ta k e n in different parts of tho
co un try a t several dates from th e hist century to tho last
m o nth were collected by tho writer, comprising to g e th e r
more th an eight h u n d r e d signs. T ho result is th a t thero
is often an en tire discrepancy betw een th e signs m ado b y
different bodies of Ind ians to express the same idea. Very
few of the lim ited n u m b e r of' gestures th a t are in g eneral
use are a t all conventional, b eing only portions more o r
less elaborate of obvious n atu ral p a n to m im e ; and thoso
proving to bo th e fittest expressions of th o several ideas
becam e th e m ost widely adopted. I n some cases the ori­
ginal air pictures of an outline or action have become a b ­
breviated— and even if both th e original conception anil
delineation w ere th e sam e, th e two or moro abbreviations
■ became unlike. T h e first conceptions were also often d i ­
verse, because all objects have several characteristics, and
w h a t struck one se t of people as th e most distinctive
would not always so impress an other. Col. Mallery th e n
gave from the collected lists, or vocabulary, a largo n u m ­
b e r of examples w h ere e ith e r th e conception or execu-
■tion or both , to express th e same idea, were widely di­
verse. Also a n u m b e r of typical cases of agreem ent, fol-
' lowed by illustrations of others no t r e m a rk a b le e ith e r
for general or limited acceptance, b u t for th e philosophy
or poetry su g g e ste d by th e ir picturesque figuration. Some
of these wcro com pared w ith tho g e stu res of savage aiuL
t ivilized jicople in tlic1 old world, witli tlic<sc of deaf unites, n w g tr:
-with th e code of tlie Cistercian monks wlio were vowed to
silence, and witli the picture writing on butlalo robes anti s n re rrfa tfrT : *7-
NO
tin Eg yp tian pyramids. T h e general result proved th a t Jre rg jfe fr II a?K*R: II
th e r e wa.s no uniformity in detail, blit th e variety in ex­
pression was in itself of great psychological interest. t f r r e g w if a f if a c r : . ^ ^ R n ^ r a f t ^ w q ^ ^ : ll
W h ile the assertion of a single universal sign language ra?rrcfaw r || q ’-ri?":
a m o n g the tribes is, therefore, one of th e popular errors v3 q i > ^ : || s f r g f s f r f t s'Sr s i f e T P i r -
ab o u t our aborigines, it is nevertheless tru e th a t th e a t ­ sfitsp ftw T r || T T w r r e n m T 1*:
te m p t to convey m eaning by signs is universal among
5i% ll n
them , and so is its successful execution, not by a rb itra ry
sem aphoric motions, b u t in a cultivated a r t which is found­
ed upon principles th a t can readily be applied by travellers
a n d officials so as to give th e m much independence of Translation o f the above made by 1". It. 1 ’atvardhon, P. T,S., fo r
professed interpreters. Two intelligent pantomimists,
the T hcow phitt.from ihe X anslril original.
w h e th e r Indian or Caucasian, deaf or w itho ut common
ton gu e, will seldom fail of m u tu a l u n d e rsta n d in g when H e r e in th e land of Benares, fragrant as it were with
th e ir a tte n tio n is exclusively directed to expressing tho ug hts th e stores of knowledge, arrived Colonel Olcott, witli a mind
by m eans of comprehension and reply equally possessed by earnestly desirous of acquiring the knowledge of the
both, without the m en tal confusion of conventional sounds mtinners, customs, mechanical 'and other arts and sciences
only intelligible to one. of th e ancient Aryas and having formed friendship with
"Whether or not g estu re u tte ra n c e preceded articulatc the m em bers of tin* H rahndm vitavavshini Association,
Fpeech, study of th e a r t in its high developm ent will, by showed at a m eeting of t h a t assembly a very great liking
ji re tu rn to carlv principles, tend to solve th e old problem J b r the In d ia n Philosophies, (the J)avsanas S/id-tras).

of universal communication am ong m en in spite of their Metliinks th a t although he is born in a foreign land,
dialectic divisions. A main object of th e p a p e r was to in­ ye t lie is assuredly a native of India, inasmuch as in him
vite suggestions anti contributions to perfect a com pre­ t he effect of t he original antecedent relationship has shown
hensive monograph on th e subject, now iu preparation, to life afresh, and ho has made not infrequent efforts to­
be published with illustrations u n d e r th e auspices of tho wards the good of India. N evertheless enough with such
{Smithsonian Institutio n. series of conjectures. T h e fact, however, still remains
th a t lie longs to know the philosophy (the Darsanas) of
our country, and being desirous of spreading in foreign
TH E 1'!■:./>. IJX T J ) . \U S . I .V. I. countries tlit' knowledge of th e Vedant ./tarxana invited
HY MAMA M ISRA S1IA STH I, i-lilS K » M )K OK .SA N K IIV A . earnestly and not infrequently Vedantic contributions to
th eir famous Jo u rn a l which, as it were, acts th e part of th e
^ -o ^ M Os Moon in expanding the lotus of Indian Wisdom.
Now, th e 'Vedant Philosophy owing to th e variety of
c 'S Mt
h u m a n th o u g h t is m ade u p of th e several doctrines or
- n. ^ 6 views, namely, Suild/iddvaita, Jfvaita, A dvaita, 1 isis-
tddvaita and others based 011 a variety of distinct posi­
*N *S
tions ; and it is not. possible to receive any one of th e
JTKI5T || doctrines as the principal exponent of th e whole V edant
philosophy by distinguishing any one of them from its
fellows.
c m N ia ia t: C. G *s‘»
II Seeing, however, th a t some introduction should be made
regarding the Advaita doctrine alone, which is being fol­
'O "O
lowed by hun dreds of famous learned men, who, though
\5 divided by hundreds of shades and differences of opinions,
tlo y e t coincide in substance in the pith of th e A dvaita
'C <, *s doctrine, namely, the u nity and universality of soul, we
shall accordingly first introduce the A droit a doctrine.
N o w , following the gist of the rule implied in th e saying
fcT, f«n|rT, of th e Glorious One (lih a g a vd n ), namely, “ One should
ii a?rrffiq*: 5 i t : Ri%g;- not create an unsettled or divided state o f m ind in the.
■ii/norant who are given up to outward acts and ceremonies’
^ [4 ?R r sr-
th e teachers of Advaita doctrine to attra c t to themselves
th e rexyect and attention of their respective pupils of vary­
ing calibre, have w ritten 011 th e A dvaita doctrine the
Siildhdutalexa and o ther treatises, which, over aud above
^ - ? 3f q " ^ s T R i ^ V i n - q " f the substance of th e doctrine, naturally contain futile and
'O '4
noisy controversies produced by marshalling together con­
flicting and polemical hypotheses. In illustration of the
^voR R ^ ^ q m q ^ r f l ^ ^ : n q w ?^* rr^ u ^r* r: above, th e one instance of JUidxkarueJiavya would suffice.
T h o u g h him self a strict follower o f Advaita doctrine, Blias-
karacharya m akes scornful strictures on th e exposition of
<r, ^ ^ r f r f q ^ T K J T ? : ll q 5- n ^ : Advaita doctrine' by Sankavdchdvya, which, nevertheless,
f o r m s th e vital support of the followers o f th a t d o ctrine;
5 ir^ > §• for, so says lihdskordvhdrya in th e beginning of his com­
ii «rr- m e n ta ry 011 the Vedant Aphorisms ( S u tr a ) t h a t he u n ­
dertook to com m ent on the Vedant philosophy, which by
^ r f 5r R R * R ® s « i * T i ^ « ^ n i c r r - th e way is a tit subject for commentaries, in order to neu­
tralise th e pernicious effects of the works of those scholiasts
&\ 'O who have concealed the real m eaning of the Aphorisms
q w ^rr^ cu ^ n q*- anti m ade commentaries to suit th e ir own views tin the
subject. F u rth e r, Bhaskaracharya thus anim adverts also-
ND on the conflict of th e Aphorisms that, in commenting nnd
discovering ( A d h ik a ra n a ) 011 th e Aphorism beginning;
w ith the word Anatuhamnju the great anil revered S a n kara-
churi/a, stick in g last always to his own views ami using
not infrequently such artifices in construing th e Aphorisms
as would favour his own views on tho subject, says th a t the
words ot th e Aphorism m ust be construed in such and such
a way, and could show only a forced m ann er after all th a t
t h e words of the Aphorism supported his contention and
view on th e subject. B ut, such reflections apart, it is cer­
tain th a t Haukamcluiryii'ti view of th e A ilra ilu doctrine is
very ancient, and its high a n tiq u ity is established by the fact
t h a t Sankunic/utryii’.s view of th e A tlraiht doctrine (n ir-
visrfiluulraiht) has been found controverted in the ancient,
philosophies of Kapila, aud others who have controverted
Verfunt doctrines.
Now, according to all the doctrines of 1 \ila n t, " Final
E m a n cipa tio n” (m ohrha) is th e a tta in m e n t of one’s own
original state of existence ( Kra.svarupuv6pti), which is cor­
roborated and affirmed by both th e xinritt and the nitra ;
for, th e .m/iriti says, “ Final Em ancipation (tn u k tih ) is no ­
th in g else than existence in th e original sta te of one's
self,” and the xulrti says, “ having attain ed original self.”
T h e real nature and essence of the spirit is eternal and
unchangeable (nilya), pure (xiuhlhu), essentially knowing
(huthllui), and emancipated (niuktu). Soul’s evolution— tbo
visible universe— is but tbo effect of Illusion (M in im a.)
Illusion is without a beginning (A m uti) and is tho result,
of th e negation of knowledge (A r iily u ), which is equally
w ithou t a beginning. N egation of knowledge is eternal
and unchangeable also ; for, th e ancients say that,
] — T he “ Encased soul” ( ,/ir a ) ; 2— The “ Creative Pow ­
er” (Isa.)-, :!— “ Unalloyed E n e rg y ” ( Vixiuhlhd chit) ;
4— T h e relative difference between ,/ira and /mi ; ;*>— “ T h e
negation of knowledge and (i— T h e relative difference
betw een the energy and " negation of knowledge,” are
eternal and unchangeable,
Benares College, Feb. 1SN0.
[ To he Ciwtiiiiieil.]
A LAN D OF M Y S T E R Y .
BY 11. P . 11.
"Whether one surveys the imposing ruins of M emphis
or Palm yra ; stands a t the foot of the g re a t pyramid of
Ghize ; wanders along the shores of th e N ile ; or ponders
amid th e desolate fastnesses of th e long-lost and mysterious
Petra, however clouded and misty the origin of these p r e ­
historic relics may appear, one nevertheless finds at least
certain fragments of firm ground upon which to build con­
jectu re. Thick as may be the curtain behind which the h is­
tory of these antiquities is hidden, still there are rents here
and there through which one m ay catch glimpses of light.
W e are acquainted with t he descendants of th e builders.
And, however superficially, we also know the story of tho
nations whose vestiges are scattered around ns. N o t so with
th e antiquities of the N ew W orld of the two Americas.
There,- all along the coast of Peru, all over th e Isthm us
and N o rth America, in the canyons of the Cordilleras, iu
th e impassable gorges of the Andos, and, especially beyond
th e valley of Mexico, lie, ruined and desolate, hundreds
of once m ig hty cities, lost to th e memory of men, anil
having themselves lost even a name. Buried in dense
forests, entombed in inaccessible valleys, sometimes six­
ty feet under ground, from th e day of the ir discovery
■until now they have ever remained a riddle to science
baffling all inquiry, and they have been m uter than tho
Egyptian Sphinx herself. W e know nothing of America
prior to the Conquest— positively nothing. N o chronicles,
not even comparatively modern ones survive; there are
no traditions, even among the aboriginal tribes, as to its
past events. W e are as ignorant of th e races that, built
these cyclopean structures, as of the strange worship t h a t
inspired the antediluvian sculptors who carved upon h u n ­
dreds of miles of walls, of monum ents, monoliths and altars,
these weird hieroglyphics, these groups of animals and
men, pictures ot an unknow n life and lost a r t s ; scenes so
fantastic and wild, a t times, th a t they involuntarily
suggest th e idea of a feverish dream, whose p h a n ta s m a ­
goria a t the wave of some m ighty magician’s hand suddenly
crystalized into granite, to bewilder the coming gen e ra ­
tions for ever andi ever. So .late as the be*riiinin<;
O O of tho
present century, the very existence of such a wealth of
antiq uities was unknown. The potty, suspicious jealousy
of the Spaniards had, from th e tirst, created a sort of
Chinese wall between their American possessions and the
too curious traveller ; and the ignorance and fanaticism of
th e conquerors, and the ir carelessness as to all b u t the
satisfaction of th e ir insatiable greediness, had precluded
Scientific research. Even th e enthusiastic accounts of C or­
tez and his arm y o f brigands and priests, and o f PizaiTo
and his robbers and monks, as to the splendour of th e
temples, palaces, and cities of Mexico ami Peru, were long
discredited. In his H istory of America, Dr. Robertson
goes so far as to inform his reader th a t the houses of the
ancient Mexicans were “ mere huts, built with turf, or
mud, or th e branches of trees, like those of th e rudest
Indians and, upon th e testimony of some Spaniards
he even risked the assertion th a t “ in all the e xte nt of
t h a t vast empire,” there was not a single m onum ent or
vestige’of any building mori! ancient than the C o n q u e s t ” !
I t was reserved to th e O in'eat Alexander H um # boldt to vin­
dicate the truth. In ISOS a new Hood of light was poured
into th e world of arclceology by this em inent and learned
traveller. In this he luckily proved but the pioneer of
future discoverers. H e then described b u t Mitla, or th e
Vale of tb e Dead, Xoxichalco, and th e great pyramidal
T em ple of Cholula. But, after him came Stephens, Cather-
wooil, and S q u ie r ; and, in Peru, D ’Orbigny and Dr. Tschud-
di. Since then, num erous travellers have visited and given
u s accurate details of m any of this antiquities. liut, how
m any more y e t remain not only unexplored, but even
unknown, no one can tell. A.s regards prehistoric build­
ings, both Peru and Mexico are rivals of Egypt. Equal­
ling the la tte r in the immensity of her cyclopean stru c­
tures, Peru surpasses her in th e ir n u m b e r ; while Cholula
exceeds th e grand pyramid of Cheops in breadth, if not.
in height. W orks of public utility, such as walls, forti­
fications, terraces, water-eourses, aqueducts, bridges, te m ­
ples, burial-grounds, whole cities, and exquisitely paved
roads, hundreds of miles in length, stretch in an unbroken
line, almost covering th e land as with a net. On the
coast., they are b uilt of sun-dried bricks ; in th e m o un ­
tains, of (torphyritic lime, granite, and silicated sand-stones.
O f the long generations of peoples who built them, his­
tory knows nothing, and even tradition is silent. As a
m a tte r of course, most of these litliic remains are covered
with a dense vegetation. Whole forests have grown o u t
of th e broken hearts of th e cities, and, with a few excep­
tions, every th in g is in ruin. But one may ju d g e of wliat
once was by tha t which yet remains.
W ith a most flippant unconcern, the Spanish historians
refer nearly every ruin to Incal times. No greater m is­
take can he made. T he hieroglyphics which sometimes
cover from top to bottom whole walls and monoliths are,
as they were from the tirst, a dead letter to modern
science. B u t they were equally a dead letter to th e Incus,
though the history of th e latter can be traced to tho
eleventh century. T hey had no clue to th e m eaning of
these inscriptions, b u t a ttrib u te d all such to th e ir unknown
predecessors; th u s barring th e presum ption of their own
descent from th e tirst civilizers of th eir country. Briefly',
the Incal history runs t h u s : —
I n c a is the (juiclm a title for chief or emperor, and tb o
nam e of the ruling and most aristocratic race or ra th e r
caste of the land ; which was governed by th e m for an
unknown period, prior to, and until, the Spanish Conquest.
Some place th e ir first appearance in Peru from regions
■unknown in 1021 ; others, also, or conjecture, a t five cen­
turies after th e Biblical “ Hood,” and according to th e
modest notions of Christian theology. Still th e la tte r
theory is un do ubtedly nearer tr u th th a n the former. T h e
Tncas, jud ged by th e ir exclusive privileges, power and
“ infallibility” are the antipodal counterpart of th e Brail-
• Soo Stei'bons* C e n tra l Amcrica. '
 minical caste; of India. L ik e the latter, tho Incas claimed
direct descent from the Deity, which, as in th e case of
the Souryavansa dynasty of India, was th e Sun. Accord­
ing to th e sole b u t general tradition, th e re was a time
w hen th e whole of th e population of th e now N ew World
was broken up into independent, warring, and barbarian
tribes. A t last, the “ H ig h e st” deity — th e S u n — took
p ity upon them, and, in order to rescue th e people from
ignorance, sent down upon earth to teach th e m liis two
children Manco Capac, and his sister and wife, Mania
Ocollo H uaco— the counterparts, again, of the Egyptian
•Osiris, and his sister and wife, Isis, as well as of th e seve­
ral H in d u gods and demi-gods and th e ir wives. These
two made th e ir appearance on a beautiful island in Lake
Titicaea— of which we will speak fu rthe r 011— and thence
proceeded northward to Cuzco, later on th e capital of th e
Incas, where th e y a t once began to disseminate civiliza­
tion. Collecting together th e various races from all parts
of Peru, the divine couple then divided their labour.
Manco Capac ta u g h t m en agriculture, legislation, archi­
tectu re and a r t s ; while M am a Ocollo instructed th e women
in weaving, spinning, embroidery aiid house-keeping. It
is from this celestial pair t h a t th e Incas claimed th e ir
d e s c e n t ; and yet, they were u tte rly ignorant of th e people
who bu ilt the stupendous and now m in e d cities which
cover the whole .area of th e ir empire, and which th e n e x ­
ten ded from th e E q u a to r to over H7 degrees of Latitude,
and included not only th e western slope of th e 'A n d o s ,
b u t th e whole m ountain chain with its eastern declivities
t o th e Amazon and Orinoco. As th e direct descendants
of the Sun, th e y were exclusively the high priests of tho
s ta te religion, aud a t the same tim e emperors and the
h ig h e st statesmen, iu th e land ; in virtue of which, they,
again like th e Brahmans, arrogated to themselves a divine
superiority over th e ordinary mortals, th u s founding like
t h e “ twice-born ” an exclusive and aristocratic caste—
th e Inca race. Considered as th e son of th e Sun, every
reigning Inca was the high priest, the oracle, chief captain
in war, and absolute sovereign; th u s realizing th e double
office of Pope and King, and so long a n ticipating the
dream of th e Homan Pontiffs. To his com mand the
blindest obedience was exacted ; his person was s a c re d ;
and he was th e object of divine honours. T h e highest
officers of th e land could not, appear shod in hix p re ­
sence ; this m ark of respect pointing again to an
O rien tal o r ig in ; while th e custom of boring th e ears
of the youths of royal blood and inserting in them
golden rings “ which were increased in size as they a d ­
vanced in rank, until th e distention of th e cartilage
became a positive deformity,” suggests a strange resem­
blance between the sculptured portraits of m any of them
t h a t we find in the more• modern• »ruins, and th e images of
, O
B u d d h a and of some H in d u deities, not to m ention our
contemporary dandies of Siam, Burmali, and Southern
India. I 11 that, once more like in India, in th e palmy
•days of th e B rahm in power, 110 one had th e rig h t to
e ith e r receive an education or study religion except th e
young m en of th e privileged Inca caste. And, when
t h e reigning Inca died, or as it was term ed, “ was called
h om e to th e mansion of his father,” a very large n u m ­
b e r of his a tte n da nts and his wives were m ade to die with
him, d u rin g th e ceremony of his obsequies, j u s t as we
find in th e old annals of Rajesthdn, and down to the b u t
j u s t abolished custom of Sutti. T a k in g all this into con­
sideration, t h e archaeologist cannot rem ain satisfied w ith
th e brief rem ark of certain historians t h a t " in th is tra d i­
tion we trace only a no th er version of th e story of th e ci­
vilization common to all prim itive nations, and, th a t im ­
posture of a celestial relationship whereby designing rulers
a nd cunning priests have sought to secure th e ir ascen­
dency among men.” N o more is it an explanation to say
t h a t “ Manco Capac is th e almost exact c ou nterpart of t he
Chinese Fold, the H in d u Buddha., th e terrestrial Osiris of
E gypt, th e Quetzacoatl of Mexico, and V otan of Central
' A m erica” ; for all this is b u t too evident.. W h a t we w ant
to learn is, how came these nations so antipodal to each
■other as India, Egypt, and America, to offer such extraordi­
nary points of resemblance, n ot oidy in th eir general re­
ligious, political, and social views, b u t sometimes iu the
m in u te st details. T h e much-needed task is to find out
which one of th e m preceded th e o th e r ; to explain how
these people came to p lant a t th e four corners of the earth
nearly identical architecture and arts, unless there was a
tim e when, as assured by Plato and believed in by more
t h a n one m odern arclueologist, no ships were needed for
such a transit, as th e two worlds formed b u t one continent.
According to th e most recent researches, th e re are five
d istinct styles of architecture in th e Andes alone, of which
th e Tem ple of th e S u n at Cuzco was th e latest. A n d this
one, perhaps, is th e only structure of importance which,
according to modern travellers, can be safely a ttrib u te d to
th e Incas, whose imperial glories are believed to have,
been th e last gleam of a civilization d a tin g back for untold
ages. Dr. E. It. H e ath , of Kansas, (U.S.A.) th in k s t h a t
“ long before Manco Capac, th e Andes had been th e dwell-
ing-plaeeot races, whoso beginnings m u s t have been coeval
with th e savages of W e ste rn Europe. T h e gigantic a r ­
chitecture points to th e cyclopean family, th e founders of
th e Temple of Babel, and th e Egyptian pyramids. T he
Grecian scroll found in m any places is borrowed (?) from
th e E gyptians ; the mode of burial and em balm ing th e ir
dead points to Egypt.” F u r th e r on, this learned traveller
finds t h a t th e skulls ta k e n from the burial-grounds, ac­
cording to craniologists, represent three distinct races :
t.he Chinchas, who occupied th e western p art of Peru from
th e Andes to th e Pacific; th e Aymaras, dwellers of th e
elevated plains of P e ru an d Bolivia, on th e southern shore
ot Lake T i tic a c a ; and th e Huancas, who “ occupied th e
plateau betw een th e chains of th e Andes, n o rth of L ak e
Titicaca to the !)th degree of South Latitude. To con­
found th e buildings of th e epoch of th e Incas in P e ru ,.a n d
of M ontezuma and his Caciques, in Mexico, with th e ab o­
riginal m o n um ents is fatal to arclueology. W h ile ’Cholula,
U xm al, Quiche, Pachacamac, and Chichen were all perfect­
ly preserved and occupied a t th e tim e of th e invasion of
th e Spanish hmvlitti., th e re are hundreds of ruined cities
.and works which were in the samu state of ruin even th e n ;
whose origin was u nk now n to the; conquered Incas and
Caciques as it is to u s ; and which arc undoubtedly th e
remains of u nk no w n and now extinct peoples. T he strange
shapes of th e heads, and profiles of the hum an figures upon
th e monoliths of Copan are a w arrant for th e correctness of
tho hypothesis. T h e pronounced difference betw een th e
skulls of these races and th e In d o-E urop ean skulls was
a t first a ttrib u te d to mechanical means, used by t h e m o ­
thers for giving a peculiar conformation to th e head of
th e ir children d u rin g infancy, as is often done by other
tribes a n d peoples. But, as the same a u th o r tells us, th e
finding in “ a m u m m y of a foetus of seven or e igh t m o n th s
having th e sam e conformation of skull, has placed a d o u b t
as to the ce rta inty of this fact.” And besides hypothesis,
we have a scientific and an unim peachable proof of a ci­
vilization • t h a t m u st have existed in P e ru ages
O Oago* W e re
we to give th e n u m b e r of thousands of years t h a t have
probably elapsed since then, w ith o u t first nhowing good
reasons for th e assumption, th e reader m igh t feel like
holding liis b re a th So let us try.
T h e P e ru v ia n guano (hiuino), th a t precious fertilizer,
composed of th e ex crem ent of sea-fowls, interm ixed w ith
th e ir decaying bodies, eggs, remains of seal, and so on,
which has accum ulated upon the isles of th e Pacific and
t.he coast of S o u th America, and its formation are now well-
known. I t was H u m b o ld t who first discovered aud drew
th e world’s a tte n tio n to it in 180+. And, while describ­
in g th e deposits as covering th e granite rocks of the
Chincas and other islands to th e d e p th of .">() or GO feet,
he states that, the accumulation n f the preceding 300 yearn,
.since the Conquext, had form ed only a fe w lines in thickness.
H ow m a n y thousands of years, then, it required to form
th is deposit GO feet deep, is a m a tte r of simple calculation.
In this connection we m ay now q uote som ething of a dis­
covery spoken of in th e P eruvian A ntiquities.* “ Buried
•A . pap er published by M r. E. R. H eath iu th e Iiama.% City Reciem of
Scienct (turf Industry, Nov. 1878.
 62 feet un der th e ground, on th e C hinca islands, stone-
idols and waterpots were found, while 35 an d .‘t.'i feet be­
low th e surface were wooden idols. Jieneat/t the t/uano on
th e G uanapi islands, j u s t south of Truxillo, aiul Macabi
j u s t north, mummies,.birds, and birds' eggs, gold and silver
ornaments were taken. On tlie Macabi th e labourers found
some large valuable golden vases, which they broke u p
a n d divided among themselves, even though offered weight
for w eight iu gold coin, and th u s relics of g re a te r interest
to th e scientist have been ever lost. H e who can determ in e
th e centuries necessary to deposit th irty and sixty feet of
auano on these islands, rem em bering t h a t since th e Con­
quest, th ree h un d re d years ago, no appreciable increase in
d e p th has been noted, can givo you an idea of the a n ti­
equity of these relics.”
I f we confine ourselves to a strictly arithm etical cal­
culation, th e n allowing 12 lines to an inch, and 12 inches
to a foot, and allowing one line to every century, we are
forced to believe th a t th e people who m ade these precious
gold vases lived 8,04,000 years ago ! Leave an ample
m argin for errors, and give two lines to a c entury — say an
inch to every 100 years— and we will yet have 72,000 years
back a civilization which— if we ju d g e by its public works,
th e durability of its constructions, and th e g ra n d e u r of its
buildings,— equalled, and in some tilings certainly su r­
passed o u r own.
H a v in g well defined ideas as to th e periodicity of cycles,
for th e world as well as for nations, empires, and tribes,
we are convinced t h a t our p re se nt m odern civilization is
b u t the latest dawn of t h a t which already has been seen an
innum erable n u m b e r of times upon this planet. I t may
n o t be exact sciencc, b u t it is both inductive and deduc­
tiv e logic, based upon theories far less hypothetical and
m ore palpable th a n m any a n o th e r .theory, held as strictly
bcientific. To express it in th e words of Professor T. E.
N ipher, of St. Louis, “ we are not the friends of
theory, b u t of tru th ,” and un til t r u t h is found, we welcome
every new theory, however unpop ular a t first, for fear of
rejecting in our ignorance th e stone which m ay in tim e
become the very corner-stone of the tru th . ‘ T h e errors
of scientific men are well nigli countless, not because they
aro men of scicnce, b u t because th e y arc m e n ” says th e
same scientist ; an d fu r th e r quotes th e noble words of
F a r a d a y — “ occasionally, and frequently th e exercise of
t h e ju d g m e n t o u g h t to end in absolute reservation. I t
m ay be very distasteful and a great fatigue to suspend a
conclusion, b u t as we are not infallible, so we o u g h t to
be cautious.” (K.vperimental Researches, 2 4th Series.)
I t is doubtful w hether, with th e exception of a few of
th e most p ro m in e n t ruins, there ever was a tte m p te d a d e ­
tailed account of th e so-called A m erican antiquities. Y e t
in order to bring out th e more prom inently a point of
comparison such a work would be absolutely necessary.
'If tlie history of religion and of mythology a n d — far more
im po rtan t— th e origin, developing a n d final group in g of
th e hu m a n species is ever to be unravelled, we have to
t r u s t to archaeological research, r a th e r th a n to th e hypo­
thetical deductions of philology. W e m u st begin by
massing to g e th e r the concrete imagery of th e early thought,
m ore eloquent in its stationery form th a n th e verbal e x ­
pression of tho same, th e la tte r being b u t too liable, in its
m anifold interpretations, to be distorted in a thousand
ways. T his would afford us an easier and m ore t r u s t­
w orthy clue. Arclueological Societies o u g h t to have a whole
.cyclopaedia of th e world’s remains, w ith a collation of the
most im p ortan t of the speculations as to each locality. For,
however fantastic and wild some of these hypotheses m ay
seem a t first glance, y et each has a chance ofproving useful a t
some time. I t is often more beneficial to know w h a t a th in g
is not th a n to know w hat it is, as Max Muller tru ly tells us.
I t is n o t w ithin th e limits of an article in our p aper
th a t any such object could bo achieved. A vailing o u r­
selves, though, of th e reports of th e G ov ernm ent survey­
ors, trustw o rth y travellers, men of science, and, even our
own limited experience, we will try in future issues to givo
to our H indu readers, who possibly m ay n ever have heard
of these antiquities, a general idea of them . O u r latest
informations are draw n from every reliable source ; t h e
survey ol th e P eruvian an tiqu ities being mostly d u e ti»
Dr. H e a t h ’s able paper, abovementioned.
(To be Continued.)
P U Z Z L E S FOR TH E PH IL O L O G IST S.
Iir HAMCHUNDUA 1IAPUJI, KS(?„
Siiperiiitendeiit, Dead Letter Office, lUmibay.
I n th e issue of the T h kosophist for the m o n th o f N o ­
vember, 1879, appeared an interesting article e n title d
“ Cross and F ire ” which shows t h a t th e Elem ental worship,
or th e worship of th e Sun, was practised by th e Bulgarians,
before the days of Christianity, and th a t it is still p r e ­
served even now.
In this connection, I bog to su bm it a few questions upon
which I hone th e T h eo s o p h is t , acquainted as it is w ith
th e mythology anil history of th e old religions of alm ost
all th e nations of th e world, may be able to throw some
light, and clear u p th e doubts and am biguities in which
tlio m a tte r is enveloped. My questions are as follows :—
]. W e have been told* more or less vaguely by th o
philologists, t h a t a t a certain place on the northern fron­
tie r of India, or iu Central Asia, there once lived a peo­
ple or a nation which abandoned th eir country in p a r ­
ties (why and when, it is said, cannot be defined,) one
em igrating into India, w hilst th e other p en etrated into
th e countries of Europe, & c .; conquering India, it is a d d ­
ed, and driving into th e m ountain fiistnesses th e Gounds,
Jihills, Kulie.s, II'aghars, M ahars, Mongs, J3ei/dars o r
JJerads, Chambars, II addars, Sonthals, Fodegurs, Sfc., S[C.,
who are supposed or said to be the aborigines, anil m a k in g
them selves the m asters of the Peninsula. T h ey styled
them selves A ryas (Lords.) H ere they continued or pro­
pag ated th e religion of th e Vedas, which they had bro u g h t
w ith them , as well as th e arts and polity of a civilized
nation, as it is said, th e y were ; the im putation being t h a t
th e Vedas and civilization were not known in In d ia before
th e arrival of these adventurous immigrants.
Indeed, it is alleged t h a t in this pastoral and nomadic
race, as it is otherwise calked, there were priests, warriors,
agriculturists
o and serfs,' and t h a t the aborigines
t o who were
driven into th e hills, forests and mountains, were th e pro­
genitors of those who still remain ; b u t a few were absorb­
ed into, and am algam ated with, the Aryas.
. I t th e n n atu rally follows t h a t the other parties of these
A ryas who invaded and p e n e tra ted into the various coun­
trie s of Europe, &c., also carried w ith th e m th e ir sacred
and beloved Vedas, to g e th e r w ith th e S a n sk rit in which
th e y were delivered ; and not only preserved th e m intact,
b u t propagated th e ir religion in those new countries as,
according to th e philologists, had been done in India. T h e
nam es of th e Vedas, therefore, and th e E lem entary worship,
as well as th e spiritual science of Yog, including the use of
th e mystical or sacred syllable OM, which is invariably
prefixed to every scriptural or sacred writing, and even
repeated a t every daily ritualistic observance— to say
no th in g of th e old prim itive ways and customs of th o
Aryas, such as crem ation— m u st be traceable in a complete
form somewhere in th e oldest histories of those countries,
as in India, if such an Aryan em igration took place. And
this, even though C hristianity or M ohammedanism was
afterwards embraced by those nations.
Can any such traces be found, especially of th e Y og ;
an d w h a t equivalent word is given to it in any of the his­
tories ? H ow can th e g re a t fact be explained th a t th e people
.of Europe were wallowing in the mire of barbarism a n d
ignorance, while perfect civilization was reigning in In dia,
if em igrants from one A ryan stock, or family, or n a tio n
entered E u ro pe eith e r simultaneously with or even later
th a n th e p enetration of th oir supposed brothel's into I n d ia ?
European civilization is comparatively of a recent o r
modern date, long posterior to t h a t when darkness an d
gloom began to overspread India, .and cannot possibly b e
• C<iL M. T aylor’s “ S tu d en t's M anual of tlio H istory of In d ia," pp. 38, 3 9 .
162 t il k
a ttrib u te d to th e Aryan emigration, or if it can bo, th e n
th r r o should bo 110 difficulty in tracing or defining tin;
causes and period of the emigration most accurately ; tbo
E urop ean liistorical accounts being presumably b e tte r
■written and b e tter preserved tlian the Indian, since they
go as far back as the tim e of “ N o a h ’s covenant w ith God,”
o r th e creation of the world.
Various are the (lights of speculation of various minds
on th is great subject. L e t m e give expression to a few
o f them.
I t is asserted by some th a t th e Vedas are of tin; r e m o t­
est antiquity, and their birth or appearance iu India is
coeval with th e foundation or creation of the world ; aud
th ese refer m e to various authorities, .showing th a t the
A ry a n s are th e aborigines* of India. T hey say th a t our
forefathers originally lived around th e base of th e m o u n ­
ta in Himalaya, abounding in shrines, and on tho bunks
o f tho sacred rivers, which spring from this g re a t abode of
snow and water, th e tracts now denom inated the Banjul',
Benares, &c., &c., and th a t tho Aryans shifted southw ards
as they multiplied or as o ther occasions demanded. They
•were not em igrants from any place out of In d ia as
supposed.
Others affirm th a t th e allegation tliat th e parties, ori­
ginally of ono stock of family or one nation, separated and
emigrated from C entral A sia into India and the coun­
tries of Europe, is a m ere hoax purposely invented to
su ppo rt theoretical views, and to narrow as much as possi­
ble the gulf which now separates th e people of India
from those of oth er parts of th e world.
Still others aver th a t in those good old days c o m m u n i­
cation-!* or intercourse was free, and adventurers or e n te r ­
p ris in g philosophers, visiting India, picked u p some k no w ­
ledge of th e Indian religion and im parted it to th e ir coun­
trym en.
Lastly, it is affirmed t h a t in India, a certain king
chanced to g e t a t logger-lieads w ith a host of Rushers, who
carried th e ir animosity so far as to abandon th e king
altogether. T hey refrained from a tte n d in g or officiating
a t th e sacrifices and ceremonies a t t h a t place ; in fact,
th e y held th e king as an outcast. T h e king, for his part,
eared very little for the indignities offered, and treated his
adversaries w ith u t t e r contem pt in return. T h u s th e ill-
feelings were intensified and reconciliation bceainc im ­
possible. On th e demise of th e king, the Rusher* who
had already conspired, ceased not to pour th e ir w rath upon
th e adh eren ts or ra th e r the partizans of th e king, who
being disgusted aud harassed in the extreme, p u t an end
to the broils by leaving India, once for all. T h e y sought
refuge in th e countries of Europe, &c., and settlin g there,
ta u g h t th e people tho worship inculcated by th e Vedas,
of which thoy had b u t a faint knowledge.
I t is pointed o ut after all th a t tho Greeks,J th e oldest
people in Europe, woro not unknow n to th e Aryas of I n ­
dia, who distinguished or designated th e m as Yavans§
(barbarians or foreigners), a distinctive appellation which
could not liavo possibly been applied to th e Greeks, had
th e y been really th e same tribes or belonged to tho same
stock and origin as the A ryas of India. Or, again, if the
Europeans had enjoyed, as a birthright, tlio blessings and
revelations of th e sacred and philosophical t r u th s of th e
Vedic religion, it is doferentia i'y asked vvhat g re a t te m p ­
tation could have impelled th em to relinquish or exchange
tlio Vedas for th e Bible anil Koran alternately, when we
consider th e comparatively slight progress which C hris­
tian ity has made in India, th e land of the Vedas, du rin g
th e period of th e last two thousand years.
Before concluding th e subject, I m u st not lose sight of
some of tho striking facts and circumstantial evidences
• Elpkinstono’s H istory of India, Vol. I., pages 2 ami 05 to 99. Pocock's
In d ia in Uroccc, pages 203 to 206.
+ Elpkinstono'a H istory of India, Vol, I., pages 9J, 25G and 206. Pocoek'*
In d ia in Greece, pages 41 to 47, and 2f>0.
X E lpkinstono’a H istory of India, Vol. I., page 251.
3 M onirr W illiam’s S an sk rit and Knglub D ictionary, page 812.
rr ii e o s o p h ts t [Mart'll, 18,SO.
relative to it. Many of th e E uropean scholars and orien­
talists, strain in g every nerve, have drawn a conclusion that
Greeco, Italy, E gy pt, Palestine, &c., were colonized* hy
various m artial or warrior (kshatriya) clans, and by Brahnii-
nical and B uddhistic tribes, from th e East, nil hoicerer ori­
ginally or prim a rily fr o m India ; at th e same tim e showing
th e close affin ityf between the Sanskrit and th e several
European languages as evidence of the tru th of th is grand
exodus, and m a k in g its salient features harmonize with
the evidences supplied in th e Indian epics.
B u t then, again, tho startling fact of the Sanskrit having
sunk as it did into corruption, and not m a intaining its
ascendency in those countries, as it did in India, leads to
th e irresistible inferenco th a t th e colonists had to yield to
tho W e ste rn aborigines ; causing thereby a m ixture of
blood, and th e ir S a n sk rit so largely aiding in the refine­
m en t of th e indigenous dialects, as to enable th e m to
assume the high appellation of classical languages.
W H I C H F I R S T — TJIE E G G OR TJIE B I R D ?
B T II. P. W A V ATS KY.
I beg to present my warm est thank s to M r. William S im p ­
son, F.R.G.S., the distinguished artist and antiquary, who
extended last year his researches to Peshaw nr valley and
elsewhere, an d th ereb y .so enriched the Lahore Museum,
for kindly presenting me with a copy of his very valuable
paper, “ B u ddh ist A rchitecture : .Jellalabad," enriched
with seven illustrations. O u r th ank s are hone the less duo
to Mr. Simpson, th a t in one point, and a very im portant
one too, "it is impossible for either our Society or m y­
self, to agree w ith his conclusions. T h e feature of Mr. S im p ­
son’s interesting and learned paper is to quote th e words
of Mr. Ja m e s Eergusson, F.Il.S., Fast, Vice-Fresident, th a t
e v e r y “ form of a r t was imported into India, and nothing
ever came mil of it," (the italics arc mine). Mr, S im p ­
son builds his’ hasty conclusions upon the fact th a t most
of the capitals of th e pillars and pilasters in the ruins
of tho valley of th e Kabul river, are Corinthian, and
'• th e bases and mouldings generally are such as arc most
nnm istakeably derived from the far West, anil finally th a t
a “ n u m b e r of bell-shaped capitals, surmounted by double
animals which look like a reminiscence of th e pillars of
Perscpolis,” are also found in the caves of Karli, and o ther
eaves of India, as well as in th e valley of Peshawur. ^
I will not lim it my protest in this case, to nieioly point
to th e words of Mr. Eergusson, who cautiously rem arks
th a t “ th e sim ilarity is, however, so remote t h a t it is h a rd ­
ly sufficient to sustain Mr. Simpson’s assertion th a t every
form of a i t was im ported into India, and nothing ever
cam e o u t of it.” B u t 1 will hum bly suggest th a t in a
country like Indiii, whose past history is a total blank,
every "attem pt to decide th e age of th e monuments, or
w h ether th eir style wa.s original or borrowed, is now p re tty
m uch as open a question as it was a century ago. A new
discovery may any day annihilate th e theory of the day
before. Lack of space forbids me to en ter upon th e dis­
cussion more elaborately. Therefore', I will perm it my*
self only to say th a t Mr. Sim pson’s present “ assertion”
remains as hypothetical as before. Otherwise, we would
have to decide a jyriori, w hether India or Greece borrowed
from th e o th e r in other im po rtant cases now pending. B e­
sides “ Corinthian pillars” and “ double animals,'' once so
clear to the Persepolitans, wc have, here, th e solar race of
th e H a r i- K u la (Sun family) whose deeds m u st have been
a copy of, or th e model for, th e labours and very name of
th e Grecian Sun-God Hercules. N o less is it a m a tte r for
th e consideration of philologists and archa ologists which
of th e two— th e E gyptian Sphinx, called by th em H ari-
m ukh, or H ar-M -K ho (the Sun in his resting-place) or th e
• l’ocock'a Indin in Grroco, pages 9, 71, 111, IN), 200 to 210 and 214, 229
to 232 and 317. Sir W illiam .Jones—A siatic Rcacni-clie.*, Vol. I., pn^o 426.
f E lphinntonc's H istory of India, Vol. I., i>ogo 97. 1’ococU'j In d ia in
• (Jrcoce, p fg e s 145, 146, 208 nnd 270.
 lofty H im alaya peak, also eallotl H a rim u k li (tho m o u th of s tru m e n t round and round so as to m ake a ‘ c u p -m a rk ’
tho Sun) iu th e range to th e n orth of Cash mi r, owes its would be comparatively easy................. I n the American
nam e to th e other. invention by which a record of the message sent by th e
electric telegraph is made by tho instrum ent itself, th e
most primitive style of marking or writing on th e paper
0 U P -M A R K IN S C R IP T lO iY S . was necessarily adopted. A nd letters in th e Morse code
H. llivett-Carnac, Esquire, o f th e Bengal Civil Service, aro consequently composed of numerous combinations of
C.I.E., F.S.A., M. R. A. S., F . O. S., &c. has placed us long and short strokes."
u n d e r obligations by se nding us copies of Ins paper, Mr. R ivett-C arnac’s attention is called to th e fact th a t
‘ Archeological Notes on A n cient Sculpturings 011 Rocks stones inscribed with similar cup-marks aro found, in
in Kuniaon, Im lia etc.,' and other recent m onographs which th e Caucasian steppes, and it may be th a t by a friendly
embody th e latest fruits of his indefatigable antiq uarian collaboration am ong archaeologists in various countries, it
researches. A n eloquent and famous A m erican preacher will soon be practicable to trace th e progress from th e E ast
once said, in an add (‘ess upon th e Fine Arts, t h a t he never to the W e st of the conquering nomads whose lithic m o n u ­
■ could see a n Ita lia n image-vendor e n te r a poor m a n ’s ments in th e British Isles S ir J a m e s Simpson has describ­
cabin w ithou t feeling th a t he o u gh t to lift his h a t to ed, and which, we doubt not, th a t em inent explorer of the
him as to a real missionary of Art. For, rude and coarse Colorado Canyon, Major Powell, has encountered in th e
as m ig h t be the images he carried, they still embodied N o rth American Continent. S u ch a cooperation m ight be
a t least a rudim entary idea of sculpture, and th a t hastened if the assiduous observers now in In d ia would
germ m ight suffice to awaken th e glorious ta le n t of accept-the suggestion of Colonel (iarrick Mallery of the
a sculptor th a t lay la te nt in th e m in d of th e poor m a n ’s Ethnographic Bureau of th e Smithsonian Institution to
son. T h is was a great tr u th t h a t th e preacher uttered, m ake th e T h e o s o p h i s t the vehicle for tho m u tu al exchange
and recalls the old familiar proverb, ‘‘ Despise not th e day of Indian, European and American notes of discovery.
of small things.” Some of th e world's greatest discoveries
have resulted from the chance observation of some trilling
fact th a t had previously been passed over with ignorant T he undersigned is also u n d e r great personal obligation
indifference. W ho knows, for instance, what a Hood of light to Mr. llivett-C arnac for th e present of seven extremely
m ay not be thrown upon th e history of m ank in d by a valuable old coins recently found in the Bareilly District.
recent discovery announced by Mr. llivett-C arnac— a dis­ This is, indeed, a rare and well appreciated g ift; th e more
so, as our g reat Indian arclueologist tells me in his letter
covery hitherto not .sufficiently appreciated ; certainly not
of F e b ru ary 0.
as it ought to be. The description given by Sir J a m e s
Simpson, Bart., of th e cup-like m arkings 011 stones and “ They are coins of S u ry a or M itra D ynasty (r'u/e Prin-
sep, Vol. II.) '
rocks in Scotland, England, and other countries of the
W e st struck him as offering an" “ extraordinary resem ­ “ B h u m i Mitra, ) , , , n c , .
a • in-. nave been lound before, blit arc rare.
blance” “ to th e marks 011 th e tra p boulders which encircled Agni Mitra, J
th e Barrows n e a r N a g p u r ...T h e id e n tity betw een tho “ P h aguni Mitra, . . . , ,
m 1 ni I are not only new coins, but tint'
shape and construction of the tum uli, and betw een th e Bluulra (.ahosa, I ■ , .. ,
Til , • m-. •, y-itavux hi th e lists oi Indian
rem ains found in tho tu m u li of the two countries had al­ B ham i Mitra, and ( , .„
ready been noticed, and now here was a third, ami still Suyd or Suzyd M itra ) ' m oh‘
more rem arkable point, th e discovery on these tu m u li of As soon as a description of these coins shall appear in
m arking s which correspond exactly with th e markings th e Asiatic Society’s Jo urna l, we will give our readers
found in th e same clas3 of tum uli in Europe.” H e abs­ extracts from it. Every true son of th e great Aryavarta
tained from p u ttin g forward any theories founded upon of old should watch with interest all such new finds, as
th is striking resemblance, b u t affirmed th a t th e cup- they are constantly adding material for India’s archaic his­
marks formed “ another and very extraordinary addition to tory, and affirming our right to regard her as the oldest,
th e mass of evidence which already existed in favor of th e most venerable, and, a t th e same time, most interesting
■view, th a t a branch of tho nomadic tribes who swept, a t relic of tho prehistoric days. Meanwhile, I again personal­
an early date, over Europe, pe n e tra te d into In d ia also.” ly reiterate m y best thanks to Sir. llivett-Carnac.
T here is bo m uch more involved in Mr. R iv e tt-C a rn a c ’s H . P. B l a v a t s k y ,
discovery and th e theory he propounds th a n could possibly E d ito r o f the Theosophist.
he discovered in the spaco t h a t is a t our present disposal Bombay, F e b ru ary 25, 1880.
t h a t we refrain. Tho world’s history is yet to be written,
and it rests with scholars like Mr. llivett-C arnac to fur- T he Prospectus, issued in advance of the publication of
p’ish th e alphabet in which its pages are to be traced. W e th is magazine, promised our Subscribers th a t in th e y ear’s
m u st first scuttle N o a h ’s A rk and drown those fabulous twelve issues th ere should b e not less than 240 pages of
sons who have served so useful a purpose to the pious read in g m atter. T h a t would m ake 1:20 for th e half-year ;
ethnographers in search of progenitors for th e races whereas the folio n u m b e r which this pago bears shows th a t
of mankind, and then th e ground will bo cleared for th e we have exceeded th a t lim it by 4:i pages. W e have,
real historian to build upon. T here can be no tr u e arcliaj- therefore, done even more th a n wo promised. W e hope
ology among Christian nations u n til the last re m n a n t of to do as well th e o th e r six months. '
superstitious reliance upon Biblical chronology and history
is swept away. These two have composed a m ephitic th e o ­
logical atmosphere in which t r u th has been asphyxiated. T A B L E OK C O N T E N T S
Tho cup-marks noticed by Sir Ja m e s Simpson and Mr. Page. . . Fag*.
llivett-C arn ac are by th e la tte r described as “• holes A Medal of H onor ............ 131 T he Society’* l'o u rth A n­
Z o ro a s te r.............................. 135 n iversary ......................... 147
scooped out 0 11 the face of tho rock (or monum ent) . . V ic to rs from Shadow-land 13(i O ur “ A m erican P a n d it.”. . 151
. . . T h e y are of different sizes, varying from six inch­ T rue and E a lse l’ersonality 137 S h rad d h a nml Pinda ........ 151
e s to a n inch and a half in diameter, and in d e p th from Swami v e r s m M issionary. . 1 11 A T urkish Effendi 011
one inch to h a lf a n inch, and are generally arranged in Tlio D nyanushvari ............ 142 Christendom and Ialum. 152
perp end icular lines presenting m any p erm utation s in the H ow ljcat to become a Ciesture-Speech ................. 157
T h eo so p h ist..................... 143 T he V edant D a rs a n a ........ 158-
n u m b e r and size and a rra ng e m en t of th e cups.” T he B uddhist Idea about A L and of M y stery ............ 159
“ T h e A h g a m w ritin g c o n s is ts o f c o m b in a tio n s o f lo n g a n d Soul .................................. 144 Puzzlesfortlio Philologists 161
s h o r t s tr o k e s c u t 011 s a n d - s to n e . O11 s a n d - s to n e i t w o u ld A Jew el iu th e Old R ubbish 144 W hich first—Tho Egg or
b e e a s i e r to c u t lin e s w i t h t h o g ra in , so t o s p e a k , o f t h e The M adras Yogi Sabha- th e B ird ? ..................... 1G-2
paty S w a m i..................... 145 Cup-Mark Inscriptions ... 163
sto n e . To a t t e m p t t o m a k e a c u p -m a rk w o u ld l>e to r is k
s p l it ti n g t h e sla b . O n t h e o t h e r h a n d , t o c u t a lin e o n P rin ted a t tho Im lv tlriu l P r tu by B. Cursctjeo it Co., and published by
th e Thcosoi.liical Society, a t No. 108, tiiijjauin Hack ltoad, llombay.
hard trap would b e difficult, w h e re a s to w o r k a n iro n i n ­
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U n d e r th e f o llo w in g c o n d it 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
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©
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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
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• 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
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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
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V o l. I. B O M B A Y , A P R I L , 1880.
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^ ( E x t ra d fr o m the M inutes o f the Meet in// o f the General
Council, held at Bom bay. February, 5 th 1 SS 0 .)
W ith a view to stim u la te enquiry, hy th e N atives of
India, into th e literature of ancient times, to increase their
respect for their ancestors, and to th us accomplish one im ­
p o rta n t object for which the Theosophical (Society was
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R k s o i .y k d
T h a t there shall be f o u n d e d a h ig h p riz e a n d d ig n ity to
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lvIIAUSEDJI N . S eeuvai ,
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A V E R Y E A R N E ST K illK N D ]!E (i8 US TO H E A D A jMoVK-
moiit among the native-born population, to ccase using
th e term “ N a t i v e ” to designate them from foreigners.
He bitterly complains th at, though innocent enough iu
itself, it still is employed by those who are n o t friendly
to them, with a tinge of scorn very galling to a sensitive
m a n ’s feelings. T h e complaint does not seem entirely
well grounded. I n every country the original in ha bitan ts
are called N ative to contrast th e m w ith all who are not
born on the soil. I n America, the freest country in th e
world, and where there is absolute equality before the law,
we are proud to call ourselves Natives, w hen we wish to
indicate th a t we are not im m igrants ; an d some years
ago, a g re a t political p a rty calling itself t h e N a tiv e
American sprang into existence, a t a tim e of excitem ent
caused by the bare suspicion th a t foreigners were plotting
to underm ine our liberties. We do n o t see how tlie case
of India can be made a n exception (o a custom which
seems to us unavoidable. O ur correspondent th in k s th a t
flie word “ .Bhiiratiaiis ” m ig h t be adopted w ith general
concurrence, Bharat having been the a ncient nam e ol the
country. B u t this would noi. b e tte r the ease much, since the
Bhdratian would still have to be called w hat he would be, viz.,
a N ative. F o r our part, wc would feel very proud to be able
to boast of such a country ;is this and such an ancestiy,
even a t the cost of being called “ N ative, ” 'with a fine
flavor of scorn. B u t as to th e word “ H i n d u ” tlie case is
different. T h a t was invented as an e p it h e t of scorn and
contumely, aud we would not be sorry to see it g r a ­
dually fall into disuse. Such radical changes, however, are
very slowly brought about. O u r A ryan b rothers may
meanwhile ponder w h at an o th e r correspondent has to say
a b o u t “ H indus,” in a comm unication to be found else­
where.
A I'Aiisr s u n s c u i B K u asics u s the fo llo w in g
tions, which are suggestive, tho ug h not n e w :—
Poona 10th February, 1NS0.
SIR,— I should feel obliged if I could be enlightened
bn th e two following points by y o u r learned Parsi contri­
butors or any m em b er of your learned Society.
1. Is it right to say m y daily Prayers in Zendavesta,
when I do not understand a single word of th a t sacred
language ? W h y is it m ade compulsory by our Dustoors
to say th em only in Zendavesta ? Is it for no b etter rea­
son than th a t of the Catholic, Popes who k e p t the Bible in
L a tin so th a t the masses of th e people m ig h t not u n d e r­
stand w h at it contained ?
2. W h y do Parsis take cow's urine in th e m orning
as soon as they leave th eir bed ?
T H E S IL E N T B R O TH E R .
BY COt1NT E----------- A----------- , F.T.fi.
T h e strange story I am about to say was given me by
one of its principal heroes. I t s a u th e n tic ity cannot be
doubted, however sceptical one lliay feel as to the details
of th e narrative— and this for three good reasons : (n ) the
circumstances are well known a t Palermo, and th e inci­
dents still rem em bered by a few of the oldest inhabitants ;
narrator was so violent as to turn his hair— th e hair of a
young m an of 2G— as white as snow in one night, and
m ake him a raving lunatic for the n e x t six m o nths ; (c)
there is an official record of the death-bed confession of
th e criminal, and i t can be found in th e family chronicles of
th e Prince di R — V— . For myself a t least, no do u b t re­
mains as to the veracity of the story.
Olauerbach was a passiona te lover of the occult sciences.
F o r a, time, his only object was to become a pupil of the
famous Cagliostro, then living a t Paris, where he a ttra c t­
ed universal atte n tio n ; b u t th e mysterious C o u n t from the
first refused to have a ny thing to do with him. W h y lie
declined to accept as p u p il'a young m a i l of a good family
and very intelligent, was a secret which Glaiierbach— the
na rra to r of th e tale— could never penetrate. Suffice it to
say th a t all he could prevail upon th e “ Grand Coplit” to
do for him, was to teach him in a certain degree how to
learn tho secret th o u g h ts of the poisons he associated
with, by m aking th e m speak such thoughts audibly w ith ­
o u t knowing t h a t th e ir lips were uttering any sound. And
even this comparatively easy magnetic phase of occult
science he could n o t m aster practically. '
In those days, Cagliostro and his mysterious powers
were on all tongues. Paris was in a sta te of high fever
ab ou t him. A t Court, in society, in th e Parliament, in
th e Academy, they spoke b u t of Cagliostro. T he most
extraordinary stories were told of him, and the more they
were extraordinary th e mole willingly people believed
them. They said th a t Cagliostro had shown pictures of
future events in his magic mirrors to some of th e most il­
lustrious statesm en of France, and, th a t these events had
all come to pass. T h e king and the royal family had been
of the num b e r of those who were allowed to p eer into the
unknown. T he “ magician’’ had evoked th e shalles of
Cleopatra and J u liu s Ca>sar, of Mahomet and Nero. Glicn-
gis Khan and Charles th e Fifth had held a conversazione
with, th e m inister of th e police ; and an outwardly pious,
b u t secretly sceptical Christian archbishop having shown
a desire to have his doubts cleared, ono of th e gods wras
sum m oned— b u t did not come, for he had never existed in
flesh. M armoutel having expressed the desire to m eet
Belisarius, lie upon seeing the. great warrior em erging from
the ground, fell senseless. Young, daring and passionate
Glaiierbach feeling th a t Cagliostro would never share
with h im more th a n a few crum bs of his g re a t learning,
turned in an other direction, and a t last found a n unfrock­
ed abbot, who for a consideration took upon himself to
teach him all he knew. I n a few m onths (I) he had learn­
ed the weird secrets of black anil white magic, i. e., tlio
a rt of cleverly bamboozling fools. H e also visited Mesmer
and his clairvoyants, whoso num ber had become very largo
a t th a t period. T h e ill-fated French society of 1785 felt
q u ra­
its doom approaching ; i t suffered from spleen and greedi­
ly seized upon a n y th in g t h a t brought it a change in its
killing satiety aud lethargic monotony. I t had become
so sceptical t h a t a t last, from believing iu nothing, it en d­
ed by believing anything. Glaiierbach, un der t h e ex­
perienced directions of his abbot, began practising upon
hu m an credulity. B u t he had not been more th a n eight
m onths a t Paris, when the police paternally advised him
to go abroad— for his health. T here was no appeal from
such advice. However convenient the capital of France
for old hands a t charlatanry, it is less so for beginners. H o
left Paris aud went, via Marseilles, to Palermo.
I n th a t city th e intelligent pupil of the abbot got ac­
quainted with, an d contracted a friendship w ith M ar­
quis Hector, youngest son of tho Prince R — V— , one of
th# most wealthy a n d noble families of Sicily. Thre<}
 years earlier a great calamity had befallen th a t house.
H ector’s eldest brother, D u k e Alfonso, had disappeared
w ith out leaving any c l u e ; and th e old prince, half killed
w ith despair, had left th e world for tlio re tire m e n t of his
magnificent villa in th e suburbs of Palermo, where ho lod
the life of a recluse.
Tlio young M arquis was dying witji ennui. N o t know­
ing w hat b e tte r to do w ith himself, un d e r tho directions of
Glaiiorbach ho began studying magic, or a t least, th a t
which passed u n d e r t h a t n am e with th e clever German.
T he professor and p u p il became inseparable.
As H ector was t h e P rince’s second son, h e had, d u r ­
ing the lifo of his elder brother, 110 choice left him, b u t
to join either t h e arm y or th e church. All t h e wealth of
th e family passed into th e hands of D u k e Alfonso
I t — V — , who was betrothed, moreover to Bianca Al-
fiori, a rich orphan, left a t the age of ten, heiress to an
im mense fortune. T h is marriage united th e w ealth of
both tho houses of 11— V — and Alfieri, and it had all been
Bottled when both Alfonso and Bianca were m ere children,
w ithout even a th o u g h t as to w h e th e r th e y would ever
como to like each other. Fate, however, decided it should
bo so, an d the young people formed a m u tu a l an d passion­
ate a ttach m en t. '
As Alfonso was too yo ung to be married I10 was sent
travelling, and remained absent for over four years. U p on
his return, preparations were being made for th e celebration
of tho nuptials, which th e old Prince had decided should
form 0110 of the future epopees of Sicily. T hey were planned
upon th e most magnificent scale. Tho w ealthiest and
noblest of th e land had assembled two months beforehand
and were being royally entertain ed in th e family mansion,
which occupied a whole square of tho old city, as all were
more or less related to e ith er t h o . R— V— or th e Alfieri
families in tho second, fourth, tw entieth or sixtieth degree.
A host of hungry poets and iinprovimlori had arrived,
uninvited, to sing, according to tlio local custom of those
days, the beauty and virtues of th e newly-married couple.
Livorno sent a ship load of sonnets, ami Rom e th e
Pope’s blessing. Crowds of people curious to witness tho
procession had come to Palerm o from afar ; ami whole
regiments of th e light-fingered g entry prepared to prac­
tise th e ir profession a t tho first opportunity.
T he m arriage ceremony had been fixed for a W ednesday.
On Tuesday,the bridegroom disappeared w ith out leaving’the
slightest trace. T h e police of th e whole land was set afoot.
Uselessly, alas ! Alfonso had for several days been going
from town to Monte Cavalli— a lovely villa of his— to
superintend in person th e preparations for th e reception of
his lovely bride, with whom he was to pass his honey-moon
in th a t charm ing village. On Tuesday evening ho had re ­
paired th ere alone and on horseback, as usual, to re tu rn
home early on tho following morning. A b o u t ten in tho
ovening two contadiid had m e t and saluted him. T h a t
was tho last any one saw th e young D uke.
Later, it was ascertained t h a t 011 t h a t n ig h t a pirate
vessel had been cruising in tho waters of Palerm o ; th a t
tho corsairs had been ashore, an d carried away several
Sicilian women. I n tho la tte r p a r t,o f tho last century,
Sicilian ladies were considered as very valuable goods :
there was a largo dem and for tho commodity in th e m a r ­
kets of Smyrna, Constantinople, and tho B arbary C o a s t ;
th e rich pachas paying for th e m enormous sums. Besides
pretty Sicilian women, th e pirates used to smuggle away
rich people for th e sake of th e ransom. T h e poor men,
when caught, shared th e fate of th e working-cattle, and
fed 011 flogging. Every one a t Palerm o firmly believed
th a t youn g Alfonso had been carried away by th e pirates ;
and i t was far from being improbable. T h e H ig h A d ­
miral of th e Sicilian navy im mediately despatched after
the pirates four swift vessels, renowned above all others
for their speed. T h e old Prince promised m ountains of
gold to him who would give him back his son a n d heir.
Tho little squadron being ready, it spread its sails and
disappeared on the horizon. On ono of tho vessels Avas
Hector R —V — .
A t n ig h tfa ll, t h e w a tc h e rs o n t h e d e c k h a d a s y e t s e e n
nothing. T h en th e breeze freshened, and abo ut m idn ig ht
it was blowing a hurricane. One of th e vessels re tu rn e d
to port immediately, th e tw o others were driven away b e ­
fore th e gale an d were never heard ot more, and th e one
on which was you ng H ecto r returned two days after, dis­
mantled and a wreck, to Trapani.
Tho n ig h t before th e watchers in one of th e beacon
towers along tho shore, saw a brig far off, which, without
mast, sails or ting, was being furiously carried along 011 tho
crest 0/ th e angry sea. T h e y concluded it m u s t be tlio
pirates’ brig. I t w ent down in full sight, and th'e report
spread th a t every soul on board, to tho very last man, had
perished.
N o tw ithstan ding all this, emissaries were sent by t h e
oltl Prince in every direction— to Algiers, Tunis, Morocco,
Tripoli, and Constantinople. B u t they found nothing ;
and when Glaiiorbach arrived a t Palermo, th ree years had
passed since th e event.
T he Prince, though having lost a son, did not relish th e
idea of losing tho wealth of th e Allioris in th e bargain.
He concluded to m arry Bianca to his second son, Hector.
B u t th e fair Bianca wopt, and would not. bo consoled. Sho
refused point-blank, and declared sho would remain faith­
ful to her Alfonso.
H ector behaved like a tr u e knight. *• W h y m ak e poor
Bianca still more miserable, by worrying her w ith prayers i
Perhaps my brother is y e t alive’’— he said. “ How could
I, then, in view of such an uncertainty, deprive Alfonso,
iu case ho should return, of his best treasure, and th e
one dearer to him th a n life itself !”
Touched wit h t he exhibition of such noble feelings.Biancn,
began to relax h e r indifference for her Alfonso’s brother.
T h e old man did not lose all Impes. Besides, Bianca was
a woman ; and w ith women in Sicily, as elsewhere, th e
absent aro always in th e wrong. Sho finally promised, if
sho should ever have a positive assurance of Alfonso’s
death, to m arry his brother, or— no one. Such was tho
state of affairs when] Glaiiorbach— he who boasted of th e
power of raising th o shadows of tho dead— appeared a t
th e princely an d now mournful and deserted country villa
of the R — V — . l i e had not. been th ere a fortnight b e ­
fore he captivated th e affections and adm irations of every
one. T h e mysterious an d th e occult, aiid especially deal­
ings with a world unknown, th e “ silent land,” have a
charm for every one in general and for tho afflicted espe­
cially. Tho old Prince took courage one day and asked
th e crafty German to solve th e ir cruel doubts. W a s A l­
fonso doail or alive ? t h a t was- th e question. T a k in g a
few m inutes to reflect, Glaiierbach answered in this wise !
“ Prince, w h at you ask mo to do for you, is very im por­
t a n t ........Yes, it is quite true. I f your unfortunate son is
110 more, I m ay bo enabled to call forth his shadow ; b u t
will not tho shock be too violent for you ? Will your sou
and your p upil— tlio charm ing Countess Bianca— consent
to it
“ A n y th in g ra th e r th a n cruel uncertainty,” tho old Prince
answered. A nd so th e evocation was decided upon to take
place a week from t h a t day. W hen Bianca heard of it,
she fainted. Recalled to h e r senses by an abundance of
restoratives, curiosity got th e b e tte r of her scruples. She
was a d a u g h te r of Eve, as women all are. H ector began
by se tting himself with all his m ig h t against w hat I10 re ­
garded as a sacrilege. H e did not wish to trouble tho
rest of the dear d e p a r t e d ; he a t first said, if his be ­
loved brother was really dead, ho preferred not to know
it. B u t a t last his growing love for Bianca and th e desire
to satisfy his father prevailed, and he too consented.
Tho week d em anded b y Glaiierbach for preparation
and purification, seemed a century to the im patience of all
three. H a d it been a day longer, they m u s t have all
gone mad. Meanwhile, th e necromancer had not been
losing his time. Suspecting th a t th e dem and in this di­
rection would como one day, I10 had from th e first quietly
gathered th e m in utest particulars about the deceased A l­
fonso, and most carefully studied his life-size p ortrait
which hung in th e old P rince’s bed-room. T his was enough
for his purposes. To add to tho solemnity, ho had eu-
joined upon the family .a s tr ic t fast ami prayers, day and The resinous exudation o f
night, d uring th e whole week. A t last th e longed-for
hou r arrived, ajid th e Prince, accompanied by his son and Shalaparnce. D esm odium Gangeticum.
Bianca, entered th e necromui icer’s a p artm en t, A shw nkarna. VTC U55^T Slioroa robustn.
Y ashteem adh u. Glyeiri'hiza glabra,
( T o he conolvileil next m onth.)
Hingoo, Balhikft. I’ff’T N a r th e x asHafa'tida.
-------- . + ---------- Laksha, The excretion of an insect
[C'ontinnoil from tlio February Numlior.] glowing on certain trees.
E A S T IN D IA N M A T E R IA M E D IC A . T h e above list completes th e enum eration of parts of
vegetables, which were credited by S u sh ru ta w ith the
JiY PANDURANG 0 0 PA I,, C.fi.M.C'., F.T.S.
p roperty of evacuating bile and mucus, and wo now pro­
Following up the list of ovncu.mt drugs, mostly ceed to th e second large class of drugs which have been
of bile b u t in some instances also o f o th e r morbid humours, know n to liavo th e opposite virtue of repressing excessive
we have tho a d d itio n a l:— bile action or of repressing the excessive and increased
R oots of.
flow of mucus, or of th e vital spirits or of all combined.
T his is called th e Sanshuntana class and is
Si(»s. j\fa rathi. Latin. divided into thirty-seven groups. •
IV n p u u n fu l z te s sr C assia, to rn . T h e p arts Avliich are to bo selected for medicinal use aro
K n v iiliii’ 3TfipT[ C a U in rlo c n rp u fi fistu la . n ot specified, b u t from a practical acquaintance w ith thesii
drugs, as included in prescriptions given, u nd e r tho tre a t­
K a v v n d iir A lliu m s e p a .
m e n t of diseases by th o same author and his school, wo
A nliw ftgaiulhfi s r ra if a P h y s n lis s o m n ife ra . are enabled in very m an y instances to determino them
Y id iila P u n n c r i a C o a g u la n s . w ith o u t dep arting from th e ir theories to any great extent.
J3 n n d ln ica ■o P e n t a p e t e s ( H ib is c u s ) Phoe T h is clnss of remedies, interpreted in th e formalities of
n ic ia . m odern pathological phraseology, would represent drugs
Jeew aka % 1 which act as repressants of tho morbid irritability of m u ­
cous m em branes or of mucous tissue generally, and of its
S w e ta T w - C 'n lo fro p is p ro c e ra .
resulting phenom ena of acute or sub-acute inflammation,
congostion See., nnd may, therefore, b o identified with wlmt
S hana j}w t <n>T C r o to l a r i a ju n c e n . wero called phlogistic* by mediievnl writers on Materia
Y im b i M o m o rd ie a m o n o d e lp h a , Medica. T h e term phlogistic*, however, is n ot used a t the
V aoha TOT A c o ru s c a la m u s . present day for such remedies, and is being replaced by a
M a h a b a la more rational explanation of th e actions which certain
*Sida rh o m b o id e a .
drugs produce in th e system. T h ey are indicated by sudden
(s n rs ff^ irc r)
changes in th e ordinary activity of th e system or nro re­
M n links'll T r ic o s a n th e s p a lm a ta . cognised by pallor of countenance, depression of th e radial
G av ak sh ee C i t r u l l u s c o lo c y n tliis . pulse, exudation of sweats over tho skin, and a feeling of
K a ra v c e ra , N c r i u m o d o ru m . exhaustion in th e individual to whom a given remedy is
O o k a rn e e C lito r e a tc r n a ta . adm inistered. ,
M r ig c r v a r u ? I t seems, however, t h a t S u sh ru ta extended th e applica­
tion of tho term still wider, and desired to signify that
K u s lm P o a c y n o s u ro id e s .
somo of them n o t only act as tem porary depressants of the
K ash a W S a c c h a r u m s p o n ta n e u n i. sym pathetic system, b u t diminish congestions (staves) of
K angonoc C e la s t r u s p a n ic u la ta . blood also, increase anim al h e a t and purify th e bilo
K a r a n jn P o n g a m i a g la b r a . w ithou t evacuating it. Such medicines, therefore, would
A la rk a C n lo tro p is p ro c e ra . seem to stop increased or excessive morbid action and tlio
consequent waste of tissue which m u st occur in all inflam­
T h e barls of m ations more or less. T h ey would, therefore, in somo
m -A
measure, piny th e p a r t of passive tonics in a remote m a n ­
T ilw a k a . S y m p lo c o s ra c e m o s a .
ner.
K n m p illa k d . ^IT®T(|PTI 'r f i- M e llilo tu s o ffic in a lis. T h o ug h m o d em therap eu tists have not y e t recognised
w ^ r) tho existence or possibility of this action in dnigs which
T c lm g a la . fifni55 R o u r e ia s a n ta lo id e s . will act ns d ep u ra n ts of one or more secreting glands nnd
l l a m y n k a p a ta la , S c h r e b e r a s w e te n e o id e s . a t tho snmo tim e combine in th em th e property of im part­
In g o o d e e . B a la n i te s /E g y p tia c a , ing tone to tho vessels of th e secreting surface, yet m edi­
(n rc )
cal m e n cannot b u t concede t h a t this assumed property
M esh ash n n g ee. G y m n e m a s y lv e s tro .
is perfectly possible and m ay not bo necessarily incompa­
T h e tubers a n d bulbs of tible in a given drug, should chemical analysis enable us
ever to discover t h e dep uratin g as well ns th e tonic
L ash u n a. ' Cs. A lli u m c e p a . principles in it.
A tiv i s h i i. A c o n itu n i h e te r o p h y llu m . T ho recognition of this double property b y S ushruta
S lir in g a v e r a , A
■o ? Z i n g i b e r o ffic in a le . m u st be ta k e n w ith considerable reserve, as i t is difficult
Y a c lia . A c o r u s c a la m u s . to cull o u t from his list th e special drugs to which he cre­
A J a rk a , 51 C a lo tr o p is g ig a n te a . dits these ap parently contradictory virtues. S u s h ru ta has
n o t specified th e p a r t or parts of vegetables which exhibit
T he leaves of these properties, an d unless therefore, we were to experi­
A r ja k a . O c y ra u m s a n c tu m . m e n t on th e drugs included in th is g rou p w ith a view to
determ ine th e t r u th of this observation, i t would n o t be
S iira s a . Si) „ b a s ilic u m .
safe to take for gra n te d th e assum ption based on th e ge­
T a lis h a p a tr a , rTT^H'T^ft P i n u s W e b b ia n a ,
neral ground of experience alone. I t would seem, how­
T a m a ln p a tr a , C in n a m o m u m ta m a la , ever, th a t this effect was probable from th e presence of
T h e flowers of starchy an d allied principles which are detectable in indi­
viduals of this group, when used in th e ir fresh state. Such
S h ig r o o . M o r in g a p te r y g o s p e r m a . drugs, S u s h r u ta affirms, are indicated in those morbid
Peeloo. S a lv a d o r a In d ic a . sta te s of th e system which arc characterised by dryness
M a tu lo o n g a . C i t r u s m e d ic a vel a c id a . of th e skin an d fauces and a feeling of lassitude accompa­
 nied by torpidity of bowels nml accumulation of gas in
tI ioiii, iu ft word in a functional deran gem en t of the
digestive organa mul iu coughs nnd dyspnu-u following a
chronio affection of the air imssagos and lungs. T hey do
no t seem to act energetically on any ono of these tissues,
an d until experience should conlirm these observations of
Sushruta, they m ay a t present bo assum ed to net lioimeo-
pathically of congestions or of tho diminished irritability
of such tissues.
Tho activity of remedies of this group does not seem to
be felt by the individual acted on or so m arked in all
instances as to become apporont to an observer except hy
assuming th a t th e y relieve the system surcharged with
products of tissue waste or by relieving an inflamed or
torpid oigan of its charge by the secretory vessels being
ncted on, some exerting th e ir power on one special organ,
and others on another. T hey ma)’, therefore, Inap prop riately
understood as partial revulsives, ex erting th e ir choice for
particular organs, some increasing tho How of bile, some of
mucus from large mucous tracts, a few increasing the
special excretion of the skin and th e rest increasing the
q u a n tity of urino or so relieving tlio congested vessels of
tho urinary glands (kidneys, tho functions of which wero
not accurately determ ined in S u s h ru ta ’s time) as to fall
u nd er tho class of gunoral bloo<l dopuranta, miscellaneously
so termed.
1 have pointed ou t t h a t S u s h ru ta believed in th e exist­
ence of certain drugs which act by purifying bile w ithout
necessarily evacuating it. T h is statem ent, thoug h it does
not accoru with our experience of the present day, seems
to have been based on clinical observation alone, ami al­
though wo cannot accord consent to th is extravag an t or
too broad a generalisation, we may nevertheless b ear w it­
ness to tho presence of th is property in a few drugs where
its truthfulness m ay not be (jiiestioned altogether.
'Jake, for instance, the juices of bitters like th e fienu-
greok, eclinta prostrata, tinosporn cordi folia and mo-
mordica, all of which more or less increase th e flow
of bilo when adm inistered in moderate doses, increase
tho How o f bilo and cause free, if not copious,
nlvino discharges w ithout increasing tho q u a n tity of
th e ir watery constituent. T his valuable property, which
has been proved in th e case of certain A merican drugs
Allied in other respects to our Ind ian ones by the
recent experiments of D r. B runton, if relied upon and
utilised, may prove of im m ense service in m e e tin g th e
daily wants of th e medical practitioner, as it would p r e ­
vent oxhaustion and conserve energy to tho sick when
th e ir stren gth is not far too prostrated by th e advance of
disease, and afford valuable help in restoring th e diseased
parts to th e ir functions, by disgorging th e ir congested
vessels of morbid secretions and accum ulations o f effete
products, w ithout dim inishing th e ir vitality— by no means
a small gain to th e sick.
T he deranged system would th u s be sooner restored to
h ealth and with less suffering and cost to th e p a tie n t th a n
u n d e r th e use of more active drugs which excite copious,
and, therefore, more exhausting evacuations, w heth er of
one or a num ber of th e-natu ral excretions of th e body.
Such drugs, therefore, were, for plausible reasons held
by S u sh ru ta to combine iu them tonic or in some eases
an indirectly nourishing property, when obtained fresh, and
tho modern practitioner will do well to take note of this
observation and compare his own observations with Suslm i-
t a ’s ; for should h i s . experience confirm tho observation,
he m ig ht utilise th e sanative properties or virtues of those
vegetables which represent th e d e pu rn nt as well as tho
tonic principles contained in them w ith o u t liis having
recourse to a separate course of tonic tr e a tm e n t in all
cases.
T h e drugs of this Sa nsh am a n a class are g ro u p ­
ed in thirty-seven classeswhich S u s h ru ta has found severally
to possess ccrtain special virtues and are, therefore, recom­
mended to be usod in diseases recognised by particular
or specific groups of symptoms.
T ney are as und er —
1. Curers of deranged bile and of deranged nerve-
action (derangements of tho vital air or tho pM oy'tnton
of Creek writers).
2. Vital astringents, or those which diminish conges­
tions aud restore or increase th e tone of the mucous tissue
generally, with or w ithout exerting a specific action on
tlio bronchial or hepatic or gastro-intestinal mucous m e m ­
branes.
:l. ti e n e r a l a lt e r a t iv e s or in s e n s ib lo b lo o d - d e p u -
r.ants.
4. P u re nerve-stim ulants and lithontriptics (remedies
which dissolve stony deposits in the kidneys aud bladder.)
o. Alteratives exertin g specific action ou special tis­
sues, with a tendency to cheek fluxes,
(!. Powerful or tru e astringents.
7. Alteratives and detergents.
5. Cordials aud antispasinodics.
!•. R em edies which remove or p reven t obesity or the
formation of fat in th e tissues of th e body.
10. S tim ulants, carm inatives anti digestives, including
vermifuges or medicines which prevent the development
of intestinal worms.
11. N erv in e stim ula nts (remedies which increaso the
flow of vital spirits), and cosmetics or those which improve
the vigor aud color of th e skin.
12. Purifiers of tho milk secretion in th e mamma; and
blood alteratives.
].*{. D eobstruents, or remedies which remove visceral
congestions
o or local congestions
o iu vascular tissues.
14. P u re stomachics.
1.1. Anti-bilious an d anti-inflam matory agents, febri­
fuges, detergents (those which clean sup pu ratin g surfaces
of ulcers or wounds caused by a broach of th e tissues),
and aloxiphariuics (which destroy morbid fluids and
poisons).
l(i. A nti-inflam m atory or anti-phlogistic agents inclu­
ding nu tritive tonics and galactagogucs.
^7. Those which diminish the formation of mucus and
fat, increase the urinary excretion, which act as litho ntrip ­
tics (solvents of stony deposits), and as resolvents of in­
ternal dc|)osits.
18. Those which diminish or relieve th e dryness of
th e fauces and purify blood. T h ey cool th e blood and
diminish the excessive formation of heat iu the tissues and
blood. They are, therefore, indicated in level's accom-
panicd by th e increase of blood-heat.
1!). A group similar in action to th e above, b u t no
reasons are given for recognising it as a separate class.
20. Cordials, and appetisers, which clear th e urino by
equalising th e circulation of fluids.
21. Sedatives of pain, cordial and cooling.
22. Refrigerants. Also useful in checking inflamma­
tory diarrhuui or dysentry. Detergents also.
2.'i. A strin gents an d healers of ulcers.
Also refrigerant aud alteratives of th e uterine circulation.
24. Cooling and appetisers. Also febrifuge.
2.1. R efrigerants simply.
2(i. Relieve congestions, torpidity of circulation and
all atonic conditions of th e system ; aro also stomachic and
act as alteratives of uterine and m am m ary circulation,
T hey cure re m itte n t fevers also.
( T o be c o n t i n u e d . )
P. P. P. P. P. P. P. P. P. P. P. P. P. P. P. p . P.
I t is a r a th e r singular fact, which hitherto seems to
have escaped th e notice alike of Ireland’s friends and foes,
and to have been left to th e acute observation of Puck,
to discover th a t m any— if not all— of th e sources of th a t
c ountry’s distress and troubles may be indexed un der the
le tte r P. T h u s wo have Poverty, Pigs, and Po tato es;
Priests and Popery ; Protestants, Peelers, and Population •,
Potheen, Politics, and P u g n a c ity ; Patriotism, Parnell, and
St. Patrick, and finally P a t himself. Even to America
their fatal P. follows th e sons of Erin, b u t here tu rn s up its
th e initial of tho genial and laughter- loving— P uck.
 H IN D U OR A R Y A ?
BY B. 1*. SANKIWAR,
Head-}faster of the Normal School, Meerut.
Tho subject I beg to discuss to-day is of great im port­
ance, us affecting the fu tu re success of our operations, for
th e gradual re-instatem ent of our dear A ryavarta in tho
place it had long held, and consequently it would have
been far better for our purpose, had abler hands than mine
taken up th e subject, and treated It, according to its merits.
But, as it is th e d uty of every true son of this country
■whether a weak or a powerful hand, to ex ert his u tm ost
in th e com ing struggle for her glory, so I th o u g h t it
incum bent upon m e at the risk of being regarded as p re­
sum ptuous to lay these lines beforo th e public, and ask m y
renders, E a ste rn as well as Western, w he th e r my p re ­
se n t proposal should not be our first step towards th e ob­
je c t we aim at. I h e question to be settled is, w hether we
should continue to call ourselves 11 indus, or should at onco
reassume the old designation of A ry a ? Beforo ven tu rin g
to solve this problem, I must a t once and for all acknow­
ledge th a t every reader m ay a t onco reply t h a t we need
no t givo ourselves any useless trouble as regards such a tr i­
fling matter. I t is th e same tiling, w heth er a m a n is called
hy one name or by another, w hether lie is called a H in d u
or an Arya.
Such and similar ideas are sure to arise before th e read ­
er’s mind, as soon as be sees this ordinary question. B u t
no, my dear reader, I beg to differ from you on this point,
and, consequently, I beg to answer you with another set of
queries. Is it th e same th in g to be called a liar or an
honest man ; a slave or a free man ? Will not our being
called by one name or another affect th e success of our
undertakings ? N o doubt, it will. Now, in order to d e ­
cide my original problem, I th in k I ought to begin by giv­
ing tlie meaning and origin of each of these terms. Tlie
word H ind u means a liar, a slave, a black, a n infidel, in
pliort, a m an possessed of every evil to be found in the
w o rld ; while th e term A ry a means a pious, a learned, a
noble, aiul a wise man. devoted to the tru e worship of th e
Eternal. W ith this explanation, I dare conclude th a t
no man of common sense would like to be called a H indu,
when once be knows its meanings. A nybody can here ask
m e that, if w ha t I say is true, then how was it th a t the
people of this country, th e once famous Aryavarta, assum ­
ed such a disgusting name. In order to satisfy such an
one’s curiosity, I beg to say th a t once this country was
palled A ryavarta anil its inhabitants were known by the
nam e of Aryans. I n proof of my above assertion, I beg
to state th a t th e words A ryavarta and A rya are th e only
words th a t are used to designate our dear country and its
inhabitants, in all our e x ta n t S ansk rit books. Ev en in our
every day S a n ka lp a a sort of m a n tra repeated a t the
performance of every religious ceremony, th e word A ry a ­
varta is used as our country’s name, while th e word H in d u
is neither of Sanskrit origin, nor is even once mentioned
in any of our Sanskrit, books. H ad H in d u been our ori­
ginal name, this would n o t have been tlio case. T h e m a n ­
ner in which our fathers came to be known by th e la tte r
appellation seems to be as follows. W h e n D arius Hystaspes,
th e first foreign king, visited this country, ab ou t 100 years
before A lexander’s invasion, it was governed by th e kings
of th e L u n a r dynasty, hence he called this country India,
m eaning th e country governed b y th e kings of th e Iiulu
or Moon dynasty (?'§, th e moon). In tim e th e y changed
th e word I ml into H ind, which in th e ir language eith er
signified th e m eanings I have already given, or in tho
blindness of th e ir bigotry they gave these m eanings to
th e term H indu. A nd no wonder th a t they did so, for
it is tho custom a t least am ongst orientals t h a t one sect
always nicknames th e followers of another. N e ith e r were
we slow in retorting, i.e., in giving tho repartee, for we in
re tu rn called th em “ Malechas ” and “ Yavans.” In tim e all
th e foreigners, I mean those of Persia, Arabia, Turkey,
Tartary, Cabul, &c., began to call us by th a t hateful name,
for all of th e m subsequently became followers of M aho­
m e t of Arabia. W h e n th e M oham m edans conquered this
country, th e y being our conquerors, cruel and unjust, ob­
liged us to designate ourselves with t h a t odious title. T h ey
ruled over us for a period of nearly 000 years, during
which interval wTe grew accustomed to our new nam e and
forgot th e old one. A nd this h a b it has grown so strong
with us th a t even now, when our persecutors have no moro
power over us, when we under tho present strong govern­
m en t aro on a footing of equality with th e followers of
every other religion, th e most learned, enlightened and
high-spirited sons of th is country do not object to be call­
ed Hindus. I also acknowledge, though w ith deep regret,
t h a t un til recently thousands of our poor ignorant country­
m en were nearly unacquainted with the words V ed a and
A r y a ; b u t now as Swami Dayanand Saraswati, th e L u ­
th e r of India, has m ade these words echo and re-echo all
over th e land, so, I think, O brothers ! 0 tru e sons of
this once exalted A ry a v a rta ! the t ime has come, or ra th e r
is fast approaching, w hen we should show our spirit, ac t with
vigour, and tr y our best towards tlie re-exaltation of our
beloved m other-country ! Arise from your long sleep, 0 ye
lovers of this onco famous seat, of learning and religion, look
around you, and sec in w h a t a hapless state y our coun­
try lies ! A ct like a tr u e magician to your prostrate
Mother, support her in h e r weak state, and give lier once
more, no doub t as you can, though after time, all the
vivacity and freshness of her youth. A nd now to conclude I
say persevere and 3rou will succeed. Begin a t once by
casting off your present disgusting and odious appellatipn ;
show y ou r spirit and re-assume a t once your old and dear
nam e of Arya. N am aste. .
M k k h u t , 7 th February, 1880.
( C o n ti n u e d f r o m th o B ln rH i N u m b e r .)
A LAND OF M YST E R Y .
11Y 11. P . 11.
Evidently, we, T h e o s o p h i s t s , aro n ot th e only icono­
clasts in this world of m u tu a l deception and hypocrisy. W e
are not the only ones who believe in cycles and, opposing
tlie Biblical chronology, lean towards those opinions -which
secretly are shared by so many, b u t publicly avowed by so
few. We, Europeans, are j u s t em erging from th e very bottom
of a new cycle, and progressing upwards, while th e Asiatics
— H indu s especially— are th e lingering rem nants of th e n a ­
tions which filled th e world in the previous and now
departed cycles. W h e th e r the Aryans sprang from th e
archaic Americans, or th e latter from tho prehistorical
Aryans, is a question which no living m an can docide.
B u t th a t th ere m u st have been an intim ate connection
a t some tim e betw een th e old Aryans, th e prehistoric in­
habitants of America— whatever m ight have been th e ir
nam e— and th e ancient Egyptians, is a m a tte r moro easily
proved th a n contradicted. And probably, if thero ever
was such a connection, i t m u st have tak en place a t a tim e
when the A tlan tic did not y e t divide th e two hemispheres
as it does now. .
In liis P eruvian A ntiquities (seo tho THEOSOPHIST for
March) Dr. H e a th , of Kansas City— r a m a v is am ong
scientific men, a fearless searcher, who accopts t r u th
wherever he finds it, and is not afraid to speak i t o u t in
th e voty faco of dogmatic opposition— sums u p his im ­
pressions of th e P eruvian relics in the following w ords:—■
“ T h ree tim es t h e A ndes sank hundreds of feet beneath
th e ocean level, .and again were slowly brought to th eir
present height. A m a n ’s life would be too short to count
even th e centuries consumed in this operation. T h e coast
of Peru has risen eighty feet since it felt t h e tread of
Pizarro. Supposing th e Andes to have risen uniformly
and without, interruption, 70,000 years m u st have elapsed
before they reached th e ir present altitude.” ’
“ W ho knows, then, b u t th a t Ju le s V erne’s fanciful
idea * regarding th e lost continent A tlan ta may bo near
the tr u th ? W ho can say that, where now is the A tlantic
Ocean, formerly did not exist a continent, w ith its dense
• This “idea” is plaiuly expressed and asserted as a fact by Plato in his
fin v q n ti; and was taken up by Lord Bacon iu bis iYcto Atlantis,
population, advanced in the arts nml sciences, who, as rica have generously assigned th e m 2,000 years. B u t by
they found their land sinking beneath the waters, retired whom built, and w h e th e r th e ir a uthors migrated, or d is­
part east and part west, populating thus the two hemi­ appeared b e neath victorious arms, or were swept o u t of
spheres ? This would explain the similarity of their arclue- existence by somedireful epidemic, or a universal famine, are
ological structures and races, and their differences, mo­ q u e stio n s_ “ probably beyond the power of hum an investi­
dified by and adapted to the character of their respective gation to answer” they say. The earliest inhabitants of
climates and countries. Thus would the llama and camel Mexico, of whom history has any knowledge— more hypo­
differ, although of the same species ; thus the algoraba and thetical than proven— are tho Toltecs. These are xitji/iox-
espino trees; thus the Iroques Indians of'North America ed to have come from tho N o rth and helietrtl to have e n ­
and the most ancient Arabs call the constellation of tho tered A n ah uac in th e 7th Century A. 1). T h e y are also
“ Great Bear” by the same name; thus various nations, credited with having constructed in Central America, where
cut off from all intercourse or knowledges of each other, they spread in th e eleventh century, some of th e great
divide the zodiac into twelve constellations, apply to them cities whose ruins still exist. I n this case it is they who
the same names, and the Northern Hindus apply the m ust also have carved th e hieroglyphics th a t cover some
name Andes to their Himalayan mountains, as did the of the relics. H ow is it then, th a t the pictorial system of
South Americans to their principal chain.* Must we fall writing of Mexico, which was used by tin; conquered peo­
in tho old rut, and suppose no other means of populating ple and learned by th e conquerors and their missionaries,
the Western Hemisphere except ‘by way of Behring’s does not y e t furnish th e keys to th e hieroglyphics of
Strait ( Must we still locate a geographical Eden in the Palenque and Copan, not to m ention those of Peru { A nd
East, and suppose a land, equally adapted to man and as these civilized Toltecs themselves, who were they, and
old geologically, must wait the aimless wanderings of the whence did they come ? A ud who are the Aztecs t h a t
‘ lost tribe of Israel’ to become populated '{” succeeded them { Even among the hieroglyphical systems
Go where we may, to explore th e antiquities of America of Mexico, th ere were some which the foreign interpreters
•— w h e th e r of N orthern, Central, or S outhern America— were precluded th e possibility of studying. T hese were
we are first of all impressed w ith the m agnitude of these th e so-called schemes of judicial astrology “ given b u t not
relics of ages and races unknown, and then with th e e x tra ­ explained in Lord K iugsborough’s published collection,”
ordinary similarity they present to the mounds and a n ­ and set down as purely figurative and symbolical, “ in te n d ­
cient structures of old India, of E gyp t and even of some ed only fo rth e use of th e priests and diviners and possessed
parts of Europe. W hoever has seen one of these mounds of an esoteric significance.” Many of the hieroglyphics on
has seen .all. Whoever has stood before th e cyclopean th e monoliths of Palenq ue and Copan are of th e same
structures of one continent can have a p re tty accurate character. T he “ priests and diviners” were all killed off
idea of those of the other. Only be it said— we know by the Catholic fanatics,— the secret died with them.
still less of the age of th e antiquities of A merica th a n N early all the mounds in N o r th America are terraced
even of those in th e Valley of th e Nile, of which we know and ascended by large graded ways, sometimes square,
n ex t to nothing. B u t their symbolism— ap art from their often hexagonal, octagonal or truncated, b u t in all res­
outward form— is evidently th e same as in Egypt, India, pects sim ilar to the/coca/Zia of Mexico, and to th e to’p vs
and elsewhere. As before th e great pyramid of Cheops of India. As the la tte r are a ttrib u te d throughout this
in Cairo, so before t h e great mound, 100 feet high, on th e country to the work of th e five Pan dus of th e L u n a r
plain of Cahokia,— near St. Louis (Missouri)— which m e a ­ ltace, so th e cyclopean m onum ents and monoliths on
sures 700 feet long by 800 feet broad a t the base, and th e shores of L ake Titicaca, in th e republic of Bolivia,
covers upwards of eig ht acres of ground, having 20,000,000 are ascribed to giants, the five exiled brothers “ from b e ­
cubic feet of contents, and th e mound ou th e banks of yond the mounts.” T hey worshipped the m o o n us their
Brush Creek, Ohio, so accurately described by S q u ie r and 2>nyc)iitOi' and lived before th e time of the “ Sons anil
Davis, one knows not w h ether to admire more th e geo­ Virgins of the S u n " Here, th e similarity of th e A ryan
metrical precision, prescribed by th e wonderful and m ys­ with the S outh A m erican tradition is again b u t too ob­
terious builders in the form of th e ir m onuments, or the vious, and th e Solar and L u n a r races— the Sourya Vansa
hiddeirsyinbolism th e y evidently sought to express. The and the C h a n d ra Vansa— re-appear iu America.
Ohio mound represents a serpent, upwards of 1,000 feet This Lake Titicaca, which occupies the centre of one
long. Gracefully coiled in capricious curves, it term inates of the most remarkable terrestrial basins on the whole
in a triple coil a t th e tail. “ T he em ba n k m e n t constituting globe, is “ 1CiO miles long and from f>0 to 80 broad, and
the effigy, is upwards of five feet in height, by th irty feet discharges through th e valley of El Desagvadero, to th e
base a t th e centre of th e body, slightly diminishing to ­ south-east into an other lake, called Lake Aullagas, which
wards th e tail.”f T h e neck is stretched o u t and its m outh is probably k e p t a t a lower level by evaporation or fil­
wide-opened, holding within its jaw s an oval figure. tration, since it has no known outlet. The surface of th e
“ Formed by an em b an k m e n t four feet in height this oval is lake is J 2,840 feet above th e sea, and it is the most ele­
perfectly regular in outline, its transverse and conjugate vated body of waters of similar size in the world.” As
diam eters being l(i0 and 8 feet respectively,” say th e su r­ th e level of its waters has very much decreased in the
v e y o r. T he whole represents th e universal cosmological historical period, it is believed on good grounds th a t they
idea of the serpent and th e egg. This is easy to surmise. once surrounded th e elevated spot ou which are found
B u t how finite this great symbol of the H erm etic wisdom th e remarkable ruins of Tiahuanico.
of old Egypt to find itself represented in N orth Am erica V The latter are w ithout any doubt aboriginal monuments
How is it th a t the sacred buildings found iu Ohio and pertaining to an epoch which preceded the Incal period,
elsewhere, these squares, circles, octagons, and other geo­ as far back as th e D ravidian and other aboriginal peoples
metrical figures, iii which one recognizes so easily th e pre­ preceded the Aryans in India. Although the tr a ­
vailing idea of th e Pythagorean sacred numerals, seem ditions of the Ineas m a in ta in th a t the great law-giver am\
copied from th e Book of N um b ers ? A pa rt from th e com­ teacher of the Peruvians, Manco Capac— the Maim of
plete silence as to th e ir origin, even among th e Indian tribes, South America— diffused his knowledge and inHuencu
who have otherwise preserved th e ir own traditions in from this centre, y e t th e s ta te m e n t is unsupported by
every case, th e antiq uity of these ruins is proved by the facts. If th e original seat of th e Aymara, or “ Inea race ”
existence of the largest and most ancient forests growing was there, its claimed by some, how is it th a t neither th e
on the buried cities. T he p ru d e n t archaeologists of Arne- Iucas, nor th e Aymaras, who dwell on the shores of th e
Lake to this day, nor yet th e ancient Peruvians, had the
• “ T h e n a m e A m c t'im '* s a i d I , i n /.</* U n v e itn l i V o l . 1 p. 61)1.) t h r e e yen**
n ^ o “ m a y o n o iln y h o f o u n d c l o s e ly r e l a t e d t o A f m i , t h o microti m o u n t in
slightest knowledge concerning their history Beyond
tlio c e n t r e o f tl io vice a c o n t i n e n t s . ” "When t i r s t d i s c o v e r e d , A m e r i c a w a s f o u n d a vague tradition which tells us of “ giants ” having built
t o b e a r a i n n n ^ B o m o n a t i v e t r i b e s t h e n a m e o f A t ltt h ta , I n t h e S t a t e s o f these immense structures in ono night, we do not find
C e n t r a l A u i o n e a wo f in d t h o n n m c A u*tr!A, » itfnify intf, l i k e M e m , u g r e a t
f o u n t a i n . T h o o r i g i n o f t h e K a m a * I n d i a n s o f A m e r i c a is ulao u u k u o w u , th e faintest clue. And, we have every reason to doubt
f Smithsonian contributions to knowledge, Vol. I, w h e th e r th o lu c a s a re of th e A y m a ra rac e a t all. TUq
 Incas claim th e ir descent from Manco Capac, the son of
tho Sun, and tlio Aym anis claim this legislator ns th eir
instructor and th e founder of th e era of th e ir civilization.
\ ot, neither the Incas of th e Spanish period could prove
th e one, nor the Aym aras tlie other. T h e language of
th e latter is quite distinct from tho I n ic h u a — th e tongue
of the I n c a s ; and th ey were the only race th a t refused
to give up their language when conquered by th e des­
cendants of the Sun, as Dr. H e a th tells us.
T h e ruins nftord every evidence of th e highest a n ti­
quity. Some aro bu ilt on a pyramidal plan, as most of
the American mounds are, and cover several acres; while
th e monolithic doorways, pillars and stone-idols, so ela­
borately carved, are “ sculptured in a xt>/te v h o lh j d iffrm it,
from any other remains of a r t y e t found in America.”
D 'O rbigny speaks of th e ruins in the most enthusiatic
manner. “ T hese m o n u m e n ts ” lie says “ consist of a
mound raised nearly 100 feet, surrounded with p illa rs—of
te m ples from 000 to 1200 feet in length, opening precisely
towards the east, and adorned with colossal a n gu lar columns
■—of jiorticoes of a single stone, covered with relief's of
skillul execution, displaying symbolical representations of
the Sun, and th e condor, his m essenger— of basaltic sta ­
tues loaded with bass-reliefs, iu which the design of th e
carved head is half E g y p tia n — and lastly, of th e interior
of a |mlncc formed of enormous blocks of rock completely
hewn, whose dimensions are often 21 feet in length, 12 iu
breadth, and G in thickness. In the tem ples and palaces,
th e portals are n o t inclined, ns among those of th e Incas,
b u t p e rp e n d ic u la r; and th e ir vast dimensions, and tho
imposing masses of which they are composed, surpass in
beau ty and grand eu r all t h a t were afterwards b u ilt by tlio
sovereigns of Cuzco.” L ike the rest, of his follow-cxplorors,
M. D ’Orbigny believes these ruins to have been th e work
of a mce far anterior to th e Incas.
Two distinct styles of architecture are found in these
relics of Lake Titicaca. Those of the island of Coati, for
instance, bear every feature iu common w ith th e ruins of
Tinhunnico; so do t h e vast blocks of stone elaborately
sculptured, some of which, according to th e report of
th e surveyors, in 1840, m e a su re : ‘‘ .‘1 feet in length by 1<S
feet in width, and 0 feet in thickness ; " while on some ot
the islands of the L a k e Titicaca there are monument,s
of great, extent, “ b ut of tru e Peruvian type, believed to be
the remains of temples destroyed by the Spaniards." T he
famous sanctuary, with the h u m a n figure in it, belongs
to the former. Its doorway 10 feet high, I f e e t broad, with
mi opening (i feet 4 inches, by .‘J feet 2 inches, is cut from
a single stone. “ Its east front has a cornice, in th e cen­
tre of which is a hu m a n figure of strange form, crowned,
v iih . rtiyx, interspersed with ser|ients with crested heads.
On each side of this figure nre three rows of square com­
partments, tilled with hu m an and other figures, of a p p a ­
rently symliolic design... Were this tem ple in India, it
would undoubtedly be a ttribute d to Shiva ; b u t it is at the
anti|>odcs, where n either th e foot of a Sliaiva or one of
the Naga tribe has ever penetrated to the knowledge
of man, though th e Mexican Indians have th e ir Narjal,
or cliicf sorcerer and se rp e n t worshipper. T h e ruins sta n d ­
ing on an eminence, which from the w ater-m arks around
it, seem, to have been formerly an island in L ake T iti­
caca, and “ the level of the Lake now being 1M5 feet lower,
and its shores 12 miles distant, this fai t, in conjunction
with others, warrants the belief that these rem ains a n te ­
date any others known in America.” * Hence, nil these
relics are unanimously ascribed to the same “ unknown
and mysterious people who preceded th e Peruvians, as
the Tulhuatccas or Toltecs did the Aztecs. I t seems to
have boon the seat of th e highest and most ancient civi­
lization of So u th A m erica and of a people w ho have left
the most gigantic m o n u m e n ts of their power an d skill ”...
Anil these m onum ents arc all eith e r D ra co n tio s— temples
sacred to the Snake, or temples dedicated to the Sun.
Of this same character are th e ruined pyramids of
Teotihuacan and th e m onoliths of P alenque and Copan.
. ■ .V'ic A ntrim * Cphptnlia Art, " Teotllmacan.'1
T h e former are some eig ht leagues from th e city of Mexico
on th e plain of O tum la, and considered am ong the most
ancien t in th e land. T h e two principal ones are dedica­
ted to th e S u n a n d Moon, respectively. T h e y are built
of c u t stone, square, with four stories and a level area at
th e top. T h e larger, th a t of tho Sun, is 221 foot high,
ONO feet square a t th e base, and Covers an area of 11. acres,
nearly equal to t h a t of th e g reat pyramid of Cheops. And
yet, th e pyram id of Cholula, higher th a n t h a t of Teoti-
nuacan by te n feet according to H um boldt, a n d having
1,400 feet square a t th e base, covers an area of 45 acres !
I t is in teresting to hear w hat th e earliest w riters—
th e historians who sawT them during the first co nq ue st—
say even of some of th e most modern of these buildings,
of the g re a t tem ple o f Mexico, among others. I t consisted
of an im m ense square area “ surrounded b y a wall of stone
anil lime, eig ht foot thick, with battlem ents, ornam ented
with m any stone figures i u the. fo r m o f se rp e n ts” says
one. Cortez shows t h a t 500 houses m ig h t be easily placed
w ithin its enclosure. I t was paved with polished stones,
s.) smooth, t h a t “ th e horses of the Spaniards could not
move over them w ith o u t slipping,” writes B ernal Diaz.
I n connection with this, we m ust rem em ber t h a t it was
not th e S paniards who conquered th e Mexicans, b u t their
Itort'i'f). As there never was a horse seen before by this
people in America, u n til th e E uropeans landed it on the
coast, th e natives thoug h excessively brave, “ were so awe­
struck a t th e sig h t of horses and th e roar of the a rtille ry ”
t h a t th e y took th e Spaniards to be of divine origin and
se n t th em h u m a n beings as sacrifices. T his superstitious
panic is sufficient to account for th e fact th a t a handful
of m en could so easily conquer incalculable thousands
of warriors.
According to Gomera, th e four walls of th e enclosure
of th e tem ple corresponded w ith th e cardinal points. I u
th e centre of this gigantic area arose tho g re a t temple,
an im mense pyramidal stru ctu re of eight stages, fiiced with
stone, :«)0 feet square a t th e base and 120 feet in height,
truncated, with a level sum m it, upon which were situated
two towers, th e shrines of the divinities to whom it was
consccrated— Tezcatli]»oea and Huitzlijmchtli.. I t was here
th a t the sacrifices were performed, and the eternal fire
m a in ta in e d . Clavigero tells )<■•>, th a t besides this great py­
ramid, thero were forty other similar structures consecrated
to various divinities. Tho one called Tczcacalli “ the
House of the Sh in in g Mirrors, sacred to Tczcatlipoca, the
God of Light, the Soul of the World, the Vivifier, the S p i­
ritual S u n.” T h e dwellings of priests, who, according
to Zarate, a m o unte d to 8,00(5, were near by, as well as the
seminaries and th e schools. Ponds and fountains, groves
and gardens in which flowers and sweet smellinsr herbs
» • i • •
were cultivated for use iu certain sacred rites and the
decoration of altars, were in abundance ; and, so largo was
the inner yard, t h a t “ 8,000 or 10,000 persons had sufficient
room to dance in it upon th eir solemn festivities ”— says
Solis. T o rqu em ada estim ates th e n u m b e r of such temples
in th e Mexican em pire a t 40,000, b u t Clavigero, speaking
of tho majestic T eocalli ( literally, houses of G o d ) of
Mexico, estim ates th e n u m b e r higher.
So wonderful are the features of resemblance between
tho ancient shrines of the Old aud the New World that
Hundioldt remains unequal to express his surprise." Whut
striking analogies exist between the monuments of the
old continents ;uid those of the Toltecs who...built these
colossal structures, trun cated pyramids, divided b y layers,
like th e tem p le of Belus a t Babylon I W here did they
t i k e th e model of these edifices ?” lie exclaims.
The eminent naturalist might have also enquired where
the Mexicans got all their C h r i s t i a n virtues from, being
but poor pagans. Tho code of tho Aztecs, says Prescott,
“ evinces a. profound respect for the great principles of
morality, and as clear a perception of these principles as is
to be found in the most cultivated nations.” Some of
these are very curious inasmuch a.s they show such a simi­
larity to some of the Gospel ethics. “ He who looks too
curiously on 'a woman, commits adultery with bis eyes’
says one of them, “ Keep peace with all; bear injuries
 w ith h u m i l i t y ; God who sees, will avenge you,” de ­
clares another. Recognizing b u t ono S u prem e Power
in N a tu re , they addressed it ns th e deity " by whom
we lire, Omnipresent, th a t know eth all th ou gh ts and
giveth ali g ifts, w ithout whom m an is as noth in g ; in­
visible, incorporeal, one of perfect perfection ami purity,
u nd e r whose wings we find repose and a sure defence.”
And, in n am in g their children, says Lord lvingsborough
“ they used a ceremony strongly resembling th e C h ris­
tia n rite of baptism, th o lips and bosom of th e in fa n t
being sprinkled w ith water, and the Lord implored to truth
aicay the nin th a t was given to it before the foundation of
th e world, so thnt the child m ight be born anew.” “ T h e ir laws
were p e r f e c t ; justice, c o ntentm ent and peace reigned in th e
kingdom of these benighted heathens,” when th e brigands
an d th e Je s u its of Cortez landed a t Tabasco. A century
of murders, robbery, and forced conversion, were sufficient
to transform this quiet, inoffensive and wise people into
w h a t they are now. T hey have fully benefited by dogmatic
Christianity. A n d he who ever went to Mexico, knows
w h a t th a t means. T h e country is full of blood-thirsty
Christian fanatics, thieves, rogues, drunkards, debauchees,
murderers, and th e g rea te s t liars th e world has ever pro­
duced ! Peace and glory to y our ashes, O Cortez and
T o r q u e m a d a ! In this case a t least, will you never be p e r­
m itted to boast of th e e nlig hte nm e n t your C hristianity
has poured out on th e poor, and once virtuous h eath ens i
(T o be continued.)
T A N T 1 U C P M L O S O P llV .
])V I I A l l A I U K A N T A , M A J U M D A ll.
I t is deeply to be regretted th a t the T a n tra s have not
found favour with some scholars and trutli-seekers of this
country. People generally feel as if nu intuitive re p u g ­
nance at tho very nam e of Tantra, which seems to asso­
ciate with it all th a t is impure, ignoble and im moral ; b u t
ye t there are m any T a n tra s hiding in th e ir neglected pages
golden keys which may well help the earnest pilgrim to
' open the sealed gates of mysterious nature. T h e T a n tra s
are an invaluable treasure, em bracing besides religion and
theology, law and medicine, cosmology, yoga, spiritualism ,
rules regarding the elementaries aud almost all th e b ran ch­
es of transcendental philosophy. T h ey are over KiO in
number, b u t w ritten as th e y are in the Bengali character,
and their study being confined am ong a very few of the
T an trik sect, th e world a t large has been deprived of the
knowledge of w hat they really are. T h e T a n trik s like
th e Freemasons and Rosicruciaus studiously hide th e ir
books and secrets from th e outside world.
W ith a view to disabuse the minds of the T a n tr a - h a te is
of th e ir misconception about this very instructive and
interesting branch of the H indu literature, 1 will a t te m p t
in the sequel to give a succinct account of the doctrines
of the M uhduirvdna T a n tr a as to tho Deity.
T he Deity, according to th e Jluhdiiircdna T an tra , is a
duality— the grand, im m utable and inseparable com bina­
tion of m ind and m atter. I t is always indivisible, im ­
personal, unsusceptible of any feeling, such as pleasure
aud pain, imperceptibly latent in every created object,* all-
pervading and eternal. I t is tho fountain-light of th e
senses and th e faculties, itself having neither the one nor
th e other. Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva are the personifications
of th e centrifugal, sustaining and centripetal energies of
th e g re a t One, they being never in de p e n d e n t entities/}*
* JFTW H Tr*: |
« T ^ o 7th > fi# ||
* * * * * *
t R l m qlfacrr: I
5T II
t 7? **3 ^ flfTTcFT:
All th e created objects from th e g rea t to the small are pro­
vided with it.*
T his G reat Cause of Causes is known only to those who
are adepts in w hat is known by the name of Sam dd/u yoya.
T he Yogi to feel it m u s t be impregnable to feelings of
pleasure an d pain, happiness and misery, h e a t and cold, in
short, every terrestrial th in g th a t affects th e m ind of tho
ordinary mortal. T h e discipline of the mind is not the
less imperative. T h e practiscr of Yoga should stand b e ­
yond th e control of the passions, regard with a n even eye
both friend and foe, and completely abstract his m ind from
th e outside world. H e is to concentrate' his m ind np on
the vital Mantra, oni natehit cla m brahma ; which is
th u s explained. T h e syllable ont is th e symbol of th e
centrifugal, sustaining and centripetal energies of God ;
th e le tte r (a) m eans th e sustaining or preservative energy,
(<() th e destroying (rath e r decomposing an d centripetal)
energy, an d (7)1) th e creative (rather centrifugal) energy.
sm vfsr i m r t ||
1 have used th e words centrifugal, centripetal an d enen/i/
advisedly. F ro m th e Kdm adhenti T a n tr a it would appear
t h a t th e le tte r (•«■) of th e P ranava is th e symbol of a cer­
tain force (cnll it power if you will) n a m e d -\dha K vn d u lin i
(*PT: jpsf&Jff), whose color is like th e scarlet Cliampak,
embodying th e five Devas (Thatis, T an m a tra s or th e occult
essences of sound, light, smell, touch and air) and th e five
Pranas. T h e color of th e force symbolized by (nt) is like
t h a t ot t h e daw ning sun, and it is called tho 1 ‘uram a K u n -
it also embraces the five Devas and P ra n s
T he symbol (<() is of th e moon's color, pentangular, e m ­
bracing the five Devas as a b o v e ; having th re e powers
(sakti), three attributes, though without any attrib ute, and
itself the divine essence embodied.
3 ? [ ( : 'T^5Tti% ot' t: I
•flrRWtfaTtf |
* * * ^ * *
m «m cf ||
* ** *
spn q r n js c f i i
4=^^^ 11
Now am ong th e descriptions of K undalini in T a n tr a - '
sara these th ree a ttr ib u te s am ong others are noticeable,
viz., th a t it is subtle, m oving in three and a half circles
and encircling th e esotcrio (procreative will, I believe) of
th e self-existent Deity.*}* Viewing iu this light this
K u ndalini appears to be the grand pristine force which
underlies organic and inorganic matter. Modern science
also teaches us th a t heat, light, electricity, m agnetism,
&c., are b u t th e modifications of one g reat force. I con­
fess my inability to ascertain the. distinction betw een
A d has K undalini and Paranut Kundtdi, typifying the n e ­
gative force and the positive force respectively, b u t d o u b t­
less they are the different manifestations of one great p r im ­
eval force or power which created the universe. I have
su bstituted th e word centripetal for </(».■>/roying, because it
is laid down th a t a t th e tim e of Mahupralaya organic m a t­
te r will be decomposed and withdrawn to whence it issued.
35: Frti :
I am struck w ith an idea, though I am not now in ;i
position for w an t of some very valuable T a n trik works to
 su b sta n tia te m y point, t h a t tbe syllable Om is th e csotcric
verbal symbol, whereas th e cross, A rani, Lingam, &c., is the
csotcric p h y sic a l symbol hiding th e same divinb m eaning
u n d e rn e ath . T here is th e positive vertical force (in) in ­
tersecting the negative horizontal forcc (u), and (a) is the
harm on ial motion of these two forces, (the harmony being
m entioned by three o th e r royal saktix of dignity, energy
a n d counsel) sustaining and preserving the universe, which
is b u t tbe em bodim ent of th e divine essence
B u t to r e s u m e : *at m eans immortal, ra th e r cver-existcnt,
chit, the fountain of perception, knowledge a n d wisdom ;
rkam, unity ; anil brahma implies greatness. B u t tb e con­
centration of the m ind on th e m a n tra is not alone sufli-
t'ient ; th e Yogi to attain beatitude m u st realize th e D eity
explicated by it.(l) A nd w hat is Y oga ? It is th e con­
ju n c tu r e of the J iv a (mind) with the Aiwa. (soul, i.e., Clod)
•— it is th a t worship which unites tbe servant with th e
m aster. (2)
B u t this state of th e mind, th e result of th e h ighest
c u ltu re and training, is attainable only by a few, who d e ­
vote the ir whole life and energy to 'tlu : fearless investi­
gation of tru th . T h e m ajority of the people g e ttin g no
such education and addicting themselves to m u n d a n e p u r ­
suits, are not in a position to appreciate or realize t h e ab s­
tra c t God. T hrow n into th e whirlpool of action, tem p ted
b y passions and interest, beset by enemies and untow ard
circumstances, goaded by hope an d ambition, struck down
by fear and despair, frail man is capable of doing the
g re ate st mischief to him self and to his fellow-brothreii.
T h e bond of religion is, therefore, of tho h ighest import-
unco to ensure peace and security. And w h at religion can
t h e average man appreciate ? Certainly not th e highest
theosophy. To suit th e capacity of such m en th e sages
expou nd ed a system of easily tangible faith founded ou
th e a ttrib u te s and actions of the I)eity(-‘l), k eeping in
view J ’rakriti, th e fountain-source of m atter, and screen­
in g o u t chaitam/a, th e ocean ot intelligence, knowledge
and wisdom. B u t th e y did not descend to idolatry by
one step. T h e ir first lesson was to contem plate a ttr ib u ­
tive images, failing which th e u n tu to r e d m ind was i n ­
structed to m ake visible im ages of J ’rakriti, symbolizing
h e r attributes. T h us Kuli (or Sakli, j ’rakriti, th a t is, God
manifested in m atter) is m ade of black color, having a cres­
cent. on her forehead, th re e eyes, wearing red d o th , dis­
t r ib u tin g security and boon with her hands, sittin g on the
scarlet lotus, and having her m outh wide open a t the sioht
in front of d ru n k e n Kala (time) dancing. Even as white,
p u rp le and other colors are absorbed by the black, so do
the elem ents find their rest iu Kali, hence her color is
imagined to be black ; th e symbol of the moon indicates her
loveliness; th e light of th e universe being the sun, moon and
lire, the G reat Light, of L ig h t is made to have three eyes \
tim e masticates and devours all created objects, the blood
of which is imagined to be her cloth ; th e universe upon
which she sits being th e offspring of th e active power
(R ajas)— her throne is m ade of purple lotus. T ho d rink
o f Kala is folly. (4)
T h o ritualistic portions of the work are not less in ­
te re s tin g ; they unfold the m eans whereby the sentient
(1 ) I
(TTjTPT W l ||
frUcNr sTRnn<r II
(2) ^ II
( 3 ) ir;r notigsfar fafw rm I
(4) i
, 3?T^r^iitT <nn ||
WcRcR'Tl: RUW: I
i^cn'r sraqRHt II
• * * ** * I n t t e r n ro “ R e - i n c a i » n t i « n i s t s , ” ,o r b e lie v e r * in t h o s u c c e s s iv e r e -in c a rn n tio lH
God as well as I ts symbolic representations are to be wor­
shipped. My n e x t p a p e r will be devoted to th e ir tre a tm e n t
Symbolic worship is by no means soul-lifting. (5) I t is
only for tb e benefit of th e worldly-minded people— to
induce them to th e contemplation of something holy and
traiisnmndane, and to guard against folly and vice, that
such worship has been inculcated. .Hut, the soul can never
a tta in be atitude u n til it breaks oif the girdles of Karina
(action) and obtains G nan (God-knowledge). T h e Gor-
dia.li kn ot of action binds th e soul, hand an d foot to the
world, where repeatedly it gets birth and dies aw ay until
theosophy redeems i t from transmigration.
K ajshahi in Bengal, Feb. 11th, ,1880.
A MOST INTERESTING AND INSTRUCTIVE LETTER HAS
been addressed to th e Society by a respectable physician in
England, in which advice is asked for th e tr e a tm e n t of a
gentlem an who,since a tte n d in g some Spiritualistic “ circles”
to w itnessthc strange phenom enon of “ Materialization,” has
been obsessed by an evil influence or “ bad spirit” despite
his efforts to throw it off. T h e case is so im p ortant th a t it
will be specially described in n ext m o n th ’s THEOSOPHIST.
R A D IA N T M A T T E R .
>1. CAMILLE FLAMMAllION ON MR. CROOKES’ NEW DIS­
COVERIES i n p h y s i c s .
T be R e v u e S p i r i f e of Paris, a m onthly jo u rn a l establish­
ed by the late A llan Ivardec— th e founder of th e Spiritis­
tic School in F ran c e — and edited by M. 1’. G. Leymarie, a
Fellow of th e Theosophical Society, in its F e b ru a ry n u m ­
ber, IS,SO, has a most interesting article, discoursing upon
Mr. Crookes, th e e m ine nt English physicist, interested in
th e occult studies. I t speaks th u s of him and bis great
popularity now in F ra n c e —
“ Spiritism feels too g rateful to tlio g re a t Scientist W illiam
Crookes th a t a n y th in " to liis greater glory should rem ain unnoticed.
Sufliw tlien, th a t lie is th e au th o r of the adm irable researches on
Itadiaut M atter of which th e whole press entertain ed lately tho
French public, to m ake it o ur d u ty to our readers to welcome the
discoveries of th e g re a t chem ist who did not shrink from th e study
of spiritist phenom ena.* T h is alone would be sufficient for us, hail
we n o t still an o th e r m otive, one th a t concerns th e cause of Spiri­
tism to its core and h eart, as th e problem of rad ian t m a tte r is the
problem of S piritualism itself. That, which M esmerists and Spiri­
tu alists call fluid, is probably only a special m anifestation of w hat
Sir. Crookes designates u n d er th e name of radiant m atter. Tho
discovery of a fourth condition of m a tte r is a door opened for its
transform ations for ever ; it is tb e invisible and im palpable man th a t
becomes possible w ith o u t ceasing to be substantial ; it is the world
of spirits en terin g th e dom ain of scientific hypotheses w ithout
absurdity : it presents a possibility for the m aterialist to believo
in a future life, w ith o u t renouncing the m aterial su b stratu m which
ho th in k s necessary for th e m aintenance of individuality. T here
are o th er considerations too. W e do no t mention homccopathy,
having never studied it, b u t it is more than probable th a t liornuo-
p ath s will find argum ents aa well in th e facts of radiant m atter........
“ SIr. Crookes is not only the chem ist known to th e scientific
world, b u t a t th is tim e there is not a Frenchm an well read iu
jo urnalistic inform ation who is not aw are of th e im portance of his
works, and th is nam e is now for science a dazzling light, a popular
glory. To give an idea o f his work and of th e interest which hiH
*TcTCcTWTf1^ f 5 W j]
faoi *fbrnro*fTfttr || '
sifter f%?«T I
hs: ^ ’T O ifRfw n II ,
^155 FT I | .
W fa ^ i ?i&Trf$T ||
(f>) I
?|fcr ^ q t w t *trel w m r II • ■
• T b o t w e n t y m illio n s o f W e s t e r n b e lie v e r * in t h e m o d e r n p h e n o m e n a a n d
th o * e w h o a t t r i b u t e t h e m t o t h e n -ren cy of i l c p n it c il s p i r i t s or Bowls (b h u la t f
b i o iliv id c d i n t o tw o p r e n t s e c t s - t h e S p ir it u n lin t s n m l t h e S p i r i t i s t s . The
o r tr a n s m i g r a t i o n s o f t h e h u m a n s o u l.— E u . T b £ O S , ' ~
 A pril, 1880.]
s _
experim ents a t th e P aris observatory ami a t tlie school of medicine
have generally excited throughout th e press, wo cannot do b e tte r
th an reproduce passages from th e num erous articles published by
scientific editors.”
T |ie first contribution to th is effect is given by a le tte r from 51.
C am ille Flanm mrion, the astronom er aiul sp iritist to th e jou rn al
L e Volluire ou the subject of R ad ian t M a tte r, extracts from w hich
le tte r we now givo for the benefit of th e readers of th e Theosophist.
I I . Flam marion says :—
“ W e had, the other night, a t tho O bsorvatory, a lecture on p h y ­
sics—physics purely scientific, le t i t bo well understood—very in ­
teresting and extrem ely instructive. Mr. W . Crookes, F .It.S . of
London, shewed there to a select m eeting his curious experim ents
upon a peculiar state of m atter, w hich ho calls ra d ia n t m atter. M .
S alet was the interpreter ; iu th e audiencc was SI. C am betta, accom­
panied by U eneral F arre.”
M. Fh.m m arion th e n alleges th a t Faraday was the first person to
conceive the idea of rad ian t m atter, as a hardy hypothesis, in the
y e a r 18l(i. H is le tte r th u s proceeds :—
“ A t the com m encem ent of the century, if iuiy one had asked w hat
is gas, lie would have been answ ered, it is m a tte r diluted and rare-
tied to th e p o in t of being im palpable ; except when it is excited by
a violent movement, it is invisible ; it is incapable of assum ing a
definite form, like solids ; or of form ing drops like liquids ; it is
alw ays in a position to dilate when it encounters no resistiinee, and
to contract under the action of pressure. Such were th e principal
pro p erties attrib u te d to gas th irty years ago. B ut tlio researches of
m odern scionce have greatly enlarged and modified o u r ideas about
th e constitution of these elastic fluids.
“ W o now consider gas to be composed of an alm ost infinite num ­
b er of little particles or molecules, w hich aro incessantly in move­
m ent, and w hich are an im ated by a tendency to velocity of move­
m en t to the greatest possible degree. As the num ber of these mo­
lecules is exceedingly great, it follows th a t a molecule cannot move
in any direction w ithout quickly strik in g against another. Jiu t if
we extract from n closed vessel a g reat q u an tity of th e air, or of th e
gas which it contains, th e num ber of th e molecules is dim inished,
and tho distance th a t a given moleculo can move w ithout knocking
ag ainst another is increased, th e mean length of its free course being
in inverse ratio to the num ber of molecules rem aining.
“ Tlio mure perfect the vacuum , th e g reater the average distance
th a t a molecule traverses before colliding ; or in oth er term s, tho
mean length of the free course augm ents th e more the physical p ro ­
perties of th e gas become modified. T hus, when we arrive a t a
certain point, th e phenomena of th e radiom eter become possible ;
and if we carry the rarefaction of th e gas still farth er, th a t is to say,
if we dim inish tho num ber of th e molecules which are found iu a
given space, and by th a t means augm ent tho menu length of th e ir
free courses, we render the experim ents w hich aro tho subject m a t­
te r o f our consideration, possible. A s At r. Crookes says :—
‘ These phenomena differ so g reatly from those presented b y gas
in its ordinary tension, th a t we are in th e presence of a fo u rth condi­
tion of m atter, which is as fa r removod from tho gaseous condition
ns gas is from the liquid condition.
‘ The molecules of gas, for exam ple, contained in th is envelope of
crystal (a globo five inches in diam eter) and w hich are now become
com paratively few in num ber—although thero aro actu ally left
m illiards on m illiards—by being no longer impeded reciprocally in
th e ir movem ents, have acquired new properties, o f extrem e energy.
H ere aro revealed by tho m ost b rillian t phenom ena some of those
m ysterious powers of nature, th e secret laws of w hich are y e t little
known,
‘ Those molecules projected on diam onds and rubies in rapid
stream s, cause them to shine forth w ith intense brilliancy of colour,
green and red, and th e glass u n d er th e ir action becomes illum inated
with flashing phosphorescence.
‘ A rapid cu rren t o f these particles w hich an ingenious lecture-
table m ethod of lighting renders visible to all eyes, heats platino-iri-
ilium alloy, to beyond 2 ,1)00 degrees, m elting it like wax.
‘ I t appears th a t all these molecules, which liavo been rendered
m ore free and mobilo by reduction of th eir num ber, a ct like bullets
so small as to defy im agination, and the num ber of which, still in
th is vacuum of which m an is so proud, appears to be still infinite.’
“ Mr. Crookes, by m eans of various ingenious experim ents, de­
m onstrates the following propositions :
‘ W herever radiant m a tte r strikes, it induces an energetic phos­
phorescent action :—it moves in a stra ig h t line ; w hen intercepted
by a solid substance i t throw s a shadow ; it exercises an energetic
mechanical action upon th e bodies it strikes against ; it deviates
from its straig h t course u n d er th e influence of th e m agnet ; w hen
arrested iu its movement, it produces heat.’
“ These a re some o f th e experim ents so new, so unexi>ected, ami
of such deep in terest. Tlie au th o r of them has succeeded in m aking
a vacuum ni his tu b es of a m illionth of atm osphere, and he m ight
even a tta in to a ten m illionth or perfectionate it even to a tw enty
millionth. Very well, such a pneum atic vacuum , fa r from repre­
senting to th e m ind au absolute vacuum, rep resen ts on th e con­
trary, still a real condition of m atter, and Btill an im m easurable
num ber of molecules. T hus, for example, a globo of glass of th ir­
teen centim etres, (a b o u t five in c h e a ) in diam eter, like those in
which some of the preceding experim ents had beon made, w ould
contain som ething like a septiUion, th u s 1 ,0 0 0 ,0 0 0 ,00 0 , 0 0 0 ,0 0 0 ,
00 0 ,0 0 0 , of molocnles of air. V ery well, if we m ake a vacuum there
to a m illionth of the atm osphere, th e globe will still contain a quintil-
lion of molecules. T h at is no small th in g . I t is even enorm ous—
unim aginable ! Suppose we pierce th is globe of glass b y th e a id
of an electric spark, which traverses it by an opening q u ite m icro­
scopic, b u t sufficient, nevertheless, to p em iit th e air to e n ter ; how
much tim e will it tak e for th is quintillion of molecules to get into
tho globe, in which a vacuum has been made ? If a h u n d red
m illions of molecules should en ter in a second, in order to fill th is
globo there would be a necessity of—
510, 017, 470, 500, Seconds.
12 , fiS2 ,
or 214, 708, 510, 2 0 1, 275, M inutes,
or 3. 578, 475, 171, 521, H ours.
or 14!), 103, 132, M7, Days.
or 408, m il, 731, Y ears.
more th a n four h u n d red m illions of years. N evertheless, tlio vessel
is filled in an hour. AVhat are we to conclude by th is I W hy, th a t
n o t only a hundred m illions of molecules en ter in a second, b u t
three hundred quintillions- T ho sm allness of those molecules is,
then, absolutely incom prehensible. They aro so to speak b u t m a­
them atical points.
“• In th e stu d y of th is fo u rth condition, or slate of m atter, it
seem s th a t we have attain ed a know ledge of, seized, and subm it­
ted to our control, th e sm all indivisiblo atom s which we m ay con­
sider as form ing th e physical basis of tho U niverse, and th a t we
have a ttain ed to tlie lim it w here m atter and force appear to
blend—to th e obscure dom ain which m arks th e frontier th a t sepa­
rates the known from th e unknow n. I hope the learned experim enter
will here perm it me to m ake a reflection inspired by his own experi­
m ents. T h a t which he calls rad ia n t m atter, may it not be simply a
mode of electricity ? T h e rad iatio n s observed, tho lum inous and
calorific phenom ena produced, th e deviations obtained under tho
influence of th e m agnet and m agnetic currents, do th ey n o t suggest
directly to th e m ind th e existence of actions of th e electric order ?
T his idea m ay well have stru c k tho a u th o r him self, and perhaps he
m ight discuss th is objection which appears to us direct and quite
natural. T h is objection does not, however, seem to us to be proved.
H ut w hatever may be th e adopted theory, t liese experim ents are
none tho less novel, curious, and of the first order. W o will finish
by an indiscretion ; it w as in stud y in g the phenom ena of S piritual­
ism th a t M r. Crookes has been led to these magnificent discoveries,
“ C a m i u . e I ’i . a m m a h i o k ,
Astronomer
JTTNTS TO T H E S T U D E N T S OF Y O G V ID Y A .
]!Y K U T T X IN C 'H IIN D JiA U Y .
T here are eig h t p arts of Yog, viz., Y am a, N iyam a, A sa­
lia, Pnlnnilydnm , Pratydh&ra, D hiiranna, D liyana and Sa-
m adhi, each of w hich I shall endeavour to define as briefly
as possible.
T he principles of Y am a enjoin us—
(1.) T o observe perfect freedom from th e desire of
in ju rin g others, and to realize in practice real love and
h e artfe lt sym p ath y for all creatures ;
(2) To speak alw ays th o tru th ; m aking our words
convoy our exact m ean in g ;
(.*)) To be free from a desire to m isappropriate others’
property, how ever in sig n ific a n t;
(4) To practise self-denial, or in o th er words never to
allow gratification to carnal passions, even in th o u g h t;
(;>) To k eep alw ays and everyw here aloof from p ride
and vanity.
T h e principles of N iy am a enjoin us—
(1.) To observe cleanliness of body and p u rity of m ind
(2) To be c o n te n t and cheerful u n d er all th e vicissi­
tu d es of lif e ;
(:i) To listen to, and practise, th e doctrines calculated
to ex alt our m ind and refine our th o u O g h ts 3:
(4) To read th e sacred books, such as th e Vedas, &c.,
and to have full faith in th e existence of th e Infinite S p i­
rit, Oi>i ;
(">) T o bear alw ays in m ind th a t our actions and
th o u g h ts are w atched and w itnessed by th e O m n ipresent
Spirit.
A sana.
T his tre a ts of th e p o stu re to be adopted at th e tim e of
perform ing Yog. T h e posture assum ed should be q u ite
easy and in no way painful or inconvenient. F o r oriental
people, sq u a ttin g is th e ono generally prefeired.
Pr&nndyitiiut.
T his relates to th e suppression of th e inspiration and
expiration of breath.
 (1.) W hen tlic l ir a i th is exhaled, th e s tu d e n t should,
before ho ta k e s it in again, allow as much tim e to puss as
lio conveniently can.
(2) A nd when if. is inhaled, ho should suffer th e same
a m o u n t of tim e to elapse before it is exhaled again.
(3) H e should th e n suspend b re a th in g altogether, of
rourse,’ for a few seconds a t th e beginning,
o o* a n d never so
long as would cause h i m inconvenience or prove d ang er­
ous to his health. I n short, his practice m u s t be re g u ­
lated by his strength.
(4) H e should th e n inhale and exhale his b re a th slow­
ly and with loss force th a n usual. I advise no person to
practiso this p a r t of Yog, unless he has a Yogi a t his side,
inasmuch as it endangers h e a lth and life, if unskilfully a t ­
te m p te d and iu tlio absence of nu instructor.
P ratydhdra.
T his requires us to control our mind so as to exerciso
full a u th o rity over iLs feelings a n d emotions.
D h a ra n n a
is to withhold the mind from all external objects and in­
ternal th ou gh ts and to concentrate it upon a certain part
of th e body, e ith er t h e navol, hoart, forehead, nose or
tongue, and then to m e d ita te on O m and its attributes.
D hyana
is to intonsify t h a t meditation, and to ke e p t h e m ind void
of any other th o u g h t, feeling or emotion.
Sam ddhi
leads th e Yogi to gain t h a t perfection in th e intensity of
m editation which enables h im to a tta in absorption in the
Infinite Spirit. _ _
In D h y a n a t h e Yogi is conscious of his own self, of his
mind, and of t h e Infinite S p irit ; b u t in Sanuulhi he loses
tho consciousness of th e first two, an d t h e Infinite S pirit
only rem ains before his m in d ’s eye. ^ _
Y o u r readers m u st know t h a t the. w rite r of this article,
n o t being a Y o g i himself, w rites this not so m uch to teach
others as to le a n t himself, a n d will, therefore, feel highly
grateful to a n y who being Yogis them selves will correct
him w herever th ey see h im ta k in g a wrong course.
Dh&vanua, D h y a n a a n d Sam ad hi are tog ether call­
ed Sannyfiina. _
N o one should expect to enjoy the bliss of S u n n yd m a ,
which is beyond all description, w itho ut first observing tho
principles of Y a m a an d N iy a m n . _
God, th e prim eval cause t h a t pervades th e universe, and
is t h e M aster of all things, either an im a te or inanimate,
is a Being invisible to th e physical eyes, im perceptible
to th e bodily senses and incomprehensible to ou r finite
intellect. W h o dares define such a Being, and in w hat
language ? N o other language th a n that, of th e D e ity itself,
(if it can be said to have a n y specific language a t all), can
boast of representing it as it is. A nd iu S a n n y a m a we aro
brought face to face w ith th is Being. _ _
T h e first fruit t h a t a Yogi reaps is th a t his m in d is
always fearloss and his soul happy. T hese two qualifica­
tions are th e tr u e a tte n d a n ts t h a t a Yogi can always count
upon, a n d w ith o u t these no person should be looked upon
as a Yogi. I t is, indeed, difficult to e n te r all a t once into
th o state of Samadhi, b u t Dhyilnn, 1 a m sure, is a stage t hat
can a t a n y ra te be reached even by a beginner.
I t is in D liyd n a th a t a stu den t of Yoga Vidya begins to
h e a r t h a t mystic music called th e A n d h ad-Shabcl (which
is so beautifully illustrated a t page 87 of th e T h k o s o p h i s t
for J a n u a r y 1880, in th e article on Yog Philosophy) which
varies in its tun es and notes in proportion to t h e advance­
m en t of th e stu d e n t from one stage to another.
In the first stage it resembles t h e chirping of a sparrow,
in tho second it is twice as loud, in tho third it is like tho
tolling of bells, in th e fourth like tho blowing of a great
shell, in th e fifth like th e music of a lute, in th e sixth
like th e clapping of hands, in th e seventh like th e sound
of a flute (Yinna), in th e e ighth like th e beating of a
drum, in th e n inth like th e sound of a small tru m p e t, and
iu th e t e n th like th e deep pealing of thunder.
I t is in th e te n th stage called S a m a d h i t h a t H ira n -
nyatjarbha, th a t eternal and unfading light, which until
th en p e n e tra te d its rays only now and th e n through
th e thick cloud of matter, breaks in upon th e Yogi
in its full brightness nnd glory, and absorbs him. The
Yogis w hen they reach this state, gain th e power of
th e D e ity j u s t as a piece of iron gains the p roperty of
th e m a g n e t when both are b io ugh t in close connection
w ith each other. And it is such Yogis th a t should bo
looked upon with awe and reverence. However, th e farther
the student, advances from one stage to another, th e greater
the psychic [towers ho begins to possess. I n t h e infancy
of his spiritual development, futuru events are revealed to
h im th ro u g h dreams especially those connected w ith his
own person, his in tim ate friends and nearest relatives.
B u t as his D h yana makes a move nearer to th e a ttain m en t
of S a m a d h i, his capacity is so increased as to enable him to
see d istan t objects and future events as happening beforo
him in his sem i-Sam adhi. A nd he can also save himself
to a certain e x te n t from tho attack of diseases and all h u r t­
ful creatures.
W h e n th e stu d e n t acquires so much power, it happens
in some few cases th a t he becomes reserved, and looks down
upon others. T his he should scrupulously avoid as,
otherwise h e stands face to face with t h e danger of
being pulled down to t h e p o in t from whence he first
started.
H e should b ear all ill-tre a tm e n t with patience and be
ever forgiving ; in short, he should act like th e O m nipre­
se n t D e ity t h a t allows the sun to shine equally both on
th e good nnd th e wicked. A slight pa rtiality for one and
h atre d for a n o th e r is su re to retard his progress.
It. should be borne in m in d th a t D h yiin a can never be
enjoyed unless th e m ind is q u ite free of alldesires a t th e time.
Tho ever-wavering s ta te of th e mind is a g re a t obstacle
in our way of spiritual development, an d no m in d can bo
b ro u g h t to any p o in t of stability unless it is separated
from all desires. And to effect this, various are th e means
adopted b y different persons. Some engage th e ir mind
w ith o u t reserve, in th o recitation of e ith er of th e following
ineffable nam es of tho D e i t y :— Om, Soham , H a n s-H a m ,
T a t- S u f &c. &c. O thers engage th e ir m ind directly in
searching after E te rn a l Light, which manifests itself to the
devotee in the inner cham ber of his heart, called in Sanskrit,
B ra h m -p o o ri.
Punjab, F e b ru a ry 1880.
-------- ---------
BRATDfOTSM vs. H IN D U ISM .
BY A HINDU LAWYER.
I have no m ind to occupy any space in your esteemed
journ al with any discussion as to th e relative m erits of
th e two religious, b u t I propose, with your permission, to
point o u t to thoso concerned why th e new religion has not
been able to progress so well as it should have in the course
of th e last half-a-century. H in d u ism is th e oldest reli­
gion in t h e world, a n d it m u s t be a religion of love and vo
dogma t h a t would u pse t it, if possible. I t is a trem endous
edifice th a t has out-lived th e raids of time, stood tho
fury of m any a cyclone, an d baffled all foreign aggression.
I t embraces all phases of moral philosophy and is, from
a H in d u point of view, th e fountain-head of theology.
Brahm oism (or th e religion of one true B rahm a), as ori­
ginally found by R ajah R am Mohun Roy, lias sp ru ng out
of it. Brahm oism has since received m an y a n accretion
from foreign bodies, and alluvium deposited b y th e wash­
ing of th e Hood of tim e. I t professes to contain th e con­
c entrated essence of the sweets of all th e known religions
of th e earth. I t ought, therefore, strictly speaking, to
be th e prevailing religion a t this hour, a t least in India.
B u t even in Bengal, it is n o t th e religion of many, but
of a fe w young Bengalis. W h y is this ? I t is not because
th e re is any inherent or la te n t defect in th e system itself,
but, because, I believe, th e re is a fault in its followers. Let
it not be understood, however, t h a t any reflection is i n - "
 tendod upon th e character of all th e B raluno s; no, there
are very honourable exceptions to th e rule. W h a t I e m ­
phatically beg to assert is th a t m en like Babu K eshu b
C h u n d a r Sen, whose public life has been inconsistent
throughout, and who, a t th e close of th e n in e te en th cen­
tury, iu tho m id st of all th is W estern en ligh tenm ent
and civilization, w ants to bo regarded ns n prophet nud
to be worshipped like Christ Je su s of N azareth, cannot
guide, far less rule, th e spiritual destiny of millions. B e­
sides, if tlio Brahm os are really in earnest to convert into
th e ir faith their H in d u brethren, they m u st forsake the
aggressive jHilicy a n d th e offending a ttitu d e they have
lately adopted towards th e H in du society. I have been led
into m aking these re m a rk s by tho facts of u case t h a t
has lately occurred a t Allahabad, and has been fully re­
ported by it correspondent in th e columns of th e
“ Pi-ahliiili" a vernacular daily published a t Calcutta. I t
appeal's th a t a certain teacher in tho G o vern m en t school
a t Allahabad, a young Baboo, g ra d ua te of th e C alcutta
U niversity und a Brahmo, becam e an accomplice, a t least
after the fact, of enticing away, u n d e r cover o f midnight,
a young H in d u girl-widow from tho lawful custody of her
poor brother. W h e n questioned by th e girl's b ro th er and
some o f his friends, th e said teacher, after much hesitation
and with g rea t reluctance, confessed th a t the girl was iu
his house ; and, when pressed to deliver her up, he m a ­
naged to send h e r down to C alcutta in th e company ot
tho two striplings who had personally brought th e girl out
from her home, th ere to be placed u nder tlie custody of a
Brahmo, to bo educated, initiated into Brahmoism and
then married u n de r th e B rah m o Marriage Act, to a b rid e ­
groom of any caste th a t m ay hereafter be chosen by her
or on h e r behalf. A n indignation-meeting, atten d e d by
almost all tlie leading m em bers of th e H in d u com m unity
of Allahabad, was held the o th e r day, and th e conduct ot
the said Bengali teacher waa unanim ously condemned.
I f tho facts of this case be tru e (and 1 have no doub t they
are), tho Brahm os of Allahabad have n o t only wounded
the feelings of a respectable H in d u family— n o t only of­
fended tho H in d u society a t large, b u t considerably, if not
irreparably, injured th e chances of th e progress ot th e ir
religion, a t least in U p p e r India. One such example ot
indiscretion and wickedness as this is a p t to neutralize
tho effect of th e labours of years, and to hinder th e a d ­
vancem ent of th e cause in future. I hope no one in th e
service of our Governm ent, whose maxim is n e u tra lity
in m atters of religion, would be allowed to practise
with im punity any questionable traffic on th e religious
and social feelings of any section of th e com munity.
Certainly tho a rg u m e n t becomes stronger when applied
to th e case of a school-master, whose class is supplied w ith
children of m en of every shade of religion and who is,
no doubt, by virtue of his position, reckoned ami recog-
uised as a representative m a n in some sense of th e term.
Let tho Bralunos of Allahabad contradict, if th e y can, th e
clear version of the facts n arrated in detail by th e said
correspondent, who has given th e nam es of all parties
concerned, including those of th e witnesses who could
depose to each set of those facts. Otherwise there is no
escape for th e m from th e serious charge laid against them.
W e know widow-reinarriago is a noble object per xt\ but, it
is subm itted, it should n ot bo consum m ated by any u nw or­
thy devices. I n one sense, th e H in d u s are afraid of
Brahmoism more th a n th e y are of Christianity. Tho
native Christians live a p a r t from th em and do everything
iu tho light ot th e d a y ; whereas th e Bralunos livo in th e ir
homes, mix with, an d move in, th e society of th e ir females,
and oftentimes b ring abo ut thoir ends surreptitiously.
The conviction is gaining ground every day in the H i n ­
du m ind th a t Brahm oism is fast becoming a religion of
diplomacy ! As an a dm irer of Brahmoism, I p ity th e
erring Brahm os for th e sake of th e ir religion which is
essentially one of love, mercy and fellow-feeling— t h e
cardinal virtues of its parent, H induism , th e soul of which
is Fair Play and
NO HUMBUG.
24 th February 1880.
A IIA L IS T E D C A S T L E I X T H E N IN E T E E N T H
C E N T U ll Y.
HY W IO F E S SO U ZAIIKD-LEV V.
Tho cnstlo of ])., n ear Saint-A., mentioned by M. An-
gol, lias been, it appears, visited during several centuries
hy the in h a b ita n ts o f tlio oth e r world. As a proof of
wlmt I advance, I will m ention th e nocturnal sounds so
often hoard by th e m a ste r o f the place himself, ami
th e sighs nud sobs which troublo th e sleep of the inha­
bitants of the house several tim es a month. T h e y have
been heard, and can, 110 doubt, be heard a g a in distinctly
enough to set aside all suspicion of hallucination, and
these phenom ena were th e only ones observed un til 1X7S.
Then, on Easter evening of t h a t year, abo ut nine
o’clock, mysterious lights appeared in th e shady avenues
of the park ; th ey weie red, flickering, ami peculiar, and
they were to be seen for more than an hour. N o one
could approach th e m w ith ou t th e ir instantly dying o u t
and disappearing, and n o th in g could be more interesting
than these lum inous phenom ena which reminded one of
th e n ight of Walpurgis, when the good doctor F a u s t saw
so many marvels.
These extraordinary manifestations were succeeded by
others still more strange. Soon the bells, large and small,
began to ring of themselves, gently a t first, and th e n
loudly and all together. Above, below, everywhere, it was
one fantastic ]>eal. In vain we examined th e rope of each
of th e bells— it was motionless ! W e even assured our­
selves t h a t three of them bail 110 connection with the bell,
and perhaps had not sounded for a century. Tlie peal
continued until daybreak, and on the. next and following
evenings \vns renewed and redoubled. D u rin g moro than
th re e weeks we heard th e sound of a ha m m e r striking
th e barrels in the cellar. I t was useless to arm ourselves
and go down. L ittle by little the noise grew less, and by the
tim e we reached the cellar all was still ; b u t th e ham m er
recommenced louder th a n ever as soon as we were upstairs
again, and a frightful noise heard in the upper corridors
tilled us with terror. Im agine two or th ree hundred plates
rolled with pieces of iron and chains down the stone stair­
case, add to tluit loud voices, sharp cries, whistling blows
struck to th e right, th e left, ou th e ceiling, 011 the furni­
ture, stones mixed with fine sand falling 011 us, however
closely th e doors m ig h t be shut, frightful bowls sounding
a t each story, and you will have a faint idea of w hat pass­
ed in the castle every n ig h t for more th a n three weeks.
D u rin g a convivial meal th e large and heavy dining ta ­
ble began suddenly to move, and to tu rn round, then it
pranced like a sportive animal, and loud blows struck
und ern eath it were almost strong enough to disjoin th o
wood. D u rin g this tim e the plates and dishes ja rre d
against each other, and rising fell back again noisily.
A conversation of more than an hour followed, th e blows
answering iu four languages w ith perfect intelligence—
and not only th a t b u t we heard the table howl and im i­
tate in a horrible m a n n e r th e death rattle of a criminal
in th e hands of th e hangm an, these loud and unpleasant
sounds alte rn a tin g w ith th e questions asked.
T he spirit announced him self as a criminal of the olden
time, torm ented a t th e very place where he committed
his crime— and a legend of th e castle really recalls a fact
of this kind, and nam es as tho sceno of th e event, the
entranco of a subterranean passage, closed in conseqnenco
by an iron grating.
The table performance recommenced several times,
though never to th e same extent, b u t direct writing was
obtained moro than a h u n d re d times.
One of us had only to leave a note somewhere ab ou t
th e castle, and a few m in u te s after the answer was written
upon it with a red pencil. These answers usually con­
tained baseless threats, and I recognised on th e notes cer­
tain signs of cabala an d occult philosophy— t h a t was all.
I come now to th e fact of th e apparitions, and to those
who say “ you thought you saw them .” I answer, th a t we
did not th in k abo ut it, we actually saw them. I cannot
force you to believe these statem en ts, b u t I can assure you
on my honour, t h a t I invent absolutely nothing, and for t h a t I n K m i.M IT T lN C S A N SK R IT M SS.— O F T E N CARELESSLY
m a tte r more th a n tw enty of my friends will affirm t h a t w ritte n — to compositors who are totally ignorant of the
they witnessed w hat I relate. T he fourth evening during m eaning of the words, errors, m ore or less important, are
a torrential rain, and by tlus feeble beams of tlic moon a l­ inevitable. T h e fate which bef'el the S anskrit contribution
most. veiled by the clouds, we all saw a gigantic spectre to our F eb rua ry n u m b e r by th e learned High Priest of
majestically cross the g re a t field, and after walking there A d a m ’s Peak, tho Rt. Rev. II. Sumangala, will be seen
and groaning more than five m inutes, lose itself in th e d a r k ­ from the following list of errata which ho has sent u s : —
ness ! I To sec this supernatural being more th a n tw enty
feet, high, one* had only to m anifest his desire, then all E r r a ta in the T h e o s o p h i s t , for F eb ruary 1S80.
noise censed in the castle, we looked out upon the solitary
avenues of tbe park, and we saw it |ici fcctly, although Page 122, Postscript.
sometimes the obscurity was so great th a t one could h a rd ­ line nu m b er 8 m ust be
ly distinguish the trees and high til's. T h e spirit k ept at. Do. 0 -1 0 Do.
a distance, and resembled a phosphorescent, column in a liu- Do. m Do.
mnn form. Its lamentations touched us to th e soul, nnd
Do. 13 Do.
it seemed aware of our commiseration. More than fifty
times during nenrly six months, we contem plated by moon­ Do. 1 r , tfrm ’ Do. 3Ti<n.
light this troubled phantom, b u t it. wn.s not prudent, to Do. 17 Do.
offend it, anil the punishment, soon followed the fault. My Do. is $T°Tf Do. $r>i.
friend J . de 1). received a violent blow in the face, which Do. 22 TtPTT Do. TS>TT.
made him bleed for several minutes, and I myself was fa s n : Do. fasn:
Do. 23
struck by stones without knowing whence they came. It. <T5tW .
Do. 23 emu Do.
would be endless if I were to relate all that passed in this
mysterious house, b u t little by little, the phen om en a be- IV 24 Do.
cam eslighter and rarer. A t th e present t im ecertninly strange (Page 1 2 3 .) a
things still happen, b u t th e y are slight, weak, and vague. Do. 2 .', Do. 3TM7.
'=>_ .
One m ight j>ossibly count one every three week, and for Do. 20 Do.
the production of th e phenom ena certain special circum­ Do. 31 JTl’T Do.
stances nre necessary and by provoking the spirits a little, Do.
Do. 3r>
I am convinced, the noise could be made t.o begin again.
Do. 38 Do.
In brief, these are th e facts, and they were witnessed by
all the family de 1). and th e ir servants, by M. M. Snlndin Do. 30 Do.
nnd I l...d e M ..., and by M. B ... priest, and formerly Do. 30 327 Do. 3*j.
tu to r a t the castle. T here were several other very credi­ In th e * note S W W i m u s t be
table persons whom 1 th in k it. useless to name. All these
persons have seen and heard. Now discuss, as much as f note m u s t be
you can, like rationalists and learned men, and try to explain J note m u s t be m u s t be
it all by the light of your science. Useless will it be for m ust be ^PJlfcTT must
you to make our ears ring w ith your g re a t words of mo­ be ♦ iq ’liarw , arftiV ? m ust be a r r n ir T F r ?-
dern medicine : hallucinations, spectromania, liystem- m ust be 3 ^ 1 , and m u s t be fa-
demonopathia, and such like, which nre n o u g h t b u t absurd
excuses the value of which approximates th e following : c*T.
opium produces sleep, for it possesses a soporific virtue in
Tn division TII th e omission of the words “ refraining
it, ; castor oil purges in consequence of its cleansing pro­
from" before the word “ lying” made our learned brother
perties, etc. You do not really sec, then, that, you create
seem to say th a t Good Speech embraces lying !
won Is and nothing but words w ith ou t explaining a n ything
a t all I Enough— for here I merely narrate and give
facts and my object is n o t to explain. Only gentlem en
sceptics and esprit# fo r ts do n o t presume too much of T H E O F F IC E O F R E L IG IO N .
your powers and try to always bear in m ind th e words of
your honourable colleague, Arago,— he who outside of pure JIY I) 11nr;WANDAS .MUNMOIIUNDAS, ESQ., ’
m athematics pronounces the word “ impossible" lacks p r u ­
Solicitor o f the High Court, Bombay.
dence.” (lie v itc S p irit? , February.)
Tho foundation, in our midst., of the Theosophical So­
S EVERAL E M IN E N T N A T IV E SCHOLARS HAVE ALREADY ciety just. at. a tim e Avbcn th e educated m ind of India
consented to serve on th e J u r y for the award of the Medal is almost in u state of chaos and confusion on th e all-im­
of Honour. T he complete list, will be announced in the p o rta n t subject of religion, m ay bo looked upon as a per­
n ext num ber of this magazine. It, is desired to include fect godsond. T h e p rim ary and p aram ount object of this
among tho N a tiv e silver coins to be incited up, at. least Socioty hns been, I ta k e it, to revive Vedaism, or, in
four pieces which would respectively represent th e ancient other words, to su b s titu te spiritual for ritual and material
dynasties of Northern, Southern, E astern and W estern I n ­ worship. N o education can be said to be complete w ith ­
dia. Will any antiquarian give or sell us such ? The o u t religious instruction and, though the system of English
more an cien t they are the better. Such mementoes of a education has directly or indirectly cleared our minds of
glorious Past m ay well glitter 011 th e breast of its modern any lurking faith in th e prevailing religions of this coun­
vindicator. try, it has, we m u s t admit, failed to give us a b e tte r
religion instead. Thrown as we arc upon our own resour­
S in c e t h e a h o v e w a s p u t i n t y p e a m e s s a g e h a s ces, wo go abou t m anufacturing religions for ourselves;
been received from our respected friend, R60 B a h a d u r b u t these man-made, hand-made religions so to speak—
Manibhai Jasbhai, tho Dew an Sahcb of ('utch, generously not founded on divine ordinances and divine inspiration:—
offering to contribute somo ancient coins of th a t S ta te for will not have nny perm an ent hold upon our minds, m a n ­
incorporation in th e Medal of Honour, lie kindly says th a t ners and morals. A religion without, spiritual inspiration
tho work of our Society is likely to result, in good for is almost as useless as a g ra te w ithout fire. Sooner or
India. Tho Dewan Saheb sends us also a copy of a Reeso- later we shall grow weary of such religions and cast them
lution of the C u tc h Council of Regency, offering two prizes, away to the winds. But, we m u st have a religion afler
of Rs. 200 and Rs. 400 respectively, for original essays all. Man is essentially a religious being, m uch in the
in G ujrati and translations into t h a t language from same sense as he is a social being. A s we believe in the
Euglisb or Sanskrit. brotherhood of man, so we m ust believe iu th e fatherhood
 of Spirit, and as th ere are ways and means of associating
with our follow-brethren here, so we m u s t have a way
to open u p o u r intercourse, our correspondence, our
communication w ith the Deity. Religion opens this
way, and points it out to .man. W c have simply to follow
it up, and th e highest end of our life is accomplished.
T he tendency- of our youth is to believe th a t th e end
of life is enjoyment. T he fault is not theirs, h u t the
faulty a n d defective character of the education they re­
ceive. N o th in g b u t the revival of th a t primitive religion
•—th e only true religion— th e religion of the Vedas— can
awaken us to a sense of our duties towards the Deity, and
b o w in us th e seeds of, and win for us,eternal, everlasting life.
As food is th e sustenance of the body, so is religion
th e sustenance of th e soul. A s the body w itho ut food fails
to perform its appointed functions, so does th e soul w ith ­
out religion fail to perforin its appointed function of hold­
ing communion with the S p irit— th e only sure and safe
way of securing spiritual comfort and consolation, and of
e ntering the kingdom of th e E te rn ity .
I t is a m a tte r of national pride and pleasure to observe
th a t this ancient religion of our ancient A ryan country
has, a t this distance of time, a ttra c te d to itself, and e n ­
gaged th e attentio n of a large body of the learned and
th in k in g m en of Europe and America, very m any of whom
have, in order to follow its teaching and precepts, abjured
th a t " model” religion of m o d e m tim es— l.'hristianity.
T H E T H E O S O r I I I C A L S O C IE T Y , O R U N I V E R ­
SA L BROTHERHOOD.
I l'o ii n c il n t N e w Y o r k , U . S . o f A iu c riu n , O i-lo liu r IlOlli, 1S75.]
Principles, /Inlet, a n d Bye-Laws, ns revised in Oeuerid Conned, at
the meet ini/ held at the /xdaec o f /F. 11..the Jla hunijah o f Yiziuna-
yram, 1tenures, 17M December, 187!).
I. T h e Theosophical Society is formed upon the basis
of a U niversal Brotherhood of H u m anity . I t has been
conventionally divided for adm inistrative purposes into
L o a d Branches.
A Branch may, if so desired, be composed solely of co­
religionists, as, for instance, Aryas, Buddhists, H indus,
Zoroastrians (or Parsis), Christians, Mahommcdans, Jains,
&c.— each u nder its own President, Executive Officers anil
Council. , w ritten forms correct informat ion upon th e various
II. T h e whole Society is under tin; special cave of one
General Council, and of th e P resident of the Theosophi­
cal Society, its Founder, who is himself subject to the
authority of a S uprem e Council representing th e highest
section of the Society.
I I I . T h e whole Society shall be fully represented in
the General Council, and each branch shall have the lig ht
to elect a m em ber to represent it in th e General Council
of the Theosophical Society, whose head-q uarters are for
the tim e being in th a t locality where th e President-Fom id-
er may be.
IV. T h e Society being a Universal Brotherhood, com­
prising various "Branches established in widely separated
countries and cities in both hemispheres, all such B r a n d i ­
es derive th e ir chartered existence from th e P a r e n t So­
ciety, and are subordinate to its authority, w ithou t which
no Branch can be formed.
V. T h e General Council is coin posed of the Piesident-
Foundcr, the Vice-Presidents, Corresponding Secretary,
HecordingSecretaries,Treasurer, an'd Librarian of t h e P a r c n t
Society, and as m any Councillors iis may, from tim e to time,
be found necessary to represent all th e different parts of this
Universal Brotherhood. By unanim ous vote of th e Council
of Founders, the Presid ent-Fo und er and Corresj>onding S e ­
cretary, II. P. Blavatsky (also one of th e principal found­
ers), hold office for life. T he te rm of all oth e r officers is
for one year, or until the ir successors are appointed by the
President-Founder, tinder th e advice of a General C oun ­
cil ; of which body three Members constitute the quorum
in all cases.
VI. I t is not lawful for any officei of the P a re n t Society
to express, by word or act, any hostility to, or preference
for, any one Section, w h eth er religious or philosophical, m ore
th a n another. All m u s t be regarded and trc a te d a seq u a lly th e
objects of th e Society’s solicitude and exertions. All have an
equal righ t to have th e essential features of th e ir religious
belief laid before th e tribunal of an impartial world. A ud no
officer of th e Society, in his capacity as an officer, luis th e
rig ht to preach his own sectarian views and beliefs to m em ­
bers assembled, except when the m eeting consists of his
co-relimonists.
O A fte r due warninj's,
. O ' violation
t of th is rule #
shall he punished by suspension or expulsion, a t the dis­
cretion of the P resident and General Council.
VII. T h e Presid en t-Fo un der hits authority to designate
any Fellow of capacity and good repute to perform, pro
tempore, th e duties of any office vacated by d eath or re­
signation, or whose incum ben t may bo obliged to absent
himself for a time. H e is also empowered and required
to define the duties of all officers, aud assign specific res­
ponsibilities to Members of th e General Council not in con­
flict with the general plans of the Society.
V I I I . T hese plans are declared to be as follows :—
(ii)— To keep alive in man his spiritual intuitions.
(//)— To oppose and counteract— after due investi­
gation and proof of its irrational n a tu re — bigotry
in every form, w h e th e r as an intolerant religious
sectarianism or belief in miracles or anything
supernatural.
( c)— To promote a feeling of brotherhood am ong n a ­
tions ; and assist in the international exchange of
useful a rts and products, by advice, information,
and co-operation with all worthy individuals and
associations ; provided, however, t hat no benefit or
percentage shall be taken by the Society for its
corporate services.
( d ) — To seek to obtain knowledge of all the laws of
N atu re, and aid in diffusing it ; and especially to
encourage th e stud y of those laws least understood
by modern people, and so termed tho Occult Scien­
ces. Popular superstition and lolk-lore, however
fantastical, when sifted, may lead to th e discovery
of long-lost b u t im portant secrets of N ature. T he
Society, therefore, aims to pursue this line of in­
q uiry in the hojie to widen the field of scientific
ami philosophical observation.
(<•)— To g a th e r for th e Society’s library aud p u t into
ancicntphilosophies,traditions,and legends, and, aH
the Council shall decide it permissible, dissemi­
nate the same in such practicable ways as the
translation and publication of original works
of value, and extracts from and commentaries
ii|>on the same, or the oral instructions of persons
learned in the ir respective departments. .
(/')— To promote in'ev ery practicable way, in coun­
tries w here needed, the spread of non-sectarian
education.
(<j.J— Finally, and chiefly, to encourage and assist
individual Fellows in self-improvement, intellec­
tual, moral, and spiritual, liut no Fellow shall
put to his selfish use any knowledge communicated
to him by any m em ber of the Fiixt Section ; viola­
tion of this rule being punished by expulsion. And
before any such knowledge can he imparted, the
person shall bind himself by a solemn oath n ot to
use it to selfish purposes, nor to reveal it, except
with the permission of the teacher.
IX. T he local adm inistration of Branches is vested ill
th e ir respective officers, b u t no Branch has th e right to
operate outside it-s chartered limits, except when so re ­
quested by th e Paren t Society. Officers of Branches arc
elected hy a majority of the Fellows thereof, for the term
ot one year, b u t th e P resident of the Hranch may be re­
elected an indefinite nu m b er of times, provided th a t the
sanction of the General Council be obtained before th e
expiration of each annual term.
X. T he P a re n t Society, through the President-Founder,
has the right to nullify any C h a rte r for cause, and to de-
crce the expulsion of any Fellow of whatever Branch, for
 disgraceful conduct or tlie contumacious violation of tlio
bye-laws or rules. T he nam e of tho expelled person and
the circumstances of his offence being reported to all the
Branches, fellowship with him as to Society m atters shall
cease, upon penalty of expulsion for disobedience. P ro ­
vided, nevertheless, th a t no Fellow shall be expelled w ith ­
o u t nn op|x>rtiinity having been given him for an e xplana­
tion and defence.
XI. Tho Society consists of three sections. T he h ig h ­
est or F irst Section is eoni]>osed exclusively of proficients
or initiates iu Esoteric Science and Philosophy, who take
a deep interest in the Society’s nll'nirs and instru c t the
P re sid en t-F ou nde r how' best to regulate them, b u t whom
none b u t such as they voluntarily com m unicate w ith have
the rig h t to know.
T hu Second Section embraces such Theosophists ns have
proved by their fidelity, zeal, and courage, and their devotion
to the Society, th a t they linvu become able to regard all
men as equally th e ir brothers irrespective of caste, colour,
race, or creed ; and who are ready, to defend the life or
honour of a brother Theosophist even a t the risk of th e ir
own lives.
T he adm inistration of the superior Sections need not be
dealt with nt present in a code of rules laid before the
public. N o responsibilities connected with these superior
grades arc incurred b y persons who merely desire ordinary
m em bership of th e third class.
T h e T h ird is th e Section of Probationers. All new
Fellows nre on probation, u ntil th e ir pur|>oso to remain in
th e Society has become fixed, th e ir usefulness shown, and
th eir ability to conquer evil habits and un w arrantable p r e ­
judices demonstrated.
A dvancem ent from Section to Section depends upon
m e rit only. Until a Fellow reaches t he first degree of the
Second Section, liis Fellowship gives him b u t th e following
rights— (I) to a tte n d th e Society’s meetings, (2) access on­
ly to printed m atter, such us liooks and p am ph lets of th e
Society's Library, (!?) protection and sup p o rt by th e P r e ­
sident nnd Council in case of need and according to p e r­
sonal merit, (4) instruction and e n lig h ten m e n t upon w hat
lie reads and studies by Fellows of th e Second Section ;
and this w hether he rem ains a t home or goes abroad, and
wherever he finds a Branch of tho Theosophical Society :
every Fellow being obliged to help the others as much as
th e circumstances in which lie is placed will allow.
X II. A uniform initiation fee of one pound sterling,
or its equivalent in the local currency, shall be exacted
from every Fellow at the tim e of his application, and
heltl by the T reasurer subject to th e order of the
Presiden t-F ou nder nnd General Council, who shall expend
th e same for th e objects of th e Society, such as th e p u r­
chase of 1sinks for th e Library, expenses for stationery
and |wstage, rent, labour, instrum ents needed for various
experiments, missions and oth er various works of a be n e ­
ficent character, as founding of asylums, schools, &c.
On th e K>th nnd 30 th days of every m onth Presidents
of Branches shall forward to the Presiden t-F o und er a d e ­
tailed report of all initiations, with the names an d jwtstal
addresses of newr Fellows, an d any necessary explanatory
rem arks concerning them. All initiation fees in the hands
of the treasurer a t th e end of each q u a rte r of a fiscal year
shall be re m itted by drafts on London to th e President-
Founder, to th e place where th e Society’s head-quarters
may th en be established. I t is the business of both the
T reasurer and the Recording Secretary of the P a re n t So­
ciety to keep a m em orandum of all such accounts, every
expen ditu re requiring previously the sanction of the
’ General Council.
X III. There are three kinds of Fellows in tho Third
Section, viz., Active, Correspond ill" and Jlonourary. Of
these the Active only are grouped in degrees according to
m e rit ; th e grade of Corresponding Fellow embraces
persons of learning nnd distinction who are willing to
furnish information of interest to the Society ; an d th e
diplom a of H onourary Fellow is exclusively reserved for
Imowledgc
iersons eminent for their contributions to theosophical
or for their services to humanity.
XIV. Admission for Active Fellows into th e Theoso­
phical Society an d its Branches is obtained as follows :
Persons of e ith e r sex or any race, colour, country, or
creed are eligible.
An application is m ade iu writing by th e one who wish­
es to enter, declaring his sym pathy with th e Society’s ob­
jects, and promising to obey its rules, which are set forth
in this publication, aud which it is forbidden to m ake in
any case of such a character as to conflict w ith personal
rig hts— w heth er civil, religious, pecuniary, or social. <
T he Society repudiates all interference on its behalf
with the G overnm ental relations of any n ation or c om m u­
nity, confining its atte n tio n exclusively to th e m a tte r s set
forth in tlie p resent document, and hoping th u s to enjoy
th e confidence and aid of all good men.
Two Fellowrs m u s t endorse th e new candidate's appli­
cation and tra n sm it it, together w ith the prescribed in itia­
tion fee, to the proper autho rities— viz., either to the P re ­
sident of the Society, if present, or to the Recording or
Corresponding Secretary of the Branch the applicant
wishes to join.
U pon his being accepted by the President of th e Society
or Branch as th e case m ay be, a t th e expiration of three
weeks (unless th e P resid ent shall, in his discretion, have
a n te d a te d th e application) the candidate shall be invest­
ed with th e secret signs, words, or tokens by which Theoso­
phists of th e th ird (probationary) Section m ake th e m ­
selves known to each other, a solemn obligation upon hon­
our having first been taken from h im in writing and sub­
sequently repeated b y him orally before ‘witnesses th a t he
will n e ith e r reveal th e m to any improper person, nor di­
vulge any o th e r m a tte r or th in g relating to th e Society,
especially its experim ents in Occult Sciences, which it is
forbidden to disclose. Admission to fellowship in the P a ­
re n t Society carries w ith it th e ri^ h t of intercourse, with
m u tu al protection an d fellowship, in c ith er of th e Branch­
es ; b u t Fellows availing themselves of this privilege shall
subject themselves to th e rules and bye-laws of the Branch
selected, during the term of th eir connection with it.
Any one who for reasons th a t may appear satisfactory
to the Presiden t a dm itting him to fellowship, may prefer
to keep his connection with the Society a secret, shall be
perm itted to do so, and no one except th e President in
question has th e rig ht to know the names ol all th e F e l­
lows und er his jurisdiction. The President shall, iu such
exceptional cases, himself report the names and re m it the
initiation fees to the President-Founder.
N o bye-law shall be adopted by any Branch th a t con­
flicts with this rule.
XV. A ny F’ellow convicted of an offence against the
Penal Code of the country he inhabits, shall be expelled
from the Society— after due investigation into th e facts
has been made on behalf of the Society.
X V I. A ll bye-laws and rules hith erto adopted which
may bo iu conflict w ith the above arc hereby rescinded.
J'rrtKnf nm i rnti/icd hr/ the Society, nt Bombay, February
the 26th am i 28th', 1880.
A ttkst — K 1 I A R S E D J I N. S E E R V A I,
Joint Rfcovding Secretary.
Tiir Annnwis nv Mn. W. M ahtik Woon, hkkork thb 1>om-
bay I Ira m h of the E ast Jiitlin Awoclation, which wc find in the
Association'* .loitrn.-il, Vol. X I., No. 1, in brim ful of practical good
sense. I t should be read from one olid of In d ia to the other,
along w ith Mr. A. O. H um e’s splendid pnuijililet ou A gricultural
K efonn. W ith o u t traiiMferring the whole speech to ou rco lum ns we
could n o t do wlmt we consider ju st ico to it. Hut it mny lie said th a t
tlio argum ent is th a t w hat are m ost wanted herd are “ self-reliance,
e o -n jic r a tio H , and v tr s c v c r a n r c .” W ith those assured, th ere is no
lim it to tlio possibilities of Indinu regeneration ; w ithout th em ,n a­
tional decay and extinction are inevitable. M r. Wood properly em­
phasizes the fact th a t “ a g reat portion of Indian revenue is spent out
of th e country.” The fact is Hint our national life-blood is being
transfused into tlic veinsof a plethoric nation. India becomes atro­
phic, E ngland apoplectic. Tho careful selection of seed-graius ; prizes
for good crops ; th e cultivation of useful fibre-plauts; th e repair
of broken tan k s for p riv ate irrigations ; the adoption of crops which
combine m axim um value w ith m inim um b u lk ; th e im provem ent of
m anual industries : all these are among th e topics intelligently dis­
cussed iu tlii .1 valuable address.

T IIE S T A T E OF C H R IS T IA N IT Y
T he entire space in a m onthly magazine as large as this
might be tilled witli extracts from th e journ als of Europe
and America showing th e misbehaviour of Christian clergy­
men and influential lay representatives of the C hristian
religion. O ur purpose in alluding to th e fact is n e ith e r to
gratify th e prejudices of “ H e ath en ,” nor streng th en th e
scepticism of “ Infidels”— ourselves included in either
class. In w hat little has been said, and the more th a t is
to appear in these columns, we are merely performing a
plain und imperative d u ty to the great Eastern public into
which we have become incorporated. Experience now
supplements the information previously derived from read­
ing, and we see th e missionary emissaries of Christendom
withholding th e truth, and by specious stories labouring
to entice our people to desert th e ir noble Aryan faiths and
become converts. I f this would m ake th em better, wiser
and h appier ; if the new religion were more conducive to
public or private good ; if th e chapters of W estern his­
tory showed th a t the lofty ethical code arbitrarily ascri­
bed to Jesus had elevated th e nations professing it ; if in
Great Britain, Russia, France, Spain, Germany, Italy, the
U nited States of America, or any other “ ('h ristian ” coun­
try, there were fewer crimes, and those of a more venial
character, than in lands w here—
“ The Heathen, in h is blindness,
Bows down to wood an d stone
— then we m igh t a t least hold our peace. B u t it is exact­
ly the reverse in nearly every one of "these particulars.
From one end of Christendom to the other there prevails
neither real peace, brotherhood, contentment, firm reli­
gious faith, nor a preponderating tone of m orality in offi­
cial or private life. T h e press bristles with the proofs
th a t Christianity has no right to be considered as an ac­
tive purificatory force. More may be added. T h e g ra d ­
ual liberation of th o u g h t by the progress of scientific
research has underm ined the very foundations of th e
Christian religion, and th e edifice, erected during eighteen
centuries with so much difficulty and a t such appalling
sacrifices of h um an life and national morality, is tottering
like a tree th a t sways to its fall. T he picture of social
morals t h a t one finds in th e journals of every Christian
country would so shock th e H in du mind, th a t it would be
no wonder if a general rising should drive out of th e country
between two days, every missionary, bishop, priest, dea­
con, or lay teacher calling himself a <'hristian. For, bad
as India may have become in these degenerate days, and
forgotten as ujay be th e p ure religion of the Veda, there
is not a com munity throughout tho Peninsula which would
not be able to show among N ativ es a better average of
morality, of sincere religious fervour, and of security for
life than either of th e com m unities from which these
proselyters come. Last month, an editorial of th a t power­
ful American newspaper, the S e w York Sun, transferred
to these pages, showed us th a t despite the large worldly
advantages offered, there was a marked and significant
decrease in the proportion of young collegians who were
preparing for th e priestly calling. This month we rep rint
the following brief b u t pointed remarks of Fuck, a satiri­
cal weekly journal of N ew York, wlicli were called forth
by the most recent clerical scandal :—
OUR S PIR IT U A L G U A R D IA N S.
W li.it iu the m atter with all th e m inisters of the Gospel I The
example set by Plym outh C lu u ch ’a g reat preacher lias not merely
been followed by sm aller fry, b u t often im proved 011 anil varied,
according to the taste and fancy of the holy individual.
I t is not a pleasant picture for th e conscientious Christian who
believes in going to chui'ch regularly and listening to th e word of
God as expounded by tb e clerical gentlem en who may hapjicii to
have the floor of tbe pulpit.
We scarcely know where to begin—the list of these eccentric
pastors is such an appalling ono.
Thu special weaknesses of the Rev. IT. W. Ii. are p retty well
understood ; he luis, however, found huiublo im itators in the Rev.
Jlr. H ifenm uui, of the Ilobokeu L utheran Evangelical Church,
who kisses his cook for “ p u re " (''hristian motives, and for her
spiritual welfare, and the itev. M r. T nunbrow er, pastor of the
J’urter M ethodist Episcopal Church, also iu H oboken, who is
gettin g him self talked ab o u t for his oscillatory practices w ith one
M rs. Boh, a m em ber of his flock, and a m arried woman, by th e
way.
B ut while Iloboken, w ith its H aferm ann and T nnubrow er, m ay
eventually prove a w o rth y and formidable rival to Brooklyn an d
its notorious pastor*', it is n o t going to carry oft' all th e honors iu
clerical misdoings. C onnecticut, represented by the ltev . Mr. H ay­
den, will not perm it it. I t goes in for som ething a trifle stronger
than mere kissing. I t goes for h ig h er game—betrayal and m urder ;
true, not proven according to th e opinion of an intelligent ju ry ,
b u t unpleasantly probable.
New York has of late been a little behindhand in crooked clergy­
men, although, as becomes a patriotic, citizen, th e Uevereud Mr.
Cowley will not allow it to be le ft alto g eth er out in the cold.
Tbe story of the sa in tly M r. Cowley's executive ability in his
managem ent of th e S h ep h erd ’s Fold, and dieting its little inm ates,
is already fam iliar to everybody, and we fondly hope th a t M r.
Cowley will soon become fa m ilia r w ith th e interior of a cell iu some
rc.s]iectable jail.
T here are many more of th ese saintly sinners, who have distin­
guished them selves iu a g re a te r or lesser degree ; b u t we forbear
m entioning th e ir nam es. T h e subject is n o t an inviting one, b u t
y et it m u st n o t be shirked ; 011 th e contrary, it m ust be vigor­
ously han d led, for the protection of our wives, our daughters, our
children, and for ev ery th in g th a t is dear to us in our domestic
life.
These m en— th e se p a s t o r s - to whom practically th e care of our
fam ilies is confided, a re constantly disgracing themselves.
I t is not a question of th e m isfortune of any one denomination,
disgraced by these u n w o rth y guardians. P ro testan t, Catholic,
A th eist and Je w are alik e in terested in th e exposure and punish­
m ent of th e public teach er who betrays his tru s t and misuses his
privileges,
T lIK A IJO V K E D IT O R IA L IS A C C OM P A N 'IK I) lit ONE OF
the cleverest cartoons we have ever seen. In sarcasm
and disdain it m atches th e most famous caricatures of
(lilray or Hogarth. Catholic and Protestant clergymen
are depicted in their proven characters of voluptuaries,
peculators and sensationalists ; each picture being inscrib­
ed w ith proper names, extracted from the records of the
law-courts. No wonder th a t decent young graduates should
prefer any o ther profession th a n one which is so rapidly
falling into disrepute. W h o can be surprised a t th e grow­
ing scepticism th ro ug hou t Christendom i We aro a p ­
proaching th e crisis of th e W estern religion, and none
b u t a bold and enthusiastic apologist dares deny th a t its
doom is sealed. W ith o u t th e revival of Aryan philoso­
phy, for which we are labouring, the W est will te n d to ­
wards the grossest m aterialism ; but with the opening of
th a t long-sealed lountaiu of spiritual refreshment, we m ay
hope th a t there will arise upon the ruins of the bad new
faith, the su perstructure of the good old one, for th e sal­
vation of a world given over to vice and folly.
A tew weeks ago, an audience of nearly 4,000 persons
of the b etter class gathered a t Chicago, to listen to a d e ­
fence of the m em ory of Thomas Paine by th a t splendid
American orator, Colonel R obert G. Ingersoll. Paine was
one of th e purest, wisest and bravest apostles of F re e
T hou gh t th a t th e Anglo-Saxon race has produced. H e wrote
The Age o f Reason— a book which, if the missionaries were
governed by th e spirit of fair-play, would be 011 the shelf
of every mission library in India, so th a t th e ir - H e a ­
th e n ” pupils m igh t read both sides of the C hristian ques­
tion. Fo r this crime, the noble autho r was persecuted in
the most malicious ways by Christians. Mis name wa.s
made th e synonym of all th a t is vile and malevolent. H is
enemies, not satisfied w ith lying about him while alive,
desecrated his grave, and we have ourselves seen his m onu ­
m en t a t N ew Rochelle, N ew York, bespattered with d u n g
and battered with sticks and stones. B u t tim e heals all
injustice, and now, seventy years after Thomas Paine’s
death, his memory is vindicated. H e died almost solitary
and alone, deserted by friends, and his services to Ameri-
cau liberty all forgotten. But now, thousands and h u n ­
dreds of thousands of the most intelligent and influential
ladies and gentlem en of America have cheered to the
echo Colonel I ngcrsoH’s glowing periods.
In tin; address above alluded to, lor a I'l'rlxitiui report of
which we are indebted to the licltijio-Fhtlonojthicul Jo ur-
vd l, the Spiritualist organ to which an allusion was madcj
by us last month, occur the following passages :__
111 liis (l’ttine's)tim r the church believed aud taught that every wori\
in the Bible was absolutely true. Sincc liis day it has been proven
false in its cosmogony, false in its astronomy, false in its chronology
and geology, false iu its history, anil so far as th e OKI T estam ent is
concerned, false in alm ost everything. | Laughter.] T here are b u t
few, if any, scientific men, who apprehend th at the Bible is literally
t i ue. W ho on earth a t this (lay would pretend to settle any scien­
tific question by a text from Hie Bible I The old belief is confined
to tho ignorant aud zealous. Tlio church itself will before long be
driven to occupy the position of Thom as Paine. The best m inds of
tho orthodox world, to-day, are endeavouring to prove tho existence
of a personal deity. All o th e r questions occupy a m inor place. Y ou
are 110 longer asked to swallow the Bible whole, whale, Jo n a h and
all, you are simply required to believe in (Jod and pay your pew-
re n t
Paine thought the barbarities of the Old T e stam en t inconsistent
w ith w hat lie deemed the real character of (Jod. H e believed th e
m urder, massacre, and indiscrim inate slau g h ter had never been com­
m anded by the 1>eity. l i e regarded much of th e B ible as childish,
unim portant, and foolish. The scientific world en tertained th e same
opinion, l ’aine attacked tho Bible precisely in th e sam e sp irit iu
which he had attacked the pretensions of the kings. H e used the
sam e weapons. All the pomp in tho world could n o t make him
row er. H is reason knew 110 -1 H oly of Holies 'e x c e p t the abode of
tru th . The sciences were then in th eir infancy. T he attention of
the really learned had not been directed to an im partial exam ination
of our pretended revelation. I t was accepted by m ost as a m atter
of course. The ch u rth was all-powerful, and 110 one else, unless
thoroughly im bued w ith th e sp irit of self-sacrifice, th o u g h t for a
m om ent of disputing th e fundam ental doctrines of C hristianity.
The infamous doctrine th a t salvation dej>ends upon liclief, upon
n mcro intellectual conviction, was then believed and preached.
T o doubt was to secure th e dam nat ion of your soul. T his absuixl
and devilish doctrine shocked th e common sense of Thomas
P aine, and he denounced it w ith the fervor of honest indignation.
This doctrine, although infinitely ridiculous, has been nearly u n i­
versal, and has been as h u rtfu l a.s senseless. F o r th e overthrow
of this infamous ten et Paine exerted all his strength, l i e left few
argum ents to be used by those who should come after him, and
he used none th a t have been refuted. T he com bined wisdom
and 'genius of all m ankind cannot possibly conceive of an argu­
m ent against liberty of thought. N eith er can th ey show why any
one should be punished, either in th is world or another, for acting
honestly in accordance w ith reason ; and y e t a doctrine w ith every
lossible argum ent against it has been, and still is, believed and de­
ended by the entire orthodox world. Can it be possible th a t w e
have been endowed with reason simply th a t our souls m ay be caught
in its toils aud snares, th a t we m ay be led by its false and delusive
glare out of th e narrow path th a t leads to joy into th e broad way
of everlasting death! Is it possible th a t we have been given reason
sim ply th a t we may through faith ignore its deductions and avoid
its conclusions! O ught the sailor to throw awav his compass and
depend entirely upon the fog! I f reason is not to be depended upon
in m atters of religion, th a t is to say, in respect of our duties to the
Deity, why should it be relied upon’ in m atters respecting the rights
of our fellows I Down, for ever down, with any religion tliat. requires
upon its ignorant altar its sacrifice of the goddess Keason ; th at com­
pels her to abdicate for ever th e shining throne of th e soul, strips
from her form the imperial purple, snatches from h er hand the scep­
tr e of thought, and m akes her th e boml-woinan of a senseless faith.
If ft mau0should tell you lie had the most beautiful painting in the
world, and after taking \o u where it was should insist upon having
y o ur eves shut, you would likely suspect either th a t he had no paiu-
t in" or th a t it w’&s some pitiable daub. .Should lie te ll you that lie
was a m ost excellent perform er on the violin, and y et refused to
play unless your cars were stopped, you would thin k , to say th e least
of it, th a t he had an odd way of convincing you of his musical abili­
ty. B ut would his conduct be any more wonderful th a n th a t of a
religionist who asks th a t before exam ining his creed you will have
the K in dn ess to throw away your reason! The first gentlem an says:
“ Keep your eyes sh u t : niy'picturu will bear everything b u t being
mien.” | Laughter.] “ K.eep your ears stopped ; my m usic objects to
nothing but being heard.” f Laughter. | The last says : “Away with
y o u r reason ; my religion dreads nothing b u t being understood.”
(L aughter.]
So far as I am concerned, 1 most cheerfully adm it th a t most
C hristians are honest, and m ost m inisters sincere. We do not
attack them : we attack th e ir creed. W e accord to them th e same
rig h ts th a t we ask for ourselves. AVe believe th a t th eir doctrine*
are hurtful, and I am going to do w hat 1 can against them . AVe
l*-lieve th a t the frightful text, “ l i e th a t believeth shall be saved,
a n d he th a t believeth not shall be dam ned,'’ has covered th e earth
w ith blood. You m ight as well say all th a t h a \e red h air shall be
dam ned. I t h;is filled th e h ea rt wilh arrogance, cruelty, aud m urder.
I t hart caused the religious w a rs ; bound hundreds of thousands to the
Htako ; fouiided inquisitions ; filled dungeons ; invented instrum ents
<if to rtu re ; tau g h t the m oth er to hate her child ; im prisoned the
m ind ; filled the world with ignorance ; persecuted th e lovers of
wisdom: built the monasteries and co n v en ts; made happiness a prime,
iiivcsli''atioii a sin, aud self-reliance a blasphemy. I t has poisoned
1 1 „, npnngK of learning : m isdirected the energies of th e world ; filled
all countries with w a n t; housed the people in hovels : fed them
w ith famine, and. b u t for the efforts of a few brave infidels, it would
Iiave taken tho world back to the m idnight of barbarism , aud left
th e heavens w ithout a star,
A t th a t tim e n othing so delighted the church as th e beauties of
endless torm ent, and listening to th e weak wailing of dam ned in­
fants struggling in th e slim y coils and poison folds of th e worm that
never dies. No w onder th e church hated ami traduced the author
of tho “ Age of Reason. ” England was filled with P u ritan gloom
and Episcopal ceremony. Tho ideas of crazy fanatics and extrava­
g a n t poets were taken as sober facts, M ilton had clothed Chris­
tian ity in the soiled aud faded finery of th e gods—had added to
tlio sto ry of C hrist tho fables of mythology. IIo gave to the P rotes­
ta n t church th e m ost outrageously m aterial ideas of the D eity. He
turned all th e angels into soldiers—made heaven a battle-field, put
C hrist in uniform, and described (Jod as a militia-general.
Progress is born of do u b t aud inquiry. The church never doubts
— never inquires. To d o u b t is heresy—to inquire is to adm it th a t
you cannot know—th e church does neither.
More th an a century ago Catholicism, wrapped in robes red w ith
tho innocent blood of millions, holding iu her frantic clutch crowns
and sceptres, honors aud gold, th e keys of heaven and hell, tra m p ­
ling beneath her feet th e liberties of nations, in th e proud m om ent
of alm ost universal dominion, felt w ithin her heartless b reast the
deadly dagger of V oltaire. From th a t blow the church can nevfer
recover. Livid w ith h atred she launched her eternal anathem a a t
the g reat destroyer, and ignorant P ro testan ts have echoed the curse
of Itome.
Paine knew th a t across th e open Bible lay the sword of war, and
so where others worshipped he looked w ith scorn aud wept. And so
i t has been through all th e ages gone.
T he doubter, th e investigator, the infidel, have been the saviours
of liberty. T he tru th is beginning to be realized, and the truly
intellectual arc honoring th e brave thin k ers of the past.
B ut th e church is as unforgiving .is ever, and still w onders why
an infidel should be wicked enough to endeavour to destroy her power.
I will tell th e church w hy I hate it. You have im prisoned the hu­
man m ind ; you have been th e enemy of liberty ; you have burned
11s a t tho stake, roasted us before slow fires, to rn our flesh with
irons ; you have covered us w ith chains ; treated us as outcasts ;
you have filled the world with fear ; you have taken our w ives and
children from our a r m s : you have confiscated our p roperty ; you
have denied us th e rig h ts to testify in courts of justice ; you have
branded us with infam y ; you have torn out our tongues ; you have
refused us burial. In th e name of your religion, you have robbed
us of every rig h t ; and after having indicted upon us every evil th a t
can be inflicted in th is world, you have fallen upon your knees, and
w ith clasped bauds im plored your God to finish the holy work in
hell.
Can you wonder th a t we h ate your doctrines ; th a t we despise
your creeds ; th a t we feel proud to know th a t we are beyond your
power ; th a t we are free iu sp ite of you ; th a t wo can express our
honest thought, aud th a t th e whole world is grandly rising into the
blessed lig h t ! Can you w onder th a t we point with pride to the
fact th a t infidelity has ever been found b attlin g for the rights of
man, for the liberty of conscionce, and for the happiness of all ! Can
you wonder th a t wo are proud to know that, we have always been
disciples of reason and soldiers of freedom ; th a t we have denounced
tyranny and supeistition, and liavo kept our hands unstained with
hum an blood !
I t docs seein as though the most zealous C hristians m ust a t times
entertain some doubt as to the divine origin of his religion. For
eighteen h undred years th e doctrine has been preached. F or more
than a thousand years th e church had, to a great extent, the control
of the civilized world, and w hat has been the result J A re the Chris­
tian nations p attern s of charity am i forljearance I O u tlie contrary,
th e ir principal business is to destroy each other. More th a n five
millions of C hristians are trained and educated and drilled to m ur­
der th eir fellow C hristians. E very nation is groaning under a vast
d eb t incurred in carrying 011 w ar against o th er Christians, or defend­
ing itself from C hristian assault. The world is covered with forts to
protect C hristians from C hristians, and every sea is covered w ith iron
m onsters ready to blow Christian brains into eternal froth. Millions
upon millions are annually expended in the effort to construct still
more deadly and terrible engines of death. In d u stry is crippled,
honest toil is robbed, an d even beggary is taxed to defray the expen­
ses of C hristian m urder. There m ust be some other way to reform
this world. AVe have tried ereod and dogma and fable, and they
have failed—and th ey have failed in all the nations dead.
If to hu e your fellow-men more than self is goodness, Thomas
F aine was good. I f to be in advance of yom tim e, to be a pioneer
in th e direction of right, is greatness, Thom as P aine was great. If
to avow yo u r principles and discharge your d u ty iu the presence of
death is heroic, Thomas Paine was a hero.
A t the age of seventy-three death touched his tired h e a r t Ha
died in th e land his genius defended, under tho flag he gave to
the skies. Slander cannot touch him now ; haired cannot reach
him more. H e sleeps iu the sanctuary of the tomb, beneath thu
quiet of the stars.
A few more years, a few more brave men, a few more rays of light j
and m ankind w ill venerate tho memory of him who said ;
“ A ny system of religion th a t shocks the m iud of a child cauuot
bo a tru e system.
“Tho world is my country, and to do good, my religion.’’
K A L I Y A M A R D A N A , O R T H E C R U S H IN G O F
K A L IT A — T H E G R EA T S E R P E N T B Y
K R IS H N A .
, HY JUO BAHADUR DAD011A PANDURANO,
Benator o f the liambuy University, “ A uthor o f tho M arathi Ortna-
vfiar,*’ o f “ A H indu's thoughts oil Swedenbory," »Co.
Tlie sixteenth chapter of tlie F irst Division of th e te n th
S k a n d h a of the Khrimad BhAgavatu contains a very ro­
mantic ilescription of th e m a n n e r in which Krishna over­
came the fury of th e g re a t H ydra, named Kdliyd, who had
one hundred and one heads and lived in a deep p a rt of th e
river Y a m u na (tho modern Jum na). By the jioison which
lie always vomited from his mouths, eyes, and breath, lie
contam inated the whole of th a t p a rt of the river, so much
bo th a t 110 living thing, w hether animal or vegetable, could
livein t h a t region for milestogether. One day, in aliot season,
while K rishna was roaming on th e banks of th e Yamuna,
w ith his comrades— the shepherd boys,— and his herds of
cattle, the latter being very thristy drank w ater from that,
p a rt of tho river, and im m ediately died. W hen K rishna
saw them all in th a t state, he, w ith his stave from which
ilowed th e water of immortality, bro ugh t them all back to
life. Being thus amazed a t tb e ir individual revival, th e y
attribu ted it to tho special favor of Krishna. On th e ir
return home, th e shepherd boys circulated th e news of
this miracle of Krishna am ongst all the inhabitan ts of
Vranddvana, and th e y all wondered a t it, b u t they knew
him not.
Now K rishna being omniscient could trace this poison­
ous sta te of tin; waters of the Y a m u n a to its very source, and
w ith a wish to restore the river to the original purity of
its water, aud thereby benefit all tho creatures which d rank
a t it, ho mado up his m ind to expul th e monster from his
watery stronghold. Hoon after, one day in th e absence of
his elder brother Balurama, th e boy Krishna, while herd ­
ing his cattle with his comrades, suddenly climbed up a
tall Kadnniba treo on th e bank of the Yiuiuind, and p lun g­
ed himself into its deep waters, iu th e presence of all
liis comrades. Soon after his entrance into the water,
K rishn a beheld an enormous, hideous-looking black serp en t
coming out staring a t him. T h e monster exhibited a
look full of great wonder a t tho boldness and audacity of
a boy of so tender au age in th u s encroaching suddenly
upon tho environs and abode of so powerful a being as h im ­
self, in th a t deep and secluded p a r t of th e river, to which
no living creature could have any access. But, when he
further saw th ^ boy laughing and playing with all ease
and boyish gambols, in his own mansion, his wonder
changed soon into a fearful ire, a t this dauntless audacity of
th e boy in thus disturbing th e waters of Y amunii and th e
peace of his own mind. He, therefore, seized the boy and
entwined bis body all around w ith his own. W h e n th e sh e p ­
herd boys could no longer be a r th e long absence of Krishna
in the waters, they suspected th a t som ething very
serious had happened to him, and, therefore, they im m e­
diately ran home crying, to communicate this intelligence
to his parents. These, followed by all the men and wo­
men ol Vraja, hastened to th e spot a t which Krishna was
suspected to havo been drowned. His b rother Balardina
did not join the crowd, for he was perfectly aware of the
divinity of Krishna an d of his omnipotence. From an
elevation they all discerned th e re th e most perilous s itu a ­
tion of th e ir darling K rishna, coiled as they found him by
a large black serpent, ready to kill him. W h e n they b e ­
held this, they began to weep ami cry, as they did not
know how they could extricate him from th e grasp of th a t
monster. Being fully conscious of th e ir sincere love and
devotion for him, K rishna made his own small body
swell o u t and enlarge from w ithin the ceilings of th e ser­
pent, to such an ex te n t th a t th e m onster could no longer
hold him b u t a t th e hazard of his own life, and was, th e r e ­
fore, too glad to disentangle himself, and to let Krishna
alone. Now full of rage, th e m onster stood a t a distance
from Krishna, and looked a t him w ith his eyes and breath
vomiting, and his split tongues rolling in virulent poison,
and ready to bite him. Krishna, like Uaruda, (the g reat
eagle of Vishnu) a t once darted upon him, seized him by
th e tail, whirled him round aud round till lie had lost all
his vigour aud strength, and then, all of a sudden, ju m p e d
upon his wide hood and began to dance upon it with all
the gracefulness of an accomplished waltzei. I t has been
already noticed th a t Kiiliya had one hundred and ono
heads forming this wide hood ou which Krishna k e p t u p
dancing. D uring this m errim en t of Krishna, aud the dis­
tortion of the monster u n d e r its operation, while th e for­
mer was allowing the la tte r to raise up anil lower down
his heads
. one after an o th e r under
. the
. graceful movements
. .,
of his heels ajul toes, keeping tim e harmoniously with
th e celestial music, which the gods were glad to bring in
aid, the heavenly orchestra k ept u p the hilarity by tho
symphonic modulations of th e voices and songs of tho
celestial nym phs singing th e praises of K rishna for his
victory over K&liya, while th e angels with their wives
poured down (lowers on his head.
The great serpent was th u s completely overpowered ;
and ejecting blood and venom from all his mouths, and
being no longer able to bear th e tortures and the most ex­
cruciating pains to which lie w;is subjected, he now sought
th e mercy and protection of Krishna, knowing him to be
tho Cii eat Lord of all creatures, and the F irst Cause,
who rewards the virtuous an d punishes th e evil-doers. In
the m eantim e K&liyas wives, who had witnessed tho
p un ish m en t th a t was th u s inflicted on their husband, came
forward, worshipped Krishna, and expressed acquiescence
in the justice of all th a t he had done as th e Lord of th e
creation and the P unisher of th e s in n e r s ; b u t a t the samo
tim e with all hum ility th e y craved his pardon for the sin
of their dear husband. Th en follows the praise and pray­
er ottered by them to Krishna, replete with sublime and
philosophic thoughts in respect to th e Croat Divine Being
and tho justice of His dispensation in this world ; suggest­
ing, a t the samo time, th a t the p un ish m en t which he in ­
flicts on the sinners ends only in their reclamation and
final bliss. Pleased with this prayer, K rishna released
KaliylS, and ordered him to remove his abode from th e
river Yam una, aiul choose instead some p a rt of th e wido
ocean ; where (iaruda, from whose terror lie had taken liis
refuge thither, would no longer torm ent him. K&liya
obeyed his order ; and th e river Y am una w:is restored to
th e everlasting purity and freshness of its waters.
Interpretation o f the above m yth.
Tho above A ryan myth, so well known th rou gh ou t the
length and breadth of In d ia to all Hindus, a.s to form the
th e m e of daily songs in th e ir mouths, is one o f the m any
which have appeared in some shape or other iu th e old
annals of all nations from tim e immemorial, preserving its
pro m in e n t characteristic in basso relino, of the story o f a
great serpent having been killed by th e manifestation of a
divine or sup erhu m an power. Am ong the mauy exploits
of Krishna, mentioned in th e Shrimiul Bhllgavata, such as
th e destruction of devils and monsters, and the preservation
of peace and happiness amongst all the peojjlo who were
devoted to him,— the crushingof the serpent, kaliya who had
one hundred and one. heads, and from the fear of (jaruda
(the great eagle on which Vishnu rides) had taken refugo
in th e watery recess of the Yamuna, bears a striking
resemblance to one of the twelve labours ascribed to
H ercules in th e Grecian mythology, viz., the victory over th e
m onster H ydra with his seven, twelve, and according to
Diodorus, one thousand heads, in the lake of Lerna. F ro m
th e fiict of au instantaneous death being produced by th e
bite of a ser|>ent, and th e consequent great dread iu which
t h a t animal has been universally held by mankind, as well
as fiom its natural su btle ty in doing evils of all kinds, it
appears to me to be no wonder th a t it should bo held as
type anil representative on our earth of the Prince of the
devils, and that, there should exist, a natural enm ity and
hatred between it and m an ; conformable to th e figurative
language of tho curse pronounced by Cod against th a t
animal as mentioned in th e old T estam ent— “ And I will
p u t enm ity between th ee and th e woman, and between
th y seed and her sccil ; it shall bruise th y head, and thou
 sh a lt bruise his heel.” (len. iii. 15. T h e re nre m any oth e r A N O T H E R .K T 1 1 R O B A T .
passages in t h e Bible ]>ointing to th e bruising of tho
11V J O S H I OOTAMRAM D O O L A B H ItA M ,
s e rp e n t’s head by tho heel of man. And I now leave it
to tho taste of my readers to judge how beautiful and (turn of the School of Attrology and Aftronom>/ in Jiaroda.
graph ic does this illustration of this fact ap p e ar in the T he s ta te m e n t in th e Novem ber n u m b e r of the Thkoso-
jtbove Aryau myth of Kaliya, Mardmia. I’H Is t th a t the levitation of the hum an body has been seen
Allow me now to go into th e philosophical and psycho­ by many reputable witnesses in India, is strictly correct.
logical sense involved iu this myth, as I can hardly nfiord 1 myself am able to testify to the fact. In the year of
to forego regarding it in th a t light, a n d seeing how nicely S am vat 1!)I2 (IN.IG) I was making an investigation into
th e several |Kjints of coincidence m eet to illustrate th e ancient chem istry and sou g h t o u t a com petent instructor
almost universally accepted fact of th e u ltim a te conquest who could give m e some of th e information which I de ­
of good over evil, of light over darkness. In the above sired. A fter much search I found a t the city of Broach,
jmrable, Y a m una m ay be said fairly to rep resent th e ever- in a tem ple of Mahadev situate on the banks of th e river
flowing stream o f th e principle ol love and j o y , em a n a tin g Narbada, an ascetic (tutu/axi) who was practising “ yog, ’
from the g re a t fountain-head of nil goodness— God. I t is and enlisted myself as his disciple. H e was a man of
also th e gush of th e light, of the (.‘hiilakiisa, the principle ap parently years of age, above th e average size of
of life and activity, (call it for th e sake of illustration here man, aud with a beautiful countenance anim ated with a
the Astral light of our days, if you please) shrouded by g re a t intelligence of expression, aud cheeks suffused with
darkness in all its shades and degrees of th e elem ental a very peculiar roseate hue which I have never seen on any
Akusa, as is well typified by th e dark appearance of the mortal's face before or since. H is head was shaved, and
w ater of that, river as described by th e 11 indu poets of he wore a saffron robe of a m ni/m i. H u was a native of
India, inuermostly pervading the whole universe, and Punjab. He was know n to us under th e name and title of
forming in m an his spirit (this word is used here in the N aray enanand . L ike all men of hisclass.be was exceedingly
sense in which th e theosopliists distinguish it from the difficult to approach, and would neith eraccept me as a pupil,
soul). N ow th is How of light an d happiness represented nor allow me to p u t myself on term s of any intimacy until
by th e Yamun& is found disturbed by a m onster with he hail satisfied himself by tlie closest questioning as to my
m any heads ta k in g refuge in its deep anil solitary abyss, real in tentions a n d capacity to learn th e science of Yog.
causing sorrow an d misery to all th e outside world around. I will | k i s s over these details and simply sta te that, a t last,
Who would not now suspect the monster to bo the I gained my object, was accepted as a pupil, received his
g re a t evil-doer, th e p ro m p te r of Kve and A dam — Satan, blessing, and served him, first and last, for more th a n two
A h rim an , or by w ha te ve r oth e r n am e you m ay bo years. D u rin g this tim e 1 learnt m any things practically
pleased to designate h im — lying concealed in the hu m a n which I had previously known only from reading our sacred
h e a rt ? Krishna's plunging himself in to th e river S/ioKtmn. I discovered many secrets of nature, and saw
from a high kathnnbu tree on its h.mk to find o ut and am ple proof of the power in man to control the forces of
punigli Kaliya, hid in its depth, may well be compared lo nature, my ' preceptor am ong other things practising
th e tra c in g of the evil and misery of this world to the ir " prm intiyain" or th e suspension of the breath. I will not
very source by a m ind elevated by divine knowledge. p retend to explain in th e language of W estern science, the
F u rth e r, K rish n a ’s dancing gracefully, and iu th e spirit of effect produced iu th e h u m a n body by th is branch of Yog
triu m p h and exultation upon the wide hood of KViliyu Vidya. B u t this m uch I will say that, while th e Sauyasi
from which were peeping o u t his one hun dred and one was absorbed in contemplation, during his performance of
heads an d mouths, each vom iting blood and poison, as L “ firuiiiiiii/itm," sittin g in th e prescribed posture of “ Pad-
conceive it to be th e ne p lu s ultra, as if it were, of th e whole rnasam,” his body would rise from the ground to th e height
comedy an d tragedy involved iu this beautiful myth. of four fingers, aud rem ain suspended in th e air for four
Kaliya's one hundred and ono heads and m ouths each and five m inutes a t a time, while I was allowed to pass
containing a bifurcated tongue and vomiting blood aud m y hand beneath him th re e or four times, to satisfy myself
poison, are em blem atic of th e thousand ways iu which the beyond a d oubt th a t th e levitation was a positive fact.
guile and su b tle ty of Satan, or the principle of livil, work
misery and woe in t h e kingdom of God ; and K rish n a ’s
pressing th e m down an d disabling th em one after ano th er T H E M I N D I S M A T E R IA L .
so as never to rise u p again un d e r th e pressure of his D Y 1 1A K U A M M T A L A L D E .
heel and toes in his graceful waltz, is j u s t the very e x u lta ­
tion which a godlike saint or a yogi would n aturally The human mind is material, and dies with the death
feel a t th e gradu al subjugation by him of all his bodily of our mortal frame. I define mind to be the. result of
passions, thoughts, and emotions ; and, a t last, of the very the harmonious union and adjustment of the visible and
source which gives rise to all these, viz., the h u m a n mind, latent organisms, or the organs that make up the human
or m undane will, according to our W estern metaphysicians, frame, having its seat iu the centre of the nervous system.
th e most subtle b u t powerful force which works in th e Metaphysics acknowledges the truth that where the cause
h u m a n heart. To complete th e sense of the whole m e ta ­ is mortal, the effect must be liable to destruction. This
phor, aud endow it with an air of unqualified tru th , K rishn a is an axiomatic truth, and it rcquries no Hamilton, no
is not, liko Hercules, represented herein as effecting the Bain to prove its validity. Well, then, here the organs
destruction of his foe in toto, as it was absolutely in his jointly form the cause, .and the mind is their result. These
pow er to do if he chose ; b u t he only p e rm its Kaliya when organs perish with the death of the body, for they form
completely overpowered, and when he besought his mercy only the different parts of the body, consequently, the
ami protection, to change his qu a rte rs somewhere else, iu human mind, the result of their union, perishes with
th e wide ocean, never to annoy aud d istu rb th e peace and them.
happiness of his own people and th e creatures of his The miud possesses or exercises certain powers or func­
favorite Vrand&van ; shewing thereby, th a t God only pro­ tions. It reasons, judges, thinks, conceives, remembers, and
tects them from evil who devote themselves to Him, and imagines. In its healthy state it performs all its functions
not the wide world abroad, which is astray and alienated duly and fully ; but when diseased, it loses one or other of
from Him.* its powers or loses them all. In a fainting fit or senseless­
Bombay, Otli March 1880. ness, for instance, the mind ceases to perforin all its func­
tions, and the man who is the subject of it, has tho con­
sciousness of nothing passing within. These facts clearly
* O r Again, d o c s n o t tlio p e r m is s i o n g r a n t e d t o th o s e r p e n t t o b o ta k o h im -
n o lf t o t b e f a th o m le s s d e p t h s o f t h e sen, im lic a to t h a t , t h o u g h w o m a y purge
prove that the mind is as mortal ns the organs are, of which
o u r in d iv id u a l n a t u r e s o f e v il, i t can n e v e r b o e x t ir |» a t o d h u t m u s t s t i l l li n g e r it is simply the result.
in th o ir h o lo o x j k h j s o o f t h e i t s t h e <>p|K>«<ing p o w o r to a c tiv o g o o d n e s s
w h ic h m a in ta in s th o e q u i lib r i u m in N a t u r e — in « h o r t, t h o e q u a l b a l a n c i n g o f
To illustrate the matter more fully, let us take the
(h o s c a le * , th e p e r f e c t h a r m o n y o f d is c o r d * ? [K u . T hlcmj.J common example of a watch. The mechanism of a watch,
when duly adjusted, produces motion ; b u t when it is in W hose name anil fame were borne on every wind,
a disordered state, or when it stops working, motion and T o deej>est cave terrene and highest star i
the pointing o u t of tim e by tlie hands, cease to exist a t Alas ' now hecatombs are piled alone
the very sam e time. W h a t does this prove ? I t proves O f anguish and despair !
very clearly t h a t a n effect bears th e same nature as does Thou hast no m onum ents b u t in the far
its cause, or causes jointly assimilated. Tw ilight of ages gone :
From w h at has been stated above, a man may be n a t u ­ A nd pilgrims no more to thy shores repair
rally led to ask th a t if our mind is mortal, we are mortal too ; For worship as of old :—
and with th e dissolution of our mortal frame, every th in g T he idol is ador’d b u t for its baser gold !
of us will be brought to an end, and consequently, there 4
cannot possibly be any future world of reward and p un ish ­ Dost thou not he a r th e harsh and grating laugh,
m ent sulwcquent to our death. T he following s ta te ­ W ith which th y m eaner rivals feed their spite ?
ments will suffice to satisfy th e enquirer. Man possesses “ India is living and yet dead”— they write
two im p orta n t essences, th e life and the soul. I t is beyond U po n the slab of thy mock cenotaph.
man's jiower to understand w hat these essences are in Oh ! rise superior to all slander— say,
reality, unless he can actually see th e m by going into the In d ia is once again herself, an d death
spiritual world, which no man, till he is “ born again,” can Is battled of his prey !
jtossibly do. T he full comprehension of spiritual objects Behold ! how all th e world hangs on thy breath,
the enlightened spirit can only have. W e can have only a Ami iu th y kindling eye
faint idea of them by a comparison of these with th e m a ­ Heads tho proud promise of a newer birth ;
terial objects we see aud feel. W h ilst thy unclouded sky
T he sold of man has th e same relation to t he S u pre m e Showers its splendours on the gladsome earth !
Soul as a ray of light has to th e sun, and our life bears the
same relation to our soul which th e reflect ion of th e ray
bears to th e ray its e lf ; in o th e r words, as the reflection is 0 , f o r a t r u m p e t loud to blow a blast,
to the ray aud the ray to th e sun, so is our life to our soul T h a t would resound from the north glaciers frore,
and our soul to th e S u p re m e Soul. F a r down to spicy I'eylon’s southern shore !
As a corroliorutive evidence of w hat I have asserted Then should the sleeping echoes of the past
above, I simply cite here a passage from the F ir s t Book S hak e off th eir lengthened lethargy, and rouse
of th e P e n ta te u c h — “ God m ade m an in his image, out T h e actions aud th e thoughts, that gave them birth.
of his likeness.”* Did not the best on earth
As to th e proof of th e im m ortality of our soul aiul Pledge for thy choosing th e ir most sacred vows ?
life, I have simply to assert th a t th e eternal existence, the M other I hast thou so soon
immortality of th e Su prem e Soul, is undeniable, therefore, T h y B u d d h a and thy S a n k a ra Ibrgol, ?
the im mortality of our soul and life is also undeniable, for Forgot the m ighty boon ?
one is the cause nnd th e oth er th e effect, aud, as 1 have T hou wast th e ir living hope, thou wast their dying thought !
stated before, the effect bears invariably the same n a tu re <;
as does its cause. My pen is guided by a n unseen Power,
Jeypore, 0 th March, 1880. And as I w rite a vision stirs my 'soul :
M cthink s thou stand est on the* highest goal,
W hich F a te reserved thee for thy happiest hour.
ODE TO I N D I A . Oh noble pride ! Oh m ajesty serene !
Thou standest like a queen,
1
A nd a t th y feet whole nations sinking low,
W h y slumbers In d ia w lie n ’tis tim e to wake ? Look on th y glorious brow,
U ntim ely sleep is wilful suicide. And kneel iu love and worship ! Do I see
Alas I she sleeps, b u t sleep m ay never hide A drea.ni, a phantasy ?
Tho hcavings of th a t heart, which soon m ust break ! Oh, wake me no t ! I f sloe])
Despair— hrtrd usurer .— will from her morrow Can m inister to hope, why shall 1 wake and weep ?
D educt more than his fair share from her ease,
And pay her b u t in tears ! S. J. P.
Oh M other ! rise superior to th y sorrow ;
T hou a rt y e t young in years : A b o u t t iir . y e a r 1848, Mu. S t k i c k b , ant a p o t h e c a r y
Can ages m ake thee old ? T h e stars, the sun, attached to the Madras Medical D epartm ent, was travel­
As bright us they begun, ling on duty in th e districts, when one day a Byruyi p re ­
Will shine on thee alway, renew ing th y life’s lease. sented hiuiself before him and asked for some oil of c inn a ­
2 mon, a request which was readily complied with.. In re­
Mother of many natious ! w ake again turn, however, the Byray! offered to communicate a mantra
To all the gra nde u r of thy destiny : or charm, against scorpion stings, and Mr. Stricke, not
T he world is thine, and from thee, an d in thee, liking to h u r t th e feelings of the man, noted down tho
And b u t awaits to h ear th e joyous strain, chanu. A few days after, a person stu n g by a scorpion,
Which like a burst of music shall vibrate, was brou gh t to him for tre a tm e n t, and he seized the op­
W ith oft-repeated echoes, to its soul ! p o rtu n ity for try in g th e charm before having recourse to
Is not tho world tliine own ? any drugs he had with him. I le, therefore, picked up a
Have not m ankind to th e e consign’d th e ir fate ? small twig, and, ascertaining th e area of th e pain, which
W h y art thou passive grown ? extended to a few inches above the bite, waved th e twig
It is not destiny’s stern-w rinkled frown, down to the wound as was directed, reciting a t the same
T h a t keeps thee lowly down ; tim e the innntra, and to his astonishm ent the very first
For thou art great— above all fate’s control ! recitation reduced considerably th e sufferings of the man,
and continuing it a few m inu tes longer th e pain subsided
3
and th e man left th e place recovered. Mr. Stricke soon had
Y et wake once more, and be again th e Ind, another opportunity for try in g it— this tim e it was his
T he holy realm of hope to youth and age, own wife th a t w;is b it by one of these noxious reptiles ; he
T h e land of universal pilgrimage, tried the a ntidote an d succeeded, l i e thenceforward
adopted this simple cure in some seven or eight, o th e r
• We h o p e n o t . Hnr, as w e h a v e n o o t h o r p o tw ib i li t y o f j u d g i n g ot (J o d cases th a t came to him for treatm en t. Satisfied as to the
b u t f r o m b u in i c r u f f r a j i h — m a n — w e w o u l d b a v o , w o r o i t no, t o g i r o u p tl iu
Deity iu diigiut uad turu to absolute attioUiu —Ko. Tutos. efficacy of the remedy, he communicated it to a friend of
liis, ono Mr. Brown, a merchant. Mr. Stricke died since,
and liis son, a n assistant master in one of the Madras
H igh Schools, obtained from the said Mr. Brown a copy of
tlii! charm ami tried it himself in several cases with sim i­
lar results. The following is the charm which we have
obtained for the benefit of our readers:—
“ Ong Parathmay paclmininytf. sardham ath K e c tv a s S a m -
] mnIlia (,'hoo.”
First ascertain from th e sufferer the extrem e limit, of
th e j<;ii(i, then take a t wig and wave it, thence down to the
sting as often as the charm is repeated, aud till the pain
lias subsided or reaches th e wound. A ny sm arting lelt.
behind could be relieved by b athing th e p a rt with some
cau-ilc-Cologne.
P H Y S I O L O G Y OF M A R R I A G E .
J!V S A 1 C H A K A H A H J l ’ N , KX<}„ L . M . & ' S .
J el niff Profrssor o f Jlotmn/, (Irani .Vfilienl College, ftombay.
T he present state of India, as compared to that of former
days, shows some strik in g changes. T h e physical ■weak­
ness of its people, the ir w ant of moral courage, and their
impoverished state, all occupy the thou gh ts of th o u g h t­
ful men : and those who aro wise are ever trying to dis­
cover the causes that may have led to these changes. I t
is agreed th a t there are several such causes, and am ong
the chief, our marriage customs.
Let us consider how far the modern science of p h y ­
siology ]troves these three facts, viz, (1) the necessity
of m arrying a t a m ature age, (2) the unnaturaln ess of
early marriages, and (Ii) the necessity for in stitutin g
widow re-marriage.
It. is an accepted fact, th a t one can only a tta in D har-
v ia (truth), A r fh a (money), K itm a (desire) and M oksha
(final bliss) by possessing physical strength. It is, th e re ­
fore, imperative th a t we should preserve onr constitution
iu order to a tta in every sort of enjoyment. And, as wc
find th a t marriage affects our constitution, we must see
under what circumstances it should be contracted. By
marriage is m eant the most intim ate relation between
man and woman, and not merely th a t preliminary ritualistic
ceremony which the H indu s have first, t.o pass through,
long before, the connection between husband and wile
is formed.
T here are persons who say th a t those who are free from
the m arriage-tie are most happy. Hut it is q u ite sufiic-
ient to refer such to w hat a g rea t European scholar of
the* last century said, viz., “ if m arriage has its evils,
celibacy has uo charms.”
The male and the female are the two forces in this
world, and w ith out th e m ingling of th e sexes it would
come to an end. It is in th e order of n a tu re t h a t when
both attain a certain age they should feel th e instinct of
love, to satisfy which they m ust adop t proper means.
Now, if there were no marriages, men would use im prop­
er means to satisfy th e ir desire. An abnormal intimacy
with numerous women would be formed. T he volu ptu­
ary would discontinue any one of these as soon as th e
woman becomes old and loses her charms. T here would
be no real love between the tw o ; anil, as the excellence
of the progeny depends to a very g re a t e x te n t upon th e
am o u n t of love between th e parents, the hum an race
would gradually degenerate. B u t when certain rules are
fixed for th e performance of lawful marriage, all these
evils are avoided. Because, it is not mere amorous desire
th a t creates real love, b u t th e charms of th e marriage
relation, which a ttr a c t th e sexes towards each other. M ar­
riage, therefore, a tru e and natural marriage, is th e real
source of every happiness. L e t us now consider th e
circumstances u n d e r which its consummation will conduce
to perfect happiness.
The first point to be noticed, is t h a t of th e proper ago
of the parties. T he most learned philosophers, after
having weighed all the circumstances, such as climate,
&c., Iiavo expressed an opinion th a t th e re should be
no marital relationship perm itted until a few years after
the age of puberty has been respectively attained. This
will conduce to th e ir moral and physical good. The
man should be between 25 and 30, a t th e time of his
marriage, th e woman between IS and 20. And, although
a certain animal instinct m ay assort itself a t an earlier
period, still there is a difference between this desire
arid th a t arising in th em after they respectively a t ­
tain the abovementioned ages,* Therefore, th e custom
among us of performing early marriages, and of bringing
about their consum mation as soon as the wife reaches a
certain crisis, lias a pernicious effect, inasmuch as it tells
upon the constitution of both, and tends to p re v e n t their
having a family. I f there be any progeny a t all, it is suro
to be weak. Ranm er. th e famous liistorian, says th a t
iu the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries th e common
people of Europe were tall and stout, b u t th e nobility
were short and weak. This he attributes to th e evil prac­
tice am ong th e aristocrats of performing early marriages.
H en ry V II. was very weak, because he was born when
his m other was only ten years of age. Besides, young pa­
rents are themselves ignorant of the proper way to
bring up such weak children, and turn th em into the right
path. 'Phis course of performing early marriages, therefore,
b u t increases the population w ithout beg etting sons able
to work for e ither th e ir country or for themselves, b u t only
to pass through life with feeble and diseased constitutions.
Besides, th e ( 'alcutta Nizomut. A dalat Report gives many
instances in which girls suffered from excessive ha*mor-
rliagia in consequence of too early an assumption of the
duties of wife. Again, if a m an marries a t tho proper
age he has all the ad vantages of a constitution, whereas if
married early, he becomes very weak, cowardly and w ith­
o u t any vigour. O u g h t not these facts to open the eyes
of our countrym en to th e sense of th e ir d u ty towards
themselves and th e ir country? Does it become them to stu b ­
bornly adhere to th e ir foolish and pernicious customs ?
])o they forget th a t they have to deal with giants, and th a t
if proper steps are not ta k e n to gather physical strength,
and thus be able to resist th e stronger physique of these
men mountains, the la tte r will soon I k ? found so powerful
th a t they would be able to tram ple on the miserablclndinns
like mosquitoes ? My countrymen, if you have any reli­
gious scruples, the very D lutrm sindhu which is your chief
autho rity on all points of religion, suggests to you cer­
tain remedies. Fo r instance, it is said th a t if a girl a t ­
tains the age of p ub e rty before she is married, h e r parents,
or whoever m ay perform th e ceremony, should give a cow
in charity, and so on. C an not these things be easily done ?
And if with all these evils and their remedies before us,
we do not set to work now, when we can no longer plead
ignorance, we shall be th e cause of our own destruction.
Again, ta l k in g of religious difficulties, does not D harvi-
ftindhit, strictly prohibit th e marriage of a girl before
she is six years of age ? A nd do our countrymen adhere
to it ? In m any instances girls are married when they
are not even five years old. Nay, they go further still.
They marry tl: eir children while they are not even able
to Rtnnd a t th e ceremony, b u t are in the cradle ! ! W h a t
can be more foolish and monstrous than t h a t ! Has
not th e tim e arrived to check th e progress of all theso
st upidities and seriously adopt measures th a t will result in
good to our country ?
T he second point to be noticed, is th a t of tho proper re­
lative ages of th e husband and. the wife. A m ong the
(iiizarathis we find instances of the couple being of the
same age, or sometimes of th e wife being even older than
h er husband. T h is is against th e course of N atu re. I t is a
recognized fact t h a t women very soon a tta in th e age of.
* A. l o a r n c d f r i e n d h a s t a k e n e x c e p t i o n t o t h i s o n t h o g r o u n d t h a t if t h o
f o o l i n g o f p a s s i o n a r i s e n in m e n a t t h e a g o o f s i x t e e n o r s e v e n t e e n , i t w o u ld
h o g o i n g a g a i n s t n a t u r e t o M iy t h a t t h e y s h o u l d o n l y b o m a r r i e d w h e n t h o y a r o
h o t w o o n t t v c n t y - l i v o a n d t h i r t y y o a r s . O u r r e p l y in H a b i t is s e c o n d nft*
t u r o . If, t h e r e f o r e , o u r c u s t o m o f e a r l y m a r r i a g e * w o r o g r a d u a l l y a b o l i s h o d ,
n a tu ro w ould n o t precociously m ove th e y o u n g m e n of o u r c o m ,try a t th a t
en rly ago a t w h ic h i t d o es a t p r e s e n t . F o r in stan co , ono w ho t a k e s h is m e a ls
a t 8 o 'clock, feels h u n g r y a t t h a t h o u r, w h ile to a n o t h e r w h o t a k e s t h e m n t
t h a t I w c o m o s t h o h o u r w h e n h o fo o ls h u n g r y , m i d s o o n I t is, t h e r e ­
f o r e , a <|iiostion o f tlio p e c u l i a r n a t u r e o f tl io i n d i v i d u a l a n d n o t t h a t of
' t h e la w o f n a t u r e . I t is t h o la w o f n a t u r o t h a t p e r s o n s s h o u l d h a v e t h e
f e e l i n g o f d e s i r e , b u t t h a t t h i s s h o u l d h a p p e n n t a c e r t a i n a g e , is n o t it s
l a w . T h a t is a m a t t e r o f i n d i v i d u a l h a b i t .
 maturity, and, as it is desirable th a t th e soxual feeling in
the h usband and the wife should end a t the same time, it is
necessary th a t th ere should be a difference between their
respective ages of about ten years. This is th e uuited
opinion of th e best W estern physiologists. W omen lose
th a t feeling a t the age of forty-five, m en a t fifty or fifty-
five.
Now let us consider w hat sort of woman should be cho­
sen for a wife. S h e m u s t be healthy and have no disease,
or else n ot only will she be a burden to her husband, b u t
she will bring forth sickly children. A woman witli quite
a white face and a body like a wax statue, though herself
healthy, will never have healthy children, i t is b e tte r
always th a t a bright-complcxioned m an should marry a
little darker-coloured woman ; for if both are very lair,
the progeny is almost sure to be scrofulous, and scrofula
is a very bad disease.
Again, it is necessary th a t th e ir tem peram en ts should
be different, bccause th e y will then be more likely to have a
great love for each other, which is one of the principal
things th a t ensure good progeny. T h e science of chemis­
try proves th a t two substances of opposite qualities have
a great affinity to each other. Thus, the tendency of an
acid is to combine w ith an alkali, and these substances are
of exactly opposite properties. T h e result of such a com­
bination is well known to bo a salt, which differs from
either, b u t unites the substances of both. Moreover, the
historical cases of distinguished personages confirm our
statem ent th a t th e greater the love between parents, the
b e tte r the progeny. Lahu and Kusha, you remember,
■were more powerful even than their father Ram, whose
love for Sita (his wife) is taken as the standard of extrem e
love between husband and wife. Abhimanyu, so renown­
ed for heroism even in his y o u th ; was th e sou of Subha-
dra, to m arry whom A rju n a (the father of A bhim anyu)
was very desirous, and had gone so far as to pretend th a t
he was a Sannyilsi. Similarly, (ih a to tk a e h a was not the
son of Droupadi b u t of Hedamlwi, whom lihim a loved so
ardently. W e m ight quote such instances, b u t it is use­
less, since it m ust be conceded th a t we have sufficiently
established our point.
L et us now consider w hat constitutes an improper m a r­
riage. T he following appear to be the p o i n t s :— ( I) — M utual
dislike of th e couple ; (2 )— a great difference between
their respective ages ; (3)— the marriage of th e old with
children ; (4)—-the marriage of one man witli various
women ; (5)— and the marriage between persons of tlu:
same blood.
A mong us, the first of these probably results from the
stupidity of the parents. T hey do not care w hether th e
young couple have, or are likely to have, any love for each
other, b u t perform th e ceremony because they choose.
And th u s th e happiness of the young couple, is often
destroyed beyond remedy. Once th a t the seed of dislike
is sown, it grows fast. T h e ill-matched couple m ay seem
happy, b u t who knows what passes in the inmost recesses
of th e ir hearts ? And th e more you try to reconcile
them to each other, th e stronger grows their hatred.
T he second and the third owe their origin to the pro­
hibition of widow-remarriage among us. I f widowers were
n o f idlow ed to r e m a ir y a s w idow s are. not, our people
would long ago have been freed from the stigma of sel­
fish partiality which attaches to th e ir name. O ur wi­
dowers want wives, b u t they w ill not have widows. And
w hat then follows is evident. Young girls fall victims
' to th e ir old husbands, and naturally an elem ent of dis-
Jike is introduced, th e consequences of which have already
been described.
As regards the fourth point, th a t is a custom preva­
lent in m any parts of our country am ong the Brahmins
of the “ Kuleen ” c;iste. I t is useless to describe here
all the horrors and evils th a t result from this atrocious
custom. Tho science of physiology proves to us th e im ­
practicability of a person being able to satisfy the desire
of two women. Let our readers, then, imagine th e a t roc -
' ity of the crime of these Brahm ins who are husbands
to eveu seven or eight women at the same time,
And now we will tu rn our a tte n tio n to the fifth point, th a t
of the union of persons of the same blood. We cannot trace
the origin of this practice, b u t Manu and other religious re­
formers have absolutely prohibited such a thing. This
custom prevails to an extremely g re at e x te n t among the
l ’arsis of our country. One of our Parsi friends informs
us th a t it arose from the misconception of some passage
in their religious book. Hut it is now high time th a t
people should turn, consider and realize the evils begotten
by this horrible custom of marrying cousins. They
naturally begin to dislike each other very soon, and, what
is worse, th e ir progeny degenerates. Such a m arriage
sows the seed of disease in th e family, and scrofula, con­
sum ption and such other diseases are th e undoubted results.
Tho lap-dog is a strik in g illustration of our statem ent.
These dogs are the progeny of the children of the same
parents, and we all see bow very weak and puny the
species of lap-dog is. I have a considerable practice
am ong the Parsis, and I find th a t diseases of th e above
n a tu re prevail to a great e xte nt among them. 1 have
personally a tte n d e d th e case of a woman who was m ariied
to her cousin, and gave birth to a child th a t had no brain
a t all. I t would require a ch apter to m ention all such
cases th a t have come und er my personal observation.
Before concluding, however, I would request my Parsi
friends to ta k e this grave mat ter into their hands, and
ado pt proper means to check these evils, alter due in­
vestigation into the (acts has been made. A t the sam e
time, I would ask all my countrym en to consider seri­
ously w hat has been stilted here, ami open th e ir eyes to
th e peril they have b ro ug ht upon themselves, and under *
the weight of which they will be crushed by their cwu
act, if the necessary remedy is not applied in time.
C R E M A T I O N I N A M E R IC A .
I n December, 1870, our Society burned in Am erica th e
body of one of its Councillors, who had requested t h a t
his remains should be so disposed of. T he preliminary
funeral ceremonies were of a distinctly “ H e a th e n " cha­
racter, and attracted the attention of the whole nation,
when described aud commented upon by tin; seven th o u ­
sand American journals. T he ceremonies themselves were
performed abo ut the 1st of .June at the Masonic Tem ple iu
the presence of thousands. At, that time there was no proper
crematory, or building for the burning of the dead, in
th e entire country, and public opinion would not have
perm itted th e burning to take place in open air, after
th e Aryan fashion. T he l»>dy of our Councillor— the
Bavarian Baron de Palm, then residing in the United
States of A m erica— was accordingly embalmed, and placed
in the “ receiving-vault ” of a cemetery,, a place provided
for the reception of hoilies not immediately to be buried.
I t lay th ere until December, when a proper crematory
had l>een built by a wealthy gentlem an of Pennsylvania,
Dr. F. J u liu s Le Moyne, on his own estate and in spite
of the protests aud threats of his neighbours and strangers.
This being the tii-st case in America of cremation, our
Society determ ined to have every doubt solved as to the
legality of this m ethod of sepulture, under the laws of
America. T he s ta tu te books were carefully searched by
a special committee, and not a line or word was found
which prevented a person from disposing of his or her
body according to choice, provided tha t there should be
no sanitary or ]H)licc regulation infringed. A formal request
was made for permission to remove Baron de Palm’s remains
from the receiving-vault in Brooklyn— a suburb of New
York City— to Pennsylvania lor cremation. This wa.s
granted after some examination of the statutes by coun­
sel to the Brooklyn Board ot Health ; ami th e Pre­
sident of t h a t body accepted an invitation to witness the
novel ceremony, and actually did see it. So, too, did the
official representatives of the Health Boards of a num ber
of other cities, and one— Dr. Asdale of the Pittsburgh
(Pa) Board of H e a lth actually helped Col. Olcott, Dr.
Le Moyne, and Mr. H e nry J. Newton, to p u t the corps^
into tlio licit retort of tlie eremation-lurimce. T he u n a n ­
imous declaration of all those scientific gentlem en, after
seeing tlie whole process of the burning, was th a t it was
neither opposed to th e interests of law, of public health,
or of decency. And, as the President of the Presbyterian
College in the town where tin: cremation took place was
one of the orators a t a public m eeting held after th a t
ceremony, and distinctly said th a t the Christian I>ible
did not prohibit, this form of sepulture, th e way w;ts open
for the introduction of this great reform. .Science had
long denounced burial as the worst possible means of
gettin g rid of the dead, and it only wanted such a prac­
tical illustration as this of the dceency, cheapness, and
entire feasibility of cremation to in au gu rate a new era in
this direction.
N aturally, such a change; us th a t from burying to b urning
m u st be a very gradual one. T he public’s reason is first
to be convinced, then its unreasoning prejudice removed.
T he first bold step finds its im itators here and there, and
then, when the people find th a t nothing bad has happened
to either themselves or the reformers, the change, if a
good one, is adopted. This process is going on in the
United States with respect to cremation. T he first Hush
of Christian indignation a t the “ barbarity ” and “ hea­
thenism " o f th e Theosophical Society passed away, the
echoes of th e journalistic gibes are gone, and our name,
as promoters of one of t he most beneficial social reforms
possible, has tixed for itself a place on the page of A m e ­
rican history.
T he De Palm cremation has, within the last thrcc-and-
u-lialf years, been followed by those of the venerable Dr.
Le Moyne himself, Mrs. lienn. Pitman and several others,
und it is within our personal knowledge tha t th e wills
of a nu m b er of Americans, of both th e sexes, have been
carefully drawn so as to compel the surviving relatives
to burn the testators’ bodies instead of burying them.
A case of cremation, of special interest and importance,
is found in the latest American journals th a t have reached
us. T he subject was a young Mr. Charles A. McCrccrv,
partner in one of the wealthiest piece-goods houses of
New York, and an orthodox Christian in faith. Tho
cremation was conducted a t the l/e M oyne place with
the greatest, privacy, as the deceased's family were b itte r ­
ly opposed to burning, though they could not refuse; the
young m an’s rcipiest. JJut the sharp-w itted Situ repor­
ters, who discover everything worth the trouble to find
out., got a cine to th e facts, and Mr. McCreery’s lather
very properly decided to give the whole tr u th publicity.
I t then appeared th a t
'■ W hen liaron do Palm was crem ated ami th e Mibjcct of crem ation
was discussed, fie advocated tliu t method of deponing of dead bodies,
and, indeed, of everything th a t, from its nature, wits m eant to bo
jm t out of sig h t.'’
This being the father's own statem ent, 110 one will deny
th a t this case is directly traceable to th e example; set
by tho Theosophical Society. T he influence that, the
MeCrcery cremation will have upon public, opinion in
America is very great.. Not. only t.he high respectability
of the deceased himself, and th e wealth, piety and
standing of his family, b u t also the a dm iring te sti­
mony of the clergyman who superintended th e burning
together with the deceased's brother, as to the freedom
of the process from all objectionable features, will com ­
bine to give cremation a forward im pulse in th e G reat
Republic. ^ _
T he following brief extracts are from th e N e w York
Siin'n special r e p o r t :—
“ We thought wc were doing Ilie very bent th in g ,” silid Mr.
McCreerv, “ in try in g to keep the affair quiet. I t was my mm's
desire, nmi we shrank from publicity. There are many people who
may blame us, who th in k crem ation a heathen practice, b u t [
cannot help that. W ere the consequences many fold more disagree­
able we would not hesitate. Wo did wlmt wo thought was rig h t and
we arc satisfied. M y son was a man of trem endous will power. Ho
never u n d e r to o k anything iu his life th a t he did not accomplish
vxcept the one tiling of gettin g well of his disease. B u t th a t will-
|K>wei has made itself felt evcu after his death, aud w liat he willed
to have done has been accomplished. It was not th e freak of an
enthusiast, H e died in th e faith of his fathers, a devoted Chris­
tian, and wc nru comforted."
“ W ell,” continued Mr. M<( Yeery, “no th in g more was said about
the m a tte r to me lUitil a fte r his death . T hen we found iu his desk
a pnper containing some requests, among them the following:"
INWOOI), oct 21, 1B70.
AIy i >kak i*ahunts : H av in g for various reasons formed a great
aversion to the ordinary methods of burial, it is my solemn wish
th at, a fte r full assurance of lay dentil has been secured, every pos­
sible effort should be made to have my Ixxly burned.
“ T h is request coining in th is way. we did not th in k we could
possibly refuse, although it wits exceedingly painful for us to accede
to it. N ot tlm t I am so opposed to cremation, b u t it was going
against iny whole education and the customs of my forefathers, tin t
I made up my m ind th a t his request m ust l>e carried out at all events,
ami then th e question arose how best to do it. H e had requested
th a t th ere Ik; no publicity attached to the m atter, an d we were
certainly anxious to keep th e m atter q uiet ; b u t w hether we could
do it openly or quietly we wero bound to curry o u t our sou’s wishes.
Airs. M cCreery aud m yself found th a t we could take no p a rt iu the
arrangem ents. O ur feelings would not )>crmit us to do anything,
nnd so the whole arrangem ents were turned over to m y eldest
Run, J . Crawford McCreery, and our pastor here, M r. l ’uyson.
A fter C harlie’s death th e body was placed in a herm etically scaled
metallic collin, from w hich the air was exhausted, and th a t placed
in a wooden coflin, an d deposited in tlio receiving v au lt iu
Woodlawn Cemetery. Mr. Payson will tell you all th e r e s t '’
Mr. l ’ayson. who for five years has been th e pastor of the
rre sb y te ria u C hurch in Iuw ood, a small, slender, scliolarly-look-
ing young man, said : ‘' I agree w ith Mr. M cCreery th a t it is
liest to have no m ore concealment. I now know w h at crem ation
is, and I am glad to have an oppo rtu n ity of speaking of it. I
was with C harlie much th roughout bin illness, aud he talked
frankly w ith inc H e loathed th e idea of ordinary b u rial, aud
s|Kikc in th e strongest term s ag ain st it. H e said th a t the idea
of licing p u t into th e earth , there to dccny, .and possibly to have
his bones cut into by labourers laying out. now streets, wus hor­
rible. lie believed iu crem ation, and he said to me : “ f mil quite
sure th a t if my fath er knew my wishes ho would go so far as to
build a furnace him self if necessary.”
“ Yes and I w ould,” exclaimed M r. M cCrccrv, w ith deep feel*
ing*. ’
T ho report describes in detail the negotiations between
the family and Dr. Le Moyne’s executors for th e privilege
of using th e furnace, and tlio transportation of th e body
by rail to the place of cremation. The Rev. Mr. Payson
then continues his narrativ e as follows:—
‘■Then tho coffin was taken into the reception room of the
crem atory. It. is a flre-proof brick building, about th irty feet by
lllteen, divided into two apartm ents, th e reception room and Abo
reto rt. The la tte r is of fireproof brick, aud tlio files are under
it. W hen the doors were opened, anil 1 looked in, all my oppo­
sition to crem ation disappeared, for then came* jom th e retort a
lovely, rosy light, which I could compare to nothing b u t the rosy
m orning lig h t ou the snow peaks of the Alps, as I have Recn it
iu Sw itzerland. T he body was preparod bv being taken from
the coffin, placed in a crib, and covered witii a sheet, saturated
w ith a solution of alum . Tlie crib is sha|>cd like au ordinary
crib, b u t is made of rods of iron, ju s t clone enough to hold the
body. The alum cloth was to prevent any sinoke o r unpleasant
odour. T he body was not dccoinjxKtcd, 1'eing placed iu the
crib, it w as wheeled in to the retort, nnd there rested iu tho
rosy light. T here was absolutely nothing w hatever reim gnaut to
the senses -no flame, no smoke, no odour of any kind. Tho
alum cloth rem ained for some tim e ap parently intact. Then
little by little, it disappeared, as did th e body, th e pure .ashes
falling to the bottom of the reto rt. I t was aliout l i in the
afternoon when we placed tho body iu the reto rt, and iu less
than three hours it was reduced to ashes.
Mr. Payson m istakes the purpose for which the aluni-
saturated cloth is used. I t was adopted at th e De Palm
cremation, a t the last moment, for tlie sake of decency,
the body having to be p u t into the retort naked, aud it
being understood th a t the progress of the cremation was
to Ik; watched through the small draught-hole in th e iron
door, by m any scientific m en and journalists present. The
Baron’s body was sprinkled with sweet spices and gums,
and strewn with flowers and evergreen branches. B u t this
was merely au expression of tender regret a t tho loss of
a friend ; there were neither smoke nor unpleasant odours
caused by tho burning. T he body lay in its iron crib
iu a white hot atmosphere, and its tissues and other con*
sumable parts were gradually resolved into vapor and
passed off into th e atmosphere, while the white and gray
ashes were left b e hind as the sole visible rem nants of what
had oiijfe been a man.
 “ A 1‘KH.SONAL STATKMKNT OF HKI.KiloUS IIKUKK ” IS T H E
t i t l e o f a p a m p h l e t no w j u s t a p p e a r i n g a t B o m b a y . I t is a n
u n e x p e c t e d , a n ti v e ry u n u s u a l p ie c e o f l i t e r a t u r e ; a n d t h e
s u b j e c t is t r e a t e d iu a w a y to s t a r t l e t h e w h o le o f t h e
P r o t e s t a n t C h u r c h , c a ll o u t a n in w a rd c h u c k le o f s a tis f a c ­
tio n fro m t h e J e s u i t s , a n d p ro v o k e e x tr e m e d is s a tis f a c ­
tio n a m o n g t h e C o n s e rv a tiv e , c h u rc h - g o in g , A n g lo - I n d ia n
o fficials. Y e t it is a n h o n e s t a n d s in c e re p ro fe ssio n o f f a ith .
S im p le a n d d ig n ifie d , w ith o u t o n e w o rd o f r e c r im in a tio n
a g a in s t th o s e w h o w ill b e th e first to th r o w s to n e s a t h im ,
e n ti r e l y h e e d le s s o f p o s s ib le c o n s e q u e n c e s , t h e a u t h o r —
a D is t r ic t J u d g e , w e b e lie v e — M r. 0 . C . W h it w o r th , c o m e s
o u t b r a v e ly a n d w ith o u t o s t e n ta tio n , to te ll t h e t r u t h to
t h e w o rld a b o u t h im s e lf. H e h a s “ c o m e to t h e c o n c lu ­
sio n t h a t it is b e t t e r t h a t e v e r y m a n ’s o p in io n s , w h e th e r
r i g h t o r w ro n g , s h o u ld b e k n o w n a n d f e e lin g t h a t h e
“ w ill n e v e r re a c h t h a t s t a t e o f s t r a ig h tf o r w a r d n e s s a n d
s im p lic ity o f c o n v e rs a tio n a n d c o n d u c t” a f t e r w h ic h lie
is s tr iv in g , lie d o e s n o t w isli to r e m a in a n y lo n g e r “ in a
fa lse p o s itio n ,” a n d h e n c e re n o u n c e s C h r is ti a n it y p u b lic ly
a n d iu p r in t.
All honour to the man wlio is brave and honest in this
century of sham beliefs an d sham eful hypocrisy! Who, re­
gardless of all dangers— an d such an act entails more th a n
one— throws oft’the mask of false pretence th a t stifles him,
with the sole motive of doing w ha t he deems his d u ty to
him self and those who know him.
Mr. W h itw o rth n o t only tells us w hat he believes no
more in, b u t also makes a sta te m e n t of th e personal belief
t h a t has superseded th e C hristianity he now repudiates.
Before he was as certain as he now is of what his d u ty
in this question was, he used to wonder w h a t orthodox
churchmen would advise him to do— “ 1 have heard,” he
says, “ of such a th in g as sta m p in g out, or trying to sta m p
out, unbelief from th e mind. 1 suppose the process is to
set before yourself th e idea th a t it would be a good th in g
if you could believe, and th e n to d eterm ine to act on all
occasions as though you did, until a t length it comes to
seem to be a m atte r of course t h a t you do believe. Now
such a course of conduct seems to me to be wrong. 1 cannot
• • »• i • > ®
see how a m an is justified m trying to settle by resolution
w hat he will believe, anil in stifling instead of fnirly e x ­
am ining doubts which may arise as to his past belief. N o r
does any one recommend this course to persons of a dif­
ferent creed to his own.” ...............................................................
. . . . “ And though,” he .says fu rth er on, “ 1 would
not willingly suggest doubt to the mind of any person
happily free from it, and worthily occupied in this world,
I can in no degree concur in the opinion th a t it is neces­
sary to keep up artificial religions for the sake of th e u n ­
enlightened masses.” ‘ Clovernment by illusion’ is an e x ­
pression 1 have lately heard. I cannot b u t th in k th a t th e
bare tr u th is better. More particularly if you th in k th a t
a Ciod of infinite power created and governs th e world,
does it seem unreasonable to sup]M>se t h a t he m eans those
of his creatures th a t are comparatively wise to invent erro ­
neous notions about him for th eir more ignorant fellows
to believe { We have been so long accustomed to asso­
ciate such things as worship, prayer, saeraments, and holy
offices with religion th a t some men seem to fear that, if
all these were got rid of, no thing would remain. T h a t is
not my experience. I t should be rem em bered th a t all
immoral and dangerous persons are eith e r already w ith ­
out religion— in which case th e y could lose none if th e
doctrine of government by illusion were given up — or
else th a t the religion th e y have has b e e n useless to th em .”
A fter th a t Mr. W hitw orth states his present religious
belief and says—
“ I believe th a t it is every m an ’s d u ty to do w hat he
can to make tho world b e tte r and happier. T h a t is th e
whole of my creed. I aim a t no precision of language.
Many other formulas would do as well. So to live t h a t
the world may be b e tte r for m y having lived in it is th e
one most familiar to my thoughts. T h e m ean in g is plain,
a n d th e r e is n o th in g n e w in i t . ...............................................
To me it seems absurd to a tte m p t to devise a creed, or
even to take, w ith an y fixed resolution of keeping it, a
ready-made one. AVhnt a m an finds in the actual ex­
perience of his life to be good, th a t is w hat he m u s t b e ­
lieve.........
“ Now before I a tte m p t to explain how I find the simplp
creed I have enunciated b e tte r than all the dogmas I once
believed, I will refer to certain points on which (though
th ey do not belong to m y religion) I shall no doubt be
expected, in such a publication as this, to express distinct
opinions.
“ Such a question is, Do you believe in (Iod ? Now I wish
to be perfectly frank, b u t it is beyond my power to answer
this question clearly. I certainly did until within a few
years believe in God, b u t th e n 1 had a [(articular concep­
tion of h im — namely, th e being known as Cod th e F a th e r
in the C hurch of E ngland . Now, I am sure, we are not
w arranted in holding th a t conception, and I have formed
no oth er distinct conception of (iod. I cannot say I
believe in God w hen th e word conveys no distinct m eaning
to me ; I cannot say I do not believe in iiim when my
th o u g h ts seem sometimes to require the use of th e name.
Perh ap s th a t impression is duo only to an old habit. W e
he a r it said th a t the existence of God is proved by th e
manifest design of the universe. B u t what sort of God '!
Surely one of finite, n ot of infinite, power. T h e world
is very wonderful ; but how can we call it a perfect work ?
T h e re are some terrible things in it. Perhaps it will be
perfect, b u t tim e cannot be necessary to infinite power. I
heard a preacher once exp atiate on Clod’s power aiul love
as shown in the struc tu re of an animal. H e took th e
mole as an example, and explainad how its every pa rt was
perfectly adapted to th e peculiar m aim er of its life. But
w hat if a ploughm an kills th e mole i Carefully provid­
ed as all its properties were, they all have failed. T hen
th e preacher spoke of the wonderful providence by which
some plants are made to purify pestilential air. B u t wo
in India know th a t oth er plants by their natural decay
poison instead of purifying the air. So, what do such e x ­
amples prove '{
“ I am not dismayed or distressed at such puzzles, or
because I cannot say w h eth e r or not I believe in God. T b e
world teaches me plainly th a t there are countless things
which I cannot know. . . . . . .
“ My a ttem p t to answ er the above question is sufficient
to show that I do not believe in th e divinity of Christ, or
of any other supposed incarnation of God. I add that it
is between twelve an d fifteen years since I had any such
belief." ‘
As to a future life, the a u th o r neith er affirms belief nor
disbelief. 1le /ni/v* we may live after death, but he per­
sonally feels no cohi'iction ot it. “ My religion then, he
goes o n to say, “ it may jierhaps be said by those devot­
ed to any of th e recognized religions of the day, leaves
me without any God, without prayer or worship of any
kind, leaves me a weak mortal struggling alone with the
difficulties of this life. Well, if I hear such things said
of my religion, I shall bear it patiently. . . . While
I am writing this in th e saloon of the ‘ Yenctia,’ this
2:$rd of November, I can hear th e passengers at service
over head singing—
‘ Leave, iili leave miMiot alone,
.Still support anil ntivu“tlivii nu-.’ .
I f some of them are less alone th a n I, it should not make
m e discontented, for I know th a t 1 am better with my r e ­
ligion than I, the same person, was with theirs. B ut,
notw ithstanding those objections which many persons will
make, I do deliberately put forward this religion of mine
as som ething b e tte r for h u m a n ity th a n any other . . .
I believe th a t most, or a t least very many, men ot busi­
ness, working men, are as I am. If, as a fact, men do n ot
already hold the creed th a t I do, I do not ex|>ect t h a t by
a n ything I can say th e y come to do so. B u t there are
two things which I can still hope. 1 hope t h a t those of
m y readers who really believe no more than I do, b u t who
in a half-hearted way cling to dogmas, which indeed to
them are dead and ineffective, will examine aud see w hat
th ey really do believe and wliat th e y do not, distin gu ish­
in g betwoen those articles of belief which th ey give effect
to in th eir lives and those they hold merely for w ant of
energy to throw away. And I hope th a t those who find th e ir
actiiiii belief to be less th a n or different from w h a t their
neighbours have been Ie<l lo suppose it to be, will ask
them selves the question w h ether they ought not in some
way or other to remove tlu; m isapprehension a n d m a k e
th e i r lives speak truly to all who behold them.
“ But there arc two classes of persons to whom I can
hardly hope to m ake intelligible th e step I am ta k in g in
pub lishing this statem ent. T h e first class is th e clergy
and all persons engaged in teaching and p r o p a g a t i n g aUy
religion ; the second, all idle persons. These two very
different classes seem to me to be less likely th a n oth er
persons to discover that, th e religions th e y observe are
false if they are false. R a th e r are they likely, as I conceive
to find them, whatever th e y are, to be sufficient and satis­
factory. In th e case of th e first, because religion is the
business of their lives ; and in the cose of idle ]iersons, be­
cause w h a t they have of religion is b e tte r than the rest of
th e ir lives. . . . A m a n ’s life and his religion should be one
and the same thing. T h a t which is not p a rt of w hat liis
life ought to be, o u g h t not to be a part of his religion. And
it seems to m e qu ite intelligible th a t a m a n whose busi­
ness is religious teaching should m ake bis life and religion
one and the same, though much of the religion be false,
w ithout ever finding th e test of true and u ntru e. If a
m a n ’s d u ty is to explain or teach a certain doctrine, lie may
find it very difficult to m ake people believe or understand
it ; b u t he will n o t be in a position to say— well, this doc­
trine may be tru e or false, b u t it has nothing to do with
my life. It has to do with his life.”
T h e author, explaining how his creed is a b e tte r reli­
gion for the world a t huge, than any other, says:—
“ Iu th e first place th is religion seems to me to have the
property of being constantly present in a way which other
religious are usually not. I do not th in k it is sufficient
to devote an hour, or two horn's, or twelve bom's a day to
religion. I think th e whole day should be devoted. But,
in order for th a t to be, religion m u st consist of daily life, and
th ere m ust be no distinction of spiritual and temporal, of
religious an d secular, of Sunday and week-day, or of priest
and people. T h e fact th a t one day is to be k e p t holy,
m eans th a t others are distinctly recognized as being some­
th in g less thau holy ; and the fact th a t a holier and
p u re r m a nn e r of life and conversation is expected in one
particular class of men, m eans that, such high attainm en t,
though practicable, is not. expected of th e bulk of m a n ­
kind. <)f course all men require time, a p a rt from th eir
proper business, for p a tie n t m editation and reflection on
the tendency of th e ir lives ; all men require th e advice of
others of different experience to the m selve s; all m en
should have tim e for th e fun and th e pleasure t h a t life
affords. B u t why should some of these things be called
religious, and others non-religious or secular ? Is th e
th in g good or bad ? is tb e question t h a t m y religion
asks ; and it asks it equally w heth er tbe th in g be an act
of charity or a gam e of tennis. If religion and daily life are
n o t one and th e same, it will happen th a t th e first is some­
tim es made to give place to the second. I f a church
catches fire a t the tim e of public worship, th e priest and
people m u st run out. T h e ir religious service is i n te r r u p t­
ed, b u t they obey th e dictate of a tru e r religion which
bids th e m save th e ir lives. T h a t which need never be
interru pted is th e tr u e religion— namely, always to do
w hat is best to be done.
" I n ex t claim for m y religion th a t as a fact it has created
in me a greater love of th e hum an race than I had when
a Christian. W h e n I th o u g h t th ere was virtue in prayer
and religious services, and th a t m y first d u ty was to save
my own soul, my sense of the d u ty of rendering service to
m en and my sense of pleasure a t tbe th o u g h t of particular
services done to particular persons, w h e th e r friends or
strangers, were certainly less th a n th e y are now. I f it be
said t h a t the difference in m e is du e not to th e change of
religion, b u t only to th e improved perception and know­
ledge t h a t years bring, 1 can only reply t h a t th e tw o cans
es seem to me to be identical. My religion 1 have neither
invented nor selected : i t is w hat my life has tau g h t
me.
“ This religion has again this advantage t h a t i t allows
you no rest or p e r m a n e n t happiness except with a sense
of d u ty done. I t knows nothing of idle ‘ drawing n e a re r
to (Jod.’
“ You m u st n ot speak of ‘ leaving with m eekness your
sins to your Saviour.’ Y o ur sins are your own, a n d you
cannot leave th e m to any one. The best you can do is to
outweigh th e m with good, b u t get rid of th e m you cannot
T h ere is no absolution. T h in k of th a t when you are disposed
to do a bad deed .again. If you do it, it will rem ain for
ever. T h e balance of good, if even you get a balance of
good, will be finally less by reason of th a t bad d ebt.’’
W c verily believe, th at, though Mr. W h itw o rth gives
no nam e to his deity, an d simplifies his religion, so as to
m ake it appear to be hardly a religion a t all, yet he is a
tr u e r religionist th a n an y Church-going dogmatist. H is
religion recognizes and worships bu t th e la te n t divinity
indwelling iu himself. Like Elijah, lie sou gh t for tlio
Lord in the stro n " w ind— b u t the Lon! wits not in the
• « • i
iriwf ; nor was lie in th e etn'thjnakr, nor y e t in th e fire.
B u t ho found H im in the. “ still small voice”— th e voice
of his own C onsciknck , th e tru e tabernacle of man.
T h e a u th o r w ith o u t belonging to our Society is y e t
a t rue-born Theosophist— a God-soeker.
And y e t th e Rev. T. J . Scott, assailing us in a long
le tte r to th e Pioneer, says C hristian ity never had such.
KWCt'liH'.'t,'*, xi/riijxtlhi/, life and power, as now !
T u n KOuUSII KMIUROO LAI I) UPON SWAMIJI D.VYAN ANI»
Saraswati by Mr. Wall, th e Benares Magistrate, has a t last
been raised, and t h a t learned and eloquent P a n d it was to
have resumed his lectures ou the evening of th e 21st
March. Before g ra n tin g th e permission— which th e Swami
o u g h t never to have been obliged to a sk — Mr. W all had
a conversation of nearly an hour with him. T h e excuse,
offered by th e L ie u te n a n t Governor for th e action in th e
premises, was t h a t i t was no t safe for the Swami to lecture
in the M ohuram holidays ! T h e subject of th e opening
discourse was “ T h e C re a tion .’’ In th e same letter
which contained th e above particulars, Swamiji says,
“ T hough I am very anxious t h a t m y autobiography
which you are publishing in your journal, should be com­
pleted, I have not y e t been able to give th e necessary tim e
to it. B u t as soon as possible I will send th e narrative
to you.”
A long-felt w a n t has now been supplied by th e publi­
cation by th e Bom bay A ry a Samaj of a m onthly journ al
devoted to th e news a b ou t th e Samajes th ro u g h o u t India.
I t will be a convenient m edium ibr th e promotion of
friendly intercourse, and th u s keep active the enthusiasm
of members for th e cause of Vedic refoim. I t is edited by
Mr. Sevaklal Kursondass, Treasurer of the Bombay A rya
Samaj, a t 01, J u g jiv a n k ik a Street., and issued a t th e no­
minal ra te of annas 12 for City, and Re. 1 for Mofussil
subscribers, in advance.
T u b “ t k i k s t e o n v b d a n t k : ua.i v o g a , ” h y t h e m a d r a s
M ahatm a G iana Yogi, Sabhapaty Swami, a, chapter of
whose life was given in our magazine last month, has
appeared, an d m ay be had a t the M itra V ila s Press, L a ­
hore, Panjab, a t ann as 8 per copy. I t is one of th e most
curious pam p hlets ever printed, and will doubtless have a
very large sale. A review of it will app ear n e x t month.
P a n d it S uuya N ahayan has hh un delegated uy
th e Society of Benares Pandits to translate into English
th e contributions to these columns of members of th a t
Sabha. H e is one of its Secretaries.
 COCK A N D B U L L .
Som e m on th s ago, th e T i i k o s o v h i s t was ta k e n to task
by certain Christian Roman Catholic friends, for crediting
“'supernatural ” cock and bull “ inventions ” about spirits
and mediums, as told in spiritual organs, while never
quoting one such fact from th e “ far more tru stw o rth y
Catholic organs.” W hereupon, as t h e policy of our p a p e r is
one of strict impartiality, we yielded to th e dem and of
one who was both an esteemed friend and a subscriber,
and promised to ransack th e R o m an Catholic papers sen t us
for trustworthy, demoniacal or ghostly literature. W e did,
so, and fell upon Marshal Mac Mahon's strange ad ven tu re
w ith th e devil in Algiers. (See T ili:< jso p h 1ST for December,
187D.) W e were assured by th e same friend th a t Marshal
Mac Mahon being alive, aud, moreover, a very pious C atho­
lic, and the paper which prin ted th e story being itself
a highly respected, trustw orthy organ of th e American
Roman Catholic bishops, it was im possible to d o u b t its
veracity. I t was “ absurdly in co ng ru ou s” in us to th in k
for one moment, th a t side by side with the “ best a u th e n ­
ticated miracles of our Lady of Lourdes,” and ot her places
as noteworthy, th e Catholic M irro r (of Baltimore, U. S. A.)
would publish, a t th e risk of its literary and ('h ristia n
reputation, a Hiin-Ham fabrication, a ca nard. So we
copied tho adventure, word for word as we found it
in th e M irro r of Sept. 13, 187!), prefacing it with
this rem ark of equivocal confidence in its exactness, as
every one can see. “ W e a d m it it th e m ore willingly
since, had any such story originated with e ith e r th e Theo-
sophists or the Spiritualists, it would have been stra ig h t­
way ridiculed and set down as a cock-and-bull fable. B u t
circumstances alter the case w ith th e C atholics; none,
however sceptical a t heart, will dare laugh (above his
breath) a t a story of supernatural ‘ miracles ’ worked by
th e saints or by Satan and his imps. Only Spiritualists
and Theosopliists...deserve to be called ‘ lunatics ’ for b e ­
lieving iu phenomena produced by n a tu ra l causes.”
T he M arshal’s alleged a dventure was reprinted in th e
London S p ir itu a lis t. L e t the editor of t h a t p a p er now
speak : ■ been found suspended on th e neck of nearly every decapi­
“ W e recently asked th a t th e t r u t h of some alleged
supernatural experiences of Marshal Mac Mahon, which
had been quoted by The Theosophist (Bombay) from a
Roman Catholic newspaper, should be inquired into by
some of our readers. T h e following le tte r from Miss
Douglas is the r e s u l t :—
‘ “ D i o a h Mu. H a r r i s o n , — 1 sent to my sister, Mrs.
Douglas Bayley, now in Paris, th e No. of l'he S p i r i t u a ­
list in which appeared th e marvellous a d v e n tu re of
Marshal Mac Mahon, said to have been related by himself,
begging her to inquire if th e re was any degree of t r u t h
in it.
‘ “ She writes t h a t there is none. B eing well acquain ted
w ith th e Marshal's A id e-d e-C a m p , th e Baron de Langs-
dorff, she spoke to h im on th e s u b j e c t ; he said he could
not believe there was any tr u t h in th e story, or he would
have heard of i t ; however, he took The S p ir itu a l i s t con­
taining it to th e Marshal, who declared th e re was not th e
slightest foundation for it. Very truly yours,
J. H . D o u g l a s .’
Wis th a n k Miss D ouglas and Mr. H a m son for
the trouble th ey have taken, and hope the lesson w hich
the case teaches may not be lost upon those who stand
up so stoutly foi' the in fa llib ility of the .Unman Catholic
Church. For, it would appear th e y indulge in “ cock
and bull stories,” as m uch ms oth er mortals do, while pre­
tending to a g re a te r trustw orthiness.
W k 1IA VK R E C E I V E D F R O M T H E U N IV E R S A L L Y ' A D M I R E D
Gujerati Poet, N arm add shaukar Lalshunkar, his spirited
Ode on Theosophy which, owing to a m isun derstanding
and no fault of his, had not reached us before. I t is in
the G ujerati language, with an English translation, and
will appear next month.
A G E A R I N G I ’l t O O F O K T H E A X I O M T H A T R E L I G I O U S B I j -
gotry is always lined with hypocrisy and often with crime,
is instanced in th e recent case of a most revolting infan­
ticide in France. T h e heroine of th e deed appears in th e
lugubrious and monstrous image of the widow of one
b rand 's Violo Versseron. She is a woman aged 35, who
lived a t St. Colombin, and who was sentenced to death,
b u t to our regret, th e sentence has been commuted to
transportation for life. Such fiends ought to be p u t o u t
of the way for ever. T h e following facts are found in
the official report in th e R q m l l i q u e F raandse.
T he heartless mother, longing for remarriage and find­
' ing her only son, eight years old, in her way, poisoned
him with arsenic paste, known as “ rat-poison,” u n de r cir­
cumstances of th e most revolting character. The prose­
cution, while bringing out one by one the proofs of h e r
guilt, showed her a t th e same tim e a most pious R om an
Catholic. The day before th e one she had deliberately
fixed for poisoning, she took her little Ernest to confession,
“ to prepare him for death,” she said, “ in the way it b e ­
hoved her like a true. Catholic.” <)n the morrow, when th e
poison had been administered to him with her own hands,
and the child was w rithing in the convulsions of his d eath-
agony, she despatched one of her neighbours for some
“ holy water,” an d busied herself before the eyes of th e
dying boy and in th e presence of acquaintances w ith p re ­
parations for his “ laying o u t” and funeral. Then, as the u n ­
fortunate victim di<l not die fast enough to suit her, she
p u t iu his m outh one more dose of poison, and m ade h im
swallow it hy shoving it down his t hroat with her finger.
T hroughout th e terrific details of this family drama, t h e
murderess acted with perfect composure1 and w ithout th e
least pang of regret. T h e neighbours say th a t she herself
had gone to confession prior to tho deed, ami got absolu­
tion from her c u n ' (parish priest) for her intended crime
by declaring it in some covert words misunderstood b y
th e priest. Such cases are known to have happened before,
and iu more th a n one instance where th e crime w;is o f
th e blackest character. Indulgences and written plenary
rem ittances of sin in th e shape of the Pope’s Indian have
ta ted bandit, professional highwayman and m urderer iu
th e ( of Rome. If, then, Popes will rem it for
a cash consideration any murder, in advance of its com­
mission, are we not justified in th in k in g th a t th e jwisoner
Versserou had also obtained w hat she accepted as a valid
clerical absolution for h e r p re m ed itate d infanticide ?
“ l.iko master, like man.”
A m o n g t h e m o st r e c e n t a c c e s s io n s to t h e fe l l o w -
sliip of the Theosophical Society is a well-known Magis­
tra te and Collector of th e P u n ja b .
A m o n g t h e a r t ic l e s h e l d o v e r fo r w a n t o f r o o m
is one of interest to Arya Samajists entitled " A Deserter,”
from the pen of one of our Aryan brothers.
”
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Page. . . . Tago.
A M edal of H onor .................. 105 The Theosophical Society, or
The .Silent liro th e r ..................l(i(> Universal ]!rotherliood ...17!)
E a st Indian M ateria Medica 1(>8 T h e . S t a t e o f ( ' I n i s t i a i . i t y ..........l b l
H indu o r A ry a ........................... 1 7 0 K aliya M ardana, or the
A Land of M y s te ry ..................170 C ru sh in'' of K aliya—the
T a n t r i c P h i l o s o p h y ........................ 1 7 3 C reat Serpent liy K rishna.. 183
R ad ian t M a tte r...........................174 A nother .K th ro h at.................. 1S4
H in ts to the S tudents of Vo<j 1 The Mind is m aterial...............184
V illy a ....................................... 17."> (M eto In d ia...............................1K5
I5rahmoism vs. H induism ........17C Physiology of M a rriag e........ 18G
A H aunted Castle in the N ine­ Oremalion in America............. 187
teenth C e n tu r y ...................... 177 Cock and Dull........................... ty 1
The Oltice of Itelij'ion ............. 17H
r r i n t c l n t t l io L ttlu A i-tttl 1 ‘rtM li y H. C u r s c t j c e Co., a m i p u b l i s h e d b y
t h o T li o u a o p l ii c n l S o c i e t y , a t N o . 10 ?, tiir)> nuiu L a c k R o a d , DuiuLn y.
 The Proprietors of the T H E O S O P H IS T acknowledge with thanks, the
following additional subscriptions, all paid in advance. __
IN D IA . G. *M. Ogilvie, Esq., B. C. S., Collector T. II. Evans, Esq.
aud Magistrate (Panjab.) Philip P . Harris, Esq.
Uno Salieb K cshow lal Ilcern ln l. Maheshwar Prasad, Esq. Doctor J . D. Buck, New York, U. States,.
Babu Kuslii Nul.li Chatterjee. Sri P. Jagannatliraj Salieb Gora, Diwan America.
B a b u R om gati M ittra. Bahadur to liis Highness The Maha­ Mordecni D. Evans, Esq.
II hI ui B cnee M adhab B h a tta c h a ry a . rajah of Yizinnngmm. E. W. Robinson, Esq.
Babu D evem lra C h an d ra G hose. August Gustiim, Esq.
Cliintninon II. Solini, Esq. FO REIG N .
A rthur B. Griggs, Esq.
I*. A udicnsnw ulu N aidu, E sq . A. S. G. Jnyakar, Esq., Residency Sur­ William 13. Green, Esq.
Kao B ah ad u r Satubcliniul N alin r. geon, Muscat. Chnrles A.-1 Ionian?, Esq.
Dr. M. S. M notoosaw iny Naidu. S. Kailas Pillai, Es>q. George V. Maynard, Esq.
M. .1. Pack, !•:«/. Don Manuel, Esq. Miss F. Ellen Hun-.
Ilain k rish iia V ithoba, Esq. C. Pereira, Esq. Dr. F.. Hartmann, Georgetown, Colordo,
B. .1. B ashiakarloo N aid u , E sq . John Robert de Silva, Esq. U. S. America.
M e w s. A b raliam & Co. Ditto. Mrs. Cyrus Aldrich.
Dr. B atu k ram S obharam M ehta. S. P. D. Goonewnrdeiic Vidmnnratchy, Esq J . M. Kelley, Esq.
M. K . Sooblia Uno, E sq. Tho Secretary of the Widdhndhnin So­ C. W. Newton, Esq.
1$. Ja y a rm n P illay , Esq. ciety, Colombo, Ceylon. Win. II. lloisiiiglon, Esq.
K u m a r SliyaiiilnUingli. \V. Do Abrew, Esq. George Wentz, Esq., Police Department,
S ccretury, C ity L ib ra ry , A m raoti. Denes de Soy mi, Esq. Baltimore, U. S. America.
Babu B m j Nutli B h allachan d jec. Don Bastian l ’ercra, Esq. M. A. Cook, Esq.
P. Sreenevas lino, Esq. W. Fred. Wigaysekarn, Esq. Dr. T. Docking, M. D.
B n lk iish n n Y izen ru n g u in M oodeliar, Esq. James Dias, Esq. Merritt Peckham, Esq., Utica, New York,.
.Vngamiath lclinrnni, Esq. D. Thomas Werakkody, Esq. U. S. Ainericn.
V. N. P u tlink, Esq. J . II. I)e Livera, Esq. P. Pallnck, Esq., Virginia City, Nevada,
.1. .1. Meyrick, Esq. Don Paul Wijeseiihe, Esq., rroclor of the IT. S. America.
Tapsi L all, E -q . District Court of Kegalln, Ceylon. Dr. Storjohann, Professor of Languages,
L atin S hiva D nyal. Louis Saniarsinlie, Es(|. Christiansiiml, Norway.
Babu Ramgutty Mookerjee. Charles Ailrias de Silva, Esq., Proctor, W. N. Terry, Esq., Melbourne, Australia.
O inusliniikiir 1’ainlil, Esq. Galle, Ceylon. Ditto.
lln r r i Cliaiul, Esq. S. Christian do Sitva, Esq. Ditto.
M. R atim Snblm pntty Pclcar, Esq. 3 . C. Jnynseknrn, Esq., Proctor, Kullu- Ditto.
Tnruck N ntli M ookerjee, E sq . ivella, Galle, Ceylon. Ditto.
S orabjee S h ap u rjee B engalee, Esq. G. Edrcweie, Esq., Secretary, Magnlln lion. Alexander Aksakof, Russian Impe­
D r. B eluiree Lall. Reading Room, Point de Gnllc, Ceylon. rial Councillor, St. Petersburgli, Russia.
Dosa Gopaljee Sbali, Esq. Isnt; Weeresooriyn, Esq., Deputy Coroner, Her Excellency N. A., Fadeyef.
B abu Khctter C h u n d er Bose. Dodandoowa, Ceylon. Ditto.
Rno Salieb T riin b ak rai Y arajru i. Secretary. Saddharmakkriya Dlmr Society, Mrs. E. A. Ladigcusky.
Sliuuknr D ass K hunali, E sq . • Kandy, Ceylon. Otho Alexander Esq., Corfu, Greece.
.1. R. E . G o u ld sb u rv , Es<[. Dr. Geo. Wyld, M. D., London. The Rt. Hon., The Couutess of Caithness,.
N arso P a rsh u ram G adre. E sq . Mrs. Ann Cooper. Nice, France.
M iullioo Sooilan G liose, Esq. Charles Carleton Massey, Es(|. M. Paul Gillard, Bach.6s. lettres.
D insliaw D orabjee, Esq. Thomas Bickerstafl', Esq. Baron, J . Spedalicri, Marseille, France.
M auuilnl M unocklal, Esq. A. T. Atwood, Esq. The Baroness Alleluia Van Vny, Ganobitz,.
lta g liu n a th R ninchaudra, Esq. William Vernon, Esq. Styria, Austria.
S ecretary , M nnsangji’sL ib ra ry ,D lim n g a d rn Mr. Dales. John Peden, Esq.,
D orabjee D osnbhoy, E sq. R. C. Poole, Esq. Ballymacreely Killinchy, County Down,
M unslil K ali P ra sa d , P le a d e r. Ilenry Ilood, Esq. Ireland.
I»alla D w ark a D ass. John Corner, Esq. Gustav W. F. Wiese Esq., A.K.C., Wies­
S ecretary , L ite ra ry S o cie ty , T rip licn n e , W. Stainton Closes, Esq. baden, Germany.
M adras. J . Burns, Esq., Editor nnd Publisher of Peter H. Vander Linden, Esq.
Rnstomji Yiccaji, Esq. the “ Medium nnd Daybreak,” London. Pandit Shyamji Crishna Varnm, Oxford
L a lla Subilliu R am S ahin. Madnmc do Steiger. England.
Lalla Je w a lln P arsliad. Sir Josiah Mason. Mrs. 51. J . Ilollis-Billing.
L alla S u m lar Dass. John Yarker, Esq. Joshua Pusey, Esq.
L alla Rnm R attan . Mrs. Edeneor. Francis C. Bowman, Esq.
M anockji C u rsetji, E sq. Miss M. Hume. Mrs. William II. Mitchell.
Ila tta n ji R ustnm ji Soonaw alla, Esq. Alphonse You IIofTinnnn, Esq. Dr. C. Carter Blake.
Babu Krishna Satan Roy. E. II. Harrison Green, Esq. G. L. Ditson, Esq., M. D.,
Ditto. The Rt. Hon., The Lord Borthwick. Jno. E. De Witr, Esq.
Ditto. Mi-?. Elizabeth Knowles. E. If. Olcott, Esq.
Ditto. Willinm Oxley, Esq. R. J . Hayes, Esq.
Boss Scott, Esq. Walter Moseley, Esq. J . Scott, Esq.
D r. KnllncliRnd Dey. R. Palmer Thomas, Esq. R. L. Colby, Esq.
I la r i D ass S inghn, Esq. Peter Davidson, Esq., Mornyslitrc, Scot­ T. A. McCurdy, Esq.
Cliumluii Gopul, Esq. land. Professor G. T. Dollncr.
B ain sh an k ar Ish w n rji, E sq . C. II. Yonder Linden, Esq. Professor N. G. Smith. ,
N anabhoy H auchod, Esq. John II. Judge, Esq. II. H. Priucc S. W.
IL Siiblmmya Aiyar, Esq., Deputy Collec­ Major-General Abner Duubleday. M. P. G. Lcymaric.
tor, TrichinopolJy. Richard Ilartc, Esq. Dr. R. L. Morgau.
 /Ocreativ
^com m ons
Attribution-NonCom m ercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported

Y o u are free:

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 th e f o llo w in g c o n d it 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 ith th e u n d e r s t a n d in 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 .
 A MONTHLY JOURNAL DEYOTED TO ORIENTAL PHILOSOPHY, ART, LITERATURE AND OCCULTISM ; EMBRACING
MESMERISM, SPIRITUALISM, AND OTHER SECRET SCIENCES.

Vol.. 1. BOM BAY, MAY. IS,SO. N o . 8.

Sl'KG'IAf. NOT1CK8. A MEDAL OF HONOR.

I t is e v i d e n t t h a t tlio T i ll u s o r n 1ST will o i l e r t o n d r c r t i s o r f i u n u s u a l ml*
v a n ta g e s in circu latio n . \ \ o h a v e ' a l r e a d y s u b s c r i b e r s iu e v e r y p a r t of
I n d i a , i n C e y l o n , H u r m a h , a n d o n tl io P e r s i a n ( i u l f . O u r p a p e r a U o - o c s The importance ot the action, taken a t its late m eeting
t o C r o a t J J r i t. ii n , F r a n c e , ( i c r i u a n y , H u n g a r y , l i r c e c e , K u ss ia , C o n . t a u t i - by the Ueneial Council of our Society, iu voting the foun­
n o p le , fcVj’l ' t , A u s t r a l i a , a n d N o r t h a n d S o u t h A m c r i c a . T h e f o l l o w i n g v e r y
m o d e rate rates have been a d o p ted :
dation ol a Modal of Honor, to be annually awarded by an
AbYhllTJSl.NG IlATK'. unbiassed J u r y of N a tiv e gentlem en of em in ent character
l i r > t i n s e r t i o n ............ 10 l i n e s a u d u n d e r ___... .1 K u p c c . and learning to N ative authors, will doubtless be appreciated.
l o r e a c h a d d i t i o n a l l i n e .............................................. 1 A m u . To recognize th a t A ryavarta has a grand history, and th a t
S p a c e is c h a r g e d f o r a t t h e r a t e o f 12 li ne d t o ti ie in c h . S p e c i a l a r r a n g e ­ the sous of th e soil are her proper histriographer.s, and to
m e n t s c a n b e m a d e f o r l a r ^ e a d v e r t i s e m e n t s , a n d f o r l o n g e r a n d fix ed
p e rio d '. F o r f u r t h e r i n f o r m a t i o n a n d c o n t r a c t s f o r a d v e r t i s i n g , a p p ’y t o stim ulate a brotherly competition for a prize of leal dignity,
M r s a u s . C O O I ’E K k Co., with ample guarantees for the impartiality of the awards,
A d v e r ti s i n g A g en ts, K oohscllcrs a n d P u b lis h e rs , .M eadow S t r e e t , F o r t is to take a long step towards creating th a t feeling of
iioiubiy. '
nationality 011 which alone great states can rise. Let this
action stand as one more pledge that the honor of India
To suiisciuiiKKS.
T h e S u b s c r i p t i o n p r i c e a t w h i c h t h e T a u M o r i f i a i i» p u b l i s h e d b a r e l y
is dear to the heart ot every tru e Theosophist. O ur inner­
covers c o s t t h e d e s ig n iu e s ta b lM iiii;' t h e j o u r n a l h a v i n g b e e n r a t h e r most feelings are sum m ed up in a single sentence of a
t o r e a c h a v e r y w id e c i r c l e o f r e a d e r s , t h u u t o m a k e a p r o f it . We cannot
a t l o r d , t h e r e f o r e , t o .send s p e c i m e n c o p i e s f r e e , n o r t o .s up p ly l i b r a r i e s , s o ­
letter received by last mail from America. " W hen J
ci e ti e s , o r i n d i v i d u a l s g r a t u i t o u s l y . F o r t h e s a m e r e a s o n wo a r c c . b l i - e d u a d of those noble Buddhists and Hindus who have passed
t o a d o p t t h e p l a n , n o w u n i v e r s a l i n A m e r i c a , o f rv«|uiriu^- .suli ad -il ie r” t o through so much to m ake the soul dominant master,”
p a y i u m l v a u c e , a n d *»f s t o p p i n g t h e p a p e r a t t h o e n d o f t h e t e r m p a i d f o r .
3 luuy y e a rs o f p ractica l e x p e rie n ce h as convinced W e ste rn p u b li'h o r s t h a t writes th e respected Dr. Ditson, “ I feel as il l could
t h i s s y s t e m o f c a s h p a y m e n t is t h e l>cst a n d m o s t s a t i s f a c t o r y t o b o t h kneel and kiss th e ir feet. How grand they seem to me !
p a r t i e s ; a u d ail r e s p e c t a b l e j o u r n a l s a r e n o w c o n d u c t e d o n t h i s [ J a n .
H u h 'c rib c i* w ishing a p n u t e d r e c e ip t fo r t h e i r ic i m t t a u c e s m u a t sen d Tell all such whom you may chance to meet th a t I am
s t a m p s f o r r e t u r n p o s t a g e . O t h e r w i s e , a c k n o w l e d g m e n t s w ill b e m a d e with them in deep sympathy." A t another time wc shall
t h i o u ^ h t h e jo u rn a l.
T h e T u i .O M M ii i v r will a p p e a r e a c h m o u t h . T h o r a t e s , f o r t w e l v e n u m ­
publish extracts Irom the letters ot Thcosophists in differ­
b e r s of n o t le.-s t h a u JU c o l u m n s L o y a l 4 t o e a c h , o f r e a d m - m a t t e r , o r ent p u t s ot th e world to show how universal is this love
•160 c o l u m n s i n al l, a r e a s fo ll o w s : —T o S u b s c r i b e r s in a n y p u r l o f I n d i a , and reverence for India among them. Meanwhile we
Us. U p e r a n n u m ; iu C e y l o n , Ks. 7 ; iu t h e S t r a i t s S e t t l e m e n t s , C h i n a , J a p a n ,
a n d A u s t r a l i a , l ; s . S ; iu A f r i c a , K n r o p e , a n d t h e U n i t e d s t a l e * , t 1, H a l f give the following :—
yuuV ( I n d i a ) Ks. S i n g l e c o p i e s a n n a s 12. K e m i t t a n c e s in p o s t a l s t a m p
m a t b e a t t h e r a t e o f a n n a s 17 t o t h e K u p e e t o c o v e r d i s c o u n t . T h e a b o v e
( E i l r a t t fro m the m iiiiili‘s o f the titr( tin<i o f the G atcrul
r a t e s i n c l u d e p o s t a g e . .Vo v i U he m t t , \ d i n t i t o r jntj» r s m t I'tiVHCtl, Itcld at J>oiub(ii/, F ebruary ’/(ft, MW.)
rtutU Um niu,tvg is rantU >‘l : a n d i u a u i i t b l y the m t t I* d t w ^ t n u t a l
at tiit i. jnmltOK uj tkt t c t t a b m O t d / o r . K e m i t t u . c c s h h o u l d b e m a d e iu "W ith a view to stim ulate enquiry. by the Natives of
M o u e y o r d e r - , l l u n d i s . L5ill c h e q u e s , ( o r T r e a s u r y l<ill>, if iu r e g i s t e r e d India, into th e literature of ancient times, to increase their
le tte rs), a u d m a d e p a y a b le o nly to th o P u o i n i t r o u s or m i . T m uaui i m r ,
lUJj, U i r g a u i u l i a c k L o a d , D o m b a y , I n d i a . respect tor th e ir ancestors, and to thus accomplish one im ­
portant object for which the Theosophical Society was
A*-i NT.i ; i . o n d o i u K n ^ . ) , I t c r n a r d Q u a r i t c h , Iii P i c c a d i l l y , \V. ; N e w V o l k ,
8 k . Well.s & C o ., 787, L i o u d w a y ; L o s t o n , M a s s . C o l b y a n d L i e h , 11, M o n t*
formed, it is by th e General Council
j o i n e r y P l a c e ; C h i c a g o , 111. J . C. U m i d y , 1)2, L a S a l l e S t . A m e r i c a n >ub- R k so j.v 1:1 >
b c u b e r s n u iy a l s o o r d e r t h e i r p a p e r s t h r o u g h \V\ (J. J u d ^ c , Ks*]., 71, L r o u d -
w ay , N e w ^V in-!.•
ork. T h a t there shall be founded a high prize ami dignity to
c e y l o n : I s a a c \ \ c c re & oc ri ) a, D e p u t y C o r o n e r , i ) o d a i n l n w a ; J o h n R o b e r t be known and designated as ‘ Tho Medal of Honor of tho
d e S d v a , C o lo m b o .
Theosophical Society,’ for award under competition.
“ The said medal shall be of pure silv e r aud made from
THE THEOSOPHIST. Indian coins melted down lor the purpose : and shall he
suitably engraved, stamped, carved or embossed with a
BO M BA Y, M A Y 1 st , 1SK0. device expressive of its high character as a Medal of
Honor. J t shall be annually awarded by a committee of
fl h e Editors disclaim responsibility lor opinions expressed N ative scholars, designated by the President, to the N ative
by contributors iu their articles. G reat la titu d e is allowed autho r of the best oiiginal Essay upon any subject con­
to correspondents, and they alone are accountable lor what nected with the ancient religions, philosophies or sciences;
they write. Rejected MSS. are n ot returned. prclercnee being given in the D e p a rtm e n t of Science, other
things being equal, to the occult, or mystical, branch of
Tin: OCTOIIEK AND NoYKMISEU ISSUES OK THIS Jul'UNAI. science its known and practised by the ancients."
having been reprinted, tbe otter to purchase copies, m ade " The following conditions to govern the award, \ iz—
in the March number, is withdrawn. 1. T he Essay shall be of a high merit ;
New subscribers who wish to have their year begin 2. Each Essay shall hear a cipher, initial, Verse or m ot­
with the October number, will now be charged annas eight to, but no other sign by which the authorship may be
additional to cover the extra cost ot the rcpublication. detected. T he a u t h o r s name, in each case, lo be written
Those who order their subscriptions to date from the in a closed envelope outside which shall be inscribed the
December, 01 any later issue, pay Ils. (i only. cipher or other device which he has attached to his Essay.
T in 1 manuscript to be placed by the President in the
Tin: cintTi.ATioN ok Tin: t h e o s o p h i s t c o n t i s i ks t o bauds ot the Jury, and the envelopes tiled away unopened
increase. W ithin two days of th e last m onth ti\ 1- and not examined until the J u r y shall ha c 111adc thci|
and Maharajahs registered tin ir nunn a on om Ii t, aw.ud..,
 •I. All Essays subm itted to ho sit tlio disposal of the
Society, wlioso officers may designate such as aro pro­
nounced most meritorious for publication in tlie Thkosii-
PHI s t , with thoir authors’ names attached, so th a t thoir
learning; may be properly appreciated hy th e ir countryihen.
4. The Society to be allowed to publish in a separate
pam phlet, the Essay which shall be deemed worthy of the
Medal of Honor, on condition of giving to its a u th o r the
e n tire n e tt profits ol tin1 publication.
Essays to comprise not less than 2,">00 nor moro
than 4,000 words— foot-notes and quotations included.
(i. T he •lury shall also award to the authors of the
Essays which they consider second and third in degree of
merit, special diplomas, to be entitled Diplomas of Honor
and authenticated by the seal of the Society.
7. T he .lury may also specifically nam e three other
Essays besides the three aforesaid, for th e distinction of
certificates of honorable mention, to lie issued to the re­
spective authors und er the seal of the Society.
8. Essays to lie subm itted in English, b u t it is not obli­
gatory th at the autho r shall himself know th a t language.
!•. All com peting manuscripts to-be in the President’s
hands by 12 o’clock noon of the 1st day of J u n e IS,SO,
and the J u r y to announce their awards on th e 1st day
of September, 1880.
10. Upon the receipt, of the report of the Ju ry , tl e
President shall a t once identify the names of the successful
authors, and officially publish the same throughout India
and in all countries where there are branches of the
Theosophical Society.
11. Full a utho rity is given to th e President to adopt
w hatever measures may be required to carry into effect
this Resolution.”
A tte s t:— Kiiaiiskmji N. Skkiivai,
Secretary, E a ste rn D ivision.
N O T IC E.
By virtue of tlie autho rity conferred in tho second clause
of th e above Resolution, the President of the Tlieoso-
phical Society has appointed ns Ju rors to award the Medal
of Honor, the following gentlem en :—
llao Bahadur D aimhia I’ANlU'HAMi, Fellow of the B om ­
bay University, nnd A u th o r (Mombay).
Ilsio r.il Inii Inr J anahdan S akiiaha .m (I a d c ii ,, F.T.S.,
J u d g e of the Varishtha Court., (Baroda).
Babu P k a h y (-11 a n d MiTTiiA, F.T.S., A u th o r and
A n tiqu arian (Bengal).
K. 11. C ama , Esq., A u th or (Bombay).
Babu A mtvaham B ii attaciiaiiva , F.T.S., Professor of
Sanskrit, Muir Central College, Allahabad, (N o rth -W es­
tern Provinces).
.1 S F A V J 'h 'O l 'I I E T I N I N D I A .
Iu ’khIi t liiinilrr Sen, n high caste Biahmiii who for some
time has been a rising light in India, has cast aside a p ­
pearances and become a founder of a new sect. H e has
long aud earnestly protested against, the superstition of
his own country, and a t times the hearts of missionaries
were gladdened by his praise of their works, an d his seem ­
ing acceptance of the doctrines of Christ. To establish
Christianity, however, was not his object. H e claims to
bo a. re-incarnation of the divine Bhakti, u nd e r th e name
of Chaitanya, an d tha t he is commissioned to establish
the church of the future. H e is the Prophet N a d i y a ; an or­
ganization has been completed at Calcutta and the apos­
tles, “ a preaching arm y,” have been sent forth oil their
mission to convert the world. This army moves from place
to place with banners flying and music, and so great is the
enthusiasm th a t devotees roll themselves in the dust before it.
The object of tho new Prophet is to deliver his country
from dry rationalism and supply a living faith. W hatever
the results mav be, the movem ent is of deep interest to
the stu d e n t of religious history, as an il Ilist ration of the
jise and progicss of sects. Kesub C hu n d e r Sen, w ith his
pretence of being a re-incarnatioiij in th e light of tlie
present, is a sham and a farce ; removed two thousand years
into, th e past, and a few wonder works would have made
good his preteuce, and untold millions would have received
him as Cod.— lic liy io -l’hiloxojrfiicul Journal, o f Chicago.
-------- -♦--------- ' '
A I'AUKl ASCETIC. ■
HY KUAN ItAHAOUlt NOWUOJI TXmAIUI K......... , Kt.S.
“ T lio p;\tli b y wliiuli to D e ity we clim b,
Is millions, roii"li, meltable, sublime.
A n il tlie xtron ” , masHV L'utcs, through w liieli We puss
In ou r j u s t aiu rn e, uro b ound w ith d m in n o f brasn.”
Tho ways by which wo arrive a t a knowledge of Clod,
and of a future life, are two ; and these are denominated
in modern Persian Istcdaldl aud M ushdkndut or Mal.'dxhe-
fiit. Tho first is th a t knowledge which wo derive from
our observation and experience of the material universe
and the changes we see, th e r e in ; while the second is the
illumination consequent on the practice of great purity
and intense contemplation, by.which th e soul acquires the
jiower of visiting th e spiritual world.
Those who follow hstedah'd are of two classes:— (1)
J lu k n u i M iixhuyin, who believe in natural religion without
acknowledging th e a u th o rity of any one prophet, and (2)
U n k in d M nll.-tdnnin, who believe iu some revealed religion.
O f those who practise M nshdkeddt, there are three di­
visions :— (I) the Ih ik n u i E ta h iy a t, who look upon all pro­
phets and all objects as the light of (Jod ; (2) l l iih w i
1 -ihrdkin, who do not believe iu any one leligion, b u t look
upon all religions ;is true in principle ; aud (3) th e Sufi*,
who outw ardly profess the religion th a t they aro born in.
T he laws of tlie ancients according to which Munhdhe-
(bit (Yog) is practised, are called E lm -i-T n xa vn f] or E h n -
i- S a h d , Mu\ the s tu d e n t is called Sdlrk. There are four
suites in which th e a d e p t set's th e glories and secrets of
th e world of s p i r i t :— Klttlb, or sleep, (2) (Jaib, (•>) Matsli,
or M o a im d , and (4) K hab-badan. Thoso whose inner
self is not altog ether powerless, often see real visions in
their hhrib, or sleep ; bi.it when “ divine grace is commu­
nicated to the holy ascetic from the worlds on high, and the
transport arising therefrom locks up external perceptions,
it is the state of Oaib. M anti means th a t state in which
divine grace being communicated without the senses being
overpowered, the poison is transported for the.-.time being
from the world of reality. The state higher than this,
called Kliilb-hadun, is the power of the soul to q u it tho
body and return to it a t pleasure.”
“ Am ong the modern Parsis, the chief of the Abadian,
or A zur Hoshangian sects was Azur Kaivan, who resided
in Klitim for 28 years, and removed in his latter days from
the land of Iran to India where, in A. D. If>17, he died
a t Patna, at th e age of eighty-five.” He was a t the head
of the lohrakiii. philosophers of his time, and havin'* a t ­
tained all the four states of M ushdheddf, was Styled Z n l
a lu m or the m aster of sciences. Leading a pure and
holy life, practising austerities from his earliest years, ho
had developed th e powers of the soul to the highest ex­
tent. H is visions of the empyrean worlds have been
portrayed by him in Persian verso, and are still e x ta n t iu
th e book called J a m -i-K a i-K k o * Itrn * which contains an
admirable com m entary on the poem by Klioda Joi, one
of his disciples.
H e th u s begins:— “ I purified my body, and leaving aside
the observances of every religion or sect, I betook myself to
the rulesen joined by the sages of old. Silence, sedentariness,
living iu a dark and narrow cell, gradual diminution of
food and sleep, and constant recitation of the name of God,
constituted my discipline, which in time un/bided beforo
my soul’s eye tho visions of the world on high. I n tlio
state of K hdb, or sleep, a ghastly form first broke Upon
my sight, ami I was terrified, and invoked the name of
• T l ie ■ •rc w n t l u p e r i- lu iw il i i | h i h n < !u j.irn tlii tr m is ln tie n o f t l i i i Ixvik,
p u l.li- lic tl fro m llm “ S ir • l.i n u e f jc u .le e jc c M m y T r .n n l n lio i i K iim l," in l s i s j
•■in.l p n r tly ( lie n ctii/). o f A /.u r K n iv n n n m i Ii h lU ic ip lc s y iv e n iu llm
 God, when tlio form disappeared, and a glaring fire rose
to view and struck me w ith alarm. I t gradually melted
away, and in its place up] tea red a scowling, fiery form
w ith its head hanging down the breast and navel, and
ke p t m e in agitation, 1 N e x t there b u rst upon m y sight
fires of various hues, and my soul acquired th e power to
swim over the ocean. I saw crystal water, beautiful ave­
nues, an d grand palaces, with tables richly spread, birds
singing, and fair m en and women moving about. A bril­
liant splendour played before my breast, and I saw a blue
blaze out of which a sweet scent pervaded on every side.
I also saw lights of red, blue and yellow, and various
so u ls; besides dark and variegated lights, and 1 heard a
voice which saiil ‘ W h o is then here like unto me ? ’
“ 1 next perceived a light of excellent color in which
I saw num erous veils, good and bad, which m ight be
computed a t ten thousand, ami a blue light seemed to
envelope me, and ten thousand veils of beauteous hues
m e t m y gaze. Splendours of ruby-red, of brilliant white,
and golden yellow n e x t came across me, and I saw in each
ten thousand curtains. Then came to view a form dark
and terrific, before which 1 forgot myself and began to
tremble. I heard fearful sounds, and^ghustly forms m et
my sight ; b u t I Hinched not, and passing through ten
thousand suelr veils, I saw a splendour of green, b u t
I was unconscious, and next a splendour, boundless and
w ithout form, overtook me, and seeing it, 1 felt as if my
existence was wrapped up in it, and 1 wa.s one aud the
same with it.
" In th e second state, called (lath, I first saw a splen­
dour of green which seemed unlimited, and th ere a
sovereign of noble aspect was sitting on a throne, surround­
ed by learned and brave personages, w ith guardsm en all
dressed iij green. W h en 1 offered praise to the king, lie
did the same in retu rn and seated me beside him. He
was an Izad (angel), and 1 embraced him a hundred th o u ­
sand times, and each tim e I did so, m e th o u g h t I became
an Izad too, and when I separated I became myself again.
N ext, I came to other regions— purple, white, yellow, scar­
let, blue and azure, in each of which I m et th e respec­
tive kin<;sO and,’ embracing
# © them,' became an lzad like them.
T hence 1 cume to a joyous place where I mot numerous
o ther kings and noblemen whom 1 embraced, and they
were happy to see me. Going further, I came to a vast and
lonely desert where I could see nothing for a long tim e
till, a t last, a being of benignant and cheerful aspect came
before me, and embracing it, 1 became an Izad. I next
came upon a dark form, and onwards I came in th e p re ­
sence of th e Almighty, where I f o u n d that n o th in g o f m y
in d iv id u a lity rem ained m id that, w herever I tu rn ed m y
eye, I saw M y x e lf Thus having m ounted upwards, step
by step, I came back again to this earthly abode with
consciousness.
** In th e third state of M axti or H u l, I first saw a large
and prosperous city in which 1 found myself sitting on a
throne, with four sages standing around me. I there heard
many sweet sounds and I saw beauteous youths, incom­
parable viands, and downy beds. A person next came to
me and said 1 was called, and following him, I found m y ­
self iu a place where th ey made, m e sit on a throne and
up it tiew and brought mo to a place where there were
wise and illustrious personages dressed in green, who
paid me respect and took me to a palace, where I embraced
tlio kiug who made m e sit beside him. H e asked me
several things, and I learned wisdom from him. I then
went to a place which was all blue, where th ere were
scribes, sages, mathematicians, magicians, astrologers, m e r­
chants, physicians, and prophets, who, coming u p to me,
took me with great respect to the presence of the king,
who embraced me, and made me sit down beside him.
From him I derived a great part of m y knowledge of the
mysterious. I n ex t went to other worlds which were white,
golden, red, blue, azure, and there I was treated in th e
same way. F u r th e r I went to a vast place where also I
derived great profit. Thence I w e n t to a dark world,
where God Alm ighty guided me by his splendour, and as
I saw H im H e drew me within Himself, and my existence
was lost in His. All th e future was revealed to me, and
1 returned the same way I came.
“ in Khdh-lxitliin, th e fourth state, I passed to a world
where I could see objects in endless variety and all tliu
different cities of the world. There were many m en anil
women then?, who showed me a palace where I went and
sat as king. 1 learnt every language, and was tau g h t wisdom
by the sages of every country, so tha t 1 am able to tell
every th in g regarding th e ir various creeds, languages, cus­
toms and observances. W andering in this world, I r e tu r n ­
ed again to my body, and leaving it again, 1 learnt all
the mysteries of th e creation, its beginning, end ami
aim. Casting aside this body as if it were a garment, I
could see all th e worlds on high a t a single glance. Going
to the first heaven, I saw it all, and thence. I w ent to
the worlds of Mercury, Venus, Mars, Ju pite r, Saturn, to
the fixed stars, and lastly, to Fulk-Atlas, or the highest
Heaven. All the planets and stars shine by th eir own light,
except th e Moon, and th e ir revolutions cause all the happi­
ness and misery which men experience iu this world.
W hen I passed onwards J came near pure souls and found
myself in a congenial atmosphere, i f the soul th a t dwells
in man love understanding and justice, it atta in s to H e a ­
ven by its righteousness, and, leaving this earthly body,
tastes of th e fruits of purity, and benefits itself by tho
association with Intelligences higher th an itself, u ltim a te ­
ly reaching Heaven. But if a m an be impure and u n ­
holy, the soul wanders about, in misery underneath H e a ­
ven, and all th e evil acts committed in this world, su r­
round it with their hideous forms. Sometimes the soul
frees itself from this state and joins the sprites and ele-
mentaries, or, if the m an be very wicked, the soul enters
th e body of one of the bru te creation, or that of a vegeta­
ble.
“ All this I saw myself. N ext, out of the souls th a t
were moving around me, I drew one towards myself
and united myself with it. 'Then I reached u p to Surosh,
and there a Hash of light came upon me from the splen­
dour of the Almighty. As the radiance increased my
understanding departed, and I found myself an Izad
among Izails. God alone existed anil there wa.s no sign
of my individuality ; everything appearing to be b u t a
shadow of myself. From th e Angelic Intelligences to the
souls I moved about, and from them u p to the earth there
was nothing b u t myself. 1 became acquainted with a
thousand mysteries of th e A lm ighty and returned the way I
had gone up. I can at will leave my body, and ascending
upwards, stand before th e presence of God, I am willing
to leave this world wherein 1 am as it were a bird from
Heaven. T h e dignity of the Supreme I.ord is too exalted
for intercourse with his servants. By H is effulgence, in­
tellect becomes illumined as the F a rth by the Sun. Through
love H e confers bounties upon i l i s servants and raises iqi
the downfallen. N o n e but. l i e can duly praise H im self
as H e cannot, be the object of specch or hearing.”
T he above is a short abstract of the visions which tlio
great Parsi ascetic has himself described, and those who
would like to know more should read the book itself, which
contains an excellent commentary.
“ A zur Kaivan was m aster of noble demonstrations and
subtile distinctions. H e mixed little with the people of
the world ; shunned w ith horror all public admirers, ami
seldom gave audience to any but his disciples and search­
ers after tru th ; never exposing himself to the public
gaze.” T h e author of th e Jinhexlaii has given a short, but.
interesting account of him and his many disciples, several
of whom— as he relates— he personally m et and conver­
sed with.
To th e ordinary reader th e above visions will probably
appear to be the product of a disordered or overwrought
imagination ; let such a one, however, before he dogma- >
tically passes his verdict, read, and if possible, try to examine
the beautiful and wondrous phenomena revealed by mesme­
rism, which modern science has so grossly neglected. These
phenom ena conclusively show th a t in mesmeric sleep or
trance, and in extasis, distinct states of consciousness are
evolved. Hr, Gregory, in his book on “ Animal M agnet­
ism,” quotes a case of cxtasis. winch is worth while repro­
ducing. A t page S:i, he s a y s :— “ In th e very rem arkable
work of M. ( 'ahagnet, already alluded to, there is an ac­
count, ol'a most rem arkable clairvoyante, who could at
|ileasun' and with the permission and aid of her m esm e­
rise rs, pass into the highest stage of extasis, in which she
described herself as ineffably happy, enjoying converse
with the whole spiritual world, ami herself so entirely d e­
tached from this sublunary scene th a t she not only bad
no wish to return to it, but bitterly reproached M. (,'aliag-
net for forcing her back to life. On one occasion, at her
urgent, request, he allowed her to enjoy that sta te longer
than usual. But he took th e precaut ion of placing a n ­
oth e r very lurid clairvoyant, a young lad, rn rapjwrt with
her, with strict orders to watch her closely. She seemed
at tirst unconscious, but, bv degrees her body assumed an
alarm ing aspect, pulseless, cold, and devoid of respirat ion.
The lad who k e p t his eye (the internal vision ol clairvoy­
ance) ou her, at last exclaimed, ' Slur is gone ! I see her no
longer !’ M. Cahagnet then, after much fruitless labour,
and not until, as he informs us, lie had prayed fervently
to be enabled to restoic her to life, succeeded in establish­
ing w arm th a n d respiration. T h e girl on waking over­
whelmed him with reproaches for what he had j u s t done,
aud eon Id not be pacitied till he succeeded in convincing her,
she being a young woman of pious ch aracter and good
feeling, t h a t what she desired am ounted to suicide, and
was a grievous crime, for which he would be held res]N>nsi-
ble.” N um erous other w ell-authenticated instances could
lie adduced to prove that, “ th e soul has t he capacity of a,
conscious existence apart, from th e body ; and that, it is
limited by neither tim e nor space, being able to visit and
return from the farthest localities.” B u t all these in sta n ­
ces would be useless to tlu: skept ic, who is not actuated by
the spirit of tru e inquiry. To the hum ble searcher after
tru th , however, who, doubting, seeks to gauge th e mysteries
of N atu re, they aro invaluable. Mn»hu!n'<ldt, or Yog, has
been practised in every age and country, in some more so
than in others, and not always by the practice of rigorous
austerities. Self-denial, self-control, and tho highest
morality form its bases. These are universally preached,
but easily acted upon. No wonder, then, th a t the power
of the soul is so little known and “ tiod-knowledge” is a
secret.
I t IlKIN'C: UNDERSTOOD THAT THE AM K H K ' A X U A I ' T I S T
missionaries iu India are thoroughly disheartened at their
poor success in converting th e “ H eathen,” they may feel
obliged
© to us for indicating © a field of labour where their
services would be valuable, viz., in America itself.
T he Rev. W. H . Young draws a gloomy’ picture of the
state of religion as lie finds it in th e southern end of the
state of Delaware. H e th u s sets his views before the
readers of the JS'atloiial Jin p fh t : " W hile it is tru e that,
at present, Delaware affords a meagre, prospect for m u lti­
plying Baptist, churches, y e t just, as truly it, is, outside the
larger towns at, least, going to the devil unchecked, and its
blood, I fear, will rest upon some of us. I affirm, from
personal observation, th a t th e g reater mass of th e people
in this Peninsula, who live beyond the limits of th e larger
towns, are wofully ignorant of practical and even theore­
tical C hristianity ; and 1 say this in full view of th e fact th a t
there is a church to every tivo miles of country. A ny one
who knows th e condition of the country people in th e lower
count ies is aware th a t they are, as a rule, peculiarly ignor­
ant. Indeed, I have seen whole .settlements of those who
seemed to have lost th e ir title to th e name ‘ hum an.’ Such
are wild and shy of religion as a, strange cat, and one
needs peculiar patience and ta c t to approach them, toge­
ther with unusual faith to believe they can be truly con­
verted. Y et our du ty is to go to men benighted, as well as
to those more favored. I t is, of course, quite necessary
ami highly romantic to send missionaries to strange and
savage tribes ; b u t we need not, leave this Peninsula to
find t hat ignorance, prejudice, and even caste necessary, to
m ake a people heathen. Of ...... .. 1 have here taken the
very worst and most un prom ising cases, but they are by no
means scarce.”
C A S T E S I N IN D IA .
D Y D A M O D A I t K . M A Y A I. A N K A R, I ’. T. S .
No man of sincerity and moral courage can rend Mr.
(!. ( '. W hitw orth ’s Profession ot Faith, as reviewed in the
April T h E i isoi'H 1S T , w ithout feeling himself challenged to
be worthy of the respect of one who professes such honour­
able sentiments. I, too, am called u|miu to m ake my
statement, of personal belief. It is due to my family and
caste-lellows th a t they should know why I have deliber­
ately abandoned m y caste and other worldly considerations.
If, henceforth, there is to lie a chasm lietween th e m and
myself, 1 owe it to myself to declare th a t this alienation is
of my own choosing, and 1 am not cut off for bad conduct.
I would be glad to ta k e with me, if possible, into my
new career, the affectionate, good wishes of my kinsmen.
Hut, if this cannot, be done, I must bear their displeasure,
as I may, for I am obeying a param ount conviction of duty.
I was born in tjie family of the Karhada Maharashtra
casto of Brahmins, as my surnam e will indicate. My fa­
ther carefully educated me in the tenets of our religion,
and, in addition, gave m e every facility for acquiring an
English education. F ro m th e age of ten until I was
about fourteen, I was very m uch exercised in mind u]x»n
the subject of religion and devoted myself with great, ar­
dour to onr orthodox religious practices. Then my ri­
tualistic observances were crowded aside by my scholastic
studies, but until ab ou t nine months ago, my religious
thoughts aud aspirations were entirely unchanged. At
this time, I had th e inestimable good fortune to read
“ Isis U n v e ile d ; a K ey to the Mysteries of Ancient and
Modern Religion and Science,” and to join th e Theosophical
Society. I t is no exaggeration to say th a t I have been a
really living m an only these few m o n t h s ; for between life as
it appeal's to me now and life as-1 comprehended it before,
then; is an unfathomable abyss. 1 feel th a t now for the
first tim e I have a glimpse of w hat man and life aid— tho
n atu re and powers of th e one, th e possibilities, duties, and
joys of the other. Before, though ardently ritualistic, I
was not really enjoying happiness and peace of mind. I
simply practised my religion without understanding it. The
world bore just, as hard upon me as upon others, and I
could get. no clear view of the future. T he only real thing
to m e seemed the day’s routine ; a t best the horizon be­
fore me extended only to the rounding of a busy life with
the burning of m y body and tbe obsequial ceremonies ren­
dered to m e by friends. My aspirations were only for
more Zamindaries, social position and the gratification of
whims ami appetites. B u t m y later reading and thinking
have shown me t h a t all these are b u t the vapours of a
dream and th a t he only is worthy of being called man,
who has made caprice liis slave and the perfection of liis
spiritual self a grand object, of his efforts. As I could not
enjoy these convictions and my freedom of action within
my caste, 1 am stepping outside it.
In m aking this profession, let it lie* undcrst.oood that, I
have taken this step, not because I am a Theosophist, b u t
because in stud ying Theosophy I have learnt and heard of
the ancient splendour and glory of my country— the high­
ly esteemed land of Aryavartn. Joining the Theosophi-
cal Society does not interfere with the social, political, or
religious relations of any person. All have an equal right
in tho Society to hold their opinions. So far from persu­
ading me to do w hat 1 have, Mine. Blavatsky and Col.
Olcott have strongly urged me to wait until Rome future
time, when 1 m ig ht have had am pler time to reflect B u t
the glimpse I have got into the former greatness of my coun­
try m akes me feel sadly for her degeneration. I feel it, there­
fore, my liounden d u ty to devote all my hum ble powers to
her restoration. Besides, histories of various nations fur­
nish to us m any examples of young persons having given
up everything for th e sake of th e ir countiy and having u l­
tim ately succeeded in gaining their aims. W ith o u t pa-
 triots, no country caij rise. This fueling of patriotism lty d e ­
grees grow so strong in mo t h a t it has now prepared my
mind to s ta m p every personal consideration under my
feet for th e sake ol m y motherland. I n this, I am nei­
ther a revolutionist nor a jxilitician, b u t simply an advocate
of good morals nnd principles as practised iu ancient times.
The study of Theosophy has thrown a light over m e in
regard to my country, m y religion, my duty. 1 have become
a better Aryan than I ever was. J ltave similarly heard
my Parsi brothers say th a t they have been b etter Zoroas-
trians since they joined the Theosophical Society. I have
also seen the Buddhists write often to the Society th a t
the study of Theosophy has enabled them to appreciate
their religion tho more. Anil thus this study m akes every
man respect his religion th e more. I t furnishes to him
a sight th a t can pierce through th e dead letter and see
clearly th e spirit. H e can read all his religious books
between th e lines. I f we view all the religions in their
popular sense, they appear strongly antagonistic to each
other in various details. N on e agrees with the other.
And yet th e representatives of those faiths say (h at the
study of Theosophy explains to th em all th a t has been
said iu th e ir religion and makes th e m feed a greater res­
pect for it. There must, therefore, bo one common ground
on which all the religious systems are built. And this
ground which lies a t th e bottom of all, is tru th . T here
can bo b u t one absolute tru th , but different persons have
different perceptions of t h a t truth. And this t ru th is
morality. I f we separate the dogmas th a t cling to the
principles set forth in any religion, wo shall find th a t
morality is preached in every one of them. Hy religion I
do not mean all the minor sects th a t prevail to an inn um e­
rable extent all over th e world, b u t tho principal ones
from which have sprung tip these different sects. I t is,
therefore, proper for every person to abide by the principles
of morality. And, according to them, I consider it every
man’s duty to do w hat he can to make the world b e tte r
and happier. T his can proceed from a love for hum anity.
B ut how can a m an'love the whole of hum an ity if he has
no love for his countrymen ? (Jan he love the whole, who
ijoes not love a part ! I f I, therefore, wish to place my h u m ­
ble services a t the disposal of the world, 1 m ust first be­
gin by working for my country. And this I could not do
by remaining in my caste. I found th a t instead of a
love for his countrymen, the observance of caste distinc­
tion leads one to hate even his neighbour, because he
happens to be of another caste. I could not bear this
injustice. W hat fault is it of any one th a t he is born in a
particular caste '{ 1 respect a man for his qualities and
not for his birth. T h a t is to say, th a t man is superior
iu my eyes, whose in n e r man has been developed or is in
the state of development. This body, wealth, friends, re­
lations aud all other worldly enjoyments t h a t men hold
near and dear to their hearts, are to pass away sooner or
later. B ut the record of our actions is ever to remain to be
handed down from generation to generation. O ur actions
must, therefore, be such as will make us w orthy of our
existence in this world, as long as we are here as well as
after death. I could not do this by observing th e cus­
toms of ciiste. It made me selfish and unm indful of the
requirements of my lellow-brothers. I weighed all these
circumstances in my mind, and found th a t 1 believed in
caste as a religious necessity no more than iu th e palm-
tree yielding mangoes. I saw th a t if it were not for this
distinction, India would not have been so degraded, for
this distinction engendered hatred am ong her sons. It
made them hate and quarrel with one another. T he peace
of the land was disturbed. People could not unite with
one another for good purposes. They waged war with one
another,instead ofdevoting all their combined energies to the
cause of ameliorating th e condition of th e country. The
foundation of immorality was thus laid, u n til it has reach­
ed now so low a point th a t unless this mischief is stopped,
the totterin g pillars of In d ia will soon give way. I do
not by this m ean to blame my ancestors who originally
instituted this system. To me their object seems to be
quite a different one. I t was based in m y opinion on the
‘qualities ot every person. T h e caste was not then heredi­
tary as it is now. This will he seen from the various a n ­
cient sacred books which are full of instances in which
Kshatriyas ami even Mahars and Chambhurs who are con­
sidered the lowest of all, were not only made aud regarded as
Brahmins, b u t almost worshipped a.s demi-gods simply for
their qualities, ll such is the case why should we still
stick to th a t custom which we now find not only im practi­
cable h u t injurious > I again saw tha t i f f were to observe
outwardly what 1 did not really believe inwardly, I was
practising hypocrisy. I found th a t I was th u s m aking
myself a slave, by not enjoying the freedom of conscience.
1 was thus acting immorally, liu t Theosophv had tau ght
me th a t to enjoy peace of mind and self-respect, I must
be honest, candid, peaceful and regard all men as equally
my brothers, irrespective of caste, colour, race or creed.
I his, I see, is an essential part of religion. I must try to
put those theoretical problems into practice. These are
the convictions th a t finally hurried me out of my caste.
I would at the same tim e ask my fellow country­
men who are of my opinion, to come out boldly for th e ir
country. I understand the ap parent sacrifices one is re­
quired to make in adopting such a course, for 1 myself
had to m ake them, b u t those are sacrifices only in the
eyes of one who has regard for this world of m atter. W hen
a limn has once extricated himself from this regard and
when thcscnsc of the dut y he owes to his country and to h im ­
self reigr.s param ount in his heart, these are no sacrifices at
all for him. Let us, therefore, leave off this distinction which
separates ns from one another, join in one common accord,
and combine all our energies for the good of our country.
Let us feel th a t we nre Aryans, aud prove ourselves wor­
thy of our ancestors. I may lie told th a t I am m aking a
foolish and useless sacrifice ; that. 1 cut myself off from all
social intercourse and even risk losing the decent disposal
of my body by those upon whom our customs impose th a t
duty ; and that none b u t a visionary would imagine th a t
he, even though chiefost am ong Brahmins, could restore
his country’s greatness an d the enlightenm ent of a whole
nation, so great as ours. B u t these are the argum ents of sel­
fishness and moral cowardice. Single men have saved
nations before, and though my vanity does not m ake me
even dream th a t so glorious a result is within m v humble
grasp, y e t a good example is never valueless, and it can be
si,*t even by the most insignificant. Certain it is that
without examples and self sacrifices there can be no reform.
T he world, as 1 see it, imposes on me a duty, and I think
the most powerful and th e only permanent cause of hap ­
piness is the consciousness th a t i am trying to do th a t duty.
I wish it understood— in case what has preceded has
not made this perfectly cleai— th a t I have neither be­
come a M aterialist nor a ('hristian. I am an Aryan in
religion as all else, follow the Veil, and believe it to be
the parent of all religions among men. As Theosophy
explains the secondary h u m a n religious, so does it. m ake
plain th e m eaning of tb e Veil. T he teachings of tbe
llishis acquire a new splendour'and majesty, aud 1 rcvero
them a h un dre d tim es more than ever before.
Am k k i c a ’s K i i t k k x I n v e n t i o n s . — An English journal
frankly gives credit to th e American nation lor at least
fifteen inventions and discoveries which, it says, have been
adopted all over the world. These trium phs of American
genius are thus enum erated : First, th e cotton gin ; se­
cond. th e planing machine ; third, the grass-mower and
grain-reaper ; fourth, the rotary printing-press ; fifth, n a ­
vigation by steam ; sixth, the hot air or caloric e n g in e ;
seventh, the . sewing-machine
® . ’; eighth,
O ’ the India-rubber in­
dustry ; ninth, th e machine manufacture of horse-shoes ;
tenth, the sand-blast for carving ; eleventh, the gauge
la th e ; twelfth, the grain-clevator ; thirteenth, artificial
ice m anufacture on a large scale ; fourteenth, the electro­
magnet and its practical application ; fifteenth, the com­
posing machine lor printers. It is not often that Am eri­
can achievements iu this direction receive due credit from
such a source.— Nciv York Sun.
 S P IR IT U A L IS M AND TIILVSOHIY.
11V W . S T A I N T n N M O S K S , M . A . , K .T .S .
Spiritualism is a lnucli misunderstood term, and not less
so, it would seem, in Eastern than in Western lands. 1 know
some people who look upon it as a recent American inven­
tion, to be classed with telephones, wooden nutmegs, anil
the electric light. Some regard it as a subject to lie stu­
died in public seances, where, at the small charge of a
rupee a head, real spooks play real guitars, and make dis­
integrating attacks upon the furniture. Some look 011 spiri­
tualists as emotional fanatics who are engaged in hunting
down their departed friends, and forcing them to return
to an earth that they loathe. Some again conceive that
spiritualists are unanimous in the opinion that all the bizarre
phenomena of the promiscuous circle are the product of
the beneficent ell’orts of their dear relations and friends,
win) return for this special purpose, and to give them a
sort of beatific vision of what they iu turn may expect to
come to. And some, less insane anil stupid, seem to pos­
tulate an antagonism between Spiritualism and Theoso­
phy, as though a man could not cultivate the highest
powers ol his own spirit, and yet. lend an ear to wliat is
going on outside of him : as if a Theosophist must be self­
centred, and self-contained, and -selfish altogether.
Of course, views of this kind are crude and foolish,
ami the mere statement, of them shows Ibis at once. 1
should not think them worth refuting, were it not that
some such antagonism between Spiritualism and Theoso­
phy, and some misunderstanding of what, Spiritualism is,
unfortunately prevails even amongst, the instructed writers
who grace your columns. Spiritualism is by no means the
silly and wicked thing that some consider it. We, Wes­
tern Spiritualists, who fall under the ban of Rao Baha­
dur J. S. Gadgill, are serenely unconscious of meriting
any such rebuke. Wo smile blandly at the misapprehen­
sion of our position that the paper in ipiestion displays.
We arc by no means prepared to admit either that we.
Spiritualists of to-day in England, are engaged in an at­
tempt to drag our dead relatives back to earth, and to
cause them willy-nilly to “ revisit the glimpses of the
moon •” nor that, il we did entratre in that wild-troiise
chase, we should merit, the charge of anything more than
folly and bad taste. The evidence of existence outside of a
human body, from which may logically be argued a general
spiritual survival alter bodily death, may he had in various
ways, and by 110 means exclusively from one's dead ances­
tors and friends. The point is to get it. to get it in abun­
dance, to get it. beyond the shadow of a perhaps, and to
repent it till a cniss Materialism cries. Hold, enough ! If,
in that beneficent work, I come across some of my own
friends, I certainly shall not turn my back 011 them and
run away crying, Fie, for shame : you ought not to be
here. Why, you are a Pishacha ! I should rather thank
Hod and take courage from the presence of friends that,
I had known and trusted in the days of their earthly life ; prophet or diviner who can declare to him the truth, but
anil my respect for them would be increased by the work
that they are engaged upon, even as fresh lustre has been
sheil 011 the name of woman by the deeds of Florence
Nightingale, and many another such labourer in the slums developed into Porphyry, the Theosophist. That is a piece
and alleys of those advanced products of high civilization
—our great cit ies.
I, for one, would never seek to attract to this unlovely have none of it. ft’ it. meant fruitless attempts to solve
life of mine, one who had passed beyond it. I should deem
it selfish so to do. And my search after evidence of a spi­
ritual life has not been fettered by any preconceived no­
tions of what I would or would not ask for and accept.
I have not thought it within my province to prescribe.
1 have simply weighed and tested the evidence offered by
the Reason that is in me, the only standard I have by
which I can judge. 1 have, in this way, come upon evi­
dence most abundant, most conclusive, and totally unim­
peachable, that what is loosely called Spiritualism is a
great and organised scheme for acting upon humanity in
this state of existence by Spirits iu an advanced state of
knowledge and progression. In the course of this attempt,
through the gates that are set ajar, a motley crowd, who
live in this world’s atmosphere, have 110 doubt intruded
themselves. Human ignorance and human lolly have
attracted congenial spirits : and disorder has prevailed to
an extent that might be expected. But all this is but the
fringe, the mere border and edge of the subject. If the
fringe were clipped off, if that which is vulgarly known
as public Spiritualism were to be extinguished at once and
for ever, that which I know and trace in its effects 011 mod­
ern thought, and 011 modern Theology and Theosophy or,
if you please, modern Religion, would not be in the least
affected except beneficially by the removal of an incubus
and drag from its progressive march.
No ; the Spiritualism which I deal with is not that
which your Essayist understands, and its effects are so far
from
♦ being narrowed ♦ down to the little emotional
» titilla-
tion of the affections, that he contemplates, that they
find their chiefest expression infields of thought where the
intellect, rather than the emotions reigns supreme. That
which I understand as Spiritualism is so far from being mere
ghost-lmnting that it deals fully as much with the spirit
that is in the body—the Ego, the Self—as with any of the
denizens of the vast world of spirit, of whom it is a mere
accident that they are not my friends and relations, and
of whom the vast majority whom I have come into com­
munication with, are persons of whom I had an antecedent
knowledge, and with whom, save as children of one com­
mon father Adam, 1 am not in any way connected. They
have come to me from no solicitation of mine ; they are,
one and all, animated by a rational motive in seeking my
society; and when t h e y have done their work, they go
their wavs. Wliv not ( They do me good, and I thank
them. They do other people good through me, and I am
honoured in being the instrument of their beneficence.
They are themselves the intermediary agents of higher
[lowers, and the work 011 which they are employed is one
of far-reaching importance to mankind, with which any
one may well be proud to be associated.
Spiritualism in my vocabulary includes much that is
contained in your definition of Theosophy. 1 have no
sort of objection to the term ; I will adopt it with pleasure,
and a v o w m y s e l f Spiritualist and Theosophist, too. I11 the
sense that Porphyry passed at the close of a life, spent, in
one long yearning for union with the Supreme, from a
lower Spiritualism to a higher Theosophy, I can under­
stand and dimly appreciate the development. In his ear­
lier years he had striven much after communion with the
world of spirit ; but, be bad found only vanity and vexa­
tion of spirit ; illusion, delusion, and uncertainty. As
the higher necessities of bis nature, fed by meditation and
prayer, centred on communion with the Supreme and In­
effable Deity, “ the thought of a visible or tangible com­
munion with any Being less august became repugnant to
his mind. For what purpose should he draw to him those
unknown intelligences from the ocean of environing souls >
For 011 those things which he desired to know there is 110
himself only, by communion with God, who is enshrined,
indeed, in his heart.” And so, popular Spiritualism gives
way to esoteric Theosophy ; and Porphyry, the Spiritualist,
of progress that commends itself to my mind. If fspirit­
ualism meant for 1110 grovelling spnok-worship, I would
riddles propounded to me by conscienceless Spirits, who
have powers I cannot gauge, and who are untrammelled
by any law that I can fathom, I would give it up, and
do something better worth the doing, if it were only to
teach the alphabet to little boys. But this is not the
case. And, while I am prepared to admit tho moral ele­
vation and grandeur of Porphyry’s later aspirations ; while
I see that for the individual spirit no greater boon can bo
reached after than this union with the highest conceiv­
able ideal, I am not prepared as yet to say that it is in­
compatible with the true Spiritualism which claims so
much of my attention, nor even that it might not become,
when carried to its legitimate issues, a sublimated and
superfine selfishness. I t befits, a t any rate, the close ra­
th e r th an th e noon-day of life ; ami though never, as I
should conceive, out of place, it should, as th e medicine
of spirit, in days of vigour and activity, te m p er the effect
of tlic conflicts and worries of life, which to evade is to
lose a portion of education, and await the close of th a t
part of experience before it assumes undivided sway. The
perfect Theosophist would be a Spiritualist and he would
be b u t a sorry Spiritualist who was not, in some sense, a
Theosophist as well.
11K A L B U l ) l ) l i r s M — K \ 1.1/.)/. I.
Iiv JIIK HKV. r. T. TKKt'NNANSK, I'. T. S.,
lU uldhist llitjli P riest a t D uifnndtitva, Ceylon.
The l’ali term A'ammti adm its of a variety of meanings
almost synonymous with each other, b u t they are of less
importance iu conveying any sense, and consequently do
not call out serious contemplation, th a n its religious tech­
nical meaning, which reveals one of the main features of
the Philosophical teachings of our Lord S a k y a Muni.
Kamnia when viewed in this light is good or bad deeds
sentient beings by th e infallible influence or efficiency
of which the said beings are m et with due rewards or
punishm ent, according as they deserve, in any state of
life. T hus, a man who robbed his neighbour m a y be
born in this world d e stitu te of any kind of wealth, beg­
ging from door to door, after having been punished for an
innumerable num ber of years : insulting a righteous man
is a sufficient cause for a m an to be punished fo ra coun t­
less num ber of years and to have his birth among the
most degraded of mankind, where it is ten to one if he
will be able to lead a life th a t we call righteous. Oil the
other hand a man who abstained from stealing would be
born in this world a very wealthy man, and a man who
was of assistance to others would l>o attended with every
prosperity when born in this world. If we see a blind, a
cripple or any other deformed person, we a ttrib u te the cause
of his deformity to his own Kanima.
However simple it m ay appear to those, whose know­
ledge of th e doctrine of K anim a inculcatcd by Buddha
does not extend beyond w hat lias been already alleged
above, yet I think it dem ands some sort of explanation as
to its nature ami the m an ner iu which it manifests itself.
I shall, therefore, in the first place, call th e attention of
our readers to a lact our Lord B ud dh a has ta u g h t us, th a t
the world (satwa loka) has no being, and th a t it is subject
to an alternate process of destruction and renovation. A d ­
m itting this, therefore, th e 'in fe re n c e we are to draw from
such a dictum will be quite unfavourable to those who
believe in the instrum entality of a divine agency in the
world’s coming into existence and such oth e r m atters
of ini]M>rtance. B ut are we to lie content with such
a conclusion alone t On pushing our inquiries into the
abstruse doctrines of Buddha, so as to know w hether the
affairs of the mighty governm ent of the world (satwa
loka) are directed by any kind of power, or w h e th e r the
vacuity thus caused by the non-existence of a creation, is
filled up by any other kind of power, a t least, almost e qu i­
valent to th a t of creation, we hit on the word Kamnia,
the very subject of this theme, as a potei t monarch d i­
recting the general adm inistration of the moral govern­
ment of the world. In this respect K am m a occupies such
a prominent, place in Buddhism as th a t of the creator iu
C h ristianity:— The mysterious influence of Kanima may be
explained th u s:— A t th e death of a being nothing goes out
from him to the other world for his rebirth, but by the
efficacy or, to use a more figurative expression, by the ray
of influence which K am m a emits, a new being is pro­
duced iu the other world, very identical with th e one who
died away. In this light Kanima may be defined a.s the
link which preserves th e identity of a being through all
the countless changes which it undergoes iu its process
through Sainsara (transmigration of th e soul), and hence
we may call it th a t irresistible force wliieli drags the
criminal into the hell-fire amidst his loud lamentation,
the powerful hand t h a t rescues the wretch from the merci­
less hands of th e infernal angels, and takes him to a h a p ­
pier place for th e amelioration of his miserable condition,
or (lie heavenly angel who bears away, as it were, th e
en rap tu rin g soul to th e blissful abodes above, and takes
back after a very long course of heavenly enjoyments to
this world, or to hell itself, paying little or no a tte n tio n to
the sorrowful tales of th e reluctant soul.
“ T h a t birth is an evil to man” says our Lord S a k y a
Muni, for wherever life is, and in whatever state it m ay be
it is inseparably bound up with grief, pain, sickness, old
age, death, iSrc., hence th e final emancipation of the soul
or attaining N invana, is th e highest bliss and u ltim ate
goal of Buddhism. I t is K am m a th a t gave life to man,
it is K am m a th a t supports life, and carries it, as it
were, around the wheel of Sainsara. In this sense K a m ­
nia is an enslaving foe of the human soul, for it detains th e
soul iu Suiusara, subjecting it thereby to grief, pain, &c\,
and on the oth er hand K am m a is th a t spiritual power by
the aid of which th e final deliverance of the enslaved
soul is effected.
It is a well-known fact th a t misfortune a tte n d s many
righteous people and reduces them to fearful extrem ities
iu spite of the ir virtuous, temperate, industrious and
economical habits and th a t desperately wicked people, are
tln iv in g in th e world as though they hail discovered the se­
crets of prosjierity. In the enquiring mind there arises a
doubt as to th e propriety o f th e government of K am m a over
such people. He may ask himself how is it th a t K am nia is
so u n ju st as to m ake a wicked m an proper, <.S:c. To this the
answer W o u l d be very simple, th n t it depends on the
Kamma in one of his past states of life, the present K am ­
ma being reserved for an other occasion. Some see good
days for years together, and are darkened with clouds of
adversity for the rest of th e ir lives ; others e n j o y the
sunshine of prosperity after a long course of adversity.
All these vicissitudes of life are attrib utab le to man’s own
Kamma. Such is the vital importance ol Kam m a for
m a n ’s being, th a t lie is lx»rn of it, and lives with it, and is
governed by it in all his affairs. T he Very essence, the
spiritual f o o d o f his life, death itself th e detainer o f it
in Transmigration, and th e power th a t assists the wearied
soul in gaining its final redemption, is m an’s own K a m ­
ma. T h e very existence of the anim ated world, th e
changes which it undergoes are all attrib uted to Kamma,
without which the world (satwa loka) would come to
nought.
( 2\i hr coiilin iii'ii.)
A IX Will* CAN' HKi'KlVK AllMITTAN't'i:, lU ’llllV To SKK
one of the greatest of natural phenomena, in the presence
of which all the medical celebrities of London stand ]>er-
plexed. In the London Hospital lies a young girl plunged
into a lethargic sleep. For over three weeks, she has re­
mained motionless, cold, without food or drink, dead to all
intents and purpose's, as th e pulsations of the heart, have
completely ceased. H er eyes are shut ; but, when the doctor
deliberately lilts her eyelids, the looker-on is struck with
the clear, intellectual expression of her bright eyes, in the
pupils of which all her life seems to have concentrated itself,
and in which light shines and sparkles ; the subject evident­
ly understanding and hearing all th a t takes place around
her. Nevertheless, she remains in this state of apparent
death, with the exception of an occasional fiutter of tlic
pulse. T he doctors confess th e ir inability of explaining
this extraordinary manifestation, and cxpect everything
from time. A tte m p ts have been made to arouse the p a tie n t
by galvanism, electric currents, and fire, but all to no result.
The young gili had been about a week iu the hospital,
when one night she awoke everyone with loud cries th a t
she was dying. She was found in convulsions, and before
the doctor could be summoned, she uttered a terrific cry
and fell backwards motionless. From that tim e she did
not move. For three weeks the doctors could not detect th e
slightest change. For certain reasons it is impossible to
juis-i into her bvd.y any fw d .— (fc.itn til Jrvnt « {>rii'<t(c IdU r.j
 l<. 'n iic lii 'l cl f r o m tlio A p r i l N u m b e r . ]
the s i r ,e x t .wtoT//i:n.
11V C O l ' N T i: --------------- A ----------------, K.V.S.
Cilaiicrbach was jtale ami solemn, b u t t-omjiosed. Bianca
trembled from head to foot i ltd kept lier liottlu of arom a­
tic salts in constant use. The Princc ami Hector looked
like two criminals Ictl to execution. T h e large loom wa.s
lighteil hy only a. single lam ]>, and even this dim light was
sud denh'extinguished. Amid the thick darkness, the lugu ­
brious voice of the conjuror was heard to pronounce a short,
cabalistic formula in Latin, and finally, to command the
shadow of Alfonso to appear,— if it w .', indeed, in the land
of the shadows.
S udd en ly the darkness of the furthest rcccss in the
room became illuminated witli a feeble bluish light, which,
by slow degrees, brought before the. sight of th e audience
a large magic mirror, which seemed to lie covered with a
thick mist. In its turn, this m ist was gradually dissipa­
ted, and finally, the prost rate form of a. man appeared to
the eves of those present. I t was Alfonso ! His body
had on the identical dress he wore on the evenin'/ of his
disappearance ; heavy chains clasped his hands, and he
lay dead on the sea-shorc. W a te r dripped from his long
hair and blood-stained aud torn clothes; th e n a huge wave
crept on and, engtilliug him, all suddenly disappeared.
A dead silence hud reigned during the; whole progress
of this {earful vision. T he persons present trem bling
violently tried to keep their breath ; then all relapsed in­
to darkness, and Riauca u tte rin g a feeble moan, fell sense­
less into the arms of her miardian.
t i
i n c shock hail proved too much, The* young girl hml ti
brain fever which held her between life and d eath for weeks.
T he Prince felt little b e tte r ; and H ecto r never left his
loom for a fortnight. No inure, doubts— Alfonso was dead,
he was drowned. The walls of the palace, were h u n g with
black cloth, strewn all over with silver tears. For three
days, the bells of many churches a t Palermo tolled
for the unfortunate victim of the pirates and the sea.
T h e inside of the great cathedral was also draped from
floor to dome in black velvet. Two thousand-and-tive
hundred gigantic tapers flickered around the catafalque ;
and Cardinal Ottnhoui, assisted by five bishops, daily per­
formed the service for th e dead for six long weeks. Four
thousand ducats were distributed in charity to the poor a t
the portal of the cathedral, auil (dniicrbach, clad in a sa­
ble m antle like one of the family, represented its absent
members during the funeral obsequies. H is eyes were
red, and when he covered them with his scented pocket-
handkerchief those near him heard his convulsive sobs.
.Never had a sacrilcgeous comedy been b etter performed.
Soon after, a magnificent monument, of pure Carrara
marble, sculptured with two allegorical figures, was
raised in Alfonso’s memory iu St. Rosalia's church. On
the sarcophagus grandiloquent inscriptions in Greek and
Jjiitiii were cut by order of the old Princc.
Three months later, the news spicad th a t Bianca was
wedded to Hector. ( daiierbach, who had meanwhile gone
to travel all over Italy, returned to Moiito-Cavalli on th e
eve of th e marriage, lie had exhibited his wonderful n e­
cromantic powers elsewhere, and had the “ holy ” Inq uisi­
tion upon his heels. H e felt full security only in tbe. bo­
som of the family which adored and looked upon him a.s
a demi-god.
Ou the following morn, the numerous guests proceeded
to the chapel, which was resplendent with gold and silver
and decorated as for a royal wedding. How happy looked
the bridegroom ! How lovely the bride ! The old Prince
wept for joy, aud (jlaiierbach had the honour of being
H ector’s best man.
In the garden were spread enormous banquet, tables a t
which were entertained the vassals of both the families.
T he feasts of Gargantua were less rich than such a festi­
val. Fifty fountains spouted wine instead of w ater ; b ut
towards sunset, no one could drink anv more, for unfortu­
nately— Jw seme people— hum an thirst is not infinite.
Roasted pheasants and partridges were thrown by the do­
zens to the neighbouring dogs, which they too left un­
touched, for even they were gorged to the throat.
Suddenly, among the gay am'1- showy crowd, there ap­
peared a new guest, who attracted general attention. It
wa.s a man, thin as a skeleton, very tall, and clad in the
dress of th e p e n ite n t monks or “ Silent Brothers,” as they
are popularly called. This dress consists of a long, flowing,
gray, woollen garm ent, gihlcd with a rope a t the two ends ot
which hang hum an bones, and a pointed hood which en­
tirely covers the face, except two holes for th e eyes.
Am ong m any orders of penitent monks in Italy— the black,
gray, red, and white penitents— none inspire such an in­
stinctive terror as these. Besides, no one Inis th e r ig h t to
address a p e n ite n t brother, while his hood is pulled down
over his face ; th e p en ite nt has not only the full r ig h t b ut
th e obligation to remain unknown to all.
Thus, this mysterious brother, who so unexpectedly ap*
jicared at, the wedding feast, was addressed by none, though
be seemed to follow the newly-married couple, as if lie
were their shadow. Both H ector and Bianca shuddered
every tim e they turned to look a t him.
T he sun was setting, and th e old Prince, accompanied
by his children, was for the last tim e going th e round of
the b a n q u e t tables in the gardens. S topping a t one of
these, he took a goblet of wine and exclaimed : “ My
friends, let us drink to th e health of H ector and liis wile
Bianca !” But, a t this very moment, some one seized his
arm and stop]ted it. I t was the gray-frocked “ Silent
Brother.’’ (Quietly em erging from the crowd he had ap­
proached the table and also taken up a goblet.
“ A nd is there no one, old man, besides H ector an d
Bianca whose health thou couldst jirojMt.se — he asked
in deep, g u ttu ra l tones— “ W here is thy son Alfonso ?”
‘‘ Knowest thou not he is dead {"— sadly answered the
Prince.
“ Yes 1...dead------ dead I '— echoed the penitent. “ But
were he only to h ear again the voice he heard a t the
m om ent of his cruel death, m ethinks he m ight respond...
aye...from his very grav e...O ld man, summon here thy
son H e c to r ! ...”
“ Good God ! what do yo u,...w h a t a m you m e a n !__”
exclaimed the Prince, pallid with unnameable terror.
Bianca was ready to faint. Hector, more livid than his
liit,her, was hardly standing on his legs, and would have
fallen had not Glaiierbaeh sujtported him.
lo the memory of Alfonso !— slowly pronounced
the same luguhrous voicc.— “ L e t every one rep eat the
words after me ! Hector, D u k e of R,— V.— ...1 invite you
to pronounce them !.
Hector m ade a violent effort and, wiping his trem bling
lips, tried to open them. But, his tongue cleaved to the
roof of his m outh and In; failed to u tte r a sound. Every
eye was rivetted ujion tile young man. He was jtallid
as death and his m outh foamed. A t last, after a super­
human struggle with his weakness he stam mered out,
“ To the memory of A lfonso!...”
" The voire o f m y iiniy-.h'-rer! e j a c u l a t e d the j>eni-
tent, in a deejt b u t distinct tone.
W ith these words, throw ing back his hood, he tore
open his robe, and before th e sight of the horrified guests
there ajqteared the dead form of Alfonso, with fo u r decji
gaping wounds on his breast, from which trickled four
st reams of blood !
1 lie ci ics of terror aud the fright ot the spectators can be
nioie easily imagined than described. In one m om ent
the garden became e m p ty ; the whole crowd upsetting th e
tables and flying as it for life........But, more strange than
all, was the fact th a t it was Glaiierbaeh wlut, n otw ith­
standing his intim ate acquaintance with the dead, wa.s
most jianic-strickeii. Upon seeing a real ghost, th e necro­
mancer, who had raised the dead a t will, hearing him
talk «ts would a living being, fell senseless ujion a bed
of flowers, and was jacked up, late th a t night, a stark
lunatic, wjiich lie rem ained for mouths.
 It was only half a year later th a t he learned what
hail taken place after the terrific arraignment. After
utterin g it, the penitent disappeared from the eyes of
all, and H ector was carried into his room in violent
convulsions, where, an lioui later, after summouiiiL' his
• • . ®
confessor to his bedside, he m ade him write down his
deposition, and after signing it, drank, before he could be
stopped, the poisonous contents of a hollow seal-ring, and
expired almost immediately. T he old Prince followed him
to tho grave a fortnight later, leaving all his fortune to
Bianca. B u t the un fortun ate girl, whose early life had
been doomed to two such tragedies, sought refuge iu a
convent, and her immense wealth passed into th e hands of
the Jesuits. Guided by a dream, sue liatl selected a d istant
ami unfrequented corner in th e large garden of Monte
Oavalli, as the site for a magnificent chapel, which she had
erected as an cxpiutory m on um e n t of th e fearful crime which
put an end to the ancient family of the Princes of R —
V—. W hile digging the foundations, tho workmen dis­
covered an old dry well, and in it, th e skeleton of Alfonso,
with four stabs in his half-decayed breast, anil the wedding
ring of Bianca upon his finger.
Such a scene as th e one on th e wedding-day, is sufficient
to shake the most hardened scepticist. U|>on recovering,
Glaiierbach left Italy for ever, and returned to Vienna,
where none of his friends w:us a t first able to recognize
tho young m an of hardly twenty-six in this old decrepit
form with his hair as w hite as snow. H e renounced th e
evocation of spirits and charlatanry for ever, hut became
from th a t time a firm believpr in th e survival of the h u ­
man soul and iu its occult powers. H e died in 1N H .a u hon­
est and reformed man, scarcely opening his mouth ti|>on this
weird history. It was but during the last years of his life
that a certain person, who won his full confidence through
a service he was enabled to render him, learned from
him the details of the mock vision and the real tragedy
of the family of the R — V — .
T H E C H I L D R E N 0 1 ' T H E S l ’.W
HY A I'E l.L O W < U ' T H E U O Y A I, C I E O C iK A I’ ll I l ' A I .
In connection witli M. P. B.’s paper in tlie Theosophist
on the Peruvian antiquities, may J be.allowed to note a lew
references to the works of Mr. Tai boys W heeler { II. P. B.
w rites:— “ The Incas, judged by th e ir exclusive privileges,
power and infallibility, are th e antipodal cou nterp art of
the Bndiminical caste of Iudia. Like the latter, the
Incus claimed descent from th e deity which, as in the
case of the Sooryavansa dynasty of India, was the Sun."
Mr. W heeler writes in a recent volume :— “ The coloniza­
tion of the ancient world by th e children of the Sun is one
of the phenomena in India which have yet to be investi­
gated. The Inciisof Peru were th e children of the Sun.”
Again, in page 277 of th e 4th volume of the “ History of
India,” Mr. W heeler writes:— “ F ro m a remote antiquity,
In d ia has been divided between a solar and a lun ar race,
between the children of the S un and th e children of the
Moon. The Persians, the Moguls, and the Itajputs claim
to be descended from the Sun.” T h e supposed connection
between the Moguls and the children of the Sun is c u ri­
ous. l a t h e preface to his fourth volume, Mr. W heeler quotes
a )Kissage from th e travels of Rubruquis, in which is des­
cribed the worship of the Tartars, its being very like Vedic
worship. Elsewhere he notes th a t the religion of th e
Moguls of the th irtee n th century bears a significant r e ­
semblance to th a t of the Hindus. Especially he notes th a t
“ the Moguls had priests like B rahm an s who were skilled
iu astronomy, foretold eclipses, and cast nativities.” They
hail also “ saints resembling Yogis who performed miracles
by virtue of their sanctity and penances.” Marco Polo
speaks of these things in the Gist chap ter of his first
Book ; whilst his editor, (Jolonel Yule, has a learned note
on the subject. (Jolouel Yule quotes th e T a r ta r historian,
friar llicold, and th e |>assage may jtcrhups interest Tlieo-
sophists; —“There are certain men” says llicold, “ whom
the T artars honour above all the world, who arc a kind of
idol priests. These are men from India, persons of deep w is­
dom, well-conducted and of the gravest morals. T h e y
arc usually acquainted with magic arts, and depend on
the counsel and aid of demons ; they exhibit m any illu­
sions, and predict some future events. For instance, one
of eminence amongst them was said to fly ; the truth,
however, was th a t he did not fly, b u t walk close to the s u r ­
face of the ground w ithout touching i t; and would seem
to sit down w ith ou t having an y substance to support him.”
This walking in the air, Colonel Yule observes, “ was
also witnessed by Ibn B a tu ta a t Delhi, in tho preseuce of
S u lta n Mahomed T u c l a c ; and th e same power was shown
by a B rahm in a t Madras.”
I give the reference, as I know you ale interested in tlio
subject. I t is with the Sun-descended rulers of Peru, how­
ever, t h a t 1 am now concerned. Unfortunately, I am u n ­
able to quote two other books which illustrate tlie su b­
ject, namely, one by Dr. Lopez, “ Races Aryennes dc
Perou,” and ano th er by R ank in g which finds a connection
between Peru and the princes of th e Moguls.
T H E V E D A N TA PH IL O SO P H Y .
EXPOUNDED 11Y THE SOCIETY . OF JlENAltES l'ANDIIS,
AND TltAN.SI.ATKD FUR THE T11EOSOHIIST
BY l’ANPIT SURYA XAltAYEN, SECY.
Although the different researches of the V edanta
Philosophy have resulted in a definite and decided con­
clusion, a.s to th e existence of one Suprem e Hcing only
who is called B r a hi no, still th e same Being un der th e
different disguises of J t w a and M a y a is designated by
th e term Iuheara in the Vedanta. Viewing the m a tte r in
a different light altogether, when H e does not assume the
disguises we have j u s t touched upon, H e may be called a
Pure A nim ate Being. As, for instance, sj>ace, as it is co­
vered by a vessel or by a mass of clouds, will be differently
described, while space unaffected by these conditions will
be called pure space. By th e word J itn i we mean th a t
S ili'tK T Y .
state of the One A nim ate Being, which consists in the u n ­
consciousness of His real nature. In th a t state He pos­
sesses qualities, in virtue of which ilo is called a doer, au
enjoyer, and a possessor of limited knowledge of things ;
and the S uprem e Being, having as it were brought M a y a ,
th e instru m en t of His disguises, u n de r H is yoke, is the only
]K)Ssessor of th e qualities contrary to those we have a s­
cribed to Jh ca.
As to the marked difference between B rahm a and
J l u a , on account of the one possessing the quality of
omniscience, and the other its reverse, we have to say th a t
which follows. F o r example, “ to say this is the very Deva.
D a tla (th a t is, D eva D a tta and no other), the same man,
whom wc saw in his childhood,” and is the same now in
his grey haii-s, involves the same kind of difficulty as in
proving th e sameness of B r a h m a and J itv u . Hut in this
example we overlook tho different times, at which we had
seen him, and take the identity of the man into considera­
tion. Iu th e same manner, wherever the sameness of
B ra lm u i and J itv a is discussed in th e Vedas, it is to be
remarked, th a t though th e quality of omniscience in the
case of th e one, and its reverse iu th a t of the other, gives
rise to some defects in th e validity of this a rg u m e n t; still
according to the process, called B hd g a tya g a Lttk&hand
(HT,Icm,I5^T,'TT) which sanctions th e dism em berm ent of the
attrib u te s relatively possessed by the things u nder com­
parison ;. ne<rleetiu'f th .e omniscience ofi B ra h»m a • and i this
I ®
tuieonsciuiisne.ss of J lw a , we reach tlie point umietl at,
which is th e direct beam or the sempiternal essence of
the beams reflected. '
This J a r a, when brought b;tck to the light path
through an adviser conversant with the precepts ot thu
Vedas, recognises his native form. H aving been thus re­
leased from the troubles lie has endured ou account of
 M T n F. T IT K 0 S 0 P II I s T
liis actions, lie obtains salvation or tlio c v crlastinglnippi-
ucss. An exam ple will make this d e a r. Suppose there arc
ten persons in a boat crossing a river, and when th e boat
reaches the bank they all leave it. W hile th u s on the
bank, every one begins, in order, counting his companions
exclusively of himself, and necessarily falls short of one in
his count every time. This sudden disappearance of one
of th e ir num ber causes a great disturbance am ong them,
insomuch that they th in k one of th em to be lost. If by
chance some merciful man passes by and after asking
th e cause of their crying, sets everything right (by prov­
ing the existence of the te n th man) they all rejoice, and
each m an who performed the office of counting, perceiving
him self the tenth man, becomes very happy, and gets rid
o f th e trouble he hud endured, when he had 110 know ­
ledge of his real nature. T hu s it is proved th a t J i ?(vr 011
recognising his native form or real nature obtains salvation
th rough an able adviser.
So far we have discussed the u nity of B ra h m a nnd
J'tH'ii, and m ade clear the way lo M vkfha or everlasting
freedom for the latter (upon his obtaining knowledge of
liis real nature with the aid of an able adviser). B u t the
question m ight be raised tha t if the a tta in m e n t of M olsh”
depends .solely on the mere knowledge of one's real nature;
why should men like 11 mm find others have suffered
th e pangs of misery in the same m an ner as those who
were quite ignorant of tin’ knowledge of being aud know ­
ing ? Suffice it to say th a t as far as even the present
standard ot rational beings is concerned, we lind the above
position well taken. T h e answer to the question just
asked is tha t every one (wise or unwise) undergoes the
results of his I ’riirdhii—action. But that which lies 011
th e surface is, th a t one who is unwise bears the brun t of
misery verv clumsily, while the wise man, th in k in g he
m u s t have to experience the same sorts of troubles, bears
its burden w ithout any fear or expression of sorrow. .De­
scend to instances and the intricacy of the a rg u m e n t will
come out of its own accord. Let us suppose two persons, one
wise mid the other unwise, travelling towards the same city.
Some unforeseen accident hinders them from completing
th e ir journ ey till the end of th e day ; t he man who knows
there are only a few miles left, and th a t the difficulty may
be got over bv extra travelling, takes pains to reach the
place of destination 011 tha t very day. W hile the oth er
man, being doubtful still of the end of his jou rn e y and
chilled with the thoughts of the troubles lie hail e x p e rie n ­
ced in the way, grows h c a\y-heartcd ami gloomily m a gni­
fies his troublesome task. So we s e e t h e troubles of ibis
life d<> not spare anybody, as a m a tte r of fact ; the only
difVerence is th a t one meets its solicitations without any
fear, being unable to escape them, while ano th e r m eets
them with an ever increasing agitation and delusiveness of
mind.
I t should a t the same time be borne in mind th a t
those who arc called the wise (|TRr) break loose IVum the
transmigration of t he soul ; but the unw ise ( STfTT'fl) ever
after undergo thesam c kiu d so f troubles continuously during
their successive live*. It is the wisdom of the wise in v ir ­
tu e of which they put an end to the actions called the
S a n c h it or stored, th e cause of th e ir successive births and
deaths. W h e n it is all over with th e Sanrhil actions, they
are, in th a t case, like scorched grain productive of no plant
if sown in a field. Similarly, when there is 110 chance of
the second birth, the generation of those actions called
the A gam i (i. c., those th a t are yet to be done) is quite
impossible. I'hey are like the petals of lotus th a t do not
betray any trace of w ater on their surface, even when they
aro first dipped and then ta k e n out of it. T here remains to
be explained only one sort of action called the I'rurdlm
which brings forth its result as soon a.s the life of man sets
in. Therefore, a man whose investigations as to the know ­
ledge of the real . n ature, ,of J iv :a have reached
, . the zenith.'
c an n o t fall under the different stages of creation.
W e deni with three kinds of actions— the Sanchit, the
A gaini and the P ravdha. T h e Sanchit actions lie buried
in th e hearts of man without giving vent to the cflects
[May, |,sts o.
produced. T h e A g a m i actions are those which remain to be
finished or those which are being done, while the P rav-
(I/m action is the result of our future actions terminating
in bringing iuto light our present existence. For example,
the existence of an arrow in a quiver implies the Sanchit
acliun, a n d th a t which is adjusted on a b e n t bow for shoot­
ing is the A g a u d or the K riyam ana action. The Pravdha
action m ay be designated by th a t arrow which is already
shot, a n d hence it m u s t be productive of some result.
T hu s it is shown th a t the Praedhu, action never ceases to
work upon created b e i n g s ; even if they be enlightened
iu mind aud soul.
*** Tlio above niimmiiiiuaiion wo received from J'nm lit Kama.
M isni Sliastret*. Professor of Sankhya, Benares College, us M anager
of the said Society.— Ei». T iikos . '
-------- ♦ -------- .
J o u r n a l i s t >•.?. M i s s i o n a r y :— Some w eeks ago, the
T im es o f I n d ia in a m om ent of rancorous spite to­
wards th e In v a lid c B asse, which it had caught, m ivubile
dich i I in a political fib, denounced th e Russian nation as
“ all born liars.” T he insult was, 110 doubt, more than R us­
sia— Gortchakof, Nihilists, and (Icndarnuis included —
could bear. T h e Tim es having “ set a m a r k ” upon the
N o rth ern Cain, henceforth every Russian o u gh t to feel
himself like one branded and estim ate death, nay, even
the unpleasantness of being blown up by th e Nihilists, as
less terrible than such a public blowing u p by the Times
o f I n d ia . O ne th in g may, however, assuage their woe, and
offer a k in d of consolation, and this is th a t they have been
most unexpectedly throw n iuto a most saintly company of
"liars.” T his is w h at th e world-famous A rchibald Forbes
writes of the Christian missionaries, in his le tte r to the
S c o tsm a n :— " I regard missionary enterprise ns simply u
gross im pertinence ; and did I chance to be a straightfor­
ward and self-respecting heathen, I would kick the in ­
terloping missionary who should come canting around me,
seeking to pervert me from the faith of m y fathers.”
N o t con tent with th e expressed desire of “ kicking”
tho holy payees, Mr. Forbes seeks to prove— and justice
forces us to admit, with 110 m ean success— the position
of the missionary as “ inherently false and illogical,” and
clinches his a rg u m e n t w ith tho r a th e r irreverent rem ark—■
• ® • • . • 1
“ My experience of missionaries is, t h a t they are mostly
1.1 AHS.”
In a le tte r lo the l ’ioncer, intended to pulverize the
Theosophical Society and its (ieneral Council, (he Rev.
Mr. Scott, bitterly recrim inating against Mrs. A. Cordon's
article—“ Missions in In d ia — ” published in the .January
num ber of the Theosophist, spoke of it as “ an ignoiaut a t ­
tem p t at m aking it app e a r th a t missions are a failure.”
Wc wait with interest to learn w hat th e reverend pole­
mic will have to say now. Prone as they are to fly into
the Theosopliists’ faces for every quiet and polite remark
iu their organ, w hat will they answer to this b itter d en u n ­
ciation by the “ light of newspaper correspondents,” as
some journalists call their fiery confrere, who has e n ­
countered the missionary in every land ( And to think
th a t this A rmstrong shell should have been tired from that
heavv gun, the Scutsm on, which is m ounted iu the very
citadel of the bluest Presbytorianisin !
A NKW AIM’I.li 'ATIi l.N <>K IMU1T1iCiltAIMI V II AS .) lTST t'.IXV
discovered in Ja p a n . T he manufacturers of Ja p anese
varnish have long since remarked tha t one of the su b­
stances used by them in th eir trade, when left for several
hours exjiosed to the rays of th e sun, becomes fis hard as
iron. Hence a Jap anese workman had the idea of applying
a laj’cr of this substance (most probably some kind of pitch
or asphalt, though they deny it) 011 a plank and then
placing it behind the negative. The board remained thus
for twelve hours ; and the image appeared on it of a dull
colour and as hard as a stone, while the other parts rem ain ­
ed soft and lustrous ;is before, so th a t it was an easy m a t­
ter to remove from th e board by mechanical means th e
layer with which it wns covered. This board is made after
this process to serve tho purposes of a lithographic stone,
 (Concluded from tho Jummry Number.) len t Bull, and exhibiting his knots of hair with th e ir orna­
T IIE L IF E
O F S A N A 'A H A C I J A R Y A , 1 ‘l l l L O S O - ment, th e moon, he started for his own residence hearing
T J IE ll A N D M Y S T IC . th e word “ victory” ! u tte re d by the sages. (4)
This does seem too materialistic and non-vedantic.
1IY KASIllNATH TRIMJtAK TKI.ANG, M.A.,
Anandagii'i has the following account:— ‘Once in the city
Tlii; north tints disposed of, and accepting th e respect of Kanchi, the place of absolution, as he was seated, ho
and veneration f>f the Videhas, the Kosalas, th e A ngas absorbed his gross body into the subtle one and became
and th e Bangas, Sa n k a ra w ont into tiie country of the existent; then destroying th e subtle one into the body which
Gandas. Jt was then th a t tiie nefarious designs of the dis­ is the cause (of tho world) became ' pure intelligence’; and
comfited doctor of th e S a k ta School— m entioned in my then (assuming the) size of a thum b, and atta in in g in tho
last— culminated. S a n k a ra suddenly caug ht th e disease, world of the Ishv arafull happiness (unbroken) like a perfect
called B hagandara* which had been sent upon him by the circle, lie became tho intelligence which pervades th e whole
necromantic spells of Abhinavagupta, who had perform ­ universe. And ho still exists in the form of the all-pervad­
ed a special sacrifice to accomplish his malicious plot. ing intelligence. T he B rahm ans of th e place, and his
The g reatest physicians attend ed on Sankara, b u t in pupils, aud their pupils reciting tho Upanislnuls, the Oita,
vain. Meanwhile the p a tie n t himself behaved stoically and the Brahmasutras, th e n excavated a ditch in a very
or ra th e r vedantieally. B u t a t last when the disease clean spot and offering to his body pigment, rice &c.,
could not bo cured, he prayed to Muliadeva to semi raised a tom b over it there." (f>)
down the Ashvinikumiirs, who were accordingly sent A nd here ends th e story of the life of Satikaracharya.
down disguised as Brahmans. B u t th e y pronounced the As I look back over the narrative thus given by me after
disease to bo beyond th e ir powers of cure as it was caused Madhav, m e th in k 1 h ea r the genius of nineteenth century
by the act of another. On this communication the anger scepticism whisper in m y ears. “ All this is an absurd
of Padm apada once moro came to the relief of the Ve- fable from tirst to l a s t ; it is the ' tinsel clink of compliment’
dantism of Sankara. For, though dissuaded by S ank ara to one whom a halo of glory surrounds. A t the age of
himself, ho m uttered some mystic incantations which two, it is impossible to have learnt what S ankara is said to
transferred the disease to A bhinavag up ta him self who have learnt ; those miracles which lie is reported to have
died of it, (1) . r . performed are ' mere and sheer' impossibilities— in a word
A bout this tim e San kara hoard of a temple in K ashm ir all M adhav’s narrative is fitter for the pages of a romance
which none b u t an all-knowing person could open, which than of a work professing to be historical.” Now' though
had been opened on its northern, eastern and western 1 confess th at 1 do believe there is some force in this arg u­
sides, b u t which had continued closed till then on its ment, I must, also confess th a t I am not prepared to give
southern side. S ankara accordingly went up to the temple, it as much weight as those who propound it seem to claim
b u t the controversialists th e re would notallow him to enter for it, I am perfectly willing to g ra n t th a t there is a con­
before they examined him. H e was examined accordingly, siderable m enstru um of poetry in this narrative : but I am
and was found, as one m ay say, not wanting. He then not prepared to say th a t it is as much a.s m ay a t first sight
entered, b u t as lie was going to ta k e his scat on th e stool appear. Even in th e sceptical nineteenth century, we have
within, th e Goddess of th e te m p le — Sarasvati— said “Your hail accounts of historical personages given a.s history
omniscience has been already more than sufficiently proved ; which bear iu some points a very striking resemblance to
b u t omniscience is not enough to en title you to ta k e your Madhav’s account of Sankaracharya. I shall p u t forward
seat on this stool. Continence is also necessary. B ethink two very good instances in point which occur to m e a t this
yourself of your acts, and say w h e th e r you can claim it moment. Dr. Thom as Brown, a man who flourished iu
tinder these circumstances.” Sa n k ara replied, “ This body is this nineteenth century, a m an whose life has been written
perfectly pure. I t cannot bo tarnished by the sins of ano ­ by a prosaic W e s te rn not guilty of O riental hyperltoles, is
th e r body.” This was, of course, a clincher, and Sankara said to have been engaged in the fourth year of his age, in
took his seat on th<S coveted s t o o l ! (2) comparing th e narratives of tho evangelists in order to find
H e thence w ent to th e herm itage of Rishyasringa, and out any discrepancies t h a t there m ight be between them.
after staying there for some time to Badari. T here he To appreciate the full force of Ibis example, it must be
ta u g h t bis Bhashya to some persons who were studying in remembered, th a t this critical spirit wa.s brought to bear
the Patanjida School of philosophy. Thence lie proceeded upon a work, on which an opinion out of the common ru t
to Kedara— where he prayed to Mahadeva to send down would be— dow nright heresy. This circumstance, I may
warm w ater for his benum bed pupils. T h a t was, of course, mention, is recorded iu th e memoir of Dr. Brown prefixed
done ; and Madhav says,the river still flows with hot water to his eloquent lectures on the Philosophy of Mind. (0)
in th a t p a r t of the country. (:<) Mr. J o h n Morloy, th e present E ditor of the F orhuj/hlli/
He had now arrived a t th e close of his thirty-second year Jh rieiv, has contributed to the pages of th a t publication a
aud his term of life being over, all th e Cods, and all the valuable life of Turgot. Here is his deliverance on the
Siddhas, and all the Sages came down in divine vehicles precocity of th e subject of his memoir. “ I t has been justly
to escort him u p to heaven. As soon as Sa n k a ra made up said of him th a t he passed at once from infancy to m a n ­
his mind, his vehicle appeared for him and then '‘with his hood, and was in the ra n k of sages before he hml shaken
praises sung by the principal deities headed by In d ra and oft' the d ust of tb e play-ground. (7)
Upendra, and worshipped with heavenly flowers, su pportcd I f more a u th o rity is necessary for refusing to .subscribe
by tho arm of the Lotus-born Clod, he mounted his excel- to the theory th a t every s ta te m e n t which appears won­
derful is, a t once, a n d by reason of its being wonder­
• A t o r r i b l o f o r m o f u l c e r a t e d s o r e , o r l u t u l a . — Kr>. T h e o .s .
ful, to be put down as totally false, we have the authority
( 1 ) . M a d h a v X V I . 2 2 —32. [ A n i m p o r t a n t p o i n t f o r t h o t t u d c n t o f o c ­
c u l t Rcicuco if* h e r e m a d e An d s h o u l d n o t b o o v e r l o o k e d . T h o la w o f p h y s i c s of tha t princc of philosophic historians, Mr. George
t h n t a c t i o n n n d r e f l a ti o n t e n d t o e q u i l i b r a t e e a c h o t h e r h o l d s in t h o r e a l m Groto. “ In separating" says th a t g reat authority upon
o f t h o o c c u l t . 'I’llis ha * b e e n f u l l y e x p l a i n e d iu “ I m s U n v e i l e d " n n d o t h e r
w o r k s uf t h o k i n d . A c u r r e n t o f A k n n d i r e c t e d b y a m>rco ror n t a g i v e n all mattei's of historic criticism " between the marvellous
o b j o c t w i t h n n evil i n l o n t , u n i a t c i t h e r ho p r o p e l l e d b y s u c h iul on Mity o f will and the ordinary, th e re is no security that, we are d i­
a* t o b r e a k t h r o u g h e v e r y nb. sta el o n n d o v e r p o w e r t h o r e s i s t a n t will of t h e
H ol cc tc d v i c t i m , o r it wi lt r e b o u n d a^niiiNt t h o s e n d e r , a n d n t l li c t h i m o r h e r
viding tho fictitious from th e real.” (8) And not to depend
in t h e sanio w ay a s it was in t e n d e d th o o t h e r a h o u ld b e h u r t . So v e i l u th U on the ipse di.vll oven of a Grote, I would refer th e sceptic
la w u n d e r s t o o d t h a t i t h a s b e e n p r e s e r v e d t o u s in m a n y p o p u l o r p r o v e r b * ,
s u c h an t h o K n ^ l U h o n e s , ‘ c u r s e * c o u i o h o m o t o roost.* ‘ T h o b i t e r ’s b i t , '
to the wonders of science, which are “ tr u th s stranger
e t c , t h e I t a l i a n o n o * I .a W s t e m i a g i r o , o ifirn, e g i r a , c t o r n a a d o ** o a c h o than fiction”, which vet we sec performed before our eyes.
la ti ra,* o t c . T h i s r e v e r s a l o f a m a l e f i c o n t c u r r e n t u j h h i t h o n e n d e r m a y b e
g r e a t l y f a c i l i t a t e d b y t h o f r i e n d l y i n t c r f o r o n c c o f a n o t h e r p e r s o n w h o kn ow R
t b o s c c r e t o f c o n t r o l l i n g t h e A k a s i c c u n v n t s — if i t i s p e n n i s H i b l o f o r u s t o *1) M a d h a v X V I . 107. (5). A n n n d n f i t i i , p. 2Sft.
coin a n o w w o r d t h a t will no on b e w a n t e d in t h e W e s t e r n p a r l a n c e . — ISl*, ( 0), So o a l s o t h e <' « > » / < J U fic " , J u n o 18 7 -, U o b r r t f.cslio K l l k ,
Tiu:o.s. Pro. ( iro te .
(2). M a d h a v X V I . Sd. (7). u i t j l t f i A'lVi'oc, A u g u s t 18'K>#
(fl). M a d h a v X V I 101. A c c o r d i n g i o A n a u d a g i r i t h e p i a y c r f o r h o t w a t e r (H). g e e , t o o , t h o D u k o o f Somci'Hot'** r e c e n t b o o k o f C h r i t t i a n i i y a n d
w a s m a d e t o N a r a y a n u , p. 23 5, ticopticisiu, | » a n d t h e D u k e o f A i £ j U *9 l u - i g n o f L a w ,
Before tlie fact, wliat would 0110 have th o u g h t of the
Electric Telegraph ? Before th e fact, w hat was th o u g h t of
the Railway i I would ask th e sceptic to pause here, to
consider these m atters fully from this point of view, before
:it once arguing “these circumstances arc wonderful ; croo
th e y are impossible." T hey are not of a piece with th e com­
mon run of occurrences. I am willing ©
to concede also
th a t th e y may he much exaggerated. B u t when I am told
t h a t they are wholly false, when I am told th a t no reason­
able m an can believe them, th e n I demur. I ra th e r choose
to hold myself in suspense.
I had intended in this p aper to say som ething abo ut the
works of Sankaracharya, and a b out some o th e r m atte is
connected with him. B u t want of tim e and the length
to which this p a p e r has already extended, have prevented
me from incorjioratiiig those necessary portions of a bio­
graphy into the present paper. I hope, however, in ano­
ther paper to tr e a t of those matters, as leisure and the
materials accessible to me will permit.
N oTK A.
According O to Anandagiri,
O ’ S a n k a ra does not seem to have
left, his birth-place before taking th e Saiinayusa, ami when
he left, the place, lie had already got. num bers of pupils.
H e lirsl. went from C h id am barap ur southward to Madhyar-
jm ia (p. 1!)) where he converted the people to adualism
by a miracle (p. 20). T hence he proceeded to R am eshvar
near the Setu, where lie stayed for two m onths defeating
tho representatives of various sects that, entered into con­
troversies with him (p. 21). T h e n he went on to Anan-
tasayana where ho rem ained for one m onth (p. •') 1). T ra ­
velling west wards, lie reached th e town of S u h rah m a n y a
in fifteen days (p. 81). Proceeding thence in a n o rth ­
westerly direction lie went, to th e town of G anavara and
sojourned there for a m onth (p. 102), thence to Bhavani-
liagara (p. 122), where he stayed for a month, anil held dis­
cussions with th e sectaries of the neighbouring towns of
K uvalayapur and others (p. 127). F ro m th a t town lie
went northward to ITjjayini where he remained *r two
months (p. 1.‘18), thence in a north-westerly direction to the
city of A num alla (p. 100) where lie spent, twenty-one
days. Going westward n e x t to th e town of A rundh, (p.
104), and northward from th a t to M agadhapura (p. 170)
he went on first to Ind ra p rasth a (p. 174), and th e n to
Vamaprastha, whence, after staying there for a month,
(p. 178) lie proceeded to Prayoga a t “ th e confluence of
th e Ganges, th e J u m n a and th e Sarasvati” (p. 184).
Going eastward thence, in “ half ai fortnight” he reached ,
•
Kashi (p. 2 0 ’>) and after staying there for some time, he
went northward to Badari by th e route of K uruk shetia,
(p. 23'»). H aving next seen D v ara k a and other heaven-like
places, he went to Ayodyha, thence to Gaya, and thence
to Parvata by the route of J a g a n n a th (p. 233). A fter a
month he proceeded to llu d d h a p u r a where lie saw' R u ­
m an ia (p. 230) and northw ard thence to a very famous seat
nf learning— Vijilabindu— situ ated towards th e south-east
of H astin apu ra f'p. 238). H a ving there vanquished Man-
danamisra, and established a college n e a r Sringapu ra on
th e b anks of the Tungabhadra, he stayed th ere for twelve
m onths (p. 251), after which he proceeded to Ahobala,
thence to Vaikalyagiri, and thcnce to th e town of Kanchi,
where within a month of his arrival he founded Sivakan-
chi and V ishnukanchi (p. 2 o l). H ero his soul left this
mortal coil. B u t before this end, he i.s said to have a u ­
thorised five of his principal pupils to found th e Shaiva,
Vaishnava, Saiva, Sakta, G auapatya systems of worship
(p. 204 et seq.)
N otk B.
I must confess that, even after n great deal of tim e ami
labour spent, upon the work, I a m a.s far as ever from being
able to comprehend the geography of th e tour o f Sankara-
charya as related by A nandagiri and abstracted iu th e last
note. M any of the nam es cannot be found noted iu our
modern maps. T h e only point worth noting is, perhaps
this, t h a t C hidam bar which is mentioned by Anandagiri as
S a n k a ra ’s birth-place may be C hillum brun (so-called in
th e map) a place to the south of Porto Novo. T he ac­
count. of M adhav is somewhat better, but there are diffi­
culties. Thus, though his progress through t.he countries
of the Pandyas, tho ( 'holas, and the Dravidas, to Kanchi, and
thence to tlie country of tin; Andhras, may be understood,
why should he go u p as far as t.he country of the Vidar-
hlias— identified with B erar— and then return to th e Kar-
nat.ic districts ? W h a t follows, however, is not. very hard
to understand. I t may, perhaps, be worth while to m e n ­
tion some of th e names which have l)een identified. The
knowledge may not. be new to those who have studied the
subject, but it may be new to those who have not looked
into it. as it was to myself. Mahishmat.i is mentioned in
Hagh uvansfi (VI. 43) a.s situated on the N arm ada. It. is
also m entioned in Maglia (II 04) as the city of Shisbupala,
and it is identified in Mr. G a rre t’s recent dictionary with
Cliuli Mahoshvar. T h e Pandya country em b racesJhe Tin-
nevelly and M adura d is tr ic ts ; the Chola country is the
Coromandel Coast, southward from Godavari and east­
ward from th e hills at N a n d id u rg (Elphinstone’s India,
fifth Edition, p. 23!)); the D ravida country about Madras
up to Bangalore on th e west (Elphinstone, p .231). Kanchi
is Oonjcverain, south of Madras (Elphinstone, p. 23!)). The
A ndh ra country is a b o u t Warango! and forms p art of Te-
lingana. T h e country of the Vidarbhas is Berar ; that of
th e Surasenas is M a th u ra ; t h a t of tho K am arupas is
th e east of H in d u sta n ; t h a t of the Videlms, Mithi-
la ; Kosalas, (h id e ; Angas, north-w est of Bengal Proper.
In d ra p ra sth a is near j)elhi. T h e probable situation of
Chidam bara has been already stated, that of Siingeri is
well-known. Sasalagram, m entioned above, I cannot find.
May it not be th e “ S allagram a” in th e Mysore province ;
or perhaps, w h a t is called “ Sosilly” in Cassell's Atlas, also
situated in the same province ? As to Kalati mentioned
by Madhav, I can say nothing a t all. I may add here that
it appears to m e to be very probable that. Madhav did not
regard Sringiri as S ankara's birth-place, for in XIV. 2!l,
he makes S a n k a ra leave Sringiri in order to see bis mother
in her last, moments, and is th e n described as flying
through space, while she herself for a u g h t th a t appears to
the contrary, continued to rem ain a t th e town of his birlh
where he had left her in charge of relatives,
A P R IS O N E R F E IG N IN G D E A T H .
T he Glutpow N ew s says :— “ Sufficient justice has not
1x*en done to th e genius of a certain native <>f th e Em erald
Isle, who. a short tim e ago, fell into th e clutches of t.he
Greenock police. W h e n apprehended, th e m an dropped
into, or feigned to have dropped into, a comatose state,
which had m any of the characteristics of approaching dis­
solution. T he appearance did not satisfy the Greenock
police-surgeon, and a sta te of consciousness was success­
fully produced. W h e n removed to the town in which it
was alleged he had com m itted a felony, he was lodged in
a cell, and escaped from it three or four m inu tes after­
wards in a way R obert Macaire could not have emulated.
A few days afterwards he was caught red-handed, and
tak en into custody, b u t not before some hard knocks had
been exchanged betw een him and the constables. Bleeding
a t the month, the result of a blow from a baton, th e pri­
soner, in th e presence of th e police-surgeon of th e dis­
trict, sim ulated illness and the last throes of departing
life with such faithfulness th a t the police-surgeon hurried
off to the procurator-fiscal to report a fatal assault by-the
police. T h e officers were detained, and th e seemingly
dead man, m inus his boots, was laid out iu the m ortuary
attached to the police-station, the door l>eing left ajar.
Tl i c fresh air of the place effected a rapid cure, and when
th e police-surgeon and th e fiscal arrived th e m ortuary was
em pty.”
 S O U N D I N G S I N T H E O C E A N Ob' A R Y A N
L I T E R A TU RE.
HY X ILKAXT K. CH1IATHK, U.A., L.t'.K.
H rlh a l Sunhitu.
Tn a previous article it was shown th a t the syphon was
known to tho commonest artisan in A ryavarta in the ele­
venth century. T his time I propose to place before my
readers some interesting information from the lir ih a t S ,m -
hitd. This work seems to have been w ritten in th e sixth
century, A.l). Because, firstly, the elaborate com m entary of
Pan dit IJtpala bears th e date 888 S/nU im hunn, §1, and .v-
rondly, tho a u th o r Varahamihira ipiotcs from A ryabhatta,
who was born, as is decided by Dr. Bliau Dajee in the
year 470 A.I). §2. W e will call the following our second
sounding.
( 2 ) Thickness o f Walls.
T he fifty-third chapter of th e work und er review is d e ­
voted to architecture. T he massive architectural b u ild ­
ings th a t have outlived th e rude handling of destiny, create
an impression on the common people th a t theu ncicn t Aryas
wore ignorant of those arts th a t form the trium p hs of
modern architecture, th a t economy wns unknown to them,
and t hat they did not know w h a t stability of structures is.
This impression is heightened by th e comparison alwny.-;
made between old massive structures and the new' Public
W orks buildings. However, th ey forget th a t th e former
may have been designed to last for ages, whereas the la t ­
ter are emphatically n o t so. The im mense thickness of
walls which generally obtains in buildings of old is a t the
bottom of this impression. B u t Varrtluiniihira’s rule for
the thickness of walls of storied buildings settles the
m a tte r at once. I have found out the thickness of walls of
the several stories of a building twenty-four feet wide, and
thirty-six feet high, divided into three stories. Varahnmi-
hira’s rule is as follows :— " L e t the height of each story be
one-twelfth less th a n th a t of th e one below F o r the th ic k ­
ness of walls b uilt o(b u r n t bricks take th e diagonal length
of the cross section of each story and divide it hy twelve
$4.” This gives th irteen feet, twelve feet and eleven feet
a-s th e height of the several stories, and 1 ' 8 | " ; l'-7A* and
l'-7" nearly for their respective thicknesses.
T he ride given in th e Roorkee, Vol. II., is well known
to every engineer. T he thickness obtained by it is two
feet nearly ; l'- 8 4 " and l ' - l " nearly.
T he following table will prove th a t both the results nre
analogous.
TABLE.
k nens of walls for YaritliainiliiruH rule Roorkee, Vol. II., rule
gives gives
1st Story ... l'- 8 ] ' 2' nearly.
2nd Story ... r-7.j" l'-8-4*
ttrd Story ... r-7" l '- l " nearly.
I t will thus be seen th a t structures th a t were designed to
outlive ages were as a m a tte r of course massive, h u t bu ild ­
ings which had no sucli pretensions, and which were ge n e ­
rally used for dwelling purposes, were constructed upon
the rules of strict economical engineering.
(3) J'illtirs.
Pillars are perhaps th e best index of th e style followed in
a particular kind of structure. “ Pillar" says V araham ihira
"may be in section square, octagonal, 10-sided, .‘i2-sided, or
round. They are respectively called R uchaka (pleasing);
Vtiji'tt (strong) ; D w im jm (doubly strong) ; P raleena ;
V rittu (round) §5.” H e is very particular in describing
the tapering form of th e column. “ T h e diam eter of the
bottom of a pillar is 0/80 of its h e ig h t and th a t of its
top 1/10 less th a n t h a t of th e former t$G.” T h e Ionic order
follows the same rule, though it is otherwise q u ite distinct.
By th e bye I cannot but remark, th a t th e double scrolls
or volutes of the capital of this order are very like th e horns
of a figure which every H in d u knows is carved on the
threshold of the tem ple of Shiva. The several p a rts of
a pillar are deserilied by V araham ihira as follows :— “ Let
the pillar be divided into nine parts, the first division l>e-
ing occupied by t he figure of an animal (Valmni\m— beast,
of burden) aud the second by tluit, of a pot. .Five divisions
are left o ut for the shaft, which may he turned out octa­
gonal, square, &c.; of the rem aining two, one is to he t u r n ­
ed into a lotus and the other to serve; ns Ut(aro.<ta, i.e.,
the up per portion having a sufficient hearing surface for
the superincum bent weight ” §7. It will here he seen th a t
the animal, the |H>t, and the lotus are three distinguish­
ing features of an order which Y antham ihira has d e ­
scrilied on the a uthority of H in d u writers older th an h im ­
self. T h e three features j u s t enum erated are so Aryan in
conception, th a t the presence of even a single one of them
will suffice to stam p th e order as Aryan or H indu. I think
the capitals surm ounted by double elephants in the Karli
caves, an; examples of t h e developed condition of t h ■■
order which is spoken of by Varahamihini.
(To be cmitiiiiio/.)
REFERENCES,
§ I- fstfrqrcmmcriqt
( 8 8 8 ) faff $ti%
§ -•
. > J,h-
§ 3.
wjc •a.i. ‘O l o
§ 1*.
-=.3 k 3 \p
§ raw :
^ snr
7.<:k3 |3o
§ 6.
v » k 3 K’
.. . ____ ___. ^ * - Vj
Him TCI-KWTU^T:
■*.%h3
P U Z Z L E S FOR T H E PHILOLOGISTS.
I IY M. G R A C IA S, KSQ.
In a s o m e w h a t lengthy article which appears in the March
nu m b e r of th e T h k o s o p h is t und er the altove heading, an
a tte m p t is made to revive the question which has hitherto
been deemed as settled am ong philologists and ethnolo­
gists, viz., th a t centuries ago, iu the dim past., at a period
long anteced ent to all profane history, there took place at
different intervals those emigrations of people from their
primeval seats in th e g re a t tableau or Uible-land of C en­
tral Asia, which overflowed Euro|kj up to the shores of
th e Atlantic, and, extending southward, overran Persia
and passed beyond th e H im alayas into India till they
reached tb e margins of th e Indian Ocean. I need, hardly
say th a t th e subject is an interesting one, and affords a wide
field for intelligent and useful discussions. For my part, I
should be glad if it were soon taken up by abler hands
than mine, and more light thrown upon it, if possible,
th a n has hitherto been done. However, as there are seve­
ral points iu th e article referred to, which th e w riter lias
contrived to introduce, b u t for which there appears to be no
valid foundation whatever, although a show is made of their
being not w ithou t su pp ort of good authorities by num e­
rous references in foot-notes to Mouutstuart Elphinstone’s
H istory of India, and Pocock’s India in ( Ireece, perhaps
you will kindly allow me to make a few remarks ou some
of tlie most salient of these points, and to endeavour to
show th a t th e results of p atien t and laborious researches of
European scholars and others in the matter are not the
results of mere speculation and guess-work, but are too
well founded upon ascertained facts as brought to light by
that branch of exact, though recently developed, science—
Comparative-Philology—to be swept away by the first
vague whisperings of doubt, and conjecture. Tlie .argument
ns adduced by the writer in support, of his views is in the form
of queries to the Til Kosorh i s t , and, if I understand it aright,
may bo resolved and stated as follows :—That if ever
tho alleged emigration of Aryans took place towards the
north-west, i. e., Europe, the European nations would have
borne traces of their Aryan origin, i. e., they would have
shown traces of Vedic literature and religion, and their
oldest extant histories would have contained ample records
of their foreign progenitors, as in the case of the Hindus ;
but• as no isuch traces are forthcoming among either the
ancient or t he modern Kmopean peoples, the allegation
that the Aryans ever emigrated into Europe and settled
there, must bo guarded against, or relegated to the do­
mains of myth and legends. And, looking upon the sub­
ject from au historical point of view, he contends that the
Aryans were never foreigners who invaded India, but were
real aborigines and children of the soil, and refers fur
authority to a passage iu Moiintstuart Elphinstone’s
History mentioned above, which for the benefit of your
readers, I feel. I cannot do better than reproduce here in
i'.rtfn- ii, for it is only one of the many references quoted that
has any direct bearing on the point at issue :—“ It is op­
posed to their foreign origin that neither in the code, nor,
I believe in the Vedas, nor iu any book that is certainlv
older than the code, is there any allusion to a prior resi­
dence, or to a knowledge of more than the name of any
country out of India. Even mythology goes no further
than the Himalaya chain in which is tixed the habitation
of the gods."—iMountstuart Elphinstone’s History of In­
din, Vol. I., page !)7 .
I think the argument adduced, such as it is, scarcely
requires an effort to be upset ; for it can hardly be said
to be able to stand 011 its legs. Instead of there being no
traces forthcoming, one would think after witnessing the
facts of philology, that thero were more than abundant
traces and uiimistakeable ones too, if not exactly Vedic, to
be found, which speak as plainly to the philologists of
the once Aryan or eastern origin of the European people,
ns do the stars to tho astronomers, or the rocks to the
geologists. Iu short, the languages of Europe are too full
of the fossil relics of the old Sanskrit, the language of the
Aryans; and more full perhaps than arc the earth’s stra­
ta of the bones of extinct animals, to admit of a doubt 011
the subject.
As regards the passage in Moiintstuart Elphinstone's
History of India above quoted, perhaps 1 might as well
quote, and with advantage, one or two from treatises 011
modern philology as a set-up against, the former, to enable
the reader to judge for himself, before proceeding to show
why 1 consider that distinguished authority’s dictum, at
least in this particular case, as not entitled to much weight.
“ There have been historically two great streams of
Aryan overflow : the one southern, including the Brah-
manic Aryans of India and the Persian followers of Za-
rathustra (Zoroaster) ; the other the northern at the out­
set-, hut western in the end, embracing the great families
in North-Western Asia anil in Europe.”—Modern Philo­
logy, by Benjamin Dwight, Vol. I., page 31.
Again: “ Has the Sanskrit reached India from Europe,
or have the Lithuanic, the Slavonic, the Latin, the Creek,
and the. German reached Europe from India ? If histo­
rical evidence be wanting, the « priori presumptions must
be considered. 1 submit that history is silent, and that the
presumptions are in favour of the smaller class having been
deduced from the area of the larger rather than vice v o w .
If so, the xilux of the Sanskrit is in the eastern, or south­
eastern, frontier of the Lithuanic, and its origin is Euro­
pean.”—Elements of Comparative Philology, by R. A. La­
tham, M. A., page Oil.
And again : " At the first dawn of traditional history,
we see these Aryan tribes migrating across tho snows of
the Himalayas southward towards the “ Seven Rivers” (the
Indus, the five rivers of the Punjab and the Saraswati),
and ever since India has been called their home. That
before this time they had been living in more northern
regions, within the same precincts with the ancestors of
the Greeks, Italians, Slavonians, Germans, and Celts,
is a fact as firmly established, as that the Normans
of William the Conqueror were the northmen of Scandi­
navia. The evidence of language is irrefragable, and it is
the only evidence worth listening to with regard to ante-
historical periods. It would have been next to impossible
to discover any traces of relationship between the swarthy
natives of India and their conquerors, whether Alexander
or Clive, but for the testimony borne by language.' *■—*
There is not an English jury now-a-dnys, which after ex­
amining the hoary documents of language, would reject
the claim of a common descent and a legitimate relation­
ship between the Hindu, Greek and Teuton. Many words
still live in India and in I'higland that have witnessed the
first, separation of the Northern and Southern Aryans,
and these are witnesses not to be shaken by any cross­
examination. The terms for God, for house, for father,
mother, son, daughter, for dog and cow, for heart nnd tears,
for axe and tree, identical in all the Indo-European idioms,
are like the watch-word of soldiers. We challenge the
seeming stranger, nnd whether, he answers with the lips
of a Greek, a German, or an Indian we recognise him
ns one of ourselves. Though the historian may shake his
head, though the physiologist may doubt, and the poet
scorn the idea, all must yield before the facts furnished by
language. There was a time when the ancestors of the
(Jolts, the Germans, the Slavonians, the Greeks and Ita­
lians, the Persians and Hindus were living together be­
neath the same roof, separate from the ancestors of the
Semitic and Turanian races." Max Muller’s Chips, Vol. 1.—
Last Results of Sanskrit llescarches in Comparative Pliilo-
logv by Max Muller:—Philosophy of Universal History
by Chevalier Bunsen, page 12 !), Vol. I.
To resume. With all due deference to one who occu­
pies so high a position in the literary world a.s the author
to whom the. writer in the article under notice refers for
support,, when the task before ns is one of ascertain­
ing the real origin of any people, we must, not allow con­
siderations to bias our minds. A knowledge of the past
history of the people might do much to enable us to at­
tain that object, but it, is not always the best, or the
surest, or the most reliable. Traditions mislead as often
as they guide the inquirer, and (lie indications afforded
by mythology, maimers, and customs, not to mention
lxHjks and codes, which are their depositories, nro frequent­
ly deceptive and always vague. Language alone is the
surest and certain means available for this purpose. It
is an enduring memorial, and whatever changes it may
undergo in the course of ages, it rarely loses those fun­
damental elements which proclaim its origin and affinity.
Tf then we conduct our inquiry into the origin of the
European people by means of their language, we shall
have no difficulty in coming to a satisfactory conclusion.
Now if Moiintstuart Elphinstone says “ the common origin
of the Sanskrit language with those of the West leaves
no doubt that there was once a connection between the
nations by whom they were used," * then there is, I
submit, little ground for asserting that the Aryans were
not foreigners but aborigines of India, nnd that they
had no relationship to tlieir contemporaries of Europe
and Persia., but formed an exclusive race among them­
selves that never went out of, or came into, India. It
may be true, as the same authority says, that “ neither in
the code, nor in the Vedas of the Hindus, nor in any book
that is certainly older than the code, is there any allu­
sion made to a prior residence, or to a knowledge of any­
thing more than the name of any country out of India
* J lo u u ta tu a r t E lp liiu s to n c 's H is to ry of Iii'li.i. pngc 07, Y ol I.
 lmt tliat fact cannot be entitled to any consideration as .1 C A S K O F O /J S K S S /O .Y .
tiie Aryans, like th e rest of tiie ancients, we know, wore
lamentably deficient iu philological knowledge, and hud ' T he particulars of the case of “ obsession” alluded to
no notion of th e affinity of languages. I t is too well in the A pril n u m b e r of this magazine are given in the fol­
known now to stu d e n ts of modern philology w hat an lowing le tte r from a respectable English medical man
important p art a knowledge of Sa nskrit plays in the stud y who is in attendance upon the victim :—
of the languages of tho great In d o -E u ro p e a n family, “ I take th e liberty of addressing you in the cause of
especially with regal'd to roots and derivatives, and in humanity, with th e intention of exciting yo ur sym pathies
tracing the ide ntity of primitive ideas. And as regards and obtaining all the aid in your power to a’flbrd, in a
the unity of the languages of this family, I think, it scarce­ case of ‘ control.' You will understand that the g e n tle ­
ly remains for m e to sny th a t it has been moro th an a m ­ m an is being maile a um lhnn against his wish, through
ply demonstrated by European philologists and scholars, having attend ed a few seances for the purpose of witness­
and, above all, by no less distinguished an O rientalist aud ing ‘ materialization.'
Linguist th an Professor Max Muller himself, as m ay be “ Ever since he has been more or less subject to a series
seen from his lectures on the Science of Languages, as well of persecutions by th e controlling’ spirit and in spite of
as from those on th e same subject, delivered recently in every effort of his to throw olf the influence lie has been
connection with his H ib b c rt le c t u r e s in tho be ginning of made' to suffer most shamefully and painfully in very
last year. 1 trust, 1 have here satisfactorily disposed of many ways and underm ost, trying and aggravating circum­
this part of the objection, and shown th a t th e results of stances, especially by his thoughts being (breed into for­
philological researches are b u t too well founded to be yet bidden channels w ithout external causes being present__
controverted. tho bodily functions overruled, even being caused to
The science of anthropology m ay also be bro ught to bite his tongue and cheeks severely whilst eating, &v.,
bear ujwii the subject. According to it, the various races and subjected to every species of p e tty annoyances which
of the hum an family are classified into five principal types will serve as a means for the ' control’ (unknown) to sustain
or divisions, according to th e various peculiarities and and establish th e connexion. T he details aro in the ir
I'o n lo iii' of the cranium, and general physiognomy, viz., most painful features not such as I can write to you ; but
the Caucasian, the Mongolian, the Malay, tho African, and if there lie any means known to you whereby the influence
tho Indians of the American prairies. I t will he seen from can be diverted, and it is thought necessary to be more
this classification, us also from a reference to th e ethnolo­ particular iu my description of this case, I will send you
gical or philological map, th a t th e H indus are included all the information I possess."
among, and regarded as a m em ber of, th e great Caucasian So little is known in India of tho latest and most
or Indo-European family. Much is not known of this startling phase of W estern mediumistic phenom ena—
people, except perhaps that they may have belonged to “ materialization,"— th a t a few words of explanation are
tho Neolithic period or the Stone age, and inhabiting needed to m ake this ease understood, briefly, (ben, for
the great tableau ur table-land of Central Asia, bounded several years, in the presence of certain mediums in A m e ri­
mi the cast by the H in d u - K o o s h ranges, and on the west ca and Kurope there have been seen, often under good
by the waters of th e Black Sea. These regions are sup- test conditions, apparitions of the dead, which in every
jtosed by some— not least weighty autho rities— to have respect seem like living hu m a n beings. T h ey walk about,
been the cradle of humanity, a t some period long a n t e ­ write messages to present and absent friends, speak au di­
cedent to all documentary history, ami perhaps for th e bly in the languages familiar to them in life, even though
same reasons which political jH'onomists in latter days a t t r i ­ the m edium may be u nacq uainted with them, and are
bute to Irish and German emigrations to America and the dressed iu the garb they won- when alive. Many cases of
Colonies, they issued from th e ir primeval seats and fraudulent personation o f the dead have been detected,
spread over a considerable portion both of Asia and of pretended m ediums have sometimes gone mi for years
Europe. In Asia th e ancient Aryans who spoke the S a n s ­ deceiving th e credulous, ami real ones, whose psychical
krit, and the Medes and the Persians whose language powers have been ap parently proved beyond doubt,
was the Zend, were th e two principal branches of these have been caught playing tricks iu some evil hour
people. In Europe, th e Germans, th e Pclasgians (the when they have yielded to e ither the love of money or
ancestors of the Greeks), the Lcttic, the Slavonians, and notoriety. Still, m aking every allowance for all these,
the Celts were the five chief varieties. T he exact period of there is a residuum of veritable cases of the materializa­
these emigrations, as 1 have mentioned above, is not now tion, or th e m aking visible, tangible and audible of por­
ascertainable ; b u t if we may accept the Biblical s ta te ­ trait figures of dead people. These wonderful phenomena
ments, the period would seem distinctly to refer to th at have been variously regarded by iu vest iga tors. Most
immediately following the Noachian deluge, which by Spiritualists have looked upon them as the most precious
Scriptural chronologists is stated to have occurred about proofs of the soul-survival ; while ’I heosopllists, acqu aint­
2,:1L‘1 years before the ('hristian era ; aud the separation ed with the views ot th e ancient Thuurgists and tin; still
ef the three sons of Noah with their children and families more ancient Aryan philosophers, have viewed them as at,
would appear to explain the several emigrations in q u e s­ best misleading deceptions of the senses, fraught with d a n ­
tion,f viz., th a t ('h a m went to Africa, and Ja p lie t to E u ­ ger to the physical anil moral natures of both medium
rope, Sum remaining a t home iu Asia. and spectator— if the latter chances to he susceptible t.o
( )f course, further consideration ou this subject would certain psychical influences. These students of ( (ecultism
lead us to the vexed aud unsettled question of the unity have noticed th a t the medium s for materializations have
and common origin from Adam of the human race. Hut too often been ruined iu health by the drain upon their
when doctors disagree, as undoubtedly they do on this systems, and wrecked in morals. Tlmy have over aud again
head, who shall decide, especially when the theory of warned the Spiritualistic public th a t mcdiumship was a.
“ evolution,” and the doctrine of “ survival of the fittest,” most dangerous gift, one only to be tolerated under g re at
with experiments advanced to avouch " spontaneous g e n e ­ precautions. A nd tor this they have received much abuse
ration” act like oil poured on raging fire t and few thanks. Still one’s d u ty must be done a t every
Bombay, LSth March, 1N80. * cost, and the case now before us affords a valuable text for
one more bit of friendly counsel.
We need not stop to discuss the question w hether the
+ T h e a i d e y o u n g w r i t e r a c t s p r u d e n t l y i n p r e f a c i n g h i i DiMictil r e f e r *
euce w i t h t h e c o n j u n c t i o n “ if.” T h a t t h e r e n e v e r w a* m»r c o u l d h a v e b e e n a
so-called materialized forms above described are or are not
‘‘ uuiv cr sa l d e l u d e ” i n ‘J , 3 4 3 11.C. U p r o v e d l* cy nn d ; m v d o u b i o r ca v il l«v g e o - those of tbe deceased they look like. T h a t may be held
l*vy. H u r o n liuno.cn i n “ E g y p t ' * p l a c e in i J U t n r y ” a l l o w s a d e l u g e
more tl im i JO,O0fl y e a n I*.C. *’ C I ia u i" o r Ma in u n o w e l < o u u l»y anth ro[» o*
in reserve until the bottom facts of Oriental psychical
tajy t o h a v e h u d n o t h i n g t o d o w i t h tl ic K g y p t i a n r a c e , t h o u k i t l U o f niio.se science are b e tte r understood. Nor need we argue as to
imumuies h a v e b o o n p r o v e d I u d o * C a u c n * i a n a n d vrlioso h i g h c i v i l i z a t i o n an* w hether there has ever been an a u th en tic materialization.
tcilatud t h o X o u c h i u u d e l u g e M t h e w a t e r s o f t h e K c d .Scu a n t e d a t e t h e
feuvi O m u l - K u T l i Lvs. T he London experiences of Mr. William Crookes, i'Mt.S.j
and tlie A merican ones of Colonel Olcott, both so widely
known and of so convincing a character, give us a sufficient
basis of fact to argue upon. W c assume the reality of
materializations, and shall take the instance cited by tho
English physician as a subject for diagnosis.
T h e patient then is described as having been “ control­
led” since attending “ circles” where there were m ateriali­
zations, ami jis having become th e bond-slave of some evil
powers which force him to sav and do painful and even
disgusting things, despite his resistance. W h y is this ?
JI ow can a man be compelled to so act against his will [
W h a t is Obsession ! Three brief questions these are, b ut
most difficult to explain to an uninitiated public. The
laws of Obsession can only be well understood by him who
has sounded tho depths of Ind ian philosophy. T h e only
clue to the secret which the W est possesses is contained
iu that most beneficent science, Magnetism or Mesmerism.
T h a t does teach the existence of a. vital fluid within and
about the h um an being; the fact of different h u m a n polari­
ties ; and th e possibility of one person projecting this
fluid or force at will, to and upon an o th e r person different­
ly polarized. Baron Reichenbach’s theory of Odyle or
Odic force shows us the existence of this same fluid m
the mineral and vegetable as well as the animal kingdoms.
To complete the chain of evidence, Buchanan's discovery
of the psychomctrical faculty in man enables us to prove, by
the help of this faculty, t h a t a subtle influence is exci ted
by people upon the houses aud even the localities they live,
in, the paper they write upon, the clothing they wear, the
portion of the Universal E th e r (the Aryan A h U o ) they
exist in — anil that this is a j x : r i n a n e n t influence, percep­
tible even a t the most d istan t epochs from the tim e
when the individual lived and exerted this influence. In
one word, we may say t h a t the discoveiies of W estern
science corroborate most fully the hints thrown out by
Greek sages and th e moro defined theories of certain In ­
dian philosophers.
In dians and B uddhists believe alike that th o u g h t and
deed are both material, th a t th e y survive, th a t th e evil
desires and the g .... I ones of a man environ him in a
world of his own making, t h a t these desires and thoughts
take on shapes th a t become real to him after death, and
th a t Alvfoltn, in the one ease, and iu the other,
cannot be attained until th e disembodied soul has passed
quite through this shadow-world of the h a u n tin g thoughts,
aud become divested of the last spot of its e arthly taint.
T h e progress of W estern discovery in this direction has
been and m ust ever be very gradual. From the phenom e­
na of gross to those of more sublimated m atter, and thence
on towards the mysteries of spirit is the hard road made
necessary by the precepts of Aristotle. W estern Science
first ascertained that our outeoming breath is charged
with carbonic acid and, in excess, becomes fatal to hum an
life ; then, th a t certain dangerous diseases are passed from
person to person in the sporules thrown off into th e air
iiom the sick body ; then, th a t man projects upon every
body and every th in g he encounters a m agnetic nnrn,
peculiar to him self; and finally th e physical disturbance
sot u p in the E th e r in the process of thought-evolutiou
is now postulated. A nother step in advance will be to
realize the magical creative power of th e h u m a n mind,
and the fact th a t moral taint is j u s t as transmissible as
physical. T he “ influence ” of bad companions will then
be understood to imply a degrading personal magnetism,
more subtle than the impressions conveyed to the eye
oi the ear by th e sights and sounds of a vicious company.
T he la tte r may be repelled by resolutely avoiding to see
or hear what is bad : b u t the former enwraps th e sensi­
tive and penetrates his very being if he but stop where the
moral poison is floating iu the air, Gregory’s “ Animal
Magnetism,” Reichenbaeh’s " Researches,’ and D enton's
“ Soul of T h i n g s ” will make much of this plain to the
W estern inquirer, though neither of those authors traces
the connection of his favourite branch of science with the
parent-stock— In dian Psychology.
K eeping the present case in view, wo see a man highly
susceptible to m agnetic impressions, ignorant of th e na­
ture of th e “ materializations ” and, therefore, unable to pro­
tect himself against O bad influences, brought
o in contact
with promiscuous circles where th e impressionable me­
dium has long been the un w ittin g nucleus of evil mag­
netisms, his system saturated w ith th e emanations of the
surviving o thr o?u g h ts and desires of those who are living
o and
those who are dead. T he reader is referred to an interest­
ing paper by Ju d g e Gadgil of Barod.a, (see our December
number) on “ H indu Ideas about Communion w ith the
D ead,” for a plain exposition of this question of earth-tied
souls, or Pi-acha*. “ I t is considered” says t h a t writer,
“ th a t in th is state the soul, being deprived of th e means
of enjoyment of sensual pleasures through its own physical
body, is perpetually to rm ented by hunger, a ppetite and
other bodily desires, and can have only vicarious enjoyment
by entering into the living physical bodies of others, or by
absorbing th e sub tlest essences of libations and oblations
offered for their own sake.” W h a t is there to surprise us in
the fact th a t a negatively polarized man, a man of a sus­
ceptible tem peram ent, being suddenly brought into a
current of foul em anations from some vicious person per­
haps still living or perhaps dead, absorbs the insidious
poison as rapidly as quicklim e does moisture, until he is
saturated w ith it. Thus, a susceptible body will absorb the
virus of small-pox, or cholera, or typhus, and we need only
recall th is to draw the analogy which Occult Science
affirms to be warranted.
Neat th e E a r th ’s surface there hangs over us— to use a
convenient simile— a steam y moral fog, composed of the
nndispersed exhalations of hum an vice and passion. This
log penetrates the sensitive to th e very soul’s core ; his
psychic self absorbs it as th e sponge does water, or as
fresh milk eflluvia. It, benum bs bis moral sense, spurs liis
baser instincts into activity, overpowers his good re­
solutions. As the fumes of a wine-vault m ake the
brain reel, or as the choke-damp stifles one’s breath
in a mine, so this heavy cloud of immoral influences
carries away the sensitive beyond the limits of self­
control. and he becomes “ obsessed,” like our English
patient.
W h at remedy is there Iu suggest < Does not our very
diagnosis indicate th a t T he sensitive m ust have his
sensitiveness destroyed ; th e negative polarity m ust he
changed to a positive ; he m ust become active instead of
passive. H e can be helped by a magnetiser who under­
stands th e nature of obsession, and who is morally pure
and physically healthy ; it m u st be a powerful magnetiser,
a man of com m anding will-force. But the fight for free­
dom will, after all, have to be fought by the p atient h im ­
self. His will-power m u st be, aroused. He m u s t expel
the poisou from his system. Inch by inch he m u st win
back the lost ground. He m ust realize that it is a ques­
tion of life or death, salvation or ruin, and strive for
victory, like one who makes a last and heroic effort to
save his life. His d iet m ust be of the simplest, he must
n either ea t animal food, nor touch any stimulant, nor put
himself in any company where there is the smallest chance
for unclean th o u g h ts to be provoked. H e should be alone
as little as possible, b u t his companions should be care­
fully chosen. Ho should tak e exercise and he much in tho
o j i c n a i r ; use wood-firc, instead of coals. Every indica­
tion th a t the bad influence was still working within him
should be taken as a challenge to control his thoughts and
compel th e m to dwell upon pure, elevating, spiritual
things, a t every hazard and with a determ ination to
suffer a n y th in g r a th e r th a n give way. If this m a n can
have such a spirit infused into him, and his physician can
secure the benevolent help of a strong, healthy magnc-
tiser, of p ure character, he may be saved. A case almost
exactly like this one, except th a t the patient was a
lady, came under our notice in America ; the same
advice as the above was given and followed, and the
obsessing “ devil” was driven o u t and has been k e p t out,
ever since,
 T H K O SO V 1 1 Y I (r7^r)
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W R 7 'T ^ 'If63' Wliat IVioml.s ami wlial occa.sion liavi.* t-<>i■11>i11<-<1
To lil'ing yo thus togctlici' ! Wliat suok y<: '.
^ cr*T f q ? iR 5 7 , ^ ^ fts r ^ r ? - ^
2
^ 3 T . f t , ^^TcT cfr ^«55T 3f[T \'t: coiiiu to w o lc o m c tliosi* w h o , loavinu' a ll
q ^ r 1! fq?iTcroT, ftsr m 5 ic ? ^r \ ^ T lio y uhci'i.shed in tlu -ir fa r (J o lu n ib ia ii h o m r ,
Have- ta k e n I n d i a fo r tliu ir m o tlu 'i -la n d ,
( m * ? i) A n d us, th o so n s o f In d ia , fo r th o i r frie n d s.
E j^ r 3 7 r ^ a f r ( \ ) ? r^ r % « t ^ q r c r S c ie u e o a n d a r t , a n d a ll th e p a s t c o n c e a ls
I n its w id e w o m b , a ll law s o f m in d a n d m a t t e r ,—.
ft f r w% « rrT -^ 0 T h is is t h e e m p ir e w h e re th e y re ig n s u p r e m e ,
My obstacles uncheck'd, wit-11 hope f lu t<•,
I>ik<‘ ]>ili^riins to old Aryavart they come,
Its m onum ents of learning to restore,
it s pristine g ra n d e u r and its holy faith.
Wise teachers, y e t meek stu dents ! they have j o i n e d
Into a learned brotherhood to trace
T he elemental secrets to th eir source ;—
And New York hoast.s the honour of its birth.
Vet not th eir labours to one spot- confined,
Bombay, too, shares with th e m th e ir noble task,
And tru th s of A ryan Shastra.s every month
Before their eyes shine pure and beautiful.
:t.
Such are th e friends, who bring ye thu s tog eth er:
Long m ay they live ! anil may th e ir noble tho ughts
For ever such exalted them es pursue !
lilavatsky ! O lcott!— Veterans tried and true,
May ye both prove successful in the licld
U f knowledge and scientific research !
+.
(>, happy day ! O, day of jubilee !
Day of rejoicing to all friends sincere !
D ay of th e sacred Anniversary !
Accept this lay— my Muse’s offering !
Rejoice, ye brot hers ! where-so-e’er ye be,
W herever m et to celebrate this day :—
Y our labours are rewarded by the smiles,
T h ’ approving smiles of wise and learned men.
W h a t confidence is theirs, who move within
T h e circle of your sphere ! W h a t privilege
To share the knowledge of the tru th s occult-,
T lm t rule the laws eternal of th e mind !
T h e Vedns, that proclaim the praise of T ru th ,—
T he Sliastras of the. Brahmins. Buddhists, Ja in s,—
All these extol the knowledge of th e Brulim !
A la s ! a c h a n g e lias passed o ’er all th e World,
And men believe no more th eir old beliefs :
And the external senses ju d g e between
T h e ir impious cravings and all-holy T r u th !
And ye, the sons of Aryavart., who once
Loved from your heart of hearts all ancient lore,
E’en ye have steeped yourselves in disbelief !
W hat wonder, when Yog Siddhis are denounced
As speculative lies, delusive dreams,
(Job-wclw of far-fetched fancies, mixed, absurd i
W hen the existence of the house-bold gods,
O f ghosts and evil spirits serve no more
T h an j u s t to illustrate an idle tale {
W hen mystic riles and prayers assume the shape
O f slavish bonds, th a t serve to bind the poor
And the unwise to cunning, greedy men (
W h a t wonder, if this change has underm ined
Faith's strong foundations, and destroyed the bloom
From the fair face of science, as it blest,
W ith vivifying powers, the hum an soul i
And all th e world has felt th e blighting touch,
And matter, gross and earthy, has usurped
The god-head of the soul’s divinity !
(I.
But. now behold ! Once more th e Sun of T ru th
Shines radiant, nnd the mists of ignorance
Vanish before his keen and searching rays !
'Tis th irty sum m ers since America
I ’ave to the world experim ent'd proof
O f th e existence of the spirits of the dead.
And by four sum m ers Tim e has older grown,
Since the votaries of Theosophy combined
To test aud to believe th e Siddhis’ truth.
No more the learned scholars of the West.
Refuse to heed the promptings of the soul,
Which tells th e m ot a world within the world
Of matter, and beyond all m a tte r’s sway.
Did we not laugh, when n o t so long ago,
T he h erm it Yishnu told us of his dream —•
T h e vision of the goddess S ap t-S h tang i ?
B ut now the laugh is turned the other way :—
T h e thoughtful lay aside their sceptic g a rb ;
For in their hearts the tr u th of Siddhis shines.
And does he not, the l'a n d it Dayanand,
T h e celebrated Swami, prove beyond
T h e shadow of a doubt-, the hum an soul
A ttains to Yog and highest wonders works,
And reconciles all jarring elements ?
And th e Thcosophists have come to Jnd,
And hand-in -hand with t h ’ Aryans work to clear
T h e mists of ignorance from this fair land.
Yet ignorance sometimes is linked with faith,
And those, to whom the Sliastras will not speak,
Still cling to Siddhis with a blind belief.
T here a r e a few, whose wisdom com prehends
All b u t th e tru th of Siddhis, and for whom
Philosophy's more common tru th s have charms.
But let the learned agitate the theme,
A nd test the tr u th of this or t h a t b e lie f;—
T h e world cannot b u t profit by th e search.
T h e n shall th e veil, th a t hides th e face of death,
Me lifted, and the knowledge of the world,
Aud th e relijWoits and the moral
© . truths,
<>f the suprem e and all-pervading Clod,
Flash lightning-like into th e hearts of men !
T hen shall th e learned Tilnns work to solve
N a tu re 's mysterious laws, and utilize
T h e ir knowledge for the good of h um an kind.
Now ancient learning once more Jlows amain.
T h e tide swells on, and soon th e time shall come,
W hen Siddhis shall resume th e ir former sway,
A nd the soul's hidden powers assert th e ir own !
7.
Now may (lod's spirit fill our anxious hearts,
And leach us how to recognise th e tr u th —
If Siddhis aie acipiired by time and nature,
By previous actions or by present thoughts,
By incantations of the sacred Mantras,
O r by th e practice of the highest Yog ;
Or all these ways m ust contribute to win
T he smiling favour of the Siddhis' Lord i
N.
(.■lory, Oh glory, to th' Eternal Light!
T h a t shines, and disappears, and shines again !
Before it fades material ignorance,
And dies in agony with pallid fear.
Arise Theosophy ! The world is thine !
T H E B U J > D l l l S T I D E A A B O U T SO U L .
T he following errata, due to misprints in the Sanskrit
original already noticed, occurred in the translated nrtidu
in page 144:—
Line 11— ‘J a r t u k a s ’ read, ‘ Tiirkikiis.'
„ I 4— ‘ T h e animal soul is eternal,’ read ' In th a t sya*
tom the animal soul is also regarded as eternal.’
L ine 27— ‘ S ensational’ rend ‘ m aterial.’
„ „ ‘ N om inal' rend ‘ perceptional.'
Line 28— ' Perceptional' rnut ‘ m ental.’
„ „ ‘Sonsatioiials’ rend ' materials.’
,, 31— ‘ Sensational' read ' material.’
„ .‘(2— 'S e n sib le ' read ‘ m aterial.’
„ — ‘ T h e nominal aggregates are those that give
nam es ns characterising recognition &c.’
><’<«/ ‘ T he perceptional aggregates arc those
that receive the knowledge of objects by
the senses.’
Line '.\7— 1 B eautiful’ read ‘ good.’
Between line 40 & 41 Invert ‘ Of these the four begin­
ning with aftectional arc called N am a, and material aggre­
gates are called ltupa ; except these— N a m a and RAjw
— there is no soul or person, w hatever the living being.’
L ine i o — ‘ T h a t which knows,’ &c., read ' T h a t which is
subject to grow th and decay is shown to be
insercstaut ( sic)
 Lino — ‘ Bud’ m id ‘ bird.’
,, 06 —‘ Their’ mid ‘ the.’
1 beg to say, however, that the translation is admirable.
'J’lie translator, though learned in Sanskrit ami English
must, have found it difficult to find appropriate terms for
technical words in tho Buddhist religion.
11. S l ' M A N C / U. A ,
T H E "H I N D U OR A R Y A " QUESTION.
m r IiA O B A H A D U l l D A D O U A I 'A N D U H A M i .
I doubt not but tliat almost all the thinking Aryans
of India will join with mein voting unanimously their ap­
probation of the recommendation of Mr. B. P. Sankdhar,
of Meerut, in the TiiKosni'tnsT for April, that his Aryan
countrymen should discard from their vocabulary the
name H i n d u by which they have hitherto been wrongly
calling themselves, and substitute instead the old appro­
priate and dignified term “Arya,” by which their ancestors
were known. I have long been thinking on the sub­
ject, aiul have always laughed in my sleeve, whenever the
Hindus, not content, a.s it were, Avith their lamentable
ignorance iu so designating themselves, have shown a
sort of pride, to boot, iu the assumption of that contemp­
tuous name or rather nick-name, as Tmust call it.
The word Hindu cannot, I think, be traccd to any other
language than Sanskrit for its first origin, viz., to either
Intlu, the moon, or Sindh", the river Indus, giving the
name I ml or Hind to the country, H i n d i to the language,
nnd Hi n du to the. people of that country, as so-called hy
the neighbouring Afghans, Persians, and Arabs. The
name was not at first intended as a term of reproach, as
Mr. Sankdhar is led to.supjto.se, but as a simple designation
derived from the name of the country. But, when, in the
course of time, the Mahomedans conquered this country
and settled in it, they retained the same name. Aud as
conquerors, full of enthusiasm for the propagation of their
new religion, they were often led by pride and arrogance
to use it in its derogatory and opprobrious sense to signify
a dark and weak race ; just as the word nii/i/cr is heard
applied to all the races of India in our own (lays by some
inconsiderate and low-bred Englishmen—an ignominious
fate which every conquered people must always be pre­
pared to meet and to'submit to. Dark, no doubt, appeared
to the conquerors the bulk of the population as compared
to the fair-complexioned Persians and Turks (of Turkes­
tan and Tartary), who comprised the majority of the
governing race. Tn this way the word Hi ndu soon came
to signify dark or black, in the Persian language, as will be
clearly seen from the following couplet from the celebrated
Persian poet, Hafiz :—
A t j er un T u r k- i - S h i ra z i la-dutst u r a d ilil-i-vit'mt,
Bakhid- i- Hindi ash bak/mltam Siimurktrnd-o-Bokhiirdra.
In this couplet Htifiz qualifies the noun 7,7<«7 , a mole, on
the fair cheek of a damsel whom the. lover is seen here,
courting with the adjective I l i i t d u in the sense of dark
or black. I should not, therefore, wonder more at the con­
temptuous sense in which the name Hindu came to be
used by the Mahomedans us the then conquering race,
than at the word Native used in the same sense by some
proud sons of Britain ; though in the intrinsic sense of
neither of these two terms themselves is there anything
derogatory. Both words are indispensable in the vocabu­
lary of foreign nations, to distinguish one race or com­
munity from the other with respect to cither its coun­
try or its creed. But this view of the question con­
stitutes no argument at all 111 favor of the appropriation
of a name, apparently contemptuous and derogatory, by a
race or community at the expense of its own self-respect
and dignity. To continue to call oneself Hindu, only be­
cause foreigners call one so, is a most lamentable mistake
on the part of our Aryan brother, and the sooner he
avoids it the better ; especially now that he has been told
that there is an appropriate and dignified name by which
lie may designate himself and his whole community and
which was long in vogue amongst his own noble ancestors.
Let foreigners call him by whatever name they please,
for lit! cannot control their tongues.
But, allow me to speak here more fairly and candidly
than 1 have already done to my countrymen—Anarya (not.
Arya, or opposite to Arya) as they now really appear in the.
sight of more enlightened and civilized nations, 011 account
of their many self-derogatory practices to which they
still cling ui'ider the guidance of all ignorant and selfish
priesthood, as an essential part of their present creed—
that unless they become really Arya in the tine sense of
the word, as were their ancestors of old, by their moral
courage and magnanimity, I would not lay any great
stress on the mere assumption or bearing of a name, how­
ever high-sounding and proud it may be. Let them,
therefore, first strive to deserve the name before, they begin
to wear it.
As to the term Native, to which many of my country­
men seem to object, a.s will be seen from another column
('page l(i(i)ofthe Tnkosoi'Mist, 1 quite agioo in the ob­
servation 011 this point of the Editor of that, journal.
Equally, if not more objectionable is another practice
into which almost all the English-educated Natives of
India appear to be inadvertently and thoughtlessly falling
fast, in imitation of the custom peculiar to Europeans, J
shall advert to it in my next communication.
Humhay, 8 th April, LSHO.
(P o n tiim cJ from tlio hV bm ary K u n tW r.)
THE N A T U R E A N D OFFICE OF BU D D H A'S
H E L I O ION.
HY THK HT. ItKV. II. SUMANOAI.A, I’.T.S.
Summit, Samcidlu.
Kkjiit MKDITATIOX.
I propose to treat briefly on Snmm'i Sautibllti, the sub­
je c t of this paper. This is the last ( t n u j a ) member of
the Anju ustdnt/il.iimuii/a. In religion Snmudhin are of va­
rious natures, but I shall here confine myself to one parti­
cular Sitnindlt i, and shall endea vour to offer a few remarks,
explaining the process by which that state should be
attained.
Sdiiuulhi is that state of the mind in which dispersed
thoughts are brought together and concentrated 011 one
particular object. The chief feature in Sum a d hi is com­
posure of the mind and its essential characteristic is the
restriction of thoughts from dispersion. Stability aids its
sustentation and undisturbed happiness is its natural result.
The mind being thus calm and reconciled attains the state
of Stnmiilhi. The primary stage of this state of the mind
is known as Upachuru Sumadhi which simply restrains
thoughts from being dispersed. The second 01 tho ad­
vanced stage is Ujtjtmtu Sumiidhi which effects a com­
plete reconciliation and composure of the mind.
Again, Sunuulhi is divided into two classes—Lokii/n and
Lukullttra. Lokii/u (worldly) S<tmu</hi is a state into which
any one may enter, it' he is so disposed, whereas L o iu t l a r a
(superhuman) Sumiidhi can bo entered into only by those
who are free from worldly desires. J.okii/a S mn u d h i is a
preliminary step to'the attainment of Lttkullaru. The
devotee who is desirous of (altering into Lttkii/ti S um u d hi
should be guided by the directions laid down in Fitnnn-
blt/rivttmt, a process of meditation. In order to reach
this state the devotee should, as a primary stop, entirely
give himself up to devotion, and this is to be done in tho
manner prescribed in the third, fourth, and fifth anga.-i
of the A n j u astthujiku man/a c hu t u p a v i s u dd h i nihts. Next
ho should proceed to free himself from the ten worldly
troubles. They arc—
1. Awusupulilxxlha —trouble arising from building
houses.
2. Ku-lupalihotllm—trouble arising from the connection
with a family, its happiness and sorrows.
:t. LahhapalHiim/Iiu—from excessive gains.
4 . Uunupulibodha —from duties incumbent on ateacher,
 •>. ]\it»i)n<i/Htli/itxl/m— from nnv manual work, sucli as
carpentry, iKv.
fi. Aihlliai)ii/iiili/"x//in— trouble arising from a person
hav in g t<> undertake ;i long journey in connexion witb
tb e aftairs of another or for liis own {fains.
7. NdiiixililxnUni— trouble arising from having to attend
to th e sickness of one's own teacher, pupils and parents.
8. AlHulhapaliboillia— trouble caused by one's own
liodily .sufferings. ' ||
!•. Giuilliiij a11tinhlh it— from constant, study.
10. Ii/,/hi/inl!/„,,l/io— from worldly power and it.s loss.
I' reed from these annoyances thedevol.ee should then
be acquainted with the systematic process of meditation
and should receive instructions from a worthy friend or an
eminent- preceptor.
Meditation is of t wo classes— Siihhnlhlinhim iiiatlhuiuiin
nnd P u r ih (ini/nlid in inn Ith it num. Siililiathhulniiiniut/liununi
in th a t process of meditation wherein the devotee exercises
universal love of'm ankind, reflects that, death is close at
hand and th a t the hum an body nnd all it.s component
parts are liable to decay, and that, therefore, they are lo b e
abhorred. / ‘i'(i'ilnirii/<ihiminott/iiin<im is th a t process of
meditation which applies to a man according to his moral
nature.
These are forty iu number, but I shall take u p one of
them nnd show how abstract, meditation should be prac-
t ised.
T he moral nalure of man is divided into six classes, viz.,
1. liiKjiichnrilo— Sensuous.
2. / hmnchurito— Irascible.
•t. Mi'lim'hii ri In— Ignorant.
4. StultlJiuc/niriln— Faithful.
■i. liiiihl/iii'/iiiiili)— Discreet..
(>. 1 ilnkliu-liurito— Reflective.
T he fii-st, th re e of these are evil qualities and th e last,
three aro virtues. I f in one man's n a tu re an evil and
virtue combine, that, which predominates will influence his
moral character. T he process of meditation is to be decid­
ed by the preceptor according lo the tendency of the
candidate's moral character. T he devotee should then
seek retirement, and seclusion where lie can be free from
cares and troubles, considering himself resigned to eith er
his preceptor or Huddlm.
T H E JA IN V I E W OF 0 ,\f.
r.Y l!AO ISA11AI>1TIt (iOl'Al.UAO ITAIt I DKSIt MHKIf,
ViiV-l'ri'iiib'lit nf t/n* Tln'onophiitil Sofii'hi.
In continuation of th e explanation of tbe word “ Dm,"
given by the learned Uno l!;dindnr Hadoba Pandurang,
J beg to state th a t there is an " U | anishal.’’ called “ Pra-
navopanishnt” to be found in the first cha p te r of the (!opa-
tha Brahman of the A thaiva Veda. It begins with the
words
There are thirty-six questions asked and answered in con­
nection with the sacred w o r d -‘ Om,” which is a “ Biju”
according to the T antric phraseology. Manu in his digest
of laws savs as follows :
IRTstftaRjFW/ttfTT II
It. means “ whoever knows the Pranava, knows all the
Vedas."
T he Pailma Puran has the following verse on th e su b ­
ject :
Translation.
T he syllable “ Dm"— th e mysterious name of Brahma.—
is th e leader of all prayers. Let it, therefore, O Lovely-
Faced (Shiva addresses Durga) be employed in the begin­
ning of all prayers.
According to this commntid the word “ O m ” is always
pronounced before any sacred recitation begins.
Vnyu Pu ra n has one chap ter on tho subject. T he two
following verses are extracted from it
II
II
||
T he Bhagwnt (!it-a, has the following verse :—
^•3 «to > 3
T he M andukyn U panishal contains a long eulogy upon the
word “ Om.”
T h e J a in s say t hat, the. word is the most, sacred accord­
ing to th e ir books. T hey divide it, into five letters,
3T. 3T. 3TF. 3 . and
T h e first indicates !. e., a man who has obtained
salvation of soul nnd has at tained th e degree of TrTV^C
T he second shows or a saved soul which has
left the mortal lxxly.
T h e third le tte r denotes or superior teacher.
T h e fourth m eans 3*Tfw?n or subordinate teacher.
T h e fifth shows or saint.
These five to gether are called nnd th e word
“ O m ” is equal to five |>ersons to whom ndoration is duo
and is daily offered.
T he following tna</n<lhi lines express all th a t is written
a b o v e :—
W>^fTt 3?flflCT 3 1 R W
fTl? R rn^i qT refaif ||
Each of these five persons is described as endowed with
several virtues. T he fust with twelve, the second with eight,
the third with thirty-six, the fourth with twenty-five, and
the fifth with twenty-seven, equal to J OS. In commemora­
tion of these virtues, they make a rosary of 108 bonds and
repeat the word “ O m" in th e morning and evening.
T he .Tain opinion about, ( iod as th e creator is th at he
does not exist.. They believe that, the universe is without-
beginning and without, end. They hold that m a tte r is
eternal in one shape or other. T he book, called 1**11 ^
Vol. I., printed a t Bomliay by Sha Bhimjee Manuk at the
Nirnnvn Sngar Press, states at thebegilining of the page74H,
IMC1tf% WW & %
and m aintains t h a t if it, is necessary to suppose th a t there
is a creator, then there m ust lie a creator of th e creator.
Every result, m u s t have a cause and by analogy there
m ust be a (Jod for (Iod. The soul is stated to be immor­
tal w ith o u t ltcgiiining, b u t capable of highest virtue, im­
provement. and salvation. This is the J a in view of the
Creator. T h e above is one of the many argu m en ts which
th e J a in s give for disproving th e existence of a creator.
Tliev have no creator nor any prayer. They lielieve that
each act produces its result which is either punishm ent
or reward, pain or pleasure. Some Bengali writer in your
magazine said th a t the J a in s l>elievod in the existence of
a creator, but this does not, app ear to he correct according
to th e R a tn a k a r cited above.
Bomliay, l o t h April 1880.
TH E POONA E X II H U T I O N O F 1880.
W e have received Irom th e Secretaries of th e Poona
E xhibition Committee, Messrs. (Jliintaman S. Chitnis and
M. B. Namjoshi, the official circular and prem ium-list ju s t
issued. T h e Exhibit ion will open in the month of May in
Hirabag, and doubtless include a large and im po rtan t dis­
play of specimens of N a tiv e Industrial Art,
 Prizes of Rs. 100 each aro offered b y H is H ighness the
Maharajah H o lk a r for cotton grown in th e Deccan or Malw a;
by H is Excellency R ajah Sir T. M adhav Rao, K.C.S.I.,
for large or small locks in imitation of C hubb locks ; by
the Poona Museum Com m ittee for specimens of useful
earths, with articles m ade from t h e m ; for useful stones
for lithographic, tool-sharpening, and o th e r purposes ; for
woods ot all kinds ; for grasses and leaves of trees th a t can
be employed in th e a r t s ; for glass bangles ; and for roshel
and linseed oils— specimens ami a written description to
accompany each exhibit.
As the coni|>etitor» were required to hand in th e ir es­
says and specimens by the last day o f April, we can only
announce the prizes ami add our earnest hope I hat, there
has been a full response to the Com mittee's liberal offers.
Every attem pt to revive Indian art is entitled to tlic a p ­
probation and support of the whole country.
---------------- —
U O W H K S T TO J I K C O M K A TI I EOS OI ' HI S T.
IiY lilt. (ilOiHHlK WYI.V),
/Vcn/iA'ii/, British Thconojthiial iSoci'it/.
L o ndon, 19th M un'h, ISSt).
D kah C olonki . O lcott ,
T h e T hkosoi -hist for March has ju s t come to h a n d ’
and in order to catch th e post, I sit down to write to you
nt once a few hurried lines.
I th a n k you fur th e kind and flattering words yon use
in speaking of my Presidential address, but at the same
tim e I think you som ewhat tiiil to appreciate th e full
m eaning of the position I take.
W hen 1 speak of an Oriental adept, I distinctly declare
that I do so with all deference, confessing my imperfect
information and even my ignorance. AVhen, for instance,
1 say that “ tbe a d e p t obtains magical powers which lie
uses for his own ends and over spirits,” you m isinterpret
me by implying xel/i>h ends and ruimortuiff with spirits.
This is the reverse of w hat I m eant. I meant that- his
ends were more private than public, and tlmt he t'om-
m m u k il b u t did not con&i/rt with weaker spirits than h im ­
self.
As I intend shortly to reprint six of my papers which
have during the last two years appeared in tin S p ir itu a l­
ist, 1 will take care to express myself so as to correct the
words on which you inadvertently misinterpret my luean-
ing. _ ever, let us offset, the lamasery, which we do not know to
I suppose yon a t once adm it th a t th e adopt works chiefly
in secret., and that so far he differs from those Christians
who in the history of th e church obtained divine powers.
I will also note what yon say ab ou t female adepts, al­
though we in London are u nd e r th e belief th a t H. I*. B.
led us to understand tha t no fu lly initiated female adept
existed.
Yon say, y o u r" fifty years’ experience forces you to con­
clude that Christianity is a 1 ad religion, and fosters eveiv
sin and vice against which its ethical c td e inveighs."
Surely you have not pondered your words— for how can
a perfect elhiciil cot/e foster every sin and vice ?
W h a t you mean is t h a t — so-called Christian churches
anil priesthoods have been guilty of every sin and vice.
1 m ig ht with equal logic say, Buddhism must lie an
abominable religion, Le<anse I find th e most ih ginding
ignorance and vice is to V,e found in many of the lam a­
series of Thibet.
But, instead of reasoning thus, I, in my address speak
of esoteric Huddhism with the greatest reverence ami res­
pect, ami I assert th a t esoteric C h ristianity and esoteric
Buddhism are iu th e ir central spirit identical.
1 h o p e y o u m a y lie a b l e t o in s e r t t h i s s h o r t l e t t e r in t h e
T h k o s o p i i 1ST, b e c a u s e I w is h m y o r i e n t a l b r o t h e i s t o u n ­
d e r s t a n d t h a t in all I w i i t e , I d e s i r e t i n t h o n ly , a u d I a m
p r e p a r e d no w a n d a lw a y s to s t a n d t h e r e b y at w h a t e v e r
cost.
Moreover, 1 feel this, as a conviction of my soul, th a t
were I adm itted to intim ate conversation with a tiulv
spiritual adept, we should find our views on religion, in
their central essence, identical.
Believe me, dear Brother,
Yours sincerely,
O k o h o e W v i . n , M.n.
■Yotr* 011 Ihe Ilhure.
. ^.Y explanations of the real motive of th e Indian ascet­
ics^ severe course of self-spiritualization, as given in the
article to which Dr. W yhl adverts, were so clear that, upon
a second reading 1 do not see that further elucidation is
called for. I think I showed that the acquisition of divine
powers to use them for good of m ankind and not. for p ri­
vate benefit of any kind, was what, is sought. Tho ascetic
of India “ works in secret” while developing liis powers
only because contact with the filthy selfishness and sen­
sualism of tho world would prevent th e development. And
if the full adept, after becoming such lives apart, it is lie-
eanse he can th u s best work for humanity. Though u n ­
seen, he is nevertheless ever doing good. 1 recall no in­
stances of ( 'hristian “ adepts,” or, indeed, any of another faith
— who did not at least gain their powers by fasting, m edi­
tation, and seclusion ; nor any who afterward freely lived
and mingled with the gluttonous and vicious crowd. The
long list of untrained religious ecstatics we will not take
into account. W h e th e r epileptics, mediums, natural clair­
voyants, or mesmerized neurotics, they are not to be m e n ­
tioned in the same breath with the instructed, powerful
initiate of Esoteric Science, to whom nature's secrets arc
known and her laws his auxiliaries.
I re-affirm that I have m et some female ascetics possess­
ed of magical powers, and know of more. B u t I did not say
th a t e ith er of these or any female had reached the h ig h ­
est. possible degree of power in occult science : there
are many stages, and all persons do not reach the same.
Dr. Wyld should not m a ke me a pp earto call the( 'hristian
ethical code “ perfect.” I f it were jierfect, th en it certainly
would not lend itself to a double interpretation and so foster
every vice and sin. In my ju d g m e n t,th e d o c trin o o f vicarious
atonement., the very basis of Christianity, neutralizes all its
lofty moralities,since itp re tc n d s th a l faith, not merit., secures
salvation. In this respect Muddliism is vastly superior.
As to the degrading ignorance ami vice in the lamaseries
of T hibet, if Dr. Wyld has “ found” them there, it must
have l>een throntrh th e eves of some im aginative liook-
m ak er ; for no real traveller— the Ahlie H u e mil excepted
— has had the chance to make sucli a discovery. H ow ­
be a nest of sensualist,ie recluses, against the <'hristian
monastery and nunn ery which we do know to have so
often been such, and confine ourselves to th e main subject.
T he a u th o r of a very recent essay, speaking iu an A u stra­
lian magazine from the standing-point of |iersoiial obser­
vation, says:— "< hi theotherliand.savagc and uncivilized races
may he found whose domestic life is in th e highest degree
moral, a.s the Zulus, am ong whom crimes, such as we regard
them, do not exist, and a more honest, truthful, and chaste
race is not to be found, as 1 can affirm from years’ residence
among them. And that, this morality arises from intui­
tion is proved by the fact that, when they are educated
aud taught. ‘ Bible tru th s,’ they immediately become im­
moral ; and, like the English mistress, who puts into her
advertisement, ' No Irish need apply,’ the Natal mistress
says, ‘ N o ('hristian Kaffir need apply,’ for when Chris­
tianised the men are thieves and the women unchaste.”
On behalf of B uddhist, Vcdaist, .lain and Parsi, I am
(|iiite satisfied to list, the moral code of either of t hese faiths,
which alike teach th a t merit can alone save, be compared
with the code of ( 'hristianity, which teaches that the sin­
ner may be saved from th e natural consequences of his
sin by faith in the vicarious efficacy of th e blood of one
named Jesus. As was rem arked in my previous article, if
my respected friend and brother, Dr. W yld, were to study
Eastern philosophies u n d e r Eastern masters, his opinions
would certainly change.
. II. S. Oi.i'irrr.
Bombay. April. 1.SM0.
 MR. W H IT W O R T H S GAUNTLET. Assistants to the Corresponding Secretary :
To sucli as do not know tlie reluctance of the C hris­ Rustamji D. Sethna ............................. Sanskrit.
tian church and its bullies to attack a strong and manly Damodar K. Mavalankar .................... Marathi &• English.
foe (except by inuendo), flic silence in which Mr. 0 . 0. Mine. E. Coulomb ............................. French Italian.
W h itw o r th ’s “ Personal S ta te m e n t of Religious Belief" Panachand Anandji Parekh ........... Hindi.
Kallianji Narayanji ............................. Gujrathi.
has been received, must seem strange. 'I’his brave p a m p h ­
Narayan Lakshmaya Bhatkal ........... Kanarese.
let deserves the thoughtful a tte n tio n of n ot only every K. Venkatrao Narasayya .................... Tclcngi.
Christian, hut every man of any faith who cares for the
JOINT RECORDING SECRETARIES:
approval of conscience. It is a clarion call to honest
speech and useful living. Most, unfortunately, our e x te n d ­ William Q. Judge. | Kharsedji N. Sccrvai.
ed notice of the w ork (see p. IS'J of T i i h h s o I’III s t for ASSISTA N T RECORDINC SECRETARY:
April) was so it,-imped in between the article on “ C re m a ­ Sorabji Jamaspji Padshah.
tion in A m erica” and th e crowded m a tte r in the last page, TREASURER:
th a t it may have escaped the notice of many ; which the George Valentine Maynard.
printer’s aggravating omission of its title from the Table LIBRARIANS:
of Contents m akes more probable still. If any have pass­ August Gustam. | Sorabji Jamaspji Padshah.
ed it over let them read it and take its lesson to heart.
The General Council.
T H E T H E O S O PH IC A L SOCIETY. Prof. Alexander Wilder, m . d. N ew York, U. S . A.
I m p o ita n t events in the Society’s history occurred J. H. D. Buck, Esq., m . d . Cincinnati, U. S . A.
during th e month of April. Among those were th e selec­ E. Wimbridge, Esq., g . r . i . b . a . Nino York, U. S . A.
tion of officers for th e current y e a r; th e issue of a C harter
The Rt. Hon. the Lord Lindsay ... London, England.
to Signor I ’asquale Menelao and associates, of Corfu,
George Wyld, Esq., m. d . (Edin.) ... London, England.
(!reeee, to regularly organize the Io n ia n 'I'mi.'iisopiiicai, Paris, France.
Monsieur Camille Flammarion ...
S o c ik ty : and the foundation of the Bomiiay Tiikosii- Rev. Mohattiwatti Gunanande, (Bud­
J’nicAI. SiiciK'I Y, which will he under a special charter dhist Priest) ... Ceylon.
and have jurisdiction over Theosophical affairs throughout Baron Odon von Yay ... Buda Pesth, I fun.
the Bombay Presidency. Increasing dem ands upon the Dr. Nicolas Count de Gonemys ... Corfu.
lime of th e executive officers of the Parent Society made The Hon. N. A. Eadeew ... Odessa, Russia.
the latter step necessary, and tlie effect will doubtless be Roberto B. Allen, Esq. ... Venezuela, S. A.
most salutary. A nother highly encouraging circumstance David E. Dudley, Esq., M.n. ... Manila, Phi. Islands.
was the adhesion to the P a r e n t Society of a considerable Count de Nichichievich de Nichea ... Mansoura, Egypt.
num ber of em inent Frenchm en, among them M. Rene Lt.-Col. W. Gordon, Staff Corps ... Mannbhoom, Bengal.
0aill& th e engineer, associate of de Lesseps in building Rao Bahadur Janardan Sakharam Gad-
the Suez Canal, and President of the Paris Psychological gil, 1I.A..I.I..H. ... Earoda, Bombay.
Society ; M. Camille Flammarion, the distinguished astio- Babu Sishir Kumar Ghose ... Calcutta, Bengal.
Babu Jwala Sahaie ... Oodcypore, Rajput.
nomer ; M. F’auvety, the philosopher and a u th o r; M.
Keshow Narsing Mitvalankar, Esq. ... Bombay.
Tremeschini ; Kugene Nils, the well-known au th o r ; Charles Vinayek R. Patwardhan, d . a ., i . l . ii . Bombay.
de Rappard, founder of the journal J.ieht, Mehr L ieht \ Pandit Jaswant Roy Bhojapalra Multan, Panjab.
Camille Chaigneau, the poet ; (ieorgcs Cochefy, the mag- Kavasji Merwanji Shroff, Esq. Bombay.
netist, and others. A nd now th at the “ Russian spy” Moolji Thackersey, Esq. Bombay.
scare about the Theosophists has blown over and we can Pandit Mohunlal Vishnulal Pandea Nathdivara. Rajput.
afford a >;ood-natured lausrh with th e detectives who a t
great cost “ shadowed ’ us thro ug ho ut India, their a t t e n ­
tion is invited to the nam es of our British Members of Supreme Chief of the Theosophists of the Arya Samaj,
l ’A N I H T D A Y A N A N I ) S A U A S W A T I , S W A M I .
Council, among which is th a t of a nobleman whose rank
as a m an of science is very great, since he is one of the [This is a d istin ct branch of th e Theosophical Society and of the
A rya Sam aj of India. I t is composed of W estern and Eastern
Council of th e Royal Society of England, and President T heosophists who accept Sw am iji Iiavi'mand as th eir leader.]
of the Astronomical Society. Such Englishm en are not
commonly supposed to consort, with Russian spies !
T he next step to be taken by the Society is one of tlie
THE BOMBAY THEOSOPHICAL SOCIETY,
most im portant possible. On the (ith instant, th e Presi­ nmCKltS AND I'OITNCII,— 1880.
dent and Corresponding Secretary, accompanied by a S p e ­ P resident: Keshowrao N arsing M a v a la n k ar: Vice-Pre-
cial Committee of the Bombay Society, will sail for Cey­ siilenlx: K. N . Scervai and llao B ahadu r Gopalrao Hari
lon to inaugurate th e long-contemplated Buddhist branch. D e sh m u k h ; Secretary: Framroz Rastamji J o s h i ; Trea­
Full particulars of the voyage will appear n e x t month. surer : K rishnarao N a rsin g M avalankar ; Council : E d ­
Following are th e— ward W imbridge, Mooljeo Thackersey, V. R. Patwardhan,
Sorabji Edulji W arden and Rastamji Cowasji Jiibooli.
EXECUTIVE OFFICERS FOR 1880.
President: TA BLE OF CON TEN TS.
C ol . H en ry S. O lcott . rngc. Tage.
A M edal of H o n o r............... lii:) Puzzles for tlie Philologists . 2ofi
Vice-Presidents : A New P ro p h et in In d ia ... lill A Case of Obsession ............ 207
A l ’arsi Ascetic ..................... l!l-l Welcome Theosophy ! ........ 20!)
Rt. Rev. H . Siimangala (Buddhist High Castes in In d ia ................. 190 The B uddhist Id ea about
Priest) ....................................................... Ceylon. Spiritualism & Theosophy.. 1!KS Sold ........_............................ 210
Baron Jules Denis du l ’otet .................... France. Real Buddhism— lv u n n n a... 1!)!) The “ H indu’or A ry a ’ Ques­
Raja Shyania Shankar Roy............................. Bengal. The Silelit B rother ............ 2UU tion ...................................... 211
The Children of tho Sim ... 201 The N atu re and Office of
Rao Bahadur Gopalrao Ilari Deshmukh... Bombay. The Vedauta Philosophy ... 201 B uddha’s R eligion............ 211
Pandit Adityaram Bhattacharya ... ... N .- IV. Provinces. Jo u rn alist vs. Missionary ... 202 The Ja in View of Om............ 212
Major-Genl. Abner Doubleday ................... U. S . America. The Life of Sunkaracharya, The Poona E xhibition, 18S0 212
C. C. Massey, Esq............................................ England. Philosopher and M y stic.. 203 How b est to become a
The Hon. Alexandre Aksakof .................... Russia. A Prisoner Feigning I)eath. 20-t Theosophist......................... 213
Signor Pasquale Menelao................................. ... Corfu. Soundings in the Ocean of M r. W hitw orth's G auntlet.. 211
A ryan L iteratu re ............ 20-3 The Theosophical S o ciety ... 214
Corresponding Secretary
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Y o u are free:

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 th e f o llo w in g c o n d it 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 ith th e u n d e r s t a n d in 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 .
 HEOSOPHIST
A MONTHLY JOURNAL DEVOTED TO ORIENTAL PHILOSOPHY, ART, LITERATURE AND OCCULTISM : EMBRACING
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Vol.. 1. B O M BA Y , J U N E , 1880.
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b e r s ol n o t lc"*s l h a n 40 c o l u m n s IJ o ya l 4 t o e a c h , o f r e a d i n g m a t t e r , o r
4 $0 c o l u m n s iu al l, a r e a s f o ll o w s ; T o S u b s c r i b e r s i n a n y p a r t o f I n d i a ,
IN. 0 p e r a n n u m ; in C e y l o n , IN 7 ; iu t h o S t r a i t * S e t t l e m e n t s , C h i m i, J a p a n ,
a n d A u s t r a l i a , IN. # ; in A f r i c a , h u r o p e , a n d t h e U n i t e d s t a t e s , .1 J. Ilalf
} e a r ( I n d i a ) IN. 4 ; S i n - l o c o p i e s a n n a s \ >. K e u i i t t a u c e s in p o s t a l s t a m p
luu.-t h e a t t h e r a t e o f a n n a s 17 t o t h o U u p o o t o c o v e r d i s c o u n t T h e above
r a t e s i n c l u d e p o s t a g e . . \ o hit me «ft i l IW <>i(rtnt m Me <*»' r »nt(
tt x f t l (/•< h ti o n i n y c u tilU tl; a m i i n . a . u t l l y (he /*»/*>• t r .fl U it n , a a l
n t th< <.i/m f l t u n i>j tkc t*r»* ifb s c i tLxil fuv. I t e m i t t a n c c s s h o u l d b e m a d e i u
M o n o ) o r d e i •*, 11 1i n <Ii-t, U i l l c h c p i c s , < op T i r a n t i r y b i l l s , i f iu r c „ 'U t e r e d
l e l t e i ' a ) , a n d m a d e p a y a b l e o n l y t o t h e l * l < o |' U |I .T tJ l (a UK l l l i ; J'ln .U b V fllU l,
l l 1^ , l i i r g u u i n U a c h J J o a d , U o i u b u y , I n d i a .
A«;i m s : l . u n d o n t ICn^.), li v r u t i r d Q u n i i t e h , 1.‘ i ' i c c a d i l l y . W . ; N e w V t. r k ,
S. Jt. W o l U C o . , 787, l l r o a d w a y ; l . n s to i i, JlihH, ( ’id b v a n d Kic h, !►, M on t*
^ o im .ry !* h u e ; C h ic ag o , 1)1. J . (_!. H u m l y , l»J, I,a S a l l e S t. A m e ric a n hub-
>eiihern m a y a ^ . » o u l u r t h e i r p a p e r s t h r o u g h W . J u d - e . Iv>.i., 7J , U r o a d -
w ay, N ew Y ork. ‘ *
i' e y h » n : I s a a c \ \ e e r e a o o r i y a , J i e p u t y C o r o n e r , D o» la m b iw u : J o h n f i o b e r t
d e S i l v a , C o lo m b o .
THE THEOSOPHIST.
IJOSlliAY, J U N K Isr, is s o .
'I'll •: KMTllltl.W. NOTIC’K <»K TIIK Pill ll‘( )S IOD VISIT <»K O il If
Tliu'ii.so|iliiuiil D c k 'g a tio ii to tlio Isla n d o f (V y lo n , w liii li is
triuisl'iTi i'd to u u r c o lu m n s 1'ioia th o s e o f tlio P io n e e r , w ill
lie len d w itli p le a s u re a n d in t e r e s t liy e v e ry F e llo w o f
o u r S o c ie ty , W e s te r n a n d E a s te r n . I t s to n e is s o k in d ,
fra n k iu ill h o n o u ra b le t h a t w e a ro a ll p la c e d u n d e r la s tin g
o b lig a tio n s to th o E d ito r . I t w ill b e ta k e n a s a m o s t
e n c o u ra g in g fa c t t h a t w ith in a s in g le tw e lv e m o n th th o
o b je c ts ol o u r v is it to I n d i a h a v e b e c o m e so a p p a r e n t ,
d e s p ito th o s t r e n u o u s e ffo rts t h a t in t e r e s t e d o p p o n e n ts
lia v e m a d e to p la c e i t s in a fal.;e p o s itio n . A y e a r a g o ,
th e tl o v e r n m e n t w a s s p e n d in g la r g e s u m s to tr a c k o u r
s te p s ; now th e fu s e is s o m e w h a t d i f f e r e n t '
' I H K W o M K N W H O A U K F o l i M I N d S o l ' I l ” l' I ICS T i 1 II K M ’ T I I K
h e a th e n , th e n e g ro a n d t h e In d ia n , m i g h t find a h u g e
Held ol C h r is tia n lo v e a n d se rv ic e u n o c c u p ie d a m o n g th o
so rely te m p te d s h o p - g ir ls a n d s c w in g -w o m o n h e r e iu ° th i s
c ity ,— Holden Hide, B vdon,
N o. II.
THE G llIP O P A FlilUSIJ.
'■ M a d a n ii' li la v u ts k y a n d ( 'o lo n c l O lc o tt" — .siv : th e
1 ‘to u n r ( A lla h a b a d ) o f A p ril 2 8 t h —" t h e p riu i'ip a l r e ­
p r e s e n ta tiv e s ol th e T h e o s o p h ic a l S o c ie t\ w h ic h h a s ta k e n
ro u t a t llo m b n y a re a b o u t to pay a \ i s i l to C e y lo n , a c c o m ­
p a n ie d b y s e v e n o tl ie r m e m b e r s o f the- S o c ie ty , A\ith (ho \ iew
o f o rg a n iz in g a n o w b ra n c h a t tin ; g r e a t lic a d - ip ia r te r s o f
H itd d liism . T h e p ro g re s s o f t h e i r w o rk in In d ia is w ell w o rth
a tt e n ti o n , ip iito a p a r t from a ll ip ic s tio n s a s to tin ; r e la tiv e
m e r its o f c re e d s. H i t h e r t o th e m o tiv e s w h ic h h .n e b r o u g h t
E u ro p e a n s lo India, h a v e b e e n s im p le a n d e a s ily d e tin e d .
T h e y h a \ e c o m e to g o v e rn , to m a k e m o n e y , o r to c o n v e r t
th e p e o p le to C h r is ti a n it y . C u rio s ity a n d p h ilo lo g ic a l
s tu d y m a v h a v e te m p te d a lew s tra g g le r s , b u t th e s e h a v e
c o m e a n d g o n e a n d le f t n o tra c e . T h e T h e o s o p liis ts . on th o
o th e r h a n d , h a v e c u n e b e c a u s e th e y a ro tille d w ith a lo v ­
in g e n th u s ia s m fo r I n d ia n re lig io u s p h ilo s o p h y a n d p s y ­
c h o lo g ic al sc ie n c e . T h e y c o m e n e it h e r to ru le n o r to d o g ­
m a tiz e , b u t to le a r n . T h e y re g a rd th o a n c ie n t c iv iliz a tio n
o f In d ia a s h a v in g a t t a i n e d to h ig h e r t r u t h s c o n c e rn in g
n a tu r e a n d th e h u m a n so u l t h a n h a v e b e e n e o m p ie re d v e t
b y th e s c ie n c e o f th e W e s t. S o fa r a s th e y se e k to te a c h
o r in flu e n c e th e n a tiv e m in d , th e y c o m e to re c a ll th e h e ir s
o f th i s a n c ie n t k n o w le d g e to a se n s e o f th o d ig n ity o f t h e i r
o w n in h e r ita n c e , a n d t h i s is th e s e c re t, a p p a r e n tly , o f t h e i r
g r e a t su c c e s s w ith t h e n a tiv e s . H u m a n n a tu r e , to t h a t
e x te n t, is th e s a m e in a ll c o u n tr ie s , a n d e v e ry b o d y feels
m o re k in d ly to w a rd s p e o p le w h o a s s u re h im t h a t h e is
g r e a t a n ti w ise ,— if h e k n e w it,— t h a n to w a rd s p e o p le w ho,
h o w e v e r b e n e v o le n t, te ll h im lie is fo o lish a n d c o n te m p ti­
b le. l i e w ill m o re w illin g ly e x e r t h im s e lf in th e d ir e c tio n
o f a m o ra l im p r o v e m e n t, w h ic h c o n s is ts in th o d e v e lo p
m e iit o f h is ow n ta l e n ts a n d fa c u ltie s, a n ti th o re v iv a l o f
h is a n c e s tr a l c iv iliz a tio n th a n in th e d ire c tio n o f a w holly'
now s c h e m e o f id e as, th e v e ry p u r s u it o f w h ic h is a c o n fe s­
sio n ot h is o rig in a l in f e rio r ity . W e n e e d n o t h e re e o u sid e i
th e a b s o lu te m e r its o f t h e T h e o s o p h ic a l th e o r y c o n c e rn in g
t h e p h ilo s o p h ic a l v a lu e of a n c ie n t In d ia n li te r a tu r e , b u t
Wu h a v e no h e s ita tio n in re c o g n iz in g th e T h e o s o p h ic a l S o ­
c ie ty a.s a b e iic tic e h t a g e n c y in p ro m o tin g g o o d fe e liie js,
b e tw e e n th e tw o ra c e s iu th is c o u n tr y , not m e r e ly on a c ­
c o u n t o f th e a n i e n t re s p o n s e it a w a k e n s fro m t h e n a t i v n
c o m m u n ity , li n t a ls o b e c a u s e o f th o w a y in w h ic h it c e r­
t a i n ly d o e s te n d to g iv e E u r o p e a n s in I n d i a a b e t t e r k in d
o f i n t e r e s t in th e c o u u tr y t h a n th e y h a d b efo re. T o /im l
re a s o n e v e n to c o n je c tu re , th a t from th e m id s t ol w h a t
s e e m s m e re p r i m i ti v e s u p e r s titio n , o n e m a y be a b le to
e x tr a c t a k n o w le d g e o t fa c ts c a lc u la te d to throw a n e w
li g h t on n a tu r a l sc ie n c e s a n il on th e h ig h e s t m y s te rie s o f
h u m a n ity , is to b e p u t in a n e w r e la tio n w ith th o p e o p le
o f I n d i a — in o n e w h ic h c o n v e y s a la rg e a u d in t e r e s t in g
p ro m is e . S o th e r e is g r o u n d for w a tc h in g th e p ro g re s s o f
t h e S o c ie ty w ith a f r ie n d ly e v e , a n d wo s h a ll look fo rw a rd
w ith i n t e r e s t to n e w s o f its e s t a b lis h m e n t iu C e \l o n . l i y
th e B u d d h is ts it w ill c e r ta in ly h e rocci veil w ith e n th u s iiis m ,
a n il w c h o p e th e c o lo n y w ill g iv e th e tr a v e l lei's a E u ro ­
p e a n w e lc o m e also . I n I n d i a — A n g lo - l n d ia a.s w ell a s
n a tiv e I n d i a —th e y h a v e now m a n y frie n d s, a n d h a \ o lived
d o w n th e id io tic fa n c ie s to w h ic h th e i r a d v e n t first g a v e
rise . T h e o b je c ts th e y h a v e in view , h a v e n o c o n n o c tio u
w ith p o litic s, a n d t h e i r in d i r e c t in flu e u c e o u t h e i r liu tiv y
friends, so lar as tliis mny touch tlioir 1»cli*i-vi<mr sis citizens,
is wholly iu favour of good order and loyalty to th e powers
Unit be.
E N T 1IE A SM *
JlV l'llOt'ESSOU AliKXANDKll WILDEU, M.l)., l'.T.K., etc., etc.
T h e concept. of actual communication with D ivinity u n ­
derlies all philosophical thought. It is the basis of reli­
gious faith. I t has in all ages constituted the goal toward
which the steps of every believer in a future life have heen
directed. The world has always had its Mystics fondly
cherishing th a t ideal, sometimes even fondly believing that
they had a tta in e d it. W c may deem them visionary and
mistaken, b u t wo cannot impugn th e excellence of their
desire and purpose. If it is meritorious to do good, to be
good, to entertain good-will toward others, certainly the
highest meed belongs to whosoever aspires to achieve th e
S uprem o Good.
Such an a tta in m e n t requires the most imperative con­
ditions. 11 is as essential to know a.s to believe. Indeed,
faith is of little advantage where it is not fixed in actual
truth, so th a t it shall possess th e stability of knowledge.
It requires all the moral energy of a strong n a tu re to
believe. T he weak and vacillating character carries doubt
for its index. It is often necessary in im p ortant u n d e r ­
takings. where all the s tren g th is required to achieve the
desired icsult, to t in list such persons aside. The vision
of the Right is darkened in the atm osphere where they
dwell. A n y transcendent knowledge is rendered im p e r ­
ceptible. They not only shut o u t tbo light from th e m ­
selves, b u t dim the sky into which others desire to peer.
In this way. w h e th e r un w ittingly or purposely, they do
to others the greatest m ischief ol’which they are capable.
T he highest a tta in m e n t, after all, is knowledge. There
is really nothing which an y one can atlbrd n o t to know.
It is a coming short of the hu m an ideal to be ignorant in
any respect. To love knowledge is to desire perfection ;
lo despise it, is equivalent to being content with a bes­
tial life. Iu all times th e wise have won respect, as
being the abler aud b e tte r am ong h u m ank in d ; and even
when they were passed hy and unhom>rcd w hen living,
Lliey have been praised, revered, and obeyed in subsequent
time. They aro th e luminaries th a t have from age to
ago preserved light to tho world, and thereby rendered it
capable of renovation.
I t lias always been the aim of every rig h t-th in k in g p e r­
son to extend the circuit of his m ental vision, and to e x ­
a lt as well as intensify his perception. T he field of the
sciences lias been explored and mastered with profit as
well as pleasure. It is a labour of achievem ent worthy of
human endeavour. T h e m ind is expanded in its scope and
.faculty, and the power to accomplish results is vastly e n ­
hanced. T he in ventor of a mechanical im plement, w h e­
ther it be a stone hatchet, or a telephone— and the dis­
coverer of a new sta r or a now mineral, is a benefactor,
lie has given us more room to th in k in, and, w ith it,
the opportunity.
O ur earlier lesson of Origins instructed us th a t man
was produced from the spore-dust of the e a rth — proto­
plasm, perhaps— an d chemistry ratified th e declaration.
We liavo since been told th a t our corporeal substance was
cumpacted from the same material as the stars, and a n i­
mated by forces akin and identical with those which oper­
a te all-potent, in the farthest-off world. Y e t what m atters
it if the postulate of the scientists is true, t h a t we took our
origin from molecules not unlike lo those of th e jelly-fish
an d fungus ! W c are not bound to such conditions, b u t have
si universe to occupy. T h e Delphic maxim— (J not hi- m;nn-
lon (know yourself) is our commission of conquest. The
knowledge of th e eyo is to know tho till ; and that which
its known ix jios.'i-sfictl.
Charters and franchises aro limited. The right of man
to liberty, which wo aro told by high a utho rity t h a t no
• C o rre c te d for tlio T iii:o so i* im T b y th e A uthor, fro m th e A dvanced sh ee ts
Qf tho rftrwvOyirut Jottrun?,
man can divest him self of, the ignorant cannot enjoy or
exercise. They are free whom th e tr u th m akes free. The
very word liberty implies a hoon from the book* Tin:
liberal are the learned, the intelligent, who therefore are
free. Codes and constitutions, w hatever their provisions,
can declare and establish no more ; so necessary is it to
eat of th e tree of knowledge. B u t we tuny begin with
our own interior selves. The g e n u is in u s; it m ay not be
transplan ted from without. N o t letters, b u t life chicHy
educate him who becomes truly learned. Wo cannot
create t h a t which is not inborn ; we mny only evolve and
enrich th e na tu ra l endowment.
Pause right here, whoever cares for aught ra th e r than
lor tho highest. To such wo arc only visionary. They
have ne ith e r tim e nor ears for us. W here delusion is tho
breath of one’s life, to know is to die. As for W isdom —
“• To some .she !s tlie "otliless g reat ;
To smiii- th e inilch-cow of th e liclil—
T heir rare is b u t to calculate
Wlmt b u tle r she will jie k l. ’f
In these days th a t which has been characterized as
Modern Scicnce, is audacious to re p u d ia te whatever it
does not canonize as "exact." U nable to cast its measuring
line over th e Infinite, it appears to be diligent in the e n­
deavour to elim inate H im o u t of its methods. T he p e r­
sonality of Deity, as implying an active principle iu the
universe, is now sometim es denied. W hatev er we do,
think, or wish, m ust be w ith no conception of H im in the
mind. A n actual com munion with H im is nowhere w ith­
in this m odern scientific cognition or recognition.
A leading medical journal} several years since contain­
ed an editorial article upon this subject, which significant­
ly expresses the view taken by physicians who alone may
he esteemed to be learned and regular. “ Nunia, Zoroas­
ter, Mohammed, Swendonborg,” it remarks, “ claimed
communion with high er spirits ; they were w h a t the
(ireeks called e n th e a s t— immersed in (iod’— a striking
word which Byron introduced into o u r tongue.” W. 1!.
C a rp e n te r describes the condition as on ouUmtatic action
o f the brain. T h e inspired ideas, he says, arise in tho
mind suddenly, spontaneously, b u t very vividly, a t some
time w hen th in k in g of some other topic. Francis Galtou
defines yen i not lo b e " th e autom atic activity of th e m ind as
distinguished from the effort of th e will— th e ideas coin­
ing hy inspiration.’’ T h is action, the editor remarks, is
largely favored by a condition approaching m ental dis­
order— a t least by ono remote from th e ordinary working-
day habits of thought.
This is abo ut the a ttitu d e which modern “ exact science”
has a tta in e d in its understan ding of m an when intpireil,
or in th e sta te regarded as communion with the Deity.
We fail to find any b e tte r explanation in its definitions.
Whoever would know the tru th of the m a tte r m u st “ go
up higher." It. is hardly acceptable reasoning th a t in­
spired ideas coming iu the mind spontaneously, indicate a
condition approaching mental disorder, because they seem
to be rem ote from ordinary habits of thought. I n every­
day life m any faculties are atrophied, because of not hav­
ing been duly exercised. O n th e oth er hand, any habi­
tual em ploym ent becomes more or less automatic, and
even involuntary. W h a t wc habitually do, and often the
thing which we purpose to do, fixes itself upon us, inso­
much t h a t wc perform it almost unconsciously. Wo awake
from sleep a t the h our assigned ; we become suddenly
conscious of a fact or idea from specific association; and
do things t h a t we are not aware of or th in king about.
T he m a n who has the h ab it of speaking th e tr u th may do
so automatically. H o n e st and u p righ t dealing may he
practised in th e same way. Goodness becomes a p a rt of
th e being, anil is fixed in the ganglia and fibeis of the
brain. F aith, too, grounds itself in the constitution, and
love in th e corpuscles of the flowing blood. All this is
normal. I t is legitimate to carry the conclusions farther,
* 7Jh*r, a book or writing —likr, free, whence /ib+ri ffreedom ,
+ Schiller.
J T h e M '.d kvJ. m v l -
 find to consider w hether entheasm, even though supposed­
ly automatic, is not, nevertheless, a wholesome condition
i>f the hu m an mind, and tlie true m eans of receiving ac­
tual knowledge.
How, is tlie n ex t inquiry, how may we know God, or
define H im i A king of Sicily once asked llie poet Si-
liionides to give him such a definition, lie craved a day
Id consider ; then two, four, and eight. T h e im patient
king finally asked why he required so much time. H e
answered th a t the more lie considered the question, th e
more difficult he had found the solution. T he finite h u ­
man understanding is not equal to the endeavour to com­
prehend the Infinite.
tIn a world of unreasoning
t disbelief God is regarded
® « • as a
thing. Even now, in several schools of opinion, it is com­
mon to affirm th a t H e is not a person. This seems to be
equivalent to declaring H im an illusion of the fancy, a
nonentity, and not in any sense w hatever a thinking, in­
telligent Being, b u t simply a vagary or whimsy of the
imagination. I t is doubtless a notion evolved by th e re ­
bound from th a t unreasoning faith which requires a th in g
to be worshipped as God. Som ewhere between these e x ­
tremes is the. golden wedge of tru th . It is the vocation of
the true student to find it. B u t let modesty go hand in hand
with faith. A person was once discoursing volubly with a
Spartan concerning the felicities of the future life. “ W h y ”
demanded the latter, '• why do you not die iu order to
enjoy it ?” I t was a pert, if not a p e rtin e n t question, and
certainly conveyed a ta u n t th a t m ight profitably be ac­
cepted as a wholesome reproof. W e may not, often we
cannot., speak profoundly to those who are irreverent or
who disbelieve. One may profane the tru th by speaking
it. In uttering to ano th er som ething which is real to our­
selves, wo veil it in a m antle of illusion which may tra n s­
form its nature, in his comprehension, to som ething in­
congruous. T he impure ear will tarnish the purest speech.
I t is well to believe in God, b u t ill to say much about
Him.
W e may not reject u tte rly th e methods which th e y e m ­
ploy who stubbornly, and perhaps obtrusively, d em and the
reasons on which faith is based. Wo can hope to he truly
spiritual only by being wholly rational. T he tru e man
supersedes no methods because he transccnds them . His
concepts are characterized by a wisdom of their own. A l­
though in liis case it -may not be th e product of the schools,
it is capable of deriving lustre from th e ir light. The
plurality of faculties of th e h u m a n mind exist for a p u r ­
pose. They are to be trained and employed, b u t none of
them may be eradicated.
Simple men long ago inferred th a t fire ami air or spirit,
in some arcane manner, constituted the entity of man.
They had noticed th a t th e dying departed with the breath,
and th a t the w arm th peculiar to the living body also dis­
appeared. This led to the adoration of the flame as the
symbol, ami to the contemplation of the spirit as the
source of life. Analogy pointed o u t the fact th a t as liv­
ing beings derived existence from parents, man was d e ­
scended from the F irst Father. . mortal vision to behold the Permanent. I t is enough tliiit.
W e are all of us conscious th a t the individual, as we see
him with our eyes and perceive with our oth er physi­
cal senses, is not the actual personal iti/. If lie should fall
dead in our presence, there would still bo a body to look
upon, a.s distinctly as before. B u t the som ething has
gone forth which had im parted sensibility to th e nerves
and impulse to th e muscles, ft was the person, the real
man, th a t went. T h e U K or S i l l - : gives place to the if. The
person had seemed to accompany his body, b u t has d e ­
parted leaving it behind. W e witness the phenom ena, b u t
ask to learn the noumena. H ere exterior, jKjsitive, “ e x ­
act” scicnce fails us. Its probe can detect no real person­
ality, nor its microscope disclose any source or en tity of
being. The higher faculties m ust afford th e .s olution of
the problem on which everything depends.
The witty, b u t somewhat irreverent, Hubert Ingersoll
prefixed ono of his lectures with the travesty of Pope’s
immortal verse : “ A n honest God is the. noblest work
of man.” Many are astonished, perhaps .shocked, a t the
audacious expression. Nevertheless, it has a p u rp o rt
which we will do well to contemplate. If we have an actual
spiritual e n tity exceeding the constituents of the corporeal
frame, it exists from a vital principle extending from th e
D ivine Source. A. genuine, earnest faith is essential to
our felicity. Do we regard Him a.s having “ formed m an
in 11is own image" ami after liis likeness { A re we sum
th a t our ideal of H im is not, some extraneous personitica.-*
lion, the product, of our own character and d i s p o s i t i o n -
created in our image ? Have we caught a view of our
own reflection in (ho m irror of infinity ami set th a t up
as God \
Certainly we have no m edium for the divine ray except
in our own minds. I f it is refracted, or even hideously
distorted, this m ust be becausc th a t medium is cloudcd
and pervaded with evil thoughts, motives, ami propensi­
ties. T he image which will then be formed may be the
individual's highest, ideal of God. B ut it will look to e n ­
lightened eyes more like an adversary ot' the* good. Fenr
alone could persuade us to offer it. worship. To speak th e
tr u th unqualifiedly, we all hate those reflected images
th a t are so often obtruded a.s the highest concept, of the
Divine Doing. Many of us would say as much if we only
had the courage.
Let ns bear in mind, then, that, what we consider to be
God is only th e index to what we conceive of Him. We
need not hesitate, because H is actual Heing transcends the
power of the mind to comprehend Him. T he ability to
form nn idea, implies th a t it is possible to realize it. T h e
idea is itself the actual entity, the prophecy of its ac­
complishm ent in the world of phenomena. Such concep­
tions as th e being of God, spiritual existence, eternity, tlio
interior union of God with man, the eventual trium ph of
the Right., could never be found in the mind as dreams, if
they had not. somehow been there infixed from th a t region
of Causes where real Being has its abode. Wo must,
however, go up higher than external science tenches into
the domain of Faith.
T he e th e r which contains the Light is more tenuous and
spirit-like than the air th a t transmits sound ; b u t it is
none th e less real liecause o f th e greater difficulty to e x­
plore the secret o f its existence. All tha t we suppose to
be known concerning it is actually a m a tte r of faith, rather
th an the “ exact knowledge” of th e scientist. The next
lessons pertain to th e higher m a th e m a tic s; how, from what
we know of ourselves, to find out God. We must see, if
at all, with a sight not possessed by us in common with
th e animals ; piercing beyond that, which appears clear to
th a t which is.
O ur searching awakens in us the perception of tho
D ivine One. O ur w ants indicate to us His character.
We need wisdom th a t transcends our highest O learning,
O’ a
providence th a t considers all things, a power supreme
above ou r faculty to a d a p t means to ends, a love
ineffably pure to inspire all things Ibr the completes!,
good of all. Know ing
O O th a t whatever we see is t.ransi-
tory, we are cognizant th a t we must have o ther than
we acknowledge Him as the fact, of which we are tho
im a g e ; and that we. devote our attention accordingly to
th e clarifying of the medium which receives liis cfllucncc.
L e t th e scope and purpose of our life be devoted to be­
coming what we recognize to be the inherent character ol’
th e God th a t we need. In due time the likeness will he
indeed the similitude, and not a “ cuv nterfeit presentment.”
W e shall embody in our disposition and character th e very
ideal which the w itty unbeliever so strangely pictured.
This is the m eaning of the problem. A pure man will
display the like image of his Cod.
E ntheasm , therefore, is the participation of the D ivine
natu re together with prophetic illumination and inspira­
tion. The modern physician, scientist and psychologist,
it has been noted, define th e condition as “ approach­
ing mental disorder,” and “ remote from the ordinary
working-day habits of th oug ht.” It. is doubtful w hether
they can, from th e ir standing-point, see the m a tte r a n y more,
clearly. By their logic, God the Creator is only a myth.
r»r, a l most, tlio cause of disorder in tlio minds of' ntoii.
W e cannot wisely seek tor truth at such oracles. The
oiirlii-i teachers ta u g h t and bnilded hotter.
T he conviction lias hoen universal that m en iliil cum-
m u nic a te with the D eity ami receive inspiration from
.Him. 'I’lie Hebrew polity had its seers aud prophets,
sehooled hy lvenit.es and Nazarim. ' I ’l i e r o were similar
casles ut' wise men in the various countries o f Arjihiti,
E gypt, Palestine, Syria, ami .Inner .Asia. Tim (Ireeks.
whose arts and poetry am even now piaised and imitateil,
had also their sages, seers, and hierophants. The Hu­
mans, likewise, however hestial, cruel, and arrogant, nev er­
theless endeavoured, hy means of pontiffs, augurs, and
haruspiivs. as well as hv adopting t.lie worship and d m -
liii ii-s of oilier nations, to learn whatever they could f r o m
tlii' supernal world. All seem to have believed that
th e living on earth was really death, nml that dying from
tin; earth was a passing from this death to th a t of actual
life. A gill of poison did not extinguish Socrates. T he
p henom ena of the cverv-dav world were icgarded as the il-
lir-ive cheat of tlie physical senses ; b u t beyond it they con­
tem p lated the existence of a region {ethereal, and not serial,
with ■■>> limits of tim e or space, where all wa.s real and
permanent. T hitherw ard they aspired in tin* h o p e that
haply they m ight u n ite th e potencies of that, world with the
scenes o f I lie temporal universe. W as it a bootless aspira­
tion, a beating of the air, a vagary of u ntutored frenzy
Among the individuals notably regarded as enthcast.
were Socrates, also styled ihenviaiili', or ( !od-inspircd ;
Anummiiis Sakkas, th e (lo d -ta n g h t ; and Harucli or Itonc-
dicius Spinosa, th e (!od-iutoxicated. Plato, (lantam a-
Siddarln, Apollonius and lamblicbus, were also named
DIVINK. “ They were, called i/otlx to whom the word ol
I Jod came.'' 11, was the universal belief t hat, men might
reccivc superior illumination, and th a t a higher and more
inierior faculty was thereby developed.
If should not. em barrass us th a t peculiar disorders of the
body are sometimes atte n d e d by extraordinary spiritual
phenomena, nor th a t great, anil unusual commotions ot the
mind may occasion them . N o more is proved by this than
by the fact, eipially well established, that, shocks and ex­
c item ent often restore paralyzed limbs ami functions. As
for fasting and prolonged intense m ental act ion, Ibey are
methods in every studious endeavour to develop a more
perfect perception. They are legitim ate aids to enable the
mind to g e t beyond tbe im pedim ents to clear th in k in g and
intuition, into a h igher spiritual domain. T here is no
morbidness or abnorm ality in this, b u t a closer approach­
ing io i lie Source of real knowledge. Science owes more
to such m ethods th a n scientists are aware or willing lo
acknowledge. It is not lair to cite them as argum ents
against: spirituality.
The enl.lieast.ic condition indicates a life that, is lived
beyond and above th e physical senses. It. is a state of il­
lumination ra th e r th a n a receiving of messages from the
l>ivinity. Indeed, it is safe to affirm that I here are 110
new revelations. T h e same word th a t ordained Light to
exisi never ceases to so ordain ; th e same spirit or m ighty
mind lliat. moved and operated upon th e waters at. the
i/i'itt’*!*, is potent and active to-day. T h e world may vary
iu form and aspect, b u t th a t which gives it life is always
th e same. Whoever will ascend above t he chang in g scenes,
will know and mirror in himself th e Unchanging. This
is what is m e a n t by being involved an d included in the
divine aura and light. _
T he old .Mystics used to teach th a t we m ust be passive
and not active. T h is by nomeans implied physical or moral
inertia, b u t simply receptivcness. J u s t as a mirror receives
and infixes an image, so every divine radiation and in­
flowing should be retained and embeinged. Thu light is
not given or received for th e sake of having the borrowed
splendor to shine with, b u t th a t it may be assimilated and
incorporated into th e life. T h e word is not mere speech,
but. the reason ta k in g th a t form. T he true speaking of
a m an is itself th e man. E very revelation of (iod is (iod,
himself coming to man. E very such one expressing Ood
in his Iiff* ami act is th e word of (.Iod made flesh,
'l'hus we perceive t h a t entheasm is the participation nf
th e divine nature, spirit, and power. It is the eml fur
which m ank in d have existed on tb e earth, the culmination
of tho divine purpose. ‘
— ------ ------------
A M Y H T E l l Y Ob' M A G N E T I S M .
I»Y D . S . ,Sl H *( I I , I S , F . T . s .
Permit, me to report a case which has lately come under
my observation, and which appears to me to be re m a rk ­
able enough to warrant, its consideration by Indian
Magnetists. I trust, th a t some under whose eyes tbe facts
mas......me, will favour your readers with a satisfactory ex­
planation 'if the same. If is a curious instance of the
effects of magnetism, exercised in some occult wav upon
a woman sensitive to such influences.
The woman I speak of xvas about th irty years old, hys­
terical and subject to convulsions; she had besides (accord­
ing to the doctors) paralysis of the feet, and could not. walk.
She hail consulted all the physicians of ( 'orfu without bene­
fit, and after four years’ illness, driven by despair, as is
usually the case, slie begged one of our friends to magnetise
her ; but, belore continuing my recital, I must say, that
the said woman had once visitcu a monastery in a neigh­
bouring village;, and that the Father Superior of the mo­
nastery had produced on her a strange impression. The
first time she was magnetised, she saw' him in a dream
and thought be told her th a t he would be her protec­
tor. that to him she owed her lucid somnambulism, and
that he would cure her. .
D uring her somnamhnlencc she prescribed for herself
many remedies which never failed to relieve her, and every
time she was magnetised she saw her so-called protector.
After four or six m onths of magnetism being almost cured,
her protector ordered her to try certain baths, for which
purpose she was to tak e a voyage that, would last eighteen
months, and at tbe end of th a t tim e to he back again. All
this she did exactly, and the protector kept bis promise
lliat during her journey he would appear to her whenever
he should consider it. necessary. I will relate two instances
onlv. D uring her stay at Naples she was attacked bv a
sudden swelling, which frightened her so much that she
called in one of tho best, doctors in the place, who told her
that, she m u st remain a t Naples that he m ig h t observe the
case, and th a t her departure might give rise? to dangerous
conseipiences. But the same night she saw her protector,
who told her to leave the next day. and promised that
while travelling by rail the swelling would all disappear.
This really happened. She started, and after twenty-four
hours th e swelling no longer existed.
Again, being a t Paris, she wa.s told th a t in spite of all
t.lte precautions she could take, her clothes would catch
lire, and on the seventh day, sitting near the tire, this
really happened to her, and if it had not been lor tbe ser­
vant girl, she m ight have been burned to death. An im­
portant point is that, thanks to magnetism alone, she is
now perfectly cured, b u t her protector tells her th a t she
must, still remain four years under bis care, and that, she
m ust continue t,o obey him. It. is a strange incident in
flu* history of magnetism, and 1 hope, that with your
usual kindness, you will explain in it wliai I do not yet
understand.
A F W K N l) AT T R U 'IIIN O I'O I.Y T K M .S TIIK I ' O I . I . O W I Nf!
story : “ A female relative of mine iu a village, named
Mosoor, near Madras, is in the habit of vow illlnij m-hhil
.•‘hmrs occasionally. I t is said a magician has command­
ed a devil to possess h er iu this extraordinary, and, ol
course, very difficult way. Physicians cannot prescribe
any remedy for this and here is w hat you will certainly
adm it to be a marvellous example of th e Hindu occultism,
of which I have been an eye-witness.'’
TilKRK IS A PLEASURE IN CONTKMPI.ATINfi fiO o n ; THRP.E
is a greater pleasure in receiving good; hut. the greatest
pleasure of all is in doing good, which comprehends the rest,
 O F F IC IA L D E S P A T C H E S FROM T1IE
A M E R I C . 1.V 0 0 I ' E R N M E N 7 ’.
T h e undersigned asks tho a tte n tio n of the class of per­
sons indicated in the subjoined communications, to the
requests for cooperation made on behalf of the United
S ta te s (iovermnent. T h e docum ents mentioned liy C olo­
nel Mallery have come safely to hand, and will be forward­
ed to any gentlem en who may he willing to aid the Bureau
of E th n o logy ill its a t t e m p t to define th e gesture-speech
of m ankind. In th is connection the reader cannot avoid
calling to mind th e inestimable benefit which resulted, a
few vein's ago, from th e voluntary assistance rendered by
shipmasters to th e U n ite d States Naval Observatory, in
observing the ocean currents and prevailing winds in dif­
ferent parts of the globe. Maury’s C h a rts were tho p re ­
cious result.. In the hope of largely increasing the n u m ­
ber of observers, I have w ritten to Colonel Mallery to send
me duplicates of th e illustrative wood-cuts which illustrate
his circular, with th e view of publishing them in this
journal.
The “ Official G azette” of the U nited S ta te s Patent
Office is the most, valuable publication of the kind issued
by any Government. I will be happy to receive th e a p ­
plications of any publishers or societies tha t may In; desi­
rous of accepting the L ib rarian ’s otter for an exchange of
publications.
llKNItV S. ( ll.i'n'IT.
G irgaum . Bombay, May 1880.
Sm ithsonian' In s titu tio n , Bitiikau o f IvrnM u.nov,
]\r<ix/iiii<iliui, J>. 0., Erl'. 'iS, /.SSI).
I !<il.. II. S. O l.ro rr,
U. S. Commissioner,
c/o American Consul,
Bombay, India.
M v 1>KA It S i l t ,
I have th e honor to mail to you herew ith ten
copies of t.hi! preliminary p a p e r on Sign Language referred
to iu my letter of Novem ber 18, 187!), as in preparation
lor distribution to persons iu various parts of the world
who may be expected to take interest and give assistance
by contributions to th e final work. You will confer a
favor upon this Bureau and myself by distrib utin g the
copies according to' your judgment, ns I well know th a t
you have both the acquaintance and th e personal influence
which may be relied upon to secure atte n tio n in th e most
useful quarters to m y undertaking.
I also mail fifty sheets of “ O utlines of A rm ,” and five
of “ Types of I lan d Positions” so t hat if any of the per­
sons receiving the pamphlet, are ready to contribu te
I hey can do so w ithout the delay of application to me.
I remain, very sincerely yours,
G a Hit it'i< M a l l e r y ,
Bos. L t.-C ol., IT. S. A.
1 ,1 liltA R Y ti l ' T1IK U n IT IT I S T A T K S P A T K N T O l T l i ' K ,
ir w „ w 4e > ,,’ ]>. ( \ F,'h. :?7,’ is,so.
Cm.. H u n k y S. O i / i o t t ,
Bombay.
J) kar Silt,
A t the request of the D epartm ent of State, I
send you copies of the Patent publications ol' this office,
viz. :—
1. A volume of the “ Official Gazette some copies of
numbers of t.he same.
2. A volume showing the weekly issue of P ate n ts and
Specimens of the form in which they are issued.
I hope these may he of use to you in showing the work
ot this (iovermnent iu th e m a tte r of P a te n ts as related to
coinmcrcc anil manufactures. I would also add th a t il'yoit
desire other copies, we shall be glad to supply them, and
only regret th a t the haste in which these are sen t p r e ­
vents our giving the best styles of art iu the specimens now'
sent.
In your laltors for th e interests of commerce, may I ask in
behalf of this Library, t h a t you will, if convenient, suggest
to those you meet t h e desire of this office to procure all
publications in th e E a s t th a t refer to the arts or m a n u ­
factures in any way. W e especially desire to procure the
transactions of learned societies, periodicals anil o th e r
works published in India and the East, and in exchange
shall be glad to semi th e ‘‘Official G azette” (weekly)to such
as will favor us with th e ir publications. I would espe­
cially call your a tte n tio n to the branches of th e Royal
Asiatic Society a t Bom bay ami Calcutta, sets of whose
publications would I ks verv useful to us. I should like also
to secure an exchange with the C nlrulln Itrvicic. I m e n ­
tion these as specimens, but. would say that, any publica­
tion in the Kasl. will lie most, welcome, anil in your tro u ­
bles, ifyou can suggest th e desire expressed herein, yon
will confer a great favor which will be duly appreciated.
Verv respectfully,
NVk ston F l in t ,
T H E R E V I V A L O E M E S M E R IS M .
ft is a fortunate th in g that, th e Baron tin P o tet has
survived to lead th e new movem ent for the stud y of
Magnetic Science t h a t has begun. T h e dignity of his
venerable age, bis high personal character, his learning,
his devotion to science, and especially his own marvellous
magnetic power and experience iu psychological matters,
mark him as the fittest of all men for the post of leader.
A vigorous constitution has tided him over a long series
of vital crises, such as would have killed ordinary mortals.
O uring th e sixty years tha t have elapsed since the time
when, a young man, he crushed the scepticism of the
F rench Academicians by his experiments at the Hotel-
Dieu, what changes has lie not seen ! W h a t revelations
have there not come t o h i m o f the cowardice, treachery,
falsity and narrow-mindedness of the so-called scientific
world ! Sixty years of comparative isolation spent in
search of honest men who were ready to be convinced
liv proofs. More th a n half a century du ring which this
devoted student of Psychology has been exploring the
labyrinths of n ature and hum an n atu re with the lamp
tif lle r m e s and the wand of the Indian adept. His long
day began with a hard-earned triumph, nnd though con­
stantly overclouded by th e hostility of th e ignorant and
the sceptical, it now seems likely to close with the bright
promise of a b e tte r era for his favourite science.
Not w ithin thirty years has there been such attention
paid to m agnetism as now. T he Spiritualists and Spiri­
tists have hith erto quite neglected it for the more sensa­
tional phenom ena of th e ir “circles” ; and such scant a tte n ­
tion as science would have otherwise grudgingly given
it, has also been absorbed by the mediumistic marvels.
But, like all novelties, phcnomenalistic spiritualism has
apparently lost its first m omentum. A variety of’caused
am ong them the Theosophical movement, have combined
to force Magnet ic Science again upon the public notice.
Thoughtful Spiritualists have nt last discovered th a t mc-
diuniship can never lie understood without the aid of
Mesmerism. Yet a little while aud we will see the some
namhulc properly valued, anti the m agneto-therapcutist
accorded his due place am ong our medical benefactors.
Vet a little longer, and th e sublime utterances of Aryan
seers a n d the philosophic exposit ions of Aryan sages, will
be eagerly read by a W e s t th a t is already tired of its
blind guides in theology and science. T h e W est wails
for the m ystery of life to lie disclosed to it. Who will
help along this consummation { Who is ready to unite
with sym pathetic mi mis, th e world over, irrespective of
race or creed, and give th e Science of Magnetism the a tte n ­
tive study its transcend en t m erits deserve i O u r Society
has begun the work in Asia and will see that it does
liol flag.
 Tho magnetist,s of Paris under th e lead of du Potet
fire organizing societies. publishing journals, opening free
dispensaries, giving p\ihlic lectures with experim ents by
scientific magnetists, nnd educating a corps of female
practitioners to relieve patients of th e ir own sex. It is
plainly seen, on reading th e ( 'halne Afar/m1/hpie, the able
organ of t.he Parisian magnetists, t h a t the mystical science
of Paracelsus and Mesmer is fully revived. At Vienna,
th e ( \>nrt, Academy and public are alike staggered bv
th e mesmeric cures and experim ents of a Danish physician,
limned Hansen. At SI. Petersburg!) some of Ihe most,
eminent, w a n t s , moved hy tlu* lalc Parisian successes of
our colleague, the Hon. Alexandre Aksakof—-a Iready describ­
ed in th is m agazine— are investigating m agnetism and spiri­
tualism. Leipzig is now one of th e world’s g re a t centres
of psychological interest, Zdllmer, F ich te and other p h i­
losophers and scientists of the first rank having made
most import ant, discoveries in psychic force. T h e wave
lias re a d ie d America, and our neighbouring colony of
A ustralia responds willi enthusiasm. Thus, on every side
breaks a splendid morning in whose full light, we may
see perfected a K-ience whose beginnings are found in
th e remotest antiqu ity— th e noblest, most absorbing that
m a nk in d ever studied.
For Asiatics this m agnetic revival has a paramount,
interest.. Kvery advance made by W estern Science in this
direction brings out more clearly th e g ra n d e u r of Indian
philosophy. We have said this before, but. will not rest
until the fact is fully recognized. I t cannot be denied
th a t modern magnetism makes it easy to understand a n ­
cient, Yoga Viilya. W h en one sees how th e psychic self
manifests its separate activities while th e physical body
is plunged iu the deepest insensibility, P a ta n ja li’s A p h o ­
risms acquire a m eaning which m ig h t otherwise escape
us. W h e n tho magnetist can by passes of his hand release
the som nam bule’s “ s o u l ” from the bodily prison, and
send it. wandering wheresoever he wills, th e Siddhis of
Krishna are seen to be realities and not. mere fanciful im a ­
ginings. Knowing th a t th e clairvoyant’s sight discovers
the most, hidden things, his inner car hears the most
distant sounds, and n e ith e r space nor tim e exist for him
any longer, how dull an observer must he be who fails
to understand th a t th e Yogi’s powers as described in the
T anlric Shastras, th e D n y u n v x h im r i, and th e S h r in ia f J)h<>-
q a r a to , must, be attainable. K A a .n x is b u t a modern
name for th e old >S’tnnarihi, th e sensitive’s ilaiihle nothing
but, th e Indian K d m u -rn p a and y h iy a r a -r v p a . And, if
the m ag netists of our nge enn point to th e ir m u ltitu d i­
nous cures of disease by th e laying-on of th e ir hands, the
self-same results are also recorded in everyone of t he older
Asiatic works treatin g of psychological science. So runs
the world’s experience in cycles after cycles, ever starting
from a fixed point and always returning to it again. As
m atter and spirit oppose and balance each other, so m a ­
terial science and spiritual philosophy are ever in conflict,
b u t still effecting an equilibrium. Materialism has had
il.s day ; the time has now come for its opposite to show
its power. The gate of t,he secret shrine is about to he
opened and the magnetist has the key nt his girdle.
In l e m a i s t k k ’k t r a v k i . s w h h h a d t h a t o y k i i t h f . o a t k
of a church of L a Chartreuse, n ear Milan, is the following
inscription : “ M arie Virgin!, mat ri, /Me, sjuwxe l h i , " which
in English is, “ To the V irgin M ary, the M other, the,
Jhiughlcr, the W ife o f Got!. ’ T his adds an o th e r to “ the
mysteries of Godliness,” for, according to this, Je su s was
his own father and the son of his own daughter.
J a m e s m u : , o f n e w .t e i i s k v , l f .i t $r>0,000 t o t h k
cause of the heathen, in his will, and his own sister, living a
mile away, was sick and suffering for a nurse. Ja m e s
has gone where coal is not needed, and yet, they ’II take
him in.— lianner o f Liaht,
SHOULD W E CALL O U RSELVES A R Y A S ?
1!V A M IT T PA .
L ittle less than a q u n rte r of a century ago, the thought
first occurred to m e th a t tho proper designation of tlio
people who believed in tho Vedic. religion was not Hindu
but, Arya, the former n am e having been first, applied In
them bv the Meliomodans. I am behind now in my
reverence, sentim ental a t least, for th a t noble race the An­
cient Arvas, and th e term Arya is certainly associated with
all th a t is great and glorious in human character. N ever­
theless, Irutli requires it lo be stated th a t your correspon­
dent goes ra th e r too far when he says th a t the term H in ­
du is a n am e of contumely nnd disgrace. F a r from being
so, it is derived, or ra th e r cornipted in pronunciation,
from a genuine S a n sk rit word— Sindhu which was the
nam e of th e people who inhabited the country bordering
on th e Indus, also called in Sanskrit Sindhu.* Foreign
invaders from the N o rth crossing the Sindhu and finding
th e people whom th e y first met, called Sindhus, applied
the name to th e people of th e whole Peninsula. Thus
H ind, India and H in d u nre nil derived from the Sanskrit
Sindhu,1f th e first two term s coming to designate the
country nnd the last., th e people on this side of Sindhu
or Indus. It is, indeed, gratifying to th ink th a t the name
of our great, ancestors— A rya— which, but a few years ago,
was not, even known to th e great majority of our country­
men including those educated in English schools, has now
come to be so generally respected by them. And this, it
must be frankly confessed, is due to th e exertions of P a n ­
d it D ayanand Saraswati. It is, however, not. only pedan­
tic b u t simply ludicrous to apply, as some do, the term
Arva instead of H indi, to the vernacular of the N o rth ­
W estern Provinces, in contradistinction to Sanskrit. It
betrays an ignorance or careless disregard, least, pardonable
in an Arya who p retends to any familiarity with Sanskrit
literature, of the fact, th a t the language which, a t a com­
paratively la te r period, was styled Sanskrit (Polished), was
the native tongue of the Aryas alone and th a t If A rya is
to stand for the distinctive name of a language, it must, be
the n am e of the S anskrit only. To call th e H indi lan­
guage A ry a and th e vernaculars, for instance, of Bengal,
M aharashtra, G uzrat— Bengali, Maharashtri and Guzraf.ee
and the ancient In d ia n language Sanskrit, is ignorantly,
though uninten tion ally to insinuate th a t the ancient In­
dians were not Arvas. I would also take this opportunity
of p ointing out th e mistake, which has been now too often
repeated, of supposing Aryavarta to be the name of the
whole peninsula ; whilst it is th e name of only H industan
Proper or Tndia between the Himfilaya and Vindya m o u n ­
tains. I may add th a t the word Ind is not, as your cor­
respondent supposes, derived from Tndu ; Sindh, H ind, and
Tnd being, as i have already said, all modifications of S in ­
d h u ns pronounced by different races.
W ith reference to th e proposal of our resuming a t once
the title of Arya, I m u st say— first deserve, th e n desire.
T he first, step, says your correspondent, towards th e gra­
dual restoration of India, to her ancient, greatness would
bo to assume the title. To me it seems, it, ought to bo the
last step. How few are there among us whose knowledge
of S an sk rit enables them even to hold a communion with
our noble ancestors. We. a considerable num ber of us,
have formed ourselves into A rya Sa ninjas to discuss ques­
tions of old Indian religion and philosophy. B u t have wo,
as yet, earnestly set ourselves to the study of the Aryan
language in which th e y are embodied ? Y o ur correspon­
d ent a dm its th a t u n til recently th e names of Veda and
A rya were scarcely known to thousands of our ignorant
* T r u e , llic I c n n l l i m l u i s p w ir ttin ts u s e d iu a b a d s e n s e b y P e r s i n n wri-
t o r s , b u t t h e S a n s k r i t w o r d J ) ev a, d e n o t i n g d i v i n i t y it s e l f , is e m p l o y e d b y
o l d P e r s i a n w r i t e r s in t h o f o r m o f D e o t o d e n o t e i n v a r i a b l y ft d e m o n . No
M u h a m m a d a n s h o u l d e v e r t h i n k o f r e l i n q u i s h i n g t l i e i i t l o M u s n l m a n , d im p ly
b e c a u s e t h e t e r m is s o m e t i m e s u s e d b y H i n d u s in a n i m p u r o ’s e n s e . N o
d o u b t A r y a is a b e t t e r a n d m o i e a p p r o p r i a t e t e r m t h a n H i n d u , w h i c h ,
th o u g h ce rta in ly of S n n sk rit origin, a f t e r all a c o rr u p t io n a n d w as applied
first to I n d i a n s by th o M u h a m m a d a n s .
f T h e l e t t e r s * n n d h a c c o r d in g to a w ell-know n philological law. a re inter,
• •h a n g a b lo , a^ i u t h e w o r d s .*om/ n n d
 countrym en. H e adds th a t it was “ Pan dit i)aydnand, liolden to the Theosophieal Society and shall have every
the L u th e r of India, who made these names echo and re­ reason to look upon it.s establishm ent a.s providential and
echo all over Ind ia.” Il is very good tliat you have been God -send. T he charity of Indian chiefs is perhaps more
ta u g h t to be loud of these names. B u t is it a mere sen ti­ bountiful than th a t of the nobles of o ther lands. H u n ­
mental or a real, active loud ness ? Are you, m y A rya b re ­ dreds are daily fed, though ala.s ! without much d is­
thren, especially those ol th e Arya Samajn, are you labour­ crimination, in alms-houses (auna-sattras) established
ing to aci|tiire a knowledge of the Sanskrit, to be enabled by their munificence. If they lie but impressed with
to ju d g e for yourselves, th e m erits of tho energetic pro­ the sacred character— the most sacred under th e teach­
ductions of your In d ia n L u th e r and compare th e m with ings of tbe D harm asastras— of gifts organized and perpe­
the abler commentaries ? ('an you honestly claim the tu ated for the encouragem ent and m aintenance of learned
right of pjussing, j u s t now, any ju d g m e n t w hatever on men ; if it be b u t shown to them th a t their religion itself
P a n d it D a y a n a n d ’s work and awarding him any title rests upon .sacred learning anil teaching and th a t th e class of
whatever t Are yon content w ith being blindly led by scholars and P andits— the real representatives of tho old
his teachings— favouring, perhaps, its they do, th e .Semi­ Aryas— whose chief business is to receive and bestow S a n s­
tic notions of deity and worship* you have imbibed from krit instruction, is daily dying away from want of liveli­
English books,— and with satisfying your vanity by the hood, th ey are sure to tu rn their liberality in this direc­
empty title of A rya ? 1 hope not. T h en do drink a t the tion a l s o .
very fountain of ancient wisdom and let your breast be I cannot help adding th a t the cultivation of Sanskrit
inspired, puritied and cjevated with genuine sentiments, alone will not be sufficient, for the restoration of I niiiuit
lofty, indeed, as they are, of Aryan philosophy and religion. greatness at a time when the study of natural science Inn
Kosolvo solemnly to devote a t least a couple of hours daily created a new power iu civilized Europe and America,
to thi! study of Sanskrit. U n ite and strive for th e ge n e ­ Though tho Thcosophists very ju stly deprecate— aud we
ral diffusion of S anskrit learning. L e t Aryan words and heartily sym pathise with th e m — the materialistic tendon*
Aryan thoughts be far more familiar to your tongue and cy of Modern Science, they cannot deny tha t tho present
heart thau English is a t present. Appeal to th e liberality national superiority of linropc and America to India is dm:
of the princes and chiefs of India, awaken them to a sense to no o ther cause. Until (if a t all) Psychology or S p iri­
of their duty to th e ir d ear native land, for it is they th a t tualism scculos to man iu general powers by which In:
can really help th e cause of Aryan learning. It is for th em could defy those derived from the physical source, India
to establish S anskrit schools an d colleges in all the p rin ­ m ust study external nature also. The sons of Bharata,
cipal cities of India, besides those und er their own adm ini­ therefore, m u st combine a knowledge of Sanskrit and of
stration, to found scholarships ami fellowships for the English, b u t no useless waste of time should be made, as
encouragement and support of scholars and learned men. at present for the study of the latter, beyond what is n e ­
is it not the chief object of our literary ambition, at p r e ­ cessary for the. acquisition of the sciences. Ample encour­
sent to be able to compose an article in gooil English and agem ent should be held out for th e translation of valua-
to deliver an eloquent speech in th e same language ! And ablo scientific works into Sanskrit and then, as more easily
can we who have not even a s m a t t e r i n g , of th e Aryan practicable, into the different vernaculars. All this is, of
tongue honestly claim th e denomination of Arya ? is it not course, a work of time, and cannot be at once accomplish­
a painful, a shameful necessity th a t compels me, a t the ed. When we consider th a t Greek and L atin are both
present moment, to advocate the cause of Aryan learning studied iu E uropean Universities, it cannot be fairly con­
in a foreign o tongue o ! Should not the S ansk rit rather than tended th a t the Indian youth would find it almost impos­
the English be th e universal medium of communication sible to learn both S a nskrit aud English, difficult as they
in th e Aryan land ? 1 am here rem inded of the Vedic in ­ are. I t is to bo rem embered th a t Sanskrit is more inti­
junction (let us not u tte r a non- mately connected with our vernaculars than G reek and
aryan, let us not u tte r a corrupt word) and th e sta te m e n t Latin are with the modern languages of Europe.
In conclusion, I would remark tlmt the appellation
of Mahiibluirata fTiafi •• T he Aryas by their
Veda-vadi, or still b e tter Brahn»a-vadi— tho word lindima.
speech never act the Mlcchcha.” liu t how can tbe study
denoting not only the Veda, but the Eternal and Intinite
of Sanskrit bo widely and deeply ditfused throughout In­
Spirit underlying nature,— may be used to indicate our
dia. ? W ho would devote himself to the study of S ansk rit
creed as the term Arya may be employed in more particular
for tho sake of starvation '{ Tho knowledge O of English
O reference to our nationality.
alone leads to posts of emolument*)— nay, it is necessary
for natives, in order oven th a t th e y may live. 1 have
already hinted th a t the ancient learning of the land
must depend, for its revival, upon the patriotic liber­ J M u D E U . \ X E E I i O l ' l/ /.V/O.Y,'\
ality of those who yet represent th e more or less
ancient ruling powers of India. O u r enlightened Gov­ Mr. Ambi ose March Phillipps-de-l.isle, of GaW.-lulon
ernm ent has already granted a munificent fund for the Park and Grace-1 )ieu Manor, au Knglish gentleman of
preservation of Sanskrit manuscripts, and it can hardly bo ancient lineage and a fine estate, who has died early iu
expected (though we may naturally hope for it) to lend ] <S7S, has left behind him a most startling story of liis
stronger and more effectual aid to the cause o f Sanskrit, spiritual experience, lie became a Gatholic while very
instruction th au it is already giving. Some time ago I young, iu ol>ediencc to a “ heavenly vision ” like th a t which
heard from Colonel Olcott th a t the Thcosopllists were go­ was witnessed by M. de Uatisbonne in the Church ol
ing to address, in tho vernacular, th e princes and chiefs St. Andrea della Valle, at Home. W hile wandering over
of India on tho subject. Should this noble band th a t is tho hills and woods of his Leicestershire estates he saw
inspired with so ardent a love for onr country succeed iu a light in the heavens and hoard a voice cry " Mahomet
awakening them from the sleep of ignorance and apath y is A n t i - C h r i s t ; ” which led to his writing a work on
in this all-important m atter, India shall ever remain be- Mahometanism. In France, lying ill of a fever, he was
instantly cured by an invocation of the blessed Virgin ;
• I c a n n o t rc > U t t h e t e m p t a t i o n o f i | i i o t i n ^ h e r o tlio l i c a u t i f u l c o n t r a i l and while singing the m id night mass last Christm as in
d r a w n in “ InU U n v e i l e d . " I. 1.VJ, b e t w e e n A r y a n a n d S e m i t i c wm > hi |» ,
n o t i n g h o w e v e r , n t t h e * a m e t i m e m o s t d i s t i n c t l y t l m t tiiu D e i t y , in tlio
his private cha)>ol at ( iavendoii he heard au unearthly
A r y a n t r e e d , ia n e v e r c o nc ei vc d> n* i t w i t n l t o N a t u r o , b u t a s *»</ il. voice saying ; “ Wouldst thou not rath er chant iu heaven
U od , i t n m « t n u v e r b e f o r g o t t e n , id tlio l i c i t i ^ N a lu re au d m anifested thau on earth ! " to which lie replied tha t he would, aud
i n N a t u r e , o r m ove c o r r e c t l y , iu w h i c h N a t u r e is m a n i f e s t e d .
was th a t day seized with the illness of which ho died.
“ C 'h ii a ti i m s cidi thi n a d o r a t i o n o f N a t u r e i n h e r m o s t c o n c e a l e d v e r i t i e s -
P a n t h e i s m . J lu t, i f t h e l a t t e r , w h i c h w o r s h i p s a u d r e v e a l s t o u s <>od iu
These things aro all atlirmed of himself by a m an of u n ­
S jx ic e i u H i ' o n l y o b j e c t i v e f o r m t h a t o f v i s i b l e m i t u r e - p c » i * e tu a l ly r e m i n d * questioned veracity, rare accomplishments, high social [>osi~
h u m a n i t y o f h i m w h o c r c a t c d i t , a n d a r e l i g i o n of t h e o l o g i c a l d o g m a t i s m tiou, and of rem arkable ability iu managing his ordinary
o n l y s e r v e s t o c o n c e a l H i m t i i e m o r e f r o m o u r v ig li l, w h i c h i* t h e b e l t e r
a d a p te d to tho ueoda of n iu u k iu d P . affairs as ii landowner and a magistrate,
 [ C y ii ti u i ic i l f r o m tlio A p r i l N u m l ' o r . | deep. One. very rem arkable iu appearance has four
circles of largo stones around it, and is called by the na­
A L A N D OF M Y S T E H Y . tives ‘ I’andavara Cludi’ or th e temples of the Pandas....
IIV II. I’. II. This is supposed to be the first instance, where the natives
popularly imagine a structure ol this kind to have been
Tin: ruins of Central America nrc no less imposing.
th e temple of a by-gone, if not of a mythical, race. Many of
Massively built, with walls of n. “ rent thickncss, they nrc
these structures have a triple circle, some a double, ami
usually marked by broad stairways, leading to tlio |iriii«'i]>;iI
a few single circles of stone round t h e m ’ In the
entrance. W hen composed of several stories, eiieli succes­
:i5th degree of latitude, the Arizone Indians in North
sive story is usually sniidler than th a t below it, giving the
America have th e ir rude altars to this day, surrounded by
structure the appearance of a. pyramid of several stages.
precisely such circles, nnd their sacred spring, discovered
Tlio front walls, either m ade of stone or stuccoed, are
by Major Alfred R! Calhoun, F.U.S., of "tbe United
covered with elaborately carved, syinlmlical figures ; and
States A rm y Survey Commission, is surrounded with tin:
the interior divided into corridors and dark chambers,
same symbolical wall of stones, as is found in Stonehenge
with arched ceilings, the roofs supported by overlapping
courses of stones, “ constituting a pointed arch, corro- and elsewhere.
s|>ondihg in type with the earliest m on um ents of the old By far the most interesting and lull account we have
world." W ithin several chambers at Paloiiqne, tablets, read tor a long time upon the Peruvian antiquities is that
covered with sculptures and hieroglyphics of line design from tbe pen of Mr. H e a th of Kansas, already mentioned.
and artistic execution, were discovered bv Stephens. In Condensing the general picture of these remains into tin:
Honduras, a t Copan, a whole city— temples, houses and limited space of a few pages iu a periodical* be yet
grand monoliths intricately carved— was unearthed m an manages to present a m asterly and vivid pictun> of the
old forest by Cathorwood and Stephens. T h e sculpture wealth of these remains. More than one speculator has
and general style of Copan are unique, and no such stylo grown rich in a few days through bis desecrations of the
or even anything approaching it has been found anywhere “ liuaeas.” T h e remains of countless generations of unknown
else, oxcept a t Quirigiia, nnd in th e islands ot Lake races, who had slept th ere undisturbed— who knows for
Nicaragua. No one can decipher the weird hioroglyphical how many ages— aro now left by the sacrilegious tren-
inscriptions on the altars and monoliths. W ith the siire-hunter to crumble into d u st under the tropical sun.
exception of a few works of u n c u t stone, “ to Copnn, we Mr. Heath's conclusions, more startling, perchanec, than
may safely assign an a n tiquity higher than to any ol the his discoveries, are worthy of being recorded. We will
other m onum ents of C entral America with which we are repeat in brief his descriptions.
a c q u a in te d ” says the N co' A m erica n CyclojMnilia. A t “ In the JcguaU*pegue valley in Peru in 70" 2+' S. Lati­
the period of the S)>aiiisli conquest., C<ipan wa.s already tude, four miles north of th e port of P a c a s m a y o is the
a forgotten ruin, concerning which existed onl)' the Jeguatcpuguo liver. N e a r it, beside the southern shore, is
vaguest traditions. an elevated platform ‘ one-lburth of a mile square nnd
No less extraordinary nre the remains of Ihe dill'ereiit forty feet high, all of adobes’ or sun -b urnt bricks. A
epochs ill I’ern. T he ruins of the temple of the Sun at wall of fifty i’e et in width connects it with an other ;” l->0
Cuzco are yet imposing, notw ithstanding that the d e p re ­ feet bigli, 200 feet across the top, and ">00 at the base,
cating hand of the Vandal Spaniard p;issed heavily over it. nearly square. T his la tte r was built in sections of rooms,
It we may believe the narratives of the conquerors t h e m ­ ten feet square a t the I n i s c , six feet nt the top and about
selves, they found it, on th e ir arrival, a kind of a fairy-tale eight feet nigh. All of this same elnssof mounds— temples to
castle. With it.s enormous circular stone wall completely worship the sun, or fortresses, a.s they may be— have on the
encompassing tbe principal temple, chapels and buildings, northerly side an incline for an entrance. Treasure-seekci's
it is situated iu the very bear I', of the city, and even its have cut into this one about half-way, and it is said
remains ju stly provoke the admiration of the traveller. f.">0,000 dollars worth of gold and silver ornam ents were
" Aqueducts opened within the sacred inclosure ; and w ith ­ found.” Here many thousands of men were buried and
in it were gardens, aud walks am ong thrill's o.u<l Jfmcers oj beside the skeletons were found iu abundance ornaments
yoltl ami tileer, made in im itation of the productions ol of gold, silver, copper, coral lieiuls, &c.... “ On the north
nature. It wa.s attended by 4,000 priests.” " T he ground side of the river, are the extensive ruins ot a walled city,
says La Vega., “ for 200 paces i; round the temple, wa.s two miles wide by six long.... Follovv the river to the
considered holy, and no one wns allowed to pass w ith ­ mountains. All along you pass ruin after ruin and huaca
in this boundary b u t with linked feet.” Besides this great after liunca,” (burial places). A t Tolon there is another
temple, there were JI00 other inferior temples at ruined city. Five miles further, up the river, " there is
Cuzco. Next to th e latter in beauty, was the cele­ an isolated boulder of granite, four and six feet in its dia­
brated temple of Pachacainac. Still an o th e r g re at t e m ­ meters, covered with hieroglyphics ; fourteen miles lur-
ple of tbe Sun is mentioned by H u m b o ld t; and, “ a t the ther, a point of m ountain a t the j u n c t i o n ot two ravines
base of the hill of C an nar was formerly a famous shrine ol is covered to a h eight of more th an fifty feet with the
the Sun, consisting of th e universal symlml of th a t lu m i­ sillne class of hieroglyphics— birds, fishes, snakes, cats,
nary, formed by n ature upon th e face of a great rock.” monkeys, men, sun, moon, and m any odd aud now u n­
Koman tells us “ th a t tlic temples of Peru were built intelligible forms. T h e rock on which these are cu t is ;i
upon liigb grounds or the top of tbe hills, nnd were su r­ silicated sandstone, and m a n y o f the l i n e s are an eighth
rounded by three nml four circular e m b an k m e n ts ot earth of an inch deep. In one large stone there are three holes
one within the other. O the r remains seen by mysell— t wenty to th irty inches deep, six inches in diameter a t the
especially m ounds—are surrounded by two, three, and lour the orifice and two a t the apex__ At Anchi, on the ltimao
circles of stones. N ear the town of Cava mix*, on th e very river, u | k>ii the face of a perpendicular wall 200 feet above
sjiot on which Ulloa saw and described an a ncient Pei u- the river-bed, th e re are two hieroglyphics, representing an
vian temple “ perfectly circular in form, anil open at the imperfect 7/ and a perfect I). In a crevice below them,
top,” there nre several such cromlech*. Q uoting from an near the river, were found buried 2o,000 dollars worth of
article in th e jllailras T im e* of 1<S70, Mr. J . ll. Rivett- gold nnd silver, when the Incas learned of the murder
Carnnc gives, in his Archaeological Notes, the following of their chief, what did they do with the gold they were
information upon some curious mounds in the neigh ­ bringing for bis ransom ! H umour says they buried it...
bourhood of Bangalore.” *" N e a r th e village there May not these m arkings a t Yonan tell something, since
are a t least one hundred cromlechs plainly to be seen. they are on the road and near to the Ineal city ?”
These cromlechs are surrounded by circles of stones, T he al>ove was published in November, 1K7N, when, in
some of them with concentric circles th re e nnd four October 1<S77, in my work “ Isis U nveiled” (Vol. I. p.
1 gave a legend, which, for circumstances too long to ex­
** On A u rirtit on in l\ »n tti'n ,, J h 'fi't, s i m i l a r t o t h o s e
f o u n d o n m o n o l i t h * n m l r o c k ^ in K'iru|*o. Ij y J . I i . l U v e t t - C n r n n c , U c n g u l
Civil S crvicc, (.'.I.E., K .8. A. , M . U . A . S , K,U B , fcc. • Sue K« h m Ci'y A'rnVif oj iStnim u/ttl //n/iidry, November 187(J.
 plain, I hold to be perfectly trustworthy, relating to these
same buried treasures for the Jnea’s ransom, a journal
more satirical than polite classed it with the tales of Ba­
ron Munchausen. The secret was revealed to me hy a P e ­
ruvian. A t Arica, going from Limn, there stands au enor­
mous rock, which tradition points to as the tomb of the
Incas. As the last rays of the se ttin g sun strike th e face
of the rock, one can see curious hieroglyphics inscribed
upon it. These characters form one of the land-m arks
th a t show how to get a t the immense treasures buried in
subterranean corridors. T h e details are given iu “ Isis,” and
I will n ot rep eat them. Stron g corroborative evidence is
now found in more than one recent scientific work ; and
the sta te m e n t may be less pooh-poohed now th a n it was
then. Some miles beyond Yonan on a ridge of a m o u n ­
tain 700 feet above the river are th e walls of an o th e r city.
Six and twelve miles further are extensive walls and te r ­
races ; seventy-eight miles from the coast, “ you zigzag
up the mountain side 7,000 feet, then descend 2,000” to
arrive a t Coxamolca, the city where, unto this day, stands
the house in which A tahualjia, th e unfortunate Inca, was
held prisoner hy the treacherous Pizzaro. It is the house
which th e Inca “ promised to fill with gold as high as he
could reach, in exchange for his liberty” iu 1532 ; he did
till it with 17,500,000 dollars worth of gold, and so k ept
his promise. B u t Pizzaro, th e ancient swineherd of Spain
and th e worthy acolyte of the priest H ern and o de Lngues,
murdered him notw ithstanding his pledge of honour. Three
miles from this town, “ there is a wall of unknow n make.
Cemented, the cem ent is harder than stone itself..............
A t Chopon. ‘here is a mountain with a wall tw enty feet
high’the sum m it beingalmost entirely artificial. Fifty miles
south of Pacaomayo, between th e seaport. of’ Hunnchnco
and Truxillo, are the ruins of C han-Chan, the capital city
of the Chimoa kingdom ......... T h e road from the port to the
city crosses these ruins, e n tering by a causeway about four
feet from the ground, and leading from one great mass of
ruins to another ; beneath this is a tunnel. Be they forts,
castles, palaccs or burial m ounds called “ huacas,” all bear
the name “ lumen.” H ours of wandering on horseback
among these ruins give only a confused idea of them, nor
can any explorers there |n>int o u t w hat were palaces and
what were not__ T he highest enclosures m ust have
cost an immense am ou nt of labour.
To give an idea of the wealth found in t I k s country by
th e Sjianiards, we copy th e following, taken from the
records of th e municipality in the city of Truxillo by Air.
lle a th . I t is a copy of the accounts th at are found in the
book of Fifths of the T reasury in the years 1577 and
1578, of the treasures found in the “ H uaca of Toledo” by
one man alone.
F irst.— In Truxillo, Peru, on the 22nd of J u l y 1577,
Don Gracia Gutierrez de Foledo presented himself at the
royal treasury, to give into the royal chest a-fifth. H e
brought ii bar of gold 1!) carats ley and weighing 2,400
Spanish dollars, of which the fifth being 70S dollars, to ­
gether with l i per cent, to the chief assnyer, were deposi­
ted in the royal box.
Secondly.— On th e 12th of D ecem ber he presented h im ­
self with five bars of gold, 15 and 11) carats ley, weighing
8,018 dollars.
Thirdly.— On the 7th of J a n u a r y 1578, he came with his
fifth of large bars and plates of gold, one hundred and
fifteen iu number, 15 to 20 carats ley, weighing 153,280
dollars.
F ourthly.— On th e 8th of March lie brought sixteen Lars
of gold, 14 to 21 carats ley, weighing 21,118 dollars.
F ifth ly .— On the 5th of April lie brought different o rn a­
ments of gold, being little belts of gold and p a tte rn s of
corn-hcads and other things, of 14 carats lev, weighing
0,272 dollars. ' On the top returning again, we find the same sym m etry
Sixthly.— On th e 20th of April ho b rou gh t three small
bars of gold, 20 carats ley, weighing 4,170 dollars.
Seventhly.— On the 12th of J u ly he cnmo with forty-
Bevcn bars, 14 to 21 corats loy, weighing 77,312 dollars.
Eighthly.— On th e sam e day he came hack with a n o th e r
portion of gold and ornam ents of corn-hcads and pieces
of effigies of animals, weighing 4,704 dollars.
" T he sum of these eig ht bringings amounted to 278,174
gold dollars or Spanish ounces. Multiplied by sixteen
gives 4,450,7<S4 silver dollars. Deducting the royal fifth
— 1)85,1)5375 dollars— left 3,4(>4,830’25 dollars as Toledo’s
po rtio n ! Kven after this great haul, effigies of different
animals of gold were found from time to time. Mantles,
also adorned with square pieces of gold, as well as robes
made w ith feat l id ’s of divers colours, were dug up. T h e re
is a tradition th a t in th e huaca of Toledo there were two
treasures, known as the great and little fish. The smaller
only has been found. Between Huacho and Supe, th e
latter being 120 miles north of Callao, near a [joint called
A talmangri, th ere are two enormous mounds, resembling
th e C a m pan a aud San Miguel, of the llu a tic Valley, soon
to be described. A b o u t five miles from Patavilca (south,
and near Supe) is a place called “ Param onga” or the
fortress. T h e ruins of a fortress of g reat e x te n t are here
visible, th e walls are of tcni)>crcd clay, about six feet thick.
T he principal building stood on an eminence, b ut the
walls were continued to the foot of it, like regular circum-
vallations ; the ascent winding round the hill like a laby­
rinth, having m any angles, which probably served as o u t ­
works to defend the place. Iu this neighbourhood much
treasure has been excavated, all of which m ust have been
concealed by th e pre-historic Indian, as we have no evi­
dence of the Incas ever having occupied this p art of P eru
after they had suliducd it.”
N o t far from Ancan on a circuit of six to eight miles, “ on
(•very side you see skulls, legs, arms and whole skeletons
lying abou t in t h e s a n d ...A t Parmayo,fourteen iniles further
down north,” and on the sea-shore, is another great
burying-groijnd. Thousands of skeletons lie about, thrown
out by the treasure-seekers. It has more than half a
mile of cu ttin g through i t ... 11 extends up the face of tlie
hill from the sea-shore to the height, of about 800 feet...
W hence come these hundreds and thousands of peoples,
who are buried at. Ancon ? Time and tim e again th e ar-
chicologist finds himself face to face with such questions,
to which he can only shrug his shoulders and say w ith
the natives, " Chilian Sabo ? ” who knows (
Dr. H utchinson writes, under date of Oct. 30, 1872,
in the S outh Pacific “ T im es : ” “ I am come to the con­
clusion th a t Ohancay is a g re a t city of the dead, or luus
been an im mense ossuary of Peru ; for go where you will,
ou a m ountain top or level plain, or hy the sea-side, you
m eet a t every turn skulls aud holies of all descriptions.”
In the llu a tie a Valley, which is an extensive ruin, there
are seventeen mounds, called “ l in n e t s ” although, remarks
the w riter “ they present more the form of fortresses, or
castles than burying-ground.” A triple wall surrounded
the city. T hese walls are often three yards in thickness
and from fifteen tot wenty feet high. To the east of these
is the enormous mound called Huaca of Pand o...an d the
great ruins of fortresses, which natives entitle Huaca of
the Bell. /,i! cui/qhuai, the Huacas of Pando, consisting
of a series of large and small mounds, and ex ten d in '’ over
a stretch of ground incalculable without being measured,
form a colossal accumulation. The mound “ B e l l ” is 110
feet high. Towards Callao, there is a square plateau (278
yards long aud 1)0 across) having on the top eight gradations
of declivity, each from one to two yards lower than its
neighbour, and m aking a total in length and breadth of
about 27S yards, according to the calculation ol J. B.
Steere, of Michigan, Professor of N atural History.
T he square plateau first mentioned a t th e base con­
sists of two divisions. ..each measuring a perfect square
47 to 48 y a rd s; the two joining form the square of DO
yards. Besides this, is ano th er square of 47 to 48 yards.
of measurement iu the multiples of twelve, nearly all the
ruins in this valley being the same, which is a fact for
the curious. W as it by accident or design ?...Thc mound
is a truncated pyramidal form, and is calculated to con­
tain a mass of 1,40,41,820 cubic feet of m aterial...Tlnj
“ F o r tr e s s ” is a h u g es tru c tu re , SO feet hig ha n d I ."><) vanls in
measurement. C r e a t large square l ooms show llieiroutlines
on t-lic top b u t are filled with earth. "Who brought this
earth here, and with what object was tlio tilling-up accom-
]>lixlied ( T he work of obliterating all space in these
rooms with loose earth must, have been almost, as great
as the construction of th e building itself...Two miles
south, we find an other sim ilar structure, mure spacious
and with a greater n u m b e r of apart,m enls...It is nearly
170 yards in length, and !l(itS in breadth, and (IN feet
high. The whole of these ruins...w ere enclosed by high
walls of adobes— large mild bricks, some from 1 to 2
yards in thickness, length and breadth. The “ Imaca ”
of th e “ B e l l ” contains abo ut 20,220,S40 cubic feel of
material, while th a t of " S a n M ig u e l’’ lias 2;_>,(;r)(),.S0().
These two buildings with their terraces, parapets and
bastions, with a large num ber of rooms and squares— ale
now tilled up with earth !
N e a r ‘‘ Alim Flores,” is Ocheran— the largest mound
in the Ilu a tic a valley. I t has !>.'> feet of elevation and
h width of f>5 yards on the summit, and a total length
of 428 yards, or 1,2S4 feet, another multiple of tirelre. It
is enclosed by a double wall, SI (i yards in length by 700
across, thus enclosing 117 acres. Between Ocharas and
the ocean are from 1 •’> to 20 masses of ruins like those
already described.
T he Inca tem ple of the Sun, like the tem ple of Cho-
lula on the plains of Mexico, is u soi l of vast terraced
pyram id of earth. It is from 200 to UOO feet high, and
forms a sem i-lunar shape t h a t is beyond half a mile in
ex tent. I t s top measures about 10 acres square. Many
of the walls are washed over with red paint, and a r e a s
fresh and b rig h t as when centuries ago it. was tirst put
o n ...I n the C a n e te valley, opposite the <'liincha Cuano
Islands arc extensive ruins, described by Squicr. From
the hill called “ Hill of (S o ld ’’ copper and silver pins
were taken like those used by ladies to pin th e ir shawls ;
also tweezers for pulling out the hair of the eyebrows,
tyelids aud whiskers, as well as silver cups.
" T h e coast of Peru,” says Mr. H eath “ exten ds from
T um bey to the river Loa, a distance of I,2llii miles. S c a t­
tered over this whole extent, there are thousands of ruins
besides those j u s t m e ntio ne d...w hile nearly every hill
and spire of the m ountains have upon them or about
them some relic of the past ; and in every ravine, from
the. coast to the central plateau, there are ruins of walls,
cities, fortresses, burial-vaults, and miles and miles of
terraces and water-conrses. Across the plateau and down
th e eastern slope of th e A ndes to the home of the wild
Indian, and into the unknown im penetrable forest, still
you Iincl them. In the mountains, however, where showers
of rain an d snow with th e teiritic th u n d e r and light­
ning are nearly constant, a n um b e r of m o nths each t>car,
the ruins are different. O f granite, porphyritic lime and
silicated sand-stone, these massive, colossal, cyclopean
structures have resisted the d isintcgration of time, geolo­
gical transformations, earth-quakes, and the sacrilegious,
destructive hand of the wairior and tp'asure-seckcr. The
masonry composing these walls, temples, houses, towers,
fortresses, or sepulchres, is imccnicntcd, held in place by
th e incline of the walls from the perpendicular, and a d a p ­
tation of each stone to the place destined for it, the
stones having from six to many sides, each diessed, and
smoothed to fit another or others with such exactness
t h a t the blade of a small penknife cannot be inserted
in any of the seams thus formed, w heth er in th e central
parts entirely hidden, or on the internal or external s u r ­
faces. Those stones, selected with no reference to u n i­
formity in shape or size, vary from one-half cubic foot
to 1,800 cubic feet solid contents, and if, iu the mam/,
many million-s of stones you could lind one. that would
tit in the place of another, it would be purely acciden­
tal. In “ Trium ph Street," in the city of Cuzco, in a part
of the wall of the ancient house of t he Virgins of the Sun,
is a very large stone, known as “ th e stone of th e twelve
corncrs,” since it. is joined with those th a t surround
jt., by twelve faces, each having a different angle, B e ­
sides these twelve faces it has its internal one, and no
one knows how m any it has on its back that is bidden
in the masonry. In th e wall in th e centre of the Cuzco
fortress t here are stones I f e e t high, 15 feet, long, and
S feet thick, and all have been quarried miles away.
N e a r this city th e ie is an oblong smooth boulder, IS feet
in its longer axis, and 12 feet in its lesser. On one side
are large niches cut out, in which a man can stand and by
swaying his body cause the stone to rock. These niches
apparently were made solely for this purpose. One of
the most wonderful and extensive of these works in stone
is th a t called Olla.nta.y-Tambo, a ruin situated JI0 miles
north of Cuzco, in a narrow ravine on the b ank of the
river Urnbamba. I t consists of a fortress constructed on
the top of a sloping, craggy eminence. E xtending from
it to the plain below is a stony stairway. A t th e top
of the stairway are six large slabs, 12 feet high, j> feet
wide, and I! feet thick, side by side, having between them
and on top narrow strips of stone about (i inches wide,
frames as it were to t he slabs, and all being of dressed
stone. A t the bottom of the hill, part of which was made
by hand, anil a t tbe foot of th e stairs, a stone wall 10
feet wide ami 12 feet high extends some distance into
the plain. In it are m a n y niches, all facing tbo south.”
T he ruins in the Islands in L ake Titicaca, where
Incal history begins, have often been described.
A t Tiahuanaco, a few miles south of th e lake, there
are stones in the form of columns, partly dressed, placed
in line a t certain distances from each other, and having
an elevation above the ground of from I S to 20 feet. In
this same line there is a monolithic doorway, now broken,
10 feet high by 1•'! wide. T h e sjia.ee cut out for the
door is 7 feet 4 inches high by feet 2 inches wide. ’The
whole face of the stone above the door is engraved. A n­
other similar, b u t smaller, lies on the. ground beside it..
These stones are of hard porphyry, and differ geologi­
cally from the surrounding r o c k ; hence we infer they
m ust have been brought, from elsewhere.
“ A t Cliavin de l l u a n t a , ” a town iu the jirovince
of J luari, there are some ruins worthy of note. The en­
trance to them is by an alley-way (i feet wide nnd ■) feet
high, roofed over with sand-stone partly dressed, of more
than 12 feet in length. On each side there are rooms 12
f e e t wide, r o o f e d over by large pieces o f sand-stones I '
feet thick and from (j to !) feet wide. T he walls of the
rooms are Ii feet, thick, anil have some loopholes in them,
probably Ibr ventilation. In the lloor of this passage
there is a very narrow entrance to a subterranean passage
th a t passes beneath the river to the other side. From
this m any huaeas, stone drinking-vesscls, instrum ents of
c o jip e r and silver, and a skeleton of an Indian sitting,
were taken. The g re a ter part of these ruins were situ­
ated over aqueducts. The bridge lo these castles is made
of three stones o f dressed granite, 24 feet long, 2 feet
wide by l.i thick. Some oi the granite stones are cover­
ed with hieroglyjihics.
At Corralones, 24 miles from Aroquipa, there are hie­
roglyphics engraved on masses of granite, which appear
as if painted with chalk. There are figures of men, lla­
mas, circles, jiarallelograms, letters as an 1 1 and an 0 ,
and even remains of a system of aslionomy.
A t 1luaytar, in tho province of Castro Virreina, there
is an edifice with th e same engravings.
At, Nazea, m tho province of lea, there are some won­
derful ruins of aqueducts, four to five feet high and II feet
wide, very straight, double-walled, of unfinished stone,
flagged on top.
A t Quelap. not far from Chochajiayas, there have lately
been examined some extensive works. A wall of dressed
stone, otiO leet wide, ii,(!(!() long, and loO feet high. The
lower part is solid. Anot her wall above this has (jOO leet
length, 500 width,and thosainc elevation of I f>0 leet. There
are niches over both walls, three feet long, one-and-a-half
wide and thick, containingtlie remainsof those ancient inha­
bitants, some naked, others enveloped in shawls of cotton
of distinct colours ami well embroidered...................... .....
.Following the entrances of th e second and highest wall,
 th e r e are o th e r sepulchres like small ovens, six l'eet high
nmi tw enty-four in circumfercnceih thoir base are flags, upon
which some cadavers reposed. On the north side th ere is
on th e perpendicular rocky side of th e mountain, a brick
wall, h a ving small windows liOl) feet from the bottom. N o
reason f o r this, nor means of approach, can now he found.
Tlie skilful construction of utensils of gold and silver th a t
were found here, th e ingenuity and solidity of this g ig a n ­
tic work of dressed stone, m ake it also probably of pre-Incal
d a te ...E s tim a tin g five hundred ravines in the 1,200 miles of
Peru, and ten miles of terraces of fifty t iers to each ravine
which would only be five luiles'of twenty-live tiers to each
side, we have 2i>0,000 miles of stone wall, averaging three
to four feet h ig h — enough to encircle this globe ten times.
Surprising as these estimates may seem, I am fully con­
vinced th a t an actual m easurem ent would more than d ou­
ble them , for these ravines vary from .‘10 to 100 miles in
length. W hile a t San Mateo, a town in the valley of th e
H iver Rimac, where the m ountains rise to a height of
1,500 or 2,000 feet above th e river bed, I counted two
hundred tiers, none of which were less than four and man}’
more than six miles long.
“ W ho then,” very pertinently enquires Mr. Heath, were
these people, c u ttin g th rough sixty miles of g r a n it e ;
transplan ting blocks of bard porphyry, of Baalbic d im e n ­
sions, miles from the place where quarried, across valleys
thousands of feet deep, over mountains, along plains,
leaving no trace of how or where they carried them ; peo­
ple (said to be) ignorant of the use of word with the feeble
llama th e ir only beast of burden ; who after having brought
these stones fitted them into stones with Mosaic preci­
sion ; terracing thousands of miles of mountain side ; b u ild ­
ing hills of adobes and earth, and huge c itie s ; leaving
works iu day, stone, copper, silver, gold, and embroidery,
many of which cannot ho duplicated a t the present ag e ;
people apparently vying with Dives iu riches, Hercules
in stren gth and energy, and th e a n t and bee in industry i"
Callao was submerged in I74(i, and entirely destroyed.
Lim a was ruined in Ki7*S;in 17-Mi only 20 houses out
of .‘>,000 were left standing, while the ancient cities in
th e ITuatiea and b urin valleys still remain in a com pa­
ratively good state of preservation. San Miguel tie Puiro,
founded by Pizzaro in 1">:U, was entirely destroyed in
18.r>.">, while the old ruins near by suffered little. Are-
guipo was thrown down in August, 1S(>S, but I lie ruins
near show no change. In engineering, at least, th e p r e ­
sent may learn from th e past. W e hope to show th a t
it may in most things else.
L O N D O N C A L L S F o l t I t I ’l >1) 111S T
M I S S I O N A I! I VS.
T he following interesting letter from a philanthropist
of London, addressed to a Hindu liuddhist., has been h a n d ­
ed to us for publication. T h e sort of practical <'hristia-
n ity they have in the commercial metropolis of the world
is herein graphically depicted. T h e loiter should be
framed and hung on the wall of every mission house,
school and chapel throughout “ Heathendom .” A religion
th a t cannot save its professors from becoming d runkards
and criminals is a poor sort of religion, it would seem.
London, March 20, 1S77.
Sir,— I write with a faint hope th a t this le tte r may
reach you, not knowing your private address.
I have just seen in one o t our newspapers a short s ta te ­
m ent th a t you had delivered an address in A ugust last,
to the citizens of * * * * , o u your visit to T a sm a ­
nia, th a t you spoke of th e intem perate habits of the peo­
ple as well as of their immoralities, and th a t you made a
proposition to send Buddhist, teachers to the Christians to
convert them to a virtuous life.
As I read these few lines 1 was deeply moved by feel­
ings of wonder, .admiration and g ra titud e tn you and your
fellow-citizens for their truly good intention ; and though
I am only an humble person, I trust yon will not think
my earnest expression of encouragement unw orthy yo ur
acceptance.
I have read a little of your Vedas, and have adm ired
th e ir excellent precepts, and th e purity of thoughts iu
them. I believe tho Croat F a th e r of all has had m a n y
sons who came to teach us His Will, among whom wero
-liuddli ami J e s u s ; b u t our priests have always spoken
evil of them , and so our people aro prejudiced, because
they are ignorant of their divine teachings.
I u my country the forms of religion are greatly respected,
and its num erous clergy are all well paid. In ste ad
of preaching th e d u ty of righteousness or holiness of life,
they are always preaching doctrines which are uteles*,
having no influence on morals ur manner*. H ere is one
of th em — Je su s died ;is a sacrifice to Cod for the sins of
m a n — and no m a tte r how bad a man yon have been, if you
only beliere this, Cod will take you to Heaven when you
die. This doctrine is all an invention of m an’s fancy, and
quite eoiilrtin/ to the teachings of Jesus, anil may truly bo
considered irrational, anti-Christian, and im pious; y e t
th ey are always impressing it on tin* public mind and so
draw' off a tte n tio n from practical t ruth.
T he vice of drunkenness is truly awful here and th e
u t te r indifference to its sinfulness is still worse. Every
rank and class of people, from the highest nobility to tho
lowest paupers, have d run k a rd s in their families. O u r
judges tell us th a t nine-tenths of the ci iminal cases brought
beforo them aro directly the result of usingint o n icating drinks.
Every day our newspapers are full of reports of murders,
robberies, and all kinds of wickedness ; yet so accustomed
are we to all this th a t no notice is taken. I f the drink-
shops of London were placed in a line, they would extend
seventy-two miles, or the distance a soldier on a forced
march would m ake in 24 bom's.
h'orty years ago some good men of the working classes
formed a society to reform this national vice; the clergy
would not assist th e m — for they were all spirit drinkers
— the religious people would not join them, as they wero
led by tins clergy (priests). Hut. these good men perse­
vered, ami at last have succeeded in diaw ing public a tte n ­
tion to th e subject, and effoits are being made to have
proper laws made on the subject ; but one-fourth of our
legislature has an interest in the drinking habits, to
m ake money from them.
My brother, 1 ask you aiul your good people to come
and help ux in L o u d o n ! Send us a few pious-minded,
clever, p r u d e n t men, to teach us th e precepts of Buddh,
and call on the Christians to renounce their evil practices
and become a good people instead of being a drunken
people. H e re you will find friends to aid you in every
way.
I have several reasons for asking you to come here, not
desiring that you should turn away from any other place
where you may have th o u g h t your assistance needed.
F u v t , — London is the great commercial centre of many
nations, and her influence extends over almost all coun­
tries in th e world. As the heart, sends its life-blood to
every portion of t.he body, so t.lie mind of London, to a,
great degree, sends its influence, good or bad, to all
tho extrem es of the E a rth ; and if you, good Buddhists,
for love of humanity, come here to teach us, bad Christians,
how to live righteously, it would shame our Christian
priests into action. The newspapers would report your
speeches aud criticise you r teachings, and you would find
numbers to sustain you.
Secoiuflt/,— You would, in a great measure, break down
th e prejudice against, your religion. We are all prejudiced,
because we do not know its goodness.
Thinlli/,— Y our influence as foreign missionaries would
be powerful, coming from “ th e land of darkness and blind
idolatry” a.s In d ia is falsely called ; for our priests aro
full of the foolish presum ption that we alone have God’s
tru th , and that all your sacred books are mere inventions!
You would break down this idea and create respect for
the Hindus. I do not think you would get many believers
in B u d d h ; but if you level your artillery against
drinking alcohol, and tell the people to avoid it as they
 would a consum ing fire, then you would do much pond.
Our holy hooks nro full of lessons to slum evil ;md do good.
Should von entertain this proposition of visiting London
to endeavour to convert us to improved (mbits of life, nnd
th e avoidance of evil people, evil actions, and evil thoughts,
ami encourage ns to p u rity of mind, you would inflict, a
trem en do us blow 011 our hypocritical priests and our
deluded nation. The force of the blow would lie in th is—
th a t you, Hindus, to whom we send missionaries to teach
you Christianity, return the com plim ent hy sending us mis­
sionaries to teach us that it is wrong in God's sight to
drink alcohol, which is the devil’s in stru m e n t to curse
England with and her colonies.
In London there are about one million of people who
never worship any God ; and fully two millions who are
led by tlio clergy any wav. W e are four millions.
Come then, good Buddhists, help us to reform our wick­
ed habits, teach us the du ty and adv antag e of leading a
righteous life, and our God will bless your labors, and
reward you hereafter. W e need your help. Com ing openly
as Buddhists, you would astonish all England, you would
command public atten tion , and win for yourselves, Ibr
your country, and for your beautiful religion the respect
of every good man.
D I S S O L V E D SO U L .*
Tt. may at. first, glance stagger, or even disgust, us to
hear the soul spoken of as a volatile odoriferous principle,
capable of being dissolved in glycerine, and yet. this is the
last new th in g in “ Science.” Professor Jiiger, the a u th o r
of this stian ge hypothesis, is not merely a biologist of
known merit,, but, wliat is more to the purpose, by no means
the gross materialist, which an outline ot his views m ight
lead 11s to suspect. Like m any e m in e n t philosophers and
theologians, he considers man as a threefold being, formed
of body, soul, and spirit. ; b u t u n like the majority of these
writers, h e regards th e spirit, as the imm aterial and in­
divisible principle, connected to the body by moans of the
soul, a volatile, though m aterial element, which is the
seal, of the passions, th e emotions, anil th e will.
Psychogen, th e material of which he regards the soul as
constituted, is present, lies holds, not merely in the body as
* At tlic distant place (llolubay) wc :irc not able to refer lo original tions do not harmonise : while, 011 the other hand, where
authorities for corroboration of the statem ents contained in tin's
article— which we lind in S p iritu a l JVotes for April. Hut, if (lie dis­ and mutual attraction. These observations, lie considers,
coveries of Dr. .Tager are correctly described, it will lie seen tlint
they are highly important. Their value consists in their giving
laboratory verification to views long since propounded anil
supported by another line of proof. T11 his “ Anthropology,” pub­
lished in America in the y ear 18-10, Professor Joseph It. i'm-ha-
nan—now a Fellow of our Society—announced liis discovery of (he
power in man to detect in a manuscript, painting, or even some
object th a t a nother person had been in long contact with the sub­
tle emanations of his character. This he called Psychometrv, or
soul-measuring. One sensitive lo these exhalations— th at is, a
l'tyehm tetcr—conld, bv merely holding the object iu the hand or
applying it to the forehead, feel and describe first the dominant
mood or strongest characteristic of the absent person, anil then Ihe
subordinate individual peculiarities. Often the psyehomcter would
pass into the condition of “ conscious clairvoyance." and though
not in the magnetic sleep, see the writer of the letter, the painter
of tho picture, &c„ his house, family, friends, surroundings— even
th e epoch in which he lived. Applying the psychometrical faculty
In the test of medicines and chemicals of anv sort, the sensitive
holding a closed packet of the chemical or medicinal substance could
discover w hat it was by its elfects upon the taste or other senses ;
though no substance had been pulverized and tho paper wrapper
bore 110 mark whatever to indicate what was within. All these
experiments we have personally seen, tried many times, and made
them ourselves. Professor Win. Denton s “ Soul of Things,’ is a work
whose three volumes are entirely dovoted to this subject of P«y-
(homelrv. Tho writer of the article now quoted does not say whether
Dr. .lager adduces the well-known facts th a t some dogs will 1111-
deviatingly follow their masters’ footsteps, though the scent may
have been crossed even so many times, and th a t the blooil-hoiuiil
will track the fugitive if b u t allowed t o smell a glove or a bit
of anv textile fabric ho may have worn. Nor is anything said
about the “ loves and antipathies,” of the plant kingdom, which
assuredly come legitimately within th e scope of t his inquiry. H o w ­
ever, an im portant beginning is made, and Dr. Jiiger stands at
one end of a path tha t runs stra ig h t towards the heart of Asia­
tic Occultism.—II. S. O,
a whole, b u t in every individual cell, in th e ovum and
even in tb e u ltim a te elem ents of protoplasm. I t forms an
in giedien t of th e molecules of albumen. A.s long as such
molecules remain intact, th e soul is, he maintains, in a
combined state, and is completely devoid of action ; but, 011
th e decomposition of such molecules, it is set free and
appears at, once in a sla te of activity, lle n c e it follows
thnt. the decomposition of the album en in the hum an
tissues must, go hand in hand with psychical activity. The
professor asserts, that, during pleasurable excitement, as
well as d u rin g fear or distress, the expenditure of n itro­
genous m a tte r is g r e a te r than during muscular exertion.
And, truly enough, according to the researches of Booker
IJenooke, Proiit, and H a u gthon , this is exactly w hat takes
place. Violent m uscular work does not increase the p e r­
centage of nitrogenous compounds in th e urine as much
ns does excitem ent or agitation of mind.
Again, if we prepare th e purest albumen from the blood
of any animal, we have a tasteless and scentless mass.
N e ith e r chemical analysis, nor microscopic examination,
can discover w heth er such albumen was prepared from the
blood of a, man, an ox, or a dog, &c. B u t if we add to it
an acid, th ere is a brief development of an odour which is
perfectly specific, differing in th e case of every animal. If
the acid we use is feeble, and the.resulting decomposition
incomplete, we have th e peculiar, not unpleasant, odour
which the flesh of the animal gives off in boiling or gentle
roasting ; b u t if we use a more powerful acid, and effect a
more thorough decomposition, th e scent given oft may be
at once recognised as th a t peculiar to the excrement, of
the species.
H u n g e r is an agent, which powerfully excites the living
animal, nnd its exhalations then possess an exceptionally
powerful odour. This odour is terrifying to its prey. Thus,
to our nostrils, all beasts of prey, especially tigers, are
exceedingly offensive. I n like manner, the odour of a
cat is well known to banish mice from any l o c a l it y , as may
bo observed, even in case of Ihe Persian cats, so generally
k e p t in Paris, and which will rarely condescend to chase
a mouse. T he hare is thrown into panic dread on scent­
ing a fox, a hound, or a huntsm an.
Dr. Jligor’s theory is. t h a t instinctive hatred, or fear, as
the case may bo, arises between two beings whose exhala­
such harm ony exists, th e result is instinctive sympathy
explain th e repulsion— th e antip a th y — between different
races of m ankind. T he negro, the black fellow of A u stra ­
lia, and oven th e Chinese possess a different, s p e c ific odour
from th e w hite man, and hence they can scarcely form
other than distinct and m utually hostile elements in any
com m unity whore tliev co-exist
It will be seen a t once, th a t though the professor deals
with many a dm itted facts, and brings them into a certain
accord with his hypothesis, it, is far from demonstrated
th a t they do not a d m it of other explanations ; and this
new theory m u st be ju d g e d by th e light it may be capa­
ble of throwing upon th e many unsolved problems of bio­
logy and psychology. As regards some of these, to-wit
heredity, instinct, fascination, the transmission of certain
classes of diseases, and perhaps the action of animal poi­
sons, if may not improbably prove suggestive.
H e rr Or. C. W ittig, who writes 011 this subject in
rhlxc/ie Stu<lit‘11, in tim ates th a t .Lager's theory may p e r­
haps enable us to reduce somnambulism, ecstasy, and the
niediiimi.stic phenomena, to the action of these soul-ema-
liations or albumenoid vapours. On the other hand, it is
quite possible that, some of the phcnom cnaupon which Jiiger
n l i e s may be accounted for on spiritual principles. W e
are told th a t th e learned professor placed a num bei of
hares in a large wire cage, whilst a dog was allowed to
prowl around and snuff a t th e terrified animals for two
hours. T he dog being th e n killed, his olfactory nerves
and the lining-meinbnines of th e nose were taken out and
ground up witli very pure glycerine. The extract th u s
obtained was an essence of tim idity,— a liquid panic. A
cat u n d e r whose skin a few drops had been injected was
n o t willing to attack a mouse. A mastiff, similarly tr e a t­
ed, s lu nk away from a cat. O th er emotions and passions
a 11)tear to have been ex perim entally com m unicated to
men aud to a nimals by analogous means. P u t mesmerists
declare, on th e faith of experiment, that a glass of water
if magnetised with th e lirm intention 011 the part of tho
0|>erator th a t it shall produce a certain definite effect, is
found no less efficacious. Spiritualism and Jiigerism aro
antagonistic— a fact which may help both to a fair liear-
ing.
.1 P E O P L E ' S M O X T I I L V .
T h e tone of o u r private correspondence encourages
u s to th in k t h a t our magazine is satisfying the wants of
tho In d ia n public, ami that it may lay some claim at
least, to be called the Asiatic People's Magazine. O ur
contributions have heon as varied in literary merit as
th e w riters have differed in nice and creed. Some have
reflected the hopes and aspirations of undergraduates,
while others, by ripe Eastern scholars, haves won th e ad ­
miring praise of the g re a te s t au th orities of E u r o p e a n
science. The subjects have been infinitely various, it
having been th e aim ot the Editors to fulfil th e promises
of th e Prospectus and m ake a free platform, from which
th e advocates of all th e old religions m ight bespeak
tho a tte ntio n of a patient public. It appears th a t our
plan was a good one. Despite the ominous warnings of
timid friends, the failure of m any previous literary ven­
tures, th e prejudice arrayed against us, the malicious ob­
structiveness of the enemies o f Theosophy, the unprofi-
tably cheap rate of subscription and every oth er obstacle,
our magazine is a financial success ; owing no m an a pice
ami paying its way. Tho table o f subscribers' post-offices,
copied last m onth from our mailing-rcgistors, shows th a t
it is a regular visitor a t some hu ndreds of towns and cities
situ ate in the four qu arters o f tho globe. This means
t h a t our advocacy of the study of ancient lore has a world­
wide evidence, aud th a t in th e rem otest countries people
are being ta u g h t to revere th e wisdom of India.
T he most gratifying fact in connection with our j o u r ­
nalistic enterprise is th a t our subscribers are of every
sect and caste, and not preponderatingly of any par­
ticular one. Most of those who write to us say th a t the
magazine has been recommended by friends, and manv,
of every rank and every degree of'education, express their
gratification with w hat hiis apjiearcd in these pages.
W h a t precedes will prepare th e reader to understand
th a t if, now and then, place has been given to articles
of somewhat inferior calibre, the fact m ust bo a ttrib u te d to
design rather than to accident. N o t th a t it would not
have been more agreeable to p rin t none b u t essays of
a higher quality, th a t goes w ithout saying. Hut we are
publishing our magazine for th e general public, not alone
for the literary critics or antiquarians, and so wo always
welcome the representatives of popular th o u g h t to say
their say iu the best way they can- To whom shall wo
look for the revival of* A ryan wisdom, the resuscitation
of Aryan nationality, the beginning of a reformation of
modern abuses ? N o t to tho middle-aged or th e
old, for their tendency is towards conservatism and
reaction. Much as such persons may intellectually
revere the sages of old, it is worse than useless to look
to th e m to set au example of p u ttin g away prejudices,
customs and notions which those very sages would have
abhorred and many of which they actually denounced. Tho
hojK! of the century is in the young, th e ardent, th e sus
ceptible, the energetic, who are j u s t stepping u j h i i i th e
stage. I t is worth more to fire the heart, of one such
lad than to rekindle among the ashes of th eir ciders'
hojics the flickering semblance of a flame. So let us give
the young men a chance to explore old records, q u e s­
tion aud counsel with their parents and tcachers, and
then publish the results to th e g re a t public. Thoy may
not always say very profound things, nor use th e most
elegant phrases, b u t a t least they are sincere and, if e n ­
couraged, will be stim u lated to study more, take fu rth e r
counsel, and try to write b ette r next time. And their e x a m ­
ple will he followed by others.
Most W estern men who have atte m p te d to teach tho
Eastern reading public seem to have th e id ea that, what
pleases mid satisfies their own countrymen, will equally
please aud satisfy the Orientals. There could be no greater
mistake. T h e Eastern aud W estern minds are as unlike
as day aud night. W hut pleases the one is not at all
likely to m e e t the requirem ents of the other, for their
respective developm ents are th e result of totally dissimi­
lar environm ents. T h e true teachers for the East are
Asiatic men aud one of these fledgling Native uudcr-
irraduates will have a k eener sense of Indian intellectual
wants than most of our learned professors. T he now-
confessed total failure of the ( 'ambriilge mission to con­
vert the high-class N atives is an example in ]K>int. We
have more men of th e kind they were fishing after in
our Homltay ltranch alone than were ever converted to
C hristianity since missions were tirst established iu India.
T he object of our Society will lie completely realized
when th e h undreds of young men who are reading our
magazine and becoming imbued with the theosophical
spirit, shall be labouring, with patriotic, religious zeal,
in the several localities for the revival of ancient wisdom
aud th eir general study of th e rccords of that far-gone era
when th e ir ancestors boasted with sparkling eyes tlmt
they were Aryas.
L n . \ T<; L I F E .
SOME IN’T K I t K S T I N C CASKS UK UNUSUAL I.O N O K V IT Y .
T he oldest woman in the world is supposed to lie ila r v
Benton, now residing at Elton, in the county of Durham,
England. She was born on the 12th of February, 17UI,
and is, of course, in her 148th year. She is in possession
of all her faculties, perfect memory, hearing aud eyesight.
She cooks, washes and irons, iu the usual family avoca­
tions, threads her needle and sews without s|iectacles.
It is a m a tte r of statistical fact th a t in the district of
Ueezeli, which includes the pyramids, and a population
ot 200,000, there are (iOO iiersons over 1(M) years of age,
or one iu every o3.'{. N iim aus de Cuyan, a native of
Hengal, in India, died a t the incredible age of .‘J70 years !
He possessed great memory even to his death. O f other
aged persons wo m ig h t mention Mr. Dobson, aged
13!t, of Hadticld, England, farmer, liis diet was prin ­
cipally fish, fruit, vegetables, milk and cider. Ninety-one
children and O irrundchildren attended his funeral.
Jo h n de la Somet, of Virginia, is lilt) years old.
Old Thom as Parr, of W innington, Shropshire, England,
lived to th e age of 152 year?. H e was first married at
88, and a second time a t 120. He was covered from head
to foot all over with a thick cover of hair.
H enry J e n k in s lived to the extraordinary age of Kill
years. At the age of IfiO he walked a journey to London
to see Kin*/O ( ’hallos 11. T he King O introduced J e n k in s
to his Queen, who took much interest in him, pu ttin g
numerous questions to the jiatriarch, among which she
asked, *• Well, my good man, may I ask of you w hat you
have done during the long period of life granted to you,
more than any other man of shorter lon gev ity?” The
old man, looking the Queen in the face, with a bow,
naively replied, “ Indeed Madam, I know of nothing
■jreatcr than becominir a• father when •
1 was
•
over a bun-
(Ired years old.” He replied to th e King that temperance
and sobriety of living bad been the means, by the blessings
of God, of lengthening his days lioyoiid the usual time.
Edward D rinker, aged lO.'t, of i’hiladelphia, rarely ato
any supper.
Valentine C'ateby, aged 11U, a t Preston, near Hull,
England. H is diet for th e last twenty years was milk
and biscuit. His intellect was perfect until within two
days of his death. T h e re died in 1840, a t Kingston upon the
Thames, Surrey, a Mr. Warrell, aged 120 yea re.— 6V, Louis
Punt,
 T H E D R A M A O F R A J A M A N A A N D 1118 W I V E S .
11Y A I t A . I A — T i l I X i S O I ' l 11 S T O F lH '.N O A I,,
Tlie na tu ra l conflict between good ami evil propensities
in tlio liiiinnn heart., ami the successive stops tor securing
tlio victory tor tlie former nro well depicted in a very good
book, which I wish to briny to tho notice of W estern
Orientalists, if nny liavo nut. soon it. It, is, like so many
of our Eastern works on morals, in the form of a ilrania.
Its title is “ Prahoilh (Jhandrodaya N a t a k .” M ann (mind)
is represented as a king having two wives, named, res­
pectively, I ’ruvrutli and N iv ru lli. T h e children of Ihe
former are :— Mahii Mohn (great, a tta c h m e n t to, or love
for, the world ) ; luiinti (sensual d e s ire ) ; hr<*lh<t (anger) ;
L M , „ (desire for riches and lu x u r y ) ; and Minin (pride
or vanity). T hese children have attendants, comrades,
wives and children congenial to themselves. T h e second
wife has only one son, named Virrln (which means an
inclination for the search a lter tru th , a repugnance for
what, is transient, and a comprehension of tho illusive
n atu re of this earthly life). Mis comrades aro Shnnui
( p e a c e of mind), D am n (control over sensual desires),
]'mini (undisturbed state of mind), Nii/nnia (the met hods
of Yog Vidva) and others. T heir wives are of th e ir n a ­
ture. These two parties are th e n represented to have
waged war with each other to usurp th e paternal right.
Mnnn, the father, then grew too weak aud powerless to
bo able to enforce his authority. MiiJuiMnha, the eldest,
then proclaimed himself king on one side, while Vireka
on t he other. Hv force of arms the former finally s u e - •
ooodod. W hen the latter saw th a t the state of affairs
was very much against him, he took an opportunity to
consult, his preceptor who gave the following advice :—
“ It. is not in your power to s u I h I u o yo ur enemy. You
will have a son, named l'riilxHlhiichondrii, and a daughter,
named Vidi/a, who alone can expel M uhd Moha and his
comrades from your father’s kingdom, the world. You
should, first of all, get. shroddhtt (desire), h u t y o u must
take care to see th a t it is not Tnm usi shnuhJhti (evil
desire). You m ust find out Stih v ik i shrnddhd (a desire
to acquire truth) to Ik? used in seducing Vishnu lih u ili
Deri (who resides by U’ptnUKhtid Deri) whom you should
marry. Hy this marriage you will have the required son
and the daughter, who will drive your enemies awav ;
and you will thus Ix? installed in your paternal kingdom.”
I think the readers will he very glad to see th e picture
as it is drawn in the lunik, which can be found in the W es­
tern Indian Libraries.
T H E C H R IS T IA N A R T OF WAR.
Will some reverend preacher, devoted to th e work of
propagating ( 'bristianity am ong the “ poor H e a t h e n s ”
generously read a t his next Uible-elnss, .Sunday-school,
or o|K'n-air mooting the following extract from a great
London journal as a practical illustration of how a Chris­
tian army wages war upon naked savages : it. will make
a deep impression. Says the Cape Town correspondent, of
the Ihtih/ N e w s:—■
Sad account* art? Iicing brought to light of tlio atrocities committed
by our allies the Amaswazi in tins Secoeoeni expedition. They ;irc
re|>orted to lift v<>spared neither man, woman, nor child in their course
,’iml tlie dreadful particulars are enough to freeze one’s blood. These
tiling* will pottsihiy never come to light. Had they been done under
any other flag, (liev would have called down a world of ju s t indigna­
tion r b u t tlie name of civilis<'itinn is supposed to throw a cloak over
Kuril atrocities. I t is a deep stain on o ur national honour that, in
order to avenge a doubtful quarrel with a man who at leasi seemed
to l)c capable of understanding the rudiments of civilisation, we let
loose upon him Ml,INK) of the greatest barbarians iu South Africa
and, according to more th an one report, absolutely stamped out his
•■Inn. Nothing can justify the employment of the Amaswazi iu the
Secoeoeni campaign—certainly not success or cheapness, which seems
to lie th r great merits of the oiioration. It is enough to make one
despair of Christianity to think th a t iu tho nineteenth ccnturv its
professors arc able to justify such deeds, and to take credit for
adopting towards the natives of this continent the same measures
by which the Spaniards of the sixteenth century converted the
Indians of the Spanish Main. Slavery may lie a bail thing, bu t
foHwcen th at and extermination there is mighty little to choose,
anil tlio employment of such mlhaiis as the Amaswazi means cxter*
mination, or it menus nothin','. T h a t such deeds should take
place n t all. is sad enough. That they should tako place under
the llritish Hag is enough to innke every right-minded Englishman
demand a searching impiiry. and to insist th at no official verbiage
shall gloss over deeds which, if committed Ity P.oers or colonists,
would be subjected to a storm of righteous indignation. The
following telegram has been received this morning by the IV/'.t-
bfitri. a Dutch organ, which certainly cannot be accused of undue
philanthropy Fearful atrocities by Swazis nt Secocoeni’s come
to light. IV>U'term mentions n few, such a* cutting oir women’s
breasts, burning infants, cutting throats, nnd Haying children of
five or six years." It is enough to add th a t these deeds weie said
lo lie iloue by our allies, or rather by our auxiliaries under the
I'liitish Hag.
T H E B E W IT C H E D M IR R O R .
HY PJU N C K A. T Z K I U 'IK I .K F .
A few years ago I purchased a t Moscow' an old and long-
doserlcd house. T ho whole huilding had to he repaired
and almost, rebuilt. Unwilling to travel from H im ky, my
sum m er residence, to town and hack several times a week,
I decided to superintend the; work personally and to take
up ni)r abode on the premises. As a result of this decision,
a room was hastily prepared for me in th e main building.
I t was in August ; all my acquaintances and friends had
loll tho city ; nowhere to go, no one to talk with ; it. was
t.he dullest period in my life.
Once— as 1 well rem em ber it was on the 27t.li of A u­
g u st— after passing th e whole morning in the intellectual
occupation ot disputing with tho carpenters, having rows
with the masons, and debates with the furniture men, and
thus spoiling several ounces of blood— a torture known
but, to Moscow proprietors— I was sulkily eating my dinner
at. the ( iourinsk Inn, w hen------ (), joy ! I met with two old
and valued triends. I pounced upon them and would not.
let them go before th e y bad accompanied mo homo, anil
taken a cup of tea with me. A fter talking over more or
loss subjects with more or less anim ated debates, th e conver­
sation chanced to turn upon Spiritualism. As a m atter of
course, none of us lx-lioved in spirits, every one of us
hastening to bring forward tho threadbare and common­
place a rgum ents which usually serve such occasions.
“ Do you knmv, Yurey I vanovitch,” said to me one
of mv friends, “ that 1 was actually assured the other
day th a t th ere was nothing in the world more terrifying
for a person than to stand alone, at. midnight, lie lore a
mirror, and with two lighted candles in one’s hands, to
thrice repeat loudly and slowly one’s own name, without
dropping th e eyes from the reflected image ? 1 was told
th a t it produced th e most awful feeling of nervousness.
Few men are capable of such a feat.”
“ I t ’s all bosh," rem arked his companion, ge ttin g up
to take liis leave of me. “ This superstition is of t.he
same kind as th a t o th e r one, of being unable to eat. cham­
pagne out. of a soup-plate with a large spoon, without
perceiving th e devil a t the bottom of the plate. I tried it.
myself and nothing happened. However, you can make
th e mirror e xperim ent yourself. In your deserted and
em pty house, the th in g m u s t conn? out quite solemn.
Well, good-bye : it is g e ttin g late-, and our train leaves
to-morrow at nine.”
They went away. My servant, came to enquire whether
J needed him for a ny th in g else, and being answered in t.he
negative, wont off to bed a t the other end of th e largo
house, where he slept iu some far-off hole. I was left
alone.
I feel positively ashamed to confess w hat happened af­
ter that.—yet I m u st do so. How the idea of tiy in g that
experiment, with the mirror could have ever entered into
my head— th e head of a respectable husband, father of a
large family, and a J u d g e — 1 know not, b u t it did. I t was
like an obsession. I looked a t my watch, it was a quar­
ter to twelve—-just tho very time. Taking a lighted
candle in each hand, I proceeded to the ball-room.
I must tell you th a t th e whole width of my new house
was occupied by a large and very long hall lighted with
windows at the two ends. I t was j u s t then under repairs.
Along th e walla there stood scaffoldings, and tlic place was
lull ol lu m b er and rubbish. A t one side an enormous
glass-door opened into the conservatory and garden ; a t
tlio opposite one there was a gigantic looking-glass over
the inantelrpieee. A b e tte r spot for th e evocation of spirits
could hardly be found. It is w ith difficulty th a t I can now
describe or account for the statu of my feelings, while 1
was passing along the deserted and gloomy passage lead­
ing to th e ball-room. I had been so thoroughly annoyed
during th e whole day, so prosaically irritated, th a t my
mental sta te could haiilly be favorable to experim ents of
such a kind. 1 rem em ber well, th a t upon p ushing the
heavy doors open, my a tte n tio n was ilniwn to the once
elegant, but now very damaged, curving upon it, and th a t I
was calculating how much money 1 would have to lay out
for its thorough reparation. I was calm, completely calm.
W hen 1 entered, I was caug ht in an atm osphere of
decay, dampness, white-wash, and fresh lumber. T h e air
was heavy ; 1 felt oppressed w ith heat, and y e t chill)'. The
enormous windows, stripped of th e ir blinds and curtains,
stared in oblong black squares upon th e naked walls ; the
a u tu m n al rain (which 1 had not even suspected while iu
my loom) was drizzling against th e window panes ; tr e m ­
bling a t every g u s t of wind, th e glass rattled in the old
window-frames ; while th e d r a u g h t creeping through the
crevices and key-holes, whined and sung, tilling the old
house with mournful cadeuccs. T he very sound of my
footsteps seemed to aw aken a strange and weird echo....!
stopped— b u t th e sound did not stop m e at once ; it went
on slowly dying away until it broke with a solt and w eari­
some sigh.........
A strange sensation .suddenly and irresistibly got hold
of me. I t was not fear— no, but a kind of sickly, m elan ­
choly feeling in the heart. Aroused by the silence reign­
ing in this old uninhabited mansion, and by the umiMial
surroundings, th e re now awoke at the bottom of my soul
much of th a t long-forgotten p ast which had slumbered lor
so many years amid the wear and tear of commonplace
daily lito. W ho knows whence ami why these unbidden
guests now came trooping before the eves of memory,
bringing forth a series of pictures with them ; scenes of
early childhood and youth ; remembrances and sweet recol­
lections, hopes unfulfilled; nml g rief— heavy sorrows which I
had lived through and thoug ht over. All this arose a t once
and simultaneously with its images of the past and the
present ; crowding iu upon m e a t all sides, it confused anil
entangled the clearly defined pictures, and replaced them
with vague recollections. Blit as in our dreams, when the
sorrow of the preceding day as well as the expected joy of
the morrow never leave us completely free lroni the ir grip,
so over all these dreamy recollections, w h ether joyful or
melancholy, spread like the cold and heavy mist of an
au tu m n al rainy day, the cold and dull reality...A hopeless,
an unaccountable weariness got hold of me, enveloping my
whole being as in a ghostly shroud.........
The sudden noise of ;i rat disturbed in its nocturnal
wanderings p u t an a b ru p t stop to the wanderings of my
imagination. J slowly approached the mirror, pulled off
its brown hollow cover, and shuddered a t my own reflec­
tion : a pale, sorrowful face, with dark flickering shadows
upon it, looked a t me with all uiilamiliar expression in its
eyes aud upon its stern features. 1 could hardly realize it
was my own. The whole interior ot the large hall with
its lum ber and scaffolding, its veiled statues, and the enor­
mous garden door, at th e end of a double low of pillars,
was reflected in the mirror. The weak, waving light of
the two wax candles was hardly able to chase tb e darkness
lying in thick black shadows u n d e r the lofty ceiling, upon
■which the heavy chandeliers with th e ir innum erable
crystal drops painted fantastic spots; from my legs extended
t w o gigantic shadows, branching off upon the inland floor
anil merging into the penumbra of the corners ; at every
movement these shadows ran swiftly right and left, now
lengthening, a t an other moment shortening. Again, I
glanced a t my watch, it wanted three m inutes to midnight.
J'laeing a chair before the looking-glass, J laid my c h r o n o -
jucter upon it, and with the two lighted candles clenched
iu by hands stood before the mirror, awaiting midnight.
All w.xs quiet and the silence around was profound.
N o u g h t was heard b u t the ticking of my watch, and the
occasional fall of a rain-drop passing through the old leaky
roof. And now, the watch-haiuls m e t ; I straightened m y ­
self up, and, firmly looking upon my own countenance iu
th e mirror, pronounced slowly, loudly and distinctly,
" Y — u — r— ey I— va— no— \itc h T a — ni— shef !”
I f I had failed before to recognize my own face, th a t
tim e I was u tte rly unable to recognize my own voice ! I t
was a.s if the sounds reached me from far, far off; as if the
voice ot an other somebody had called me. 1 went on
staring at myself, though never taking off my eyes from
the face. T he reflection had become paler still, the eyes
seemed im m easurably enlarged and the candles trembled
violently in it* hands. All was q u ie t ; only my two sh a ­
dows began moving swifter th a n ever ; they joined each
other, then separated again, and all a t once began rapidly
growing, elongating themselves, moving on higher and
h ig h e r...th e y slipped along the veiled statues, flung th e ir
clear, cut, black patches upon the white walls, climbed
along th e pillars, separated u|rjii the ceiling and began
approaching nearer and n earer........“ Y u— ley 1— vano—•
vitcli T anishef !” I slowly pronounced again my name ;
and this once, my voice resounded in the old hall more
muffled than ever. T h ere was iu it som ething like a
note of sorrow, reproach, ami warning......... No, this voice,
so soft, with tones iu it so broken, was not m y coicc / .. .
It was the familiar voice of some one I knew well, who
was near and dear to m e ... I heard it more th a n once, whe­
ther in my dream s or waking hours.... It had hardly died
away, when a window-pane, jingling and tinkling under a
new gust of wind, suddenl y burst. 11 was as if a harp-chord
had broken its pure, metallic ring, tilled the room, and was
caught up by the wind which ■began its long and liigu-
brous dirge, a song of awe and sorrow......... Unable to re­
sist t he first impulse, I took off my eyes for one instant
from the mirror, and was going to turn abruptly round,
when suddenly recollecting that I had Lo keep my eyes
fixed upon it all the tim e I looked again, an d— remained
rooted to the spot with horror........
I found my sell no more in the looking-glass ....N o ; 1
was not asleep, n either was 1 insane ; 1 recognised every
smallest object around m e : there was I lie chair with my
watch upon it ; and I saw distinctly iu the m in o r every
part of the room reflected ; th e scaffolding and statues,
aud the drop-lights were there, all of them as they were
before.... Hut my shallow had also disappeared, and I vain­
ly searched for it upon the inland lloor. The room was
em pty ; it had lost its only tenant. I.... I myself had
gone, and was there no mole !...
Au inexpressible wild terror got hold of me. Never, in
the range of the experience of my whole life, had I e x­
perienced an y th in g approaching this feeling. It seemed
to me as if 1 were living over this same event lor a second
time ; th a t all this had happened to me before, on the
same spot, illuminated by that sa m e dickering light, ill
this same identical, heavy, gloomy silence...that I had e x ­
perienced all this, and had waited here before now...feel­
ing tha t som ething wa.s going to happen, th a t it noiseless­
ly approached, th a t invisible and inaudible, it is already
near the door, th a t this em p ty ball-room is a —stage, whose
curtain is slowly lolling up, and that one second more, onu
more effort., but to pronounce once more my name...only
once...and that door will noiselessly ojieh...
T he name, the nam e __ I have to pronounce it lor th e
third and last tim e__ I repeated over and over to myself
mentally, trying to summon up my courage and collect
my thoughts. 15ut all my will-power had gone. I felt
like one petrified, I was no longer my own self, but n j»irt
of something else ; 1 could not aud did not think ; 1 only
instinctively felt that I wa.s being irresistibly drawn into
a \ o r t e \ of fatal events, and went on staring like a m a ­
niac into I he mirror, in which I saw the empty hall with
everything iu it-, b u t — myself j
 W ith a desperate superhum an effort, I shook off that
state of paralysis and began to u tte r my nam e for the
third tim e : “ Y ur— ey Ivano— vitcli T a ............. !” but, my
voice bn>ke down, and my tongue rlave to the roof of my
m o u th , at the shrill, trembling, extraordinary tones w hich
made th e whole house vibrate with echoes in th e midst of
this ominous silence. The wind howled and moaned, the
doors and windows violently trembled, as th e knob of the
entrance door slowly b u t audibly and distinctly tu rn e d ...
lit t e r i n g a shriek of terror, I threw down both the lights
and pressing my head between my palms, rushed o u t of the
room like a madman.
W h a t happened alter that I know not. I came to my
senses only in the morning, when I found myself in
bed, in my own room, and with a dim m ist working in my
brain. G radually I recalled all the incidents nf the p r e ­
ceding night, and was ju s t g o i n g to decide in my own
thoughts that- the whole was b u t a dream, when my ser­
vant handed me with a look of blank am azem ent, my
watch anil the two candlesticks tha t the w orkm en had
ju s t found before the uncovered mirror in th e ball-room.
I have narrated a F A C T : though to explain it is more
than 1 could undertake. One th ing 1 knew well, I will
evoke mvself % before a lookinji-jdass
o © no more,’ and strongly
c »
advise others never to a tte m p t th e experim ent.
T H E X I'M HEJl S E 1'EX.
A dee]) significance was attached to num bers in hoary
antiquity. T here was not a people with any th ing
like philosophy, b u t gave great prominence to num bers
in their application to religious observances, the e stab lish­
m ent of festival days, symbols, dogmas, and even the
geographical distribution of empires. T h e mysterious
numerical system of Pythagoras was nothing novel when
it appeared far earlier than (>00 years B .C . The occult
meaning of figures and their combinations entered into the
meditations of the sages of every people ; and th e day is not
far off when, compelled bv t he eternal cyclic rotation of
events our now sceptical unbelieving West, will have to
admit th a t in that regular periodicity of ever recurring
events there is something more t han a mere blind chance.
Already our W estern ,-nvanls begin to notice it. Of late,
they have pricked up their ears and began speculating
U j i o n cycles, num bers and all th a t which, but a few years
ago, they bad relegated to oblivion in th e old closets of
memory, never to be unlocked b u t for the [impose of
grinning a t the uncouth and idiotic superstitions of our
1/nsdentijic forefathers.
As one of such novelties, th e old, and matter-of-fact
German journal J>\e (lenemrurt lias a serious and learned
article ujion “ the significance of th e num ber se ve n ” in­
troduced to the readers as a “ Culture-historical Essay.’’
A fter quoting from it a few extracts, we will have some­
thing to add to it perhaps. 'Die a u th o r says tha t
“ Tlit number was considered sacred not only by all tlie cul­
tured nations ot iintiipiity mill tin; Hast, liut was held in the great­
est rcverencc even by tin- later nations of tin; West. The iistrono-
lniciil origin of this number is established beyond any doubt. J la n ,
feeling himself tim e o u t of mind dependent upon the heavenly
lowers, ever and everywhere made earth subject to heaven. The
a rrest and brightest of the luminaries th us beeainc in liis sight the
most important and highest of powers ; such were the planets
which the whole antiquity numbered a s . v r 'x . Iti course of time
these were transformed into m-urn deities. The Kgvptians had seven
original and higher gods; the I'lueiiieians seren knbiris ; the Per­
sians, tttVH sacred horses of iMithra; the I’arsces, scrrii angels
opposed by serai demons, and seren celestial abodes paralleled by
/'■f ii lower regions. To represent the more clearly this idea iu
its concrete form, the seren gods were often represented as one
sijiin-/nvii':d deity. The whole heaven was subjected to the sertn
planets ; hence, iu nearly all the religions systems we find seven
heavens."
The belief in the sapid tola of the Braiiininical religion
has remained faithful to the archaic philosojihy ; a n d — who
knows— b u t the idea itself was originated in Aryavarta,
this cradle of all philosophies and m other of all subsequent
religions! Ift.hu Egyptnin dogma of the metempsychosis
or the transmigrat ion of soul ta u g h t th a t t here were m e n
states of purification an d progressive perfection, it is also
true th a t the Buddhists took from the Aryans of India,
not fioin Egypt, their idea ol'seven stages of jirogressive
developm ent of the disembodied soul allegorized by the
Keren stories and umbrellas gradually diminishing towards
th e top on th e ir |>agodas.
In th e m ysterious worship of M ithra there were "seven.
gates,’’ neven altars, seven mysteries. T he priests of many
Oriental nations were subdivided in t o s r m i degrees ; verm
ste|is led to the altars and in the tenijiles b urnt candles in
,^’rex-branched candlesticks. Several of the Masonic Lodges
have to this day, seven ami fourteen stejis.
T he seven planetary spheres served as a model for state
divisions and organizations. China was divided into wren
provinces : an cien t Persia into Keren satrapies. According
to the Arabian legend seven angels cool the sun with ice and
snow, lest it should burn the earth to c in d e rs; and, seren
Hunt*!ml angels wind lip and set the sun in motion every
morning. T h e two oldest rivers of th e East— the Ganges
and tin! N ile — had each seven mouths. The East had in the
a n tiq u ity Keren principal rivers (the Nile, th e Tigris, the
E uphrates, the Oxus, the Yaksart, theA rax and th e Indus);
seren famous treasures ; seren cities full of gold ; seven mar­
vels of the world ; I'fce. Equally did the nu m b er seven play
a |irominent p a rt in the architecture of temples and palaces.
T he famous pagoda of C hu rin gham is surrounded by seven
square walls, painted in seven different colours, and in the
middle of each wall is a neven storied pyramid ; j u s t as in
the antediluvian days the tem ple of Borsijipa, now the
Birs-Nimrud, had seven stages, symbolical of tb e seven con­
centric circles of tins w m spheres, each built of tiles aud
metals to corres]>ond with th e colour of the riding planet
of the sphere typified.
These are all “ rem nants of jiaganism’’ we are told—■
traces “ of the superstitions of old, which, like the owls and
bats in a dark subterranean flew away to return no more
before the glorious light of C hristianity”— a statement
b u t too easy of refutation. I f th e a u th o r of the article in
question has collected hundreds of instances to show that
not only th e C hristians of old b u t (•veil the modern Chris­
tians have preserved the num ber seren, and as sacredly a.s
it, ever was before, there m ight be found in reality tlinu-
funds. To begin with th e astronomical and religious cal­
culation of old of the ( K i g a l i Homans, who divided the
week into seren days, and held the serenIh day as the
most sacred the Sol nr (S’«H-day of Ju piter, and to which
all the Christian na tions— especially the Protestants—
make }>vjn to this day. If, perchance, we arc answered
that it is not from the pagan Romans b u t from the mono­
theistic .lews that, we have it, then why is not the Saturday
or the real “ S a b b a th ” k e p t instead of the Sunday, or
Sol's day ?
If iu the “ Mi'imayaiia” seven yards are mentioned in the
residences of the Indian kings ; and seren gates generally
led to th e famous tem ples and cities of old, then why
should the Krieslanders have iu the te n th century of the
Christian era strictly adhered to the num ber seven in
dividing th e ir jirovinces, and insisted U j i o n paying seven
“ |ifennings” of contribution { The Holy Roman and Chris­
tian Em pire has seven Kiirftlrsls or Electors. The
H u ngarians em igrated under the leadership of seven dukes
ami founded seven towns, now called Seniitjmdya (now
Transylvania). I f pagan Rome was built oil seven hills,
Constantinople had seven nam es— Bysanco, Antonia, New
Rome, the town of Constantine, T he Sejiarator of the
W orld’s Parts, T he Treasure of Islam, Stam boul— and was
also called the city on the seven Hills, and the city of the
seven Towers as an adjunct to others. With the Mussul­
mans “ it was besieged seren times and taken after seven
weeks by the seventh of the Osman Sultans. In the ideas
of the Eastern |>eojiles, the seven planetary sjiheres are re­
presented by the seven rings worn by the women on seven
parts of the body— th e head, the neck, the hands, the feet,
in the ears, in t he nose, around th e waist— and these seren
rings or circles are presented to this time by the Eastern
suitors to their brides ; the beauty of the woman consist*
ing iu the Persian songs of wren charms,
 T h e seven planets ever remaining nt an equal distance
from each other, and rotating in the same path, lienee,
the idea .suggested hy this motion, of tho eternal h a r ­
mony of th e universe. In this connection th e num ber
seven been me especially sacred witli them, and ever p re ­
served its im portance w ith the astrologers. T h e P y th a ­
goreans considered th e figure seven as th e image and m o ­
del of the divine order and harmony in nature. It was
the num b er co ntaining twice the sacred n u m b e r three or
the “ triad,” to which th e “ one” or the divine m on ad was
added : 3 + 1 + 3. A s the harmony of n ature sounds
on the key-board of space, between the seven planets, so
the harmony of audible sound takes place on a smaller
plan within th e musical scale of the ever-recurring seven
tone, lienee, seven pi)>es in the syrinx of th e god Pan (or
Nature), th e ir gradually diminishing proportion of shape
representing th e distance between th e planets and between
the latter and the e a rth — and, th e «*iv«-stringed lyre
of Apollo. Consisting of a union between the n u m b e r
three (the symbol of the divine triad with all and every
people, Christians as well as pagans) and of f o u r (the sy m ­
bol of the cosmic forces or elements,) the n u m b e r seven
points out symbolically to th e union of the D eity with
the universe ; this Pythagorean idea was applied by the
Christians— (especially du rin g th e Middle Ages)— who
largely used th e nu m b er seven in th e symbolism of th e ir
sacred architecture. So, for instance, th e famous C a th e ­
dral of Cologne and th e Dominican Church at Hegensbury
display this n u m b e r in the smallest architectural details.
N o less an inqiortance has this mystical num ber iu the
world of intellect and philosophy. Greece had seven sages,
the Christian Middle Ages seven free arts (grammar, r h e ­
toric, dialectics, arithmetic, geometry, music, astronomy).
T he Mahometan Sheik h-u l-lslam calls in for every im ­
portant m eeting seven “ ulems." In th e Middle Ages an
oath had to be taken before seven witnesses, and the one
to whom it was administered was sprinkled seven times
with blood. The processions m ound the temples went
seven times, and th e devotees had to kneel xrven times
before utterin g a vow. The Mahometan pilgrims turn
round K aaba seven times, a t th e ir arrival. T he sacred
vessels were made of gold and silver purified seven times.
T he localities of the old Germ an tribunals were designated
by seven trees, und er which wero placed se w n “ Schoffers”
(judges) who required seven witnesses. T h e criminal was
threatened with a tieivn-fold punishm ent, and a wiVM-fold
purification was required as a *£mi-fold reward was pro­
mised to th e virtuous. E very one knows th e g re a t im ­
portance placed iu the W est on the seventh son of a seventh
son. All the mythic personages are generally endowed
with seven sons. In Germany, the king aud now th e e m ­
peror cannot refuse to stand as god.-fathcr to a seventh
son, if he be even a beggar. In the E ast in m aking up
for a quarrel or signing a treaty of peace, th e rulers
exchange either seven or forty-nine (7 X 7) presents.
To a tte m p t to cite all the things included in this m ys­
tical n um b e r would require a library. W e will close by
quoting b u t a few more from the region of the dem onia­
cal. According to authorities in those m atters— the C h ris­
tian clergy of old— a contract with the devil had to con­
tain seven paragraphs, was concluded for seven years and
signed by the contractor seven tim es ; all the magical
drinks prepared with the help of the enemy of man con­
sisted of seven herbs ; th a t lottery ticket wins which is
drawn out by a «-tv«-yei.r old child. Legendary wars
lasted seven years, seven m onths and seven days ; and the
com batant heroes n u m b e r seven, seventy, seven hundred,
seven thousand and seventy thoUsund. T h e princesses
iu the fairy tales remained seven years u nd e r a spell,
and the boots of the famous cat— th e Marquis de
Carabas,— were seven leagued. T he ancients divided
the hu m an frame into seven parts ; th e head, the chest,
the stomach, two hands and two feet, and m a n ’s life
was divided into seven periods. A baby begins te e th ­
ing in the seventh m onth ; a child begins to sit after fo u r ­
teen months ( 2 x 7 ) ; begins to walk after tw e n ty -o n e
jnonths (3 X 7) j to speak after H v tn ty -c iy h t m o nths ( t x 7)i
leaves off sucking after th irty -fiv e months ( 5 x 7 ) ; n t f o u r ­
teen years (2 X 7) he begins to finally form h im s e lf; a t
twenty-one ( 3 x 7 ) he ceases growing. Tlio average h e ig h t
of a man before m ankind degenerated was seven f e e t ; hence
the old W estern laws ordering the garden walls to l>c seven.
feet high. T h e education of the hoys began with the
Spartans and the old Persians at th e age of seven. Aud
iu the Christian religions— with the Roman Catholics and
th e G reeks— th e child is not held responsible for any crime
till he is seven, ami it is th e proper age for him to go to
confession.
I f the lliu diis will th in k of their Mann and recall w hat
the old Shsistras contain, beyond doubt they will find th e
origin of all this symbolism. Nowhere did th e nu m b e r
seven play so prom in ent a p art as with the old Aryits iu
India. W e have b u t to think of the seven sages— tho
iSapta R isit ; th e S o jita L o in — the seven, worlds ; the S a p tu
I'u r a — the seven holy cities ; th e S itp tn Duipt t— the seven
holy islands ;th o S aptu S a m u d ra — the seven holy seas; the
Saptu P u r v a tu — the seven holy m ountains ; the Sajitu
A n i n i a — th e seven deserts ; the S o p ta V ruksha — the seven,
sacred tre e s; and so on, to see th e probability of tho
hypothesis. T he Aryas never borrowed anything, nor did
the Brahmans, who were too proud and exclusive for that.
W hence, then, the m ystery and sacredness of the num ber
seven {
W HAT THE W EST EX PECTS.
Some tim e ago, a le tte r was w ritten from here to one of
the cleveiest of American editors upon the .subject of
O riental psychology, ask in g him to indicate how, iu his
ju d g m e n t, it would lie best to present it to the W estern
world, so as to arouse; th e widest popular interest. Thu
editor, unlike most W estern journalists, is well read in
Oriental religions questions, lie answers as follows :—
You ask m e to sta te w hat special line of enquiry into
Asiatic Philosophy is most likely to meet the W estern
demand. My d e a r Sir, th e re is no W estern dem and as
yet. It is yo ur business to create it. And while, if sp e a k ­
ing from the sta n dpo in t of the student, I should urge you
to devote your atte n tio n principally to th e religions of
Asia, regarding the m a tte r from the stan dp oint of popular
interest,, I should rath e r advise you to develop and illus­
trate such phases of O riental S upernuturalisni as it may
be in your power to describe or explain. You will perhaps
rejoin th a t O riental Supernuturalisni is so wrapped up
with religion th a t the two m ust 1)0 studied together.
Granted, lint w hat we are seeking, 1 take it, is tlio
means ol arousing general interest, anil the surest way to
do th at in regard to an y religion has always been by e x­
citing th e wonder and awe of the vulgar, i n a word, do
as all founders of faiths have ever done : appeal to m ira ­
cles. Give the public interesting accounts of the marvels
your Hindu pietist, becomes capable of (according to t r a ­
dition) when he a tta in s the position of a Rislii or Arliat.
Tell how this state is attained. Lift the veil from the psy­
chological mysteries which are involved. Confute, th e
pragmatical postulants of unconscious celebration, hypno­
tism, aud what not, as the causes and explanations of
everything that puzzles them in N ature. 'Jake, if you
can, the jugglers of India as well as the Brahmans, d e ­
scribe their feats which have so bewildered th e witnesses
from th e time of Knblai K han until to-day. Give the
world the til'st serious a tte m p t it lisis seen to investigate
th e m ayie o f I n d ia . Is there, or is there not, anything in
it ? T h a t is the question which I believe most interests
those who have given the subject any attention, and it is
one which you m ust u n d e rta k e to deal with, or your mis­
sion will be abortive. A s to the philosophies and religions
of Asia, I confess th a t my study of them has not impress­
ed me with any gre a te r reverence for them than I e n te r­
tained for th e philosophies and religions of the W est,
T heir chief interest to me ap|iears to lie in th e light th ey
throw upon the evolution of hum an intelligence, and tho
proofs they furnish of the strung family resemblances
which accompany its gradual advances, Tlic literature vt
 T H E T J l i i o s o r 1! 1 S T .
early iluddhism is as Pull of nobility ami pu rity ns t.liat of
<Jln'isliiiuity. Both religious in tinu; became overlaid aiul
sm othered wit Ii ceremonial. As to tho Veil it- literature,
I con loss, I see in it little more than the crmlc ami eliim-
sy cflbrts of u primitive people to propitiate tlie forces of
N a tu r e they h:ul learnt to fear. In fact, there is oulv one
th in g in India which possesses any living interest lor me
a t present, ami th a t is the subject of occult knowledge.
In regard to this 1 would suggest one or two ideas which
seem to me to require spceial examination. In the lirst
place the d evelopm ent of supernatural power appears tu b e
conditioned, am on g Indian religionists, aud upon an asce­
tic preparation which physiologists would declare to be
very prejudicial to th e maintenance of a sound mind in a
sound body. T his is a point which I th in k dem ands p a r ­
ticular attention, for neglect of it threaten s to vitiate all
the conclusions of otherwise cautious witnesses. Again,
in recounting an y alleged supernatural' phenomena, it is
necessary th a t corroborative testimony should bo supplied,
of th e most m inute, exhaustive and exclusive character.
A mere unsupported liar’ration of such m a tte rs will in these
days of cxact and profound research and analysis be accord­
ed 110 significance. This has been the fatal defect of all
the sta te m e n ts now iu possession of th e W estern world
with regard to Indian mysteries. They have been spoken
of as carelessly a.s if they were ordinary phenomena, aud
iuj a result they have been stigmatized as mere travellers’
talcs. Now, you kuow perfectly well the im portance of
such careful verification as 1 have spoken of. W ithou t it
I am sure you will fail to accomplish any thing important.
W ith it you are in a position to revolutionize the belief of the
West, and to advance the frontiers of science enormously.
I regard you as being under a great responsibility. You
possess an opportunity which has perhaps never beforo been
enjoyed by the Aryans since the primeval race settled
beyond t he 11 imalayas. B u t it is clear to me th a t t his
great opportunity will be wasted unless you fully realize
the necessity of securing every step you take, liem em ber
th a t one well-attested phenomenon is worth more as a
means of conviction than a library of loosely told and u n ­
supported stories. The age is past at which intelligent
men could be got to take on tru st narratives iu any way
transcending common experience. You have marvellous
things to uphold, and you can only do if by the force of
evidence. 1 hope th a t you will succeed even beyond your
most sanguine anticipations, b u t I am sure you can only
satisfy the Western critical mind by m aking it app arent
th a t you were disposed to take nothing for granted, but
resolute to prove all things..................................N o doubt
you have experienced annoyance from the bigotry and
intolerance of tho Christian missionaries. By the way, it
would be well done to show the world how small has been
th eir success iu m aking conversions, and how g r e a t a
h u m bug the whole Ind ian mission system is."
U N T U B J . I I N N O T I O N OF Till-: C U E . I TOl i.
I’. Y I)R . I!AM DAS SKX.
In the May num ber of the T n k o s o i m i i s t , Rao Balnidur
(Jopalrao Ilari .Deshmukh says in his article on Tho
J a i n View ol Oni, ’ th a t the Ja in s do not believe in the
existence of a Creator, in controvcrsion of what I said on
the same subject in the D ecember number. I t was stated
there th a t th e J a in s were not ath eists in th e stric t sense of
the term ; and this is clearly borne o u t by th e following
quotations from two very a u th e n tic J a i n S a n s k r it works,
3 e heV t: k m J T : «
Ite m
* ^ ipf:
These quotations may not bear out or concur with Rat-
tiakar, adm ittedly a recent work aiul of inferior authority,
b u t there they are. * cultivated and cropped to Iho best advantage j w hether
[Juno, 1S.S0,
IM P R O V E M E N T I N I N D I A N A G R IC U L T U R E .
Always proponderatingly an agricultural country, India
has of late been growing still more so by the gradual ex­
tinction of her ancient m anufacturing industries and me­
chanical arts. T he struggle for life now goes on more
desperately than ever. A good monsoon means life, a bad
one sometimes death to millions. Hoarding of present
surplus against future necessities has become almost im­
possible : the tax-burthened, debt-crushed ryot has learnt
to ea t the bread of to-day with thankfulness, anil in dumb
lour await w hat th e morrow may bring forth. How much
of this is duo to had government, how much to careless
selection ot seed-grain, how much to dearth of pasturage
for working-cattlo, how much to un thrifty habits and the
rash accum ulation of debt, how much to lack of w ater for
irrigation ; w h a t p a r t should be ascribed to th e tax-
gatherer, what to the zemindar, w hat to the system of land­
holdings— let others discuss. T he first, most vital fact for
us to realize is th a t th e m ouths to feed are increasing
faster th a n th e food to p u t into them. I t is this that
grieves the h e a rt of every lover of India. How can the
case be m e t I Useless to talk, how can we best begin to
work ? It is not to a rg u m e n t th e country w a n ts; th e situa­
tion is not disputed, and no one has th e tim e to quarrel
over it when the hu ng ry are crying for bread. L et us take
counsel together then. 11, is a simple question of a rith­
metic, after all. W e cannot extend the area of cultivable
land, nor can we slay tho ex tra children th a t aro born to
m ake the ratio of crop to eaters keep stationary. We
m ust do one of two things th ou— either-m ake each acre
bear more grain or leave the surplus population to starve.
I f a certain fixed acreage will support, only a fixed number
of people u nd e r one system of cultivation, it will sup ­
port ten or tw enty or fifty per cent, more under another
system ; and if the increase of population iu the country
where th e more imperfect farming pi'evails has reached
and passed th e u tm o st productive lim it of the land under
th a t system — th en w hat ? Simply t h a t patriotism, states­
m anship and philanthropy alike dem and th a t au earnest
and combined a tte m p t shall be made to improve the bad
method of agriculture until it is thoroughly reformed, and
the fixed nu m b er of acres shall be m ade as productive as
possible. This is th e case of India.
T he |R)sition iu which India now' finds herself is not a
new one. O th e r countries have been so situated before,
both iu modern and a ncient times. China, now, and Peru,
iu th e pro-historic period, are examples in point ; so are
the Belgium of to-day ami the E gypt of the olden time.
England has passed the point, where th e u tm ost skill can
ex tract enough from the land to support her population,
and the consequences aro, on the ono hand, enormous and
increasing importations of food, and, on tin; other, constant
emigrations of surplus people to new countries. B u t it
may be urged th a t th e inhabitants of this 1’ciiinsula have
lost the propensity to emigrate, once so strong in their
ancestors. T ru e ; and, therefore, th e only resource is to
im itate the examples of China, Peru, Belgium, England,
aud other over-crowded countries, and improve the crop-
bearing capacity of the land. Tho acre th a t now yields
ten bushels m u st bo forced to produce fifteen, and so give
food to one-third more people. Granting this as a safe
premiss, can the th in g be done ? Is it, in fact, possible to
increase th e yield of our soil in any appreciable degree ?
We th in k it is. W e do not believe this can be done by
im porting paten ted playthings. I t cannot bo done by
applying in a tropical country, with its peculiar seasons
a u d i t s fiery sun-heat, tho same methods of agriculture,
th a t succeed in Europe and America. I t is foolish to ask
the almost penniless Indian ryot to lay o u t capital against
u ltim ate returns, iis the English or Belgian farmer is ready
to do. In a word, w hatever is done m u s t be in the direc­
tion of improving our existing methods, not by trying to
graft them with foreign ones, as uncongenial here as the
Indian palm is to th e climate of the Grampian Hills. Lot
intelligent patriots ask themselves w hether th e soil is
 ns good feed is used as can l e h a d ; w h eth er th e ie is
such careful stock-breeding ns will produce th e strongest,
woiking-cattlo, th o best milch c o w s; w h e th e r any im ­
proved p um ping system can be h it upon th a t will raise
moio water with th e same expenditure of p o w e r as now ;
w hether forest-conservancy is a good or had th in g for the
country nnd, it th e former, what should he done to help
it along ; w h eth er nn y slight, and inexpensive modifica­
tions could bo made in th e shape of our farming tools, or
any change is possible in ou r methods of harvesting, sto r­
ing and disposing of th e crops, th a t would increase tho
l j o t s profits. I hose are a few of the questions th a t should
occupy th e a ttention of every man who wishes well of In -
f 1’ ,l0^ l**ve h e r people starve. Competition
♦'f village against village or ryot against ryot, I'ur prizes
oftered for the host tilled farm, th e host 'field cro p, the
best annual, the best bushel of secd-grain, ought to he
promoted, for experience in o th e r countries has shown
t h a t this is a most powerful incentive to painstaking,
r a i r e nnd agricultural shows are also very im po rtant s ti­
m u lants ol good^ farming, nnd th e y should he so adapted
to local and national customs, prejudices and wants as lo
nrouse popular interest. It. is now qu ite well known th a t
the representatives of th e Theosophical Society in India
have a deep interest in th e material, no less than in tho
spiritual, welfare of this country. From the first this has
been publicly and privately shown. Some, b u t not many
here are aware th a t for years tlie P resident of th e Society
was ns closely and conspicuously identified in America
with agiicultural reform as lie is now with Theosophy.
N a tu ia lly enough the condition of Indian agriculture
has been closely observed hy us ever since our arrival,
nnd especially during the two long journeys we have
made to the far N orth-W estern Provinces. A corre.sjMHi-
deuce has since been maintained upon th e subject, with
influential N ative and E uropean gentlemen, a m o n g the
la tte r Mr. E.^ Buck, D irector of Agriculture, N o r t h ­
W estern Provinces and Oudli, who seems a represen­
tative of th a t highest type of official— one who is more
anxious to do good to th e country than to himself. Mr.
Buck, however, is before the public and no words from
us m o required to prove w hether lie is a g o o d or a had
onicer. B u t nevertheless our opinion is expressed above,
and there it stands for what it is worth. H e has addressed
Col. Olcott a le tte r upon the subject of improvements iu
Indian agriculture, closely agreeing with the views herein
supported, as will be seen upon perusal. W e would be
glad to see our contemporaries of th e N a tiv e press giving
the subject tlio consideration its importance deserves, and
will be thankful for any suggestions as to how our Society
ot either of its fellows can render nny service in th e
matter.
D k im iitm i:.\t o f A o r i c u l t u h k a n d C om m krcu,
N.-W . P . a n d O u i m .
A h jtjarh , the 20th o f F ebru ary 1SS0.
M y d e a r C o l. O l c o t t ,
1 have been encouraged by th e interest which
you take in agricultural m a tte rs to ask you w h e th e r you
can assist m e in any way to obtain th e sympathies of tho
people of India, and especially of th e enlightened classes
with whom you are principally associated, iu the a tte m p ts
which we are m ak in g for the i m p r o v e m e n t of agriculture.
O ur position is, I think, somewhat misunderstood. W e
do n ot como forward to ask th e agricultural population of
India to accept from us th e ideas nnd machinery of liu-
rope and America and apply them to th e ir country.
On the contrary, we appeal to them to tench us what
they require ; wo profess to give them, it is true, the
menus of ascertaining w h a t principles have been dis­
covered in th e W est, not y e t utilized in th e East, b u t h a v ­
ing done so, we m ust refer to th e agricultural population
themselves. T he most im portant question of all— is such
and such a principle, or is such and such an implement,
likely to be of scrvice to your country ?
Unless tho people themselves come forward or evince a
desire to m ake an earnest trial of means which are brought,
to th e ir notice for tho advance of th e ir own agricultural
interest, the a tte m p ts of G overnm ent are worse than use­
less, for they cost money which has to be raised from th o
taxes of tho people of India.
G overnm ent can do very litllo more than endeavour to
excite a natural and wholesome interest in such things.
T h e adoption of them must, come from the people th e m ­
selves, who are th e only tru e judges w heth er they are now
or by p a tie n t development, can bo made to be hereafter
useful to them. I f only a few earnest landlords would in
the interests of their fellow-countrymen secure an honest
and I rue verdict, after a fair and patient trial of the m e ­
rits of a new systeni, a new implement, or a new principle,
consider w hat au enorm ous am ou nt of good m ight result
from tlio discovery of only one small improvement. Tliero
are som ething like five or six crores of acres in the ono
small province of th e N.-W . P. Im agine an improvement
which gave only one m au nd of grain more per acre onco
in two y e a rs; nu a m o u n t of f o o d , or of saleable produce,
bringing increased wealth to the agricultural population
and an increased store of food lo the country.
Or imagine a m eans by which I he cost, of wells or of
bringing w ater to th e surface could be cheapened by 25
per cent. W h a t an advancc could at once be made to ­
wards securing this N o rth of India against the perils of
dro ught which so much harrnss its arid soil.
W e have drained th e rivers of th e ir w ater by our canals;
we must now fall back upon the old source— th e w ater
supply below the surface.
W e w ant the people to feel that, it is in their own inte r­
ests to try and improve and cheapen th e water-lifting
system. T h e native appliances are truly admirable, b u t
it m ay be q u ite possible by m aking trial of th e results of
European, I should prefer to sav— American— science, somo
new idea may he developed which will bring th e vaststoro
of w ater lying b e neath tho feet of every cultivator inoro
within liis reach.
Do not think that, I, for one, wish for im provement for
the sake of Governm ent or English interests. My appeal
to t h e F am ine Commissioners to secure th e p e rm an e n t
prosperity of the cultivating classes will prove th a t I havo
only the interests of th e cultivators at heart. My ono
hope and object is to raise th e whole body of agricultural
classes to a high er level of comfort and happiness.
In one th in g I have succeeded, as you have heard, tho
introduction of Tobacco curing (which I only secured by
the help of Americans). T he object, in this case is to pre­
pare Indian Tobacco for the European m a rk e t so as to
bring English and foreign money into India in exehango
for Ind ian produce. B u t success was here possible, b e ­
cause “ curing" could be concentrated in a small spaco
and completed by Europeans. Tt was one of tho very
few things in which th e assistance of the agricultural po­
pulation wns not needed. T here is nothing now to p re ­
vent natives fiom ta k in g up th e same industry when they
find it to be sufficiently profitable j u s t as they have
taken up Indigo in th e N.-W. P. to the almost complete
exclusion of Europeans who first gave th e lend. N oui
th e native agriculturists can manage th e business inoro
cheaply than the E uropeans and, in this province, tako
the lead themselves.
B u t in other mattei'S such as improvement of actual
cultivation which requires the wide-spread sym pathy of
the agricultural classes n o th in g can he done unless tho
agricultural classes nre excited by a real desire to im ­
prove their own condition, nnd to inquire into these things
for themselves. T h e im provem ents which can be e x ­
pected are so small when calculated on an individual field
th a t it is hopeless to expect any lead being given by
European capitalists as in the ease of indigo and tea and
tobacco. B u t th e m ultiplie r is so enormous th a t a little
im provem ent on one acre becomes nn enormous result
over several millions, nnd when this is considered it seems
worth while for native philiint.hropi.sls to consider the
subject deserving of earnest a tte n tio n and to allow us to
 co-operate with th e m in m aking serious nml p a tie n t trial
of w hatever seems likely to ho useful to the country.
W h e n we have foun<l a n y th in ’' th a t is really useful, I h m
we will commend it to the agricultural population ami not
before them.
B u t meanwhile the first and original trial must, be m ade
by th e agriculturists themselves, not by (!overnment. Their
results will be true ami reliable. ( !overnment Agency is
costly and results are misleading. I myself place little
reliance on (iuvernment. statistics.
AVe w ant earnest men, ami real philanthropists to per­
suade the ir fellow-countrymen to lake up and try these
th in g s for themselves from a real desire to improve the
condition of th e ir country and not (as is perhaps sometimes
th e ease now) from a desire to please (iuvernm ent. The
mere desire to please (Ioveinment will never do any real
good, and hence it, is th a t I had ra th e r ask a good man
like yourself, unconnected with (ioveinm ent, to enlist the
interests of the natives in agricultural improvement, for
th e ir own good than m ake any appeal to them myself or
through those who are high in nflicial authority.
Yours very I ruly,
K. B U C K .
S O M E TIFT K G S T H E A R Y A X S K N E W .
1IY Tin: I.ATi: V.KAMACIIAKI 11AWA.
In th e Vedas and such oth e r works of the remotest a n ­
tiquity, magnetism has been spoken of in m any places.
This proves th a t tbo ancients were familiarly acquainted
with the forces of magnetism and electricity.
“ Viwiin Vidia” (:i'ronautics) was a complete science
am ong the ancients. So perfect a mastery had they ac­
quired iu the control and m a n a g e m en t of the "V iw an” (air
chariot), th a t it was used by them for all th e practical p u r­
poses of war, &c. T h is indicates I,heir lull acquaintance
with all th e arts and sciences on which the Yiwan Vidia
depends, and also th e ir perfect knowledge of th e different
stra ta aud currents of the air in atmosphere, the te m p e ra ­
ture and density of each and various other m inor p a r ti­
culars.
Diamonds, pearls, rubies, sapphires and various other
precious stones, as also quicksilver and other minerals, are
frequently mentioned : it, is also recorded that, these things
wore found in groat abundance. Therefore, th e different
sciences, arts or systems relating to mining or th e process­
es for separating and ext racting various substances from
th e earth were known to the ancients. T be ancients were
th u s tho masters of mechanics, chemistry, geology,
mineralogy, &c.
In th e B harat an account is given of the Mayasabha
(a collection of all the wonderful things of th e time) p r e ­
s e n ts ! by Mayasur to the Pandavas. In i t were m i c r o ­
scopes, telescopes, clocks, watches, singing birds, artic u la ­
ting and speaking animals, and various things m ade of
glass, &c. N o th in g extraordinary and wonderful was left
out. T he innum erable wonders and curiosities of this
world were exhibited in th a t Sablia (collection) of Maya-
sur. Such, indeed, was the mechanism o f this Mayasabha
which accommodated hundreds of thousands of men w ithin
it, t h a t it required only eigh t men to tu rn and take it in
whatcvcrdirection they liked. From all this it is most forcibly
proved th a t in th e Mayasabha of the lYmdavas were dis­
played works which indicated tho g re a t learning and high
scientific and artistic attain m ents of the ancients, incom­
parably superior to those of th e English, th o F ro n e h .a n d th e
Chinese of the present time. If, as is positively affirmed by
tlio thoughtless, the ancients (our very remote ancestors)
were entirely ignorant of mathematics, chemistry, m e ­
chanics and oth er scicnees and art.s, how in the world could
th e y have performed such grand and wonderful works ?
T h e v were not such as they arc believed to be. K now
th a t whatever is (at all times) w ithin the roach of th e h u ­
man intellect, wisdom, and senses, was acquired by the
ancients in a more perfect degree th a n in our day.
In th e ancient works it is even said th a t there wore
guns .and cannons in th e Lanka of Itavan. They were call*
ed X l m l a t Van/ar*. Therefore, gun|m w der was also known
to th e m .
T here was also tb e steam or fire-engine called A y ni
Hath, t h e prim e motor in which was th e steam produced
from boiling water.
T b e ancient kings bad also their monetary systems, and
therefore, they had th e ir mints in which monies were
coined.
T he ancients used to visit islands nnd distant lands Ik1*
yond th e seas and oceans, and, therefore, they were neither
ignorant of geography nor of the art of navigation (Nav«
cagnman).
Before five thousand years ago, they were most remark­
able for th e ir war tactics and military systems and disci­
pline. In battles they used to arrange their armies in the
forms of circles, stjuares, oblongs, wedges Ike. Some part
of th e ir war tactics is to a certain e x te n t known to the
soldiers of our age. Hut “ A shtar Vidia.,” th e most im­
p o rta n t and scientific part, is not at. all known at present.
I t consisted in a n nihilating the hostile arm y by involving,
enveloping and suffocating it in different layers and masses
of atm ospheric air charged and im pregnated with different
substances. T he arm y would find itself plunged in a fierv
electric and watery elem ent, in total thick darkness or
surrounded by a ]K>isonous, smoky, jiestilential atmosphere,
full sometimes of savage and terror-striking animal forms
(<•. (j. snakes, tigers, See.) and frightful noises. Thus
they used to destroy th e ir enemies. T h e p arty th u s assail­
ed counteracted these effects by arts a n d m o a n s known to
them an d in th e ir turn assaulted the enem y by means of
some o th e r secrets of th e “ A shtar Vidia." This Ashtar
Vidia is no more practised at present. Those who j m i s -
sessed th e secrets of it. cautiously guarded them from the
misusers. It was perfectly j u s t and right to do so.
Extensive works on “ A sh ta r Vidiii ” and such other
sciences were a t different times compiled in the languages
of th e tim es from the S ansk rit originals. B ut thoy, toge­
th e r with the S ansk rit originals, were lost a t the time of
the partial deluge of o u r country. D etached portions of
these sciences now ami then recur in th e Vedas, Purans
and such other Sanskrit, works. From all this the learned
and th e wise should see and infei th a t the ancients had
the am bition of good government, a great and perfect
morality, aud knowledge of various arts and sciences.
It. is th e very province of the hum an intellect to invent,
discover, and learn th in gs which would benefit all living
beings. I f a man knows tbe sciences and arts, it should
not 1)0 a m a tte r of surprise ; b u t if he does not, then and
then only one should feel surprise, for he grasps not the
im mense reward which is within his easy reach.
N o w i n the N yaya Sinistra “ p ra th vi” or the earth is
said to be “ gand hvati.” This means th a t it is th e element
in which every kind of smell exists. I t is th e smelling
element. T h ere the e a rth is said to Imj ti! it/a (everlasting
or eternal), when its particles only are ta k e n into consi­
deration, h u t when its eomj>oumls such as sulphur (which,
as it. has a powerful smell, is called gandhak,) Ike. are taken
into consideration, it is said to bo unilyn (i.e. perishable, as
they are compounds), in short, it moans th a t the Com­
pounds of particles are perishable and the particles im­
perishable. Therefore, th e various bodies which are called
and understood to be elem ents are imperishable. They
are only the compounds of the gandhvati. By carefully
reading the_/i//,<mt* (chapters ?) of the N yaya Shnstra, you
will thoroughly u nderstand what I say, and you will find
th a t the chemistry of tb e ancients was far more dcvelojied
and higher than th a t of the moderns. The great acquire­
m ents of the ancients in chemistry anil the sources of all
th e different branches nf knowledge will be disclosed to
you iu the N yava Sh/istra.
I f th e men of our times will, according to tho system
spoken of in the Vedas, begin to form and divide them ­
selves according to th e ir innate qualities and tastes, and
not according to th e ir b irth into the four distinct classes of
Brahmin, Kliatri, Vaishav and Soodur, and if they will
perform yoga a n d devotional and tru e worship of the Sub-class I : ( which repress the over-flow of vital
Universal Being, th e y will easily come to know th e secret spirits or diminish the results of irritation)
and occult sciences, and understand th e mysteries relating
to the soul and its transmigrations. They will also know the Suntirit. ilu ru th i. Botanical iiumc.
very natures of sins an d th e ir concom itant punishments, B had ra-daru Hem Pinus dcodara.
and will g e t a.perfect idea of t h e /(//<*« or sin com m itted by Kosta ( Vshis speciosns.
slaughtering poor and innocent animals. In the end, to ] laridra ( 'nrcuma zedoria
crown all th e ir labours they will get emancipation as the V a nina *nqq<nt ( 'netova Roxhurghii.
greatest reward, i. e., they will get a perfect and everlast­
Mesha-shringee »w ( iymnem a sylvcstre.
ing knowledge of th e ir own *tlrt'n, which is nothing more
or less th an the P a rm a tm a , the first and ti n e sta te and Atibala Sida rhombifolia.
principle of every th in g existent in th e U niverse— P arm at- 15,. la „ ,. acuta.
lua,— th e tru e essence ol all. Amen ! Artagala Barlcria cerulea.
K atchiira ( ’nrcuma zcnimbot.
Koondarook )
( C o n t i n u e d fr om tlie Aj»rll N u m b e r . ) «155? ( v q ^ ) Boswellia tlmrifera.
or Sallakce J
L A S T I X D L A N M A T E R IA M E D IC . I. Kooberakshee
J q i? a ) Bignonia siiaveoh ns
I SRC r j j l j Guilandina homlue.
HY l'A N O l'H A N f! O O I ’A l . , G .U .M .C ., K.T.S.
Yoera-tai fi Pent apt era Arjuua.
27. D rugs which act on the bowels and relievo costive­ | P re m n a spino.-a (I'loro-
ness, and remotely relieve acute inflammations of the Aguimant ha ( dendron phlomoidcs.)
urethral passage. T h ey act as alteratives of th e cutaneous V atsadancc )
M cnispeim um glabium .
circulation and relieve cerebral congestion. (iooiloochee J » ia ^
28. Appetisers and remedies which act as cordials and Kiciuus communis,
Ernnda
febrifuges. They also improve th e cutaneous circulation
Ashmabheihika & is ret l'lectiaiitlm s M-utellaroidcs
and relieve congestions of mucous membranes, acting re­
motely on the circulation of the eyes, nose and skin. A larka v ir s r ( ’alotropis procera.
2it. A group sim ilar to th e alxn’e, but the special Ark a ,, ''i"antea.
Merits of which are not detailed. They are appetisers. Shatavrce AsjMiiagus racemosus.
.‘JO. A group of metals and preparations derived from Piinarimva Boerhavvia diffusa.
them which act as alexipharmics, antiseptics and are
Ynsuka Ju stice a Adhatoda,
useful in relieving certain anomalous diseases ol th e heart v

and liver which are not specified. Yashirn Pothos officinalis.

:il. Drugs, the decoction of which is sweetly b itte r and K anclianaka Baiihiuia Yariegatn.
has the property of relieving sub-acute inHammations. B haigcc M1»»I ( 'IcrodcndroninfortunatiiM
T hey are insecticide, and are detergent, being useful in K arpasce *iqff ( iossypium herbaccum.
cleaning foul ulcers. HK
Yrischikalce Tragia involucrat.1.
U2. Drugs which are tonic, cooling and nutritive.
R a k ta chandna Pterocarpus santalinus,
tt:i & ;tk Drugs which relieve congestions or passive
sinellings, cool the blood and act as fehriluges. Thoy have Bailara Zi/.iphus jujuba,
tlie remote etfect of assisting secondary digestion. Java llo rd c u m hcxastichon.
.*$'). D rugs which subdue inflammations, relieve fluxes K ola P iper c h a v ic a .
and purify the seminal Huid. K u litth a Dolichos biflorus.
.'Mi. Diuretics and relievers of inflammations.
Yidareeyandha,
% ] J Dc.smodcum.
.*17. A group which is not specified. Jo
&c. ) ( G angeticum & others.
T h e above thirty-seven groups of drugs, although tcim-
ed sini.'hiiititiit as represented by S u sh ru ta are not all strict­ f *131
ly so ; some of the groups contain here and th ere evacu- K'l'ni, fq j*
ant. drugs also, each varying in action more or less and To be specified here­
exerting its activity on th e secretory capillaries of special T h e ten roots of ■*
after.
membranes, promoting th e ir secretions moderately, or if
the ipian tity of each drug which has to be administered,
be increased in a certain ratio or mixed w ith o th e r allied
drugs, they will cause an abnormal or excessive flow of Sub-class II. ( Re].lessors of bile)
those fluids. This phenomenon, when a p paren t, would
evidently be deemed inconsistent w ith t h e appellation ('h a n d a n a Sirinm myrlifolium.
given to these drugs, when viewed individually, b u t the Koochandana l ’teiocarpus santalinus.
practical stu d e n t of these p heno m en a will observe th a t Rhivora Sida cordifolia.
these properties, however, opposite are not necessarily U sheera *uar Andropogon muricatus.
contrary to experience. Fresh from n a tu re and at a certain
M anjishta Ruhia manjista
stage of their growth, several vegetables evince such pro-
jMirties, and the occurrence is not the less true, th a t one part Payasia llolosteunna rheedii.
of a vegetable may even possess virtues entirely dissimilar to Yidaree H W fai Batatas panicutala.
those of an o th er part. T h e descriptions, therefore, of Shatavaree srcTRcr Asparagus racemosus.
thcraj>eutic virtues accredited to those groups, ami given Goondra 'If S t Panicum uliginosuni.
here must be taken w ith reserve, and b e h e l d to apply to Sliaivala Vallesneria.
them generally. T he s t u d e n t will therefore do well to
K alhara 'j Nymphuea speciosum.
take them as landm arks in th e m inu te investigation of
each for his further researches into remedies in general. Koomooda , „ lotus.
S u shruta gives typical examples of this class and divides Utjiala J 3q£r „ ?
them into three sub-classes, each of which has a special Kadalee Wk Musa sapient 11111,
affinity for the fluids of the hu m a n system, one restoring Doorva Panicum dactyloii.
the vital spirits to th e ir normal condition, aud one repress­ Moral a Clematis vulgare.
ing inflammations and heat, one c ou nteracting the action
of phlegm or of dim inishing vascular congestions. (iroup 10
j which will be described hereafter.
T h e s e s u b -c la s s e s a r e g iv e n t h u s :— &■ „ 2.'t I
 Grosses ?>, viz. Saoeharam Spontaneum , S. officinalis, S. f 37^^) 1
sara, Poa cynosuroides, nml Im p e ra ta cylindiiea. A nnnta j- ITemidosmus indicus.
I 1
Sub-Class HI- Repressors of phlegm or of visecral con­
A sana Bridelia spinosa.
gestions
lle sh a b h a k H elccteres hirsuta.
Darvi Borboris Lycia. A tibnla 371^5^1 Sida rhombifoha.
Krislnmgaru 3T*K Agalloeha. Sy recalc Bai leria. longifolia.
m f m ^°i 1 . K an ta k are e fcn^iT Solaniim Indieum.
Teelaparnee j ^ p r Gynandropsis pentaphylla.
G hantapatala. Schreborn Swetenioides.
K o s h ta Cost us speciosus. H a stik a rn a Ricinus communis.
H arid ra C urcum a Am ada. 1fansnpadec Mimosa sensitiva.
Shcotashiva &v77 Rock-salt. Vrischikalee VI*: 371” 11 Tragia involucrata.
S h ata p u sh p a “ii'lfrT Pim penolla Aiiisiun. Rishabhee 5W f^ T I f Undetermined.
n9
Sarala ^/5*TrT^H Ocymum Sanctum .
I hese drugs are said to cure diseases of th e air nml
Rasna Cl'RT Aristolochialonga (the root) phlegm and represent therefore medicines which remove
Prakeorya fl7I ttapindus cmarginatus. atonic conditions of the circulatory system and give tone
U dakeerva vte Poimamia •■ialu'a. to mucous m em branes without sensibly increasing or eva­
Ingoodee fij'T'nitf Balanites ./Egyptiaca. cuating th e biliary fluid. They are, therefore, indicated in
Sum ana sui; J a sm in u m anriculatuni. relieving the morbid stales ot dryness of the fauces or the
skin, lassitude, accumulation ot gas in th e intestines, dys-
Kakiidauec. E ry th rin u m Indieum.
pm ea and cough. It they exert any remote physiological
L angaleeka. ( iloriosa supcrba. action, th e y stay tho retrograde metamorphosis of tissue,
H asteekarua. ttj' ^ Riciuus communis. equalise circulation and neutralise the effects of excessive
Mooniatakn. A grass. tissue degeneration and waste, caused by th e circula­
LnnuijjMK. T'faoJT ^155T Ai»(lro]»ni;<)ii lim nratns. tion of morbific agents or poisons introduced from without.
Pippaleo. ril®! P ip e r longuni. T h ey are, therefore, strictly speaking, blood alteratives
and depurants, and though all of them have not boon
'j'lie roots of five different tested by modern physicians, we m ig ht unhesitatingly
H«TT- I species of plants, bear testimony to these effects in the instances of fji/miir-
Panchamoola.
or, f ( t o he specified licre- mo, hnn'ulesmux, the Solas, astcmcantlius aiid recitals com-
W 'F ) J after.) mititi.i.
Brnlmt.ee. Solaiuim Indieum. Group II. Vital astringents (those which diminish con­
Mashkaka. Screbera swictenoides. gestions and increase the tone of the mucous tissue—
Yaleckantaka. U n kn ow n U nknown. :— They diminish th e exalted formation of
Vaohn. Acorus ( 'alainns. phlegm ami relieve diseases which are due to congestions
Surasn. Ocymum sanctum. caused by paralysed nerve action, due either to excessive
Aragvadha. 31^1 C ath aitoearpu s fislula. cold or air-borne poisons (miasmata). They are, therefore,
indicated in relieving fluxes, serve as alexipharmics and
R e m e d i e s of tlic above three sub-classes are typical re­
alteratives, relieving th e system of pent-up morbid humors,
presentatives of th e thirty-seven classes which are described and arrest mucous discharges from the generative organs
in our last number. They are given bore separately in of both sexes. Some of them h}" virtue of the bitter prin­
order thnt the physician may select o u t ot them t hose which
ciples contained by them act as vermifuges or p r e v e n t the
may bo most suited tor adininistrat ion, either singly or in formation of worms and also act as alteratives of th e skin.
combination, as circumstances will dem and, with a view to
affect th e whole system generally, B u t those which follow, They are
were held by S u shruta and Charaka to exhibit, besides A ragvadha 31^11 Oatharto-carpus fistula.
their general actions, actions on special organs and increase Madana *151 R and ia dum etorum .
their activity or diminish it. Gopaghonta site Zix.iphus jujuba.
The parts used are nowhere specified except in a very
K u taja tpZI =*131 I lolarrli i iin anledysenteiic^
few eases. The practitioner, therefore, has in them but an
imperfect, guide in apportioning th e doses or qua n tities of Pat ha St.ephauia hei nandifolia.
th e active material which is intended to be used in individual K antakeo Solanum jncquinin.
cases, and it is clearly laid down that, only fresh herbs are P a ta la •71^55 Bignonia suavcolens.
to be used, if activity of operation and certainty of action Mu rv a nidi® Clematis Bengalenses.
are the aims in view. ( W rig h tia antidyscnterira
W e therefore give th e m for w hat they arc worth, leaving Indrayavn
| (seeds).
the reader to form his own opinion on th e value of such
descriptions to practical science or of th e ir application as S ap tapn rn a Alst-onia scholaris.
remedial agents iu the tre a tm e n t ot disease'. N im b a fasi A zidaracta ludica.
W e shall now proceed to the consideration of th e thirty- Karoontoo Baileria Prionilis(Limm'iis)
seven groups or groups of mixed remedies, the use and Dasi . R 551 Rucllia s]>.
applicability of which seem to have been determ ined from Goodoochee n55\® Ti ilospora con 1i fol ia.
experience alone. They are as u n d e r :— Plumbago rosea.
C hitraka
Group I. Curers of deranged nerve action and possessing Sharginsh ta ( -itinlhis colocynthis.
mild anti-phlogistic action ^icT K aranja Pon gam ia glabra.
liarnee Dbsmodium Gangetieum. Patola 1^55 L ag en aria vulgares.
( Bulb of an alliaceous plan* K eerata RClKiT Agathot.es chiretta.
K sheerakankolee
( from th e H imalayas. Sushavee M omord ica charant ii.
G ireekarnika Alhagi mauroriim. T ik ta „ monodeljiha.
Nagbala, Sida spinosa.
A shw adansht r a A steracanthus longifolia.
T ub u ish o i’ o f w in c iik stk h sa id a t tii k o iiu h c h cox-
Preshteparnee U r a r ia lagopodioides. gress t h a t if any one sent him a religious newspaper h e put
Shatamoolee Asparagus nicemos is. it, a t once in the wasto-paper basket. I f the religions
Shania, ?!*T551 G y nm em a sylvestrc. press th e re is w hat it is here lie exorcises sound judgm ent.
 A B U D D H I S T F A M I L Y Oil V I L L A G E
RELIGIOUS LIFE I N INDIA.
HY DAW SON NK M K L A N 't T H A N ST KONG, M A JO l!,
JO ril J1KSU AI. l.A N C E U S ,
A u th o r o f “ S t h t lio n s fr o m the B ostun o f S a a d i, tm u ih itc d
into E n g lish verse,”
I ’ltl . F A C E .
In the great work of Anglicising India, many an old
faitli disappears ami m any a simple custom is swept away
— wholly engrossed by our own doctrines, and sadly igno­
rant ot the history of religions, much injustice is thou gh t
in connection with, if not actually done to, the mild and
orderly races of Uindostnn whom we have m ade our su b ­
jects.
C lIA lT H U I.
Ill the shadows cast by a m ighty b u ttre ss of Hiinalay
Upon the plains of Hindustan reposed the village of Oor-
cha which had been th e q u ie t habitation uf H ind us from
time immemorial. Small cold rivulets, diverted from tlie
main torrent, watered the terraced Helds of corn and poppy,
the cultivation of which was th e chief occupation of the
inhabitants. A lthough the events of this brief history oc­
curred iu th e year 1JS70, the village was still far removed
from the ways of Europeans and th e hurried step of progress.
No British soldier's oath or clumsy tread had yet disturbed
the quietude of t he scene, nor bail even an angular-coated
sportsman been viewed, where th e very gait of the stately
women, pitcher-crowned, and th e dignified carriage of tiie
elders betokened th a t calm superiority of mind which is
seldom attainable amid busier h a u n ts of men.
T he dignity aud virtue of m an seemed here to have
reached a climax and life was as sweet as the breath of cows.
The divine teachings of the Lord Buddha had lingered
longer in this spot, than iu any o th e r part of India, and
Brahmins were only tolerated as an apostolic Christian in
these days tolerates a ritual curate.
T he two girls, Govinda and Ishree, had driven up th e ir
goats to browse on the huge m ountain slope in the early
morning, b u t long before noon th e hot May sun had
driven them to seek the shade of th e lig trees which clus­
tered about-the little stream s and cau g h t each wandering
breeze.
" 1 often regret” said (iovinda " th a t Laljco and Kishen
ever went out into the world.”
“ Why,” Ishree replied, “ we o u g ht to forget they ever
left, now th a t father and m other are so delighted to see
them back on leave. 1 am sure th e ir stories of all the
strange things they have soon and heard, will please the
old people in the evenings.”
11 Kishen has not much changed” ( iovinda said, " but
Laljee’s notions about strange and new religions, I know,
disturb my father’s mind, and a t this time of life it seems
a pity th a t anything should cause him unrest, and I am
sure no new faith could m ake him holier th a n lie is or help
ns to follow in liis footsteps with mole love and a d m ira ­
tion.”
“ 1 feel tha t too” replied Ishree “ b u t still 1 think it is
light we should know something abo ut the rest of the
world, and not fancy th a t we are the only good p e o p le in
it. Mother, 1 know, is interested iu other creeds, but her
devotion to father does not allow her to reveal it.”
“ 1 could see” said Govinda “ th a t Laljee did not care
much about going to the shrine with us the other day to
renew th e llowcrs. I m ust g et lvislien to speak up fur
our dear old customs to-night."
In such strains did the young sisters converse until the
great orb of day ovcrjiowcred th e ir limbs with la n g o u ra n d
each laid down to sleep on her yellow sheet spread out
upon the grass.
C lIA IT K U II.
Tho eldest son of the family, Laljee, had very early in
life ©
gone with his uncle to one of . the. largest cities iu
. 11ly (iod, why hast, thou forsaken me {” Then again the
Bengal and had been brought up in a mission school.
Unknown lo his relations lie had become a convert to
Christianity, and had enlisted in the Bengal 1‘olice, T he
missionaries had a young and gay Eurasian widow
whom he was persuaded to marry before he e n te r ­
ed the service of ( ioveinment. H e r expensive habits and
European style of dress were a great drain upon his sle n ­
der resources, and, being no longer able to retain his posi­
tion in the police on this account, he took his discharge.
1 le had not been able to send any savings to his parents
nor had lie dared to tell them of his idtered ]H > s itio n and the
aban do nm en t of his old faith. There was now no a lte r­
native b u t to throw him self upon the charity of th e m is­
sionaries who olfered him au appointm ent a.s a reader of
Scripture in the vernacular. For many years letters from
his home had come, begging him to return to see his father
aud m other before they died, and he was not without a
longing to revisit the sweet scenes of his childhood ; b ut
alas ! his mind was tortured with a bad conscience : could
lie embrace his lather a.s of old { Would he not have to
walk to th e stainless shrine of Buddha, like a guilty thing
while all the rest would be as joyous a.s the (lowers they bore {
All this and more passed like a turmoil through his brain,
until he determined, conic what might, he would see his
old village once more. Leaving his wife to the care ol
the O good _men who had O given h e r to him,' lie started on
loot for his home.
T he career of the younger brother Ividien had been
more successful : lie had passed through the Lahore U n i­
versity with honours and had been rewarded with a good
appointm ent un der (ioveinm ent. Theology was a favourite
study with him, and he took a wide and liberal view
of the beliefs of the world.
It so happened, th a t th e two brothers m et together at
their lather’s house.
As the s u n ’s " gold breath was misting in the west,”
Ishree and (Jovinda were descending the cool hill-side, stop­
ping ever and anon to pull down a straggling rose branch,
while the goals crowded round to nibble o il'th e fresh
young leaves. Down below the women with large-eyed
babes slung behind th e ir backs streamed back from the
puppy fields where they had been at work all day, anil
boys were driving along the lazy cows and ponderous
buffaloes to their stalls.
Upon Laljee and Kishen who were sitting under the
village tree th e cold sunset fragrance from the cornfields
came like au inspiration and the shrill cry uf black par­
tridges who had never sole possession ot the fields brought
back the memory of their pastoral boyhood with exquisite
distinctness. T h e old S iddartha and his wife had drawn
out their beds to sit on, and soon the whole family jiarty
was complete, for ( Iovinda and Ishree had returned and
had been m et by the shepherd youths to whom they were
betrothed.
ClIAITKIt III.
A discussion between the two brothers ensued which may
here be conveniently condensed into u dialogue.
Loljce. 1 often th in k th a t the wonderful progress of
civilization which appears to be the contemporary result uf
Christianity, should incline ns to regard that creed with
favor.
J\ i.'/icii. Jtsliould be remembered, however, that science
to hasten on tha t progress has had to give Imtlle over and
over again to C hristianity and many tenets have been mo-
dilicd to suit the times, such as the story of the creation,
eternal punishment, &c. If such beliefs cannot stand, what
may not fall next !
J.idjec. You m ust a dm it th a t there has been no exam ­
ple ol morality more perfect than th a t of Christ,
hi'/trn. There are some who complain that the ,'iiii/li'-
Htv* ol his life unlike that of Buddha who gave up wile
and child to save the world aud find enlightenment, p re ­
vented a comprehensive sym pathy wilh mankind.
I.tdjcv. B u t the linal sacrifice of Christ was greater.
KU/u-n. Yes, but lie expected deliverance from deatli
to th e very last as his words so forcibly implied “ my (Jod,
Lord Buddha never preached an angry and capricious
deity who could only be appeased wit h the hi.... 1 of his sin,
 Laljee. Tiiic, yet ( 'lirist's mission to the world was ono
of ponce anti good-will towards men.
Kishen. Tlio history of Christianity u p to date lias Ih-oii
any th in g hut a history of peacc ami good-will towards
moii.
Laljee. No wonder, C hristians abhorred H induism which
favoured tho practice of Suttee.
hishen. I think it was somewhat loss alioniinable than
the Christian custom of burning aud drow ning ]H>or he lp ­
less (dd women as witches.
Tlio holy Siddartha seldom rebuked his son, but endea­
voured to load him by love and charitable regard for
liis views back to tho old faith.
" My dear son,” he said, “ we should th a n k tlio Incom­
prehensible t h a t ho saw fit to send his son C h iist to the
West, oven as six hundred years before he gave us tho
Buddha to live amongst ns and teach us th e same doc­
trines ami oven higher ones : and still six hundred ycare
earlier Zoroaster’s teaching was to f e a r (jotl, to live a lift:
<\t p u r e thought*' pit rt wont.’, p u r e tlerth (i m l loili? i n
the hope ttj a irurhl to com e."' It was the primal simpli­
city and purity of the doctrines of these throe m en which
gave birth Ui creeds which have been hold by countless
millions, until, after th e corruption of ages they can scarce­
ly bo recognized. Lot us now in charity and love for all
men and creeds repeat, before retiring to rest as wo did,
when you were all children together, some of tho most
beautiful texts ot our dear Lord and Prince.
As the last gold cloud overhead was lighting up the
quivering loaves of the groat, pecpul tree, they all rose to
thoir foot, and the old S iddartha with his long beard and
pun- white teeth stood erect aud splendid in the midst.
T he eyes of tho oldest son were moist with tears as ho
listened to his father’s voice repeating th e long forgotten
sacred texts.
t This is peace,
To compier lo w of self .mil In.st of life,
To tear deep-rooted p illio ns from the breast
To Mill tiie inward strife ;
Pol' love to clasp eternal lienlll v close
For "lory to lie I«onl of wlf, for pleasure
To live Itevond the gods ; fur countless wealth
To lay up lasting treasure.
Of |ierfeit service rcmlereil. duties done
III charity, .soft alid stainlesx davs :
These riches shall not fade away in life, ’
Nor iniy death dispraise.
Then Sorrow ends, fur Life and Death luive ceased ;
How should lumps Dicker when their oil is spent I
The old sad Count is clear, the new is clean :
Thus hath a man content.
( 'lIAI’TKK IV.
A decade has passed over the lives of the Buddhist
family in Oorcha. (lovimla, tho eldest d a u g h te r of Sidilar-
tlia, died Iwfore her marriage, a steady a d h e re n t to her
lather’s fai‘,li : as ho loved to say she had entered the fourth
j>ath, that is, she had cast away the burden of all sins.
J’hc old man and his wife wore almost crushed by this
affliction, for she was th e ir sole support and comfort, iu the
latter days when many troubles were accum ulating around.
A branch of the S ta te Railway was now completed
through the Holds of ( )orcha and a line of barracks had
boon erected for the accommodation of the families of the
railway officials. Laljee had received the appointm ent of
Station-master, aud lie ;md his wife had assumed their
Christian designation of Mr. and Mrs. Kbenozer Jacobs.
Isliroe, the lovely ehihl of N ature, no longer fed her flocks
u | hiii the eternal slopes or sought the fig-tree shades, for
a wavering inclination had led her far away from the pure
paths of Buddhism, “ J that wisdom which h ath made our
Asia mild," and she had become at the instigation of her
sister-in-law, the worthy wife of a Mr. William Snooks.
.She was now bringing up a young progeny with some diffi­
culty owing to Mr. Snook’s devotion to his national beer
• C liililh'K ul of K eli^im i^. Kn. C m ih ii.
+ Taken f r n ni Kdw in A r n o l d ' s “ l.iylit of A -in."
^ “ Uglit uf A s i a ' ' I')- K. A r n o l d ,
pot. A sad cliangc had conn: over the village ; there was
a holder look discernible a b o u t the women and few wen:
satisfied with (piiet agricultural pursuits and domestic
duties. T h e noble gait aud modest drooping glances were
no more ; and many husbands had taken to drink.
Sidd artha,having soon his beloved d a u g h te r and wife pass
away, had retired from the village and now lived a lew
miles up the valley near the shrine which he alone tended
to the last. . H e was known to the outside world as the
Jiitpiir of Oorclia.
One day, tho Statio n-m aster hoard through his servants
th a t th e fa q u ir was nigh to death. H e went over tn
his sister, Mrs. Snooks, and proposed th a t they should walk
up tho valley to see their father whom thoy had not visi­
ted for m any years, for tin: last time. W hat thoughts
crowded upon them as they traversed the well-known
sacred path I will here om it; but, as the while shrine
ap|*oared through tho overhanging boughs, their hearts
stood still with pain. On a common bed of string lay the
devout S idd a rtha ; his face was lit with joy for he was
stretching out his arm s to clasp (lovimla and his wife;
thoy wore somewhere in the blue, this was all lie know:
ho left tho rest to th e Incomprehensible. Laljee and
Ish:ee, let us call them by their old names iu this sacred
spot, dared not advance ; the Haunting petticoat of the
ono and the cut-awav coat of tho o ther seemed to each
to be o ut of place and they shrank from presenting them ­
selves th u s to th e holy m a n ’s gaze.
It was not long before S iddartha's outstretched anus
fell gently hy his side and alnive the music of the little
babbling brook, those words wore hoard—•
“ I kike refuge iu tlioc, O Lord Buddha."
H e had reached Nirvana, for this was his last birth.
THE T U E O S O V m C M . SOCIETY.
As announced in the last number, the President and the
Corresponding Secretary, accompanied by a special com­
mittee of the Bombay Society, consisting of Messrs.
K. Wimbridge, Damodar K. Mavlaukar, Sorabji Jamaspji
Padshaw, Phorozshaw Dhanjibhai Shroff, and Pamichaml
Anandji, sailed lor Ceylon per steam er Ethiopia whit'll
loft I$ombay on the 7 th ultimo. They touched Karwar
and Mangalore on th e way, and received on board a de­
putation of the Fellows of th e Society a t those places.
The)’ landed a t Galle ou th e 17th ultimo, nnd were given
a most cordial and magniHeont welcome by our Buddhist
Brothers. A full account of the voyage and reception, anil
of the inauguration of the B uddhist Branch not havin''
arrived in tim e for publication iu this number, will be
given in the next.
-----------------
W iii:n a m an h a s so k a u < o n n u r r i:n a n d i’ii o s t it f t k ii
the chastity of liis mind as to subscribe his professional be­
lief to things ho does not believe, he has prepared himself
for the commission of every o th e r crime.— Thomas I ’aine,
TAP.LK O F C O N T E N T S .
ruffe.
The C rip of a Friend ____ 217
[lie Drama of Raja Mana
K u l In '.i s m ..................................... 218
and his Wives.................... 2:l<i
A Mystery of Magnetism.... 220 The Christian Art of War... 2::n
Official Despatches from Ihe Ih e ljewitched M i r r o r ....... 2:tn
American I iovernment,... 221 The N um ber Seven ............ 2:12
The Revival of Mesmerism. 221 \V hat the West. Kxpect,* ... 233
Should we call ourselves On the .Tain Notion of tlie
An Creator ......................... j;))
A Modern Seer of Vision... 22 :! Im provement in Indian
A band of Mystery ............ 224 A griculture........................ o;u
l/ondon C alls fo r liu d d h is t Some Things the Arv.ms
M issionarics................. 227 , knew .........................o.jfi
D issolv ed S old ............... 22H Fast J ml la 11 Materia Mediea. 237
A People's M onthly.... 2 2!* A liuddhist Family or Vil-
Loti'' f.ife ...................... 229 ^ la o e Religious Life in India 239
The Theosophical Society... 210
P r i n t e d a t t l io I n ' tu .’( r u ' l t ’r r n liy Ii. C i i m c l j c e k Co., a n d puWislicU I'J
th e Tlicosnjihicid Socicty, nt No, 108, (Jirgnuin Duck Itoml, Bomlmy,
 /Ocreativ
^com m ons
Attribution-NonCom m ercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported

Y o u are free:

to S h a r e — t 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 th e f o llo w in g c o n d it 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 ith th e u n d e r s t a n d in 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 .
 A MONTHLY JOURNAL DEYOTED TO ORIENTAL PHILOSOPHY, ART, LITERATURE AND OCCULTISM ; EMBRACING
MESMERISM, SPIRITUALISM, AND OTHER SECRET SCIENCES.

V o l . I. ])O M J3 A Y , J U L Y , 1HHO. No. 10.

S l'U C lA L N O T IC K S. W E A U E til.A U TO A N N O U M 'i: T IIK Folt.W A T K i.N A T 1IF..VA-

I t Is e v i d e n t t l i a t tlio 'J'lIi. 4».sui'ji j*4T will o i l e r t o nd vu rti.iurfl tmu.stial a»l- les of a uewr Arya Sannij with nearly fifty members, as
v a n t a g e * iu c i r c u l a t i o n . W o h a v e a l r e a d y .s u b s c r i b e r * in e v e r y p a i l of
I n d ia , iu C e y l o n , l l u r m a h , a n d u u t h e l ' u r s i a u ( i u l f . O n r p a p e r a l v i goo.** the tirst fruits of .Sw amiji Dayi'maiul's labors a t th a t sacred
to ( t r e a t J l r i t a i u , F i a n c e , ( J o r m a n y , H u n g a r y , ( t r e e e o , ll un si a. Coh.-danti* jilace. The olliiors a r e : 1 ‘resident, J’a u d it Aniar Natli ;
i»<>I»Io, K ^ y p t , A u s t r a l i a , a m i a n d S o u th A m e ric a . T h e follow ing very
m o d e r a t e r a t e * l i a v e l>een a d o p t e d ;
Viee-Preaiilenl, Dr. H arishchaudra S e n n a ; Secretory, Moon-
shi Bakhtoiir Sinyli ; A.'tittaid-Secreliiry, Shew Ciobind
Al>\ WtTlSING llATKS.
Siii” li ; Treasurer, <ian^adiu ; Librarian, N arayan Sin"h.
F i r * t i n s e r t i o n .............10 H u es a u d u u d c r ................1 K u|h:u.
F o r e a c h a d d i t i o n a l l i n e ................................................... I A n n a . ^lr. t iangailiii aud oth e r gentlem en of Benares have also
S p a c e ii c h a r g e d f o r a t t h e r a t e o f 1 - l i n e s t o t h e i n c h , S p c c i a l a r r a n g e * organized au .English D ebating ( ’lub with the design
lu e n t* c a n b e m a u e f o r l a r ^ e a d v e r t i s e m e n t s , a n d f o r l o n g e r a n d f ix e d of improving the mem bers iu th e English language. We
periods. F u r f u r t h e r in f o r m a ti o n a m i c o n t r a c t s f o r a d v e r t i s i n g , a p p l y to
heartily wish both success.
M i .'jsns. C O O l ’K U & Co.,
A d v e r t i s i n g A y e n t s , l>ool»neUers n n d P u b l i s h e r s , J l u i d u w s t r e e t , Fort,
Dombay,
A SO C IE T Y , C A I.I.K I) T IIE A ltV A l U T A t S K I K I KAII1IA, 1IAS

T o SC iiSC K ID K IiS.
been formed a t Sli.ljaliaujiur w ith th e laudable object of
intellectual, social and moral improvement. It is under
T h e S u b s c r i p t i o n p r i c e a t n h i e l i t l io T i f C o S o l 'i u s T i.s p u b l i ' h e d b a r e l y
cover.-* co.-»t -tin: d e d i ' u in e s l u b l U h i i i j ' t h e j o u r n a l h a v i n g b e e n r a t h e r the m anagem ent of l.ala B a h a d u r Lai, late ilonorary
to r e a c h a v e r y u ido c i r c l e o f r e a d e r s , t h a u t o n i a k o . a p r o h t . We cannot Magistrate, and has Babu Sital Das Bandgopadhyai a.s
a l b u d , t h e r e f o r e , t o >c nd .s p e c i m e n c o p i e s f r e e , n o r t o .s upp ly l i b i a r i e - , Ml­
a d i c s , o r ind iv id ua l' * t f i a t u i t o u - J y . F o r t b e * an i e r e a > o u w e a r e o b l i g e d Secretary. T h e reading of good publications; the " re­
to a d o p t t h e p l a n , n o w u n i v e r s a l in A m e r i c a , o f re*|tiii i n ^ ««ib>criber-* t o formation ” uf injurious social customs and helping crea­
p ay iu a d v a n c e , a n d o f a l o p p i n ; ' t h e p a p e r a t t h e e n d o t t h e l e i m p a i d f o r .
.Many y e a r * o t p r a c t i c a l e x p e r i e n c e lias c o n v i n c e d W e s t e r n p u b l i s h e r ■> t b . i t tures iu want ; and tin' a tta in m e n t o f " the end to which
th is > s ? t e m o f c a d i p a y m e n t is t h e b u s t a n d m o a t > a t i d a c toi y t o Ifoth the soul is tendjng, by following th e true course of N ature
p a r t i e s ; a n d all r e s p e c t a b l e j o u r n a l * a r e n o w C o n d u c t e d o u t h i s p l a n .
^ u l - ' c i il-ei s w i d l i n g a p r i n t e d r e c e i p t f o r t h e i r r e m i t t a u c c ' m u s t h e n d
in laws ot ( Iod ;” and the listening to lectures and partici­
s t a m p s f o r r e t u r n p o ^ t a ^ e . O t h e r w i s e , a c k n o w l e d g m e n t s will b e i n a d o pation in debates— are covered by the Sabha s programme.
th r o u g h th e jo u rn a l.
Secrecy is to be observed as to th e investigations in psy­
T h e T i i k o s o p i i i & t will a p p e a r c a v h m o n t h . T h e rate.-', f o r t w e l v e n u m ­
b e r s o f n u t lcfc4 t h a n IU c o l u m n s K oy u l l t o e a c h , o f r e a « l iu ^ m a t t e r , o r
chological m a tte rs — a most sensible rule.
■JbO c o l u m n s iu a ll , a r e a* lollow.s : T o S u b s c r i b e r s in a n y p u r l ol I n d i a ,
U.s. Ii p e r (tn n u n i ; in C e y l o n , Ks. 7 ; in t h e S t r a i t s S e t l l e m e n l . ' t , C h i n a , J a p a n ,
a n d A u s t r a l i a , lid. S ; iu A f r i c a , K u r o p e , a u d t h e U n i t e d a i a l c * , C 1. H alf
y e a r ( I n d i a ) I U . I ; S i n g l e c o p i e s a n n a s 12. i l c n i i t t a u c c s in p o s t a l s t a m p
IX T IIE C O triiS K OK AN K I.A IIO K A TE KKSAY ON '‘ T H E
luu.-'t b e a t t h e r a t e o f a n n a s 1/ to t h e IJ u p eo t o c o v e r d i s r o n n t . 'I 'h c a l ' o v e
r a t e s i n c l u d e p o ^ t a y e . -Vo M*»«t «r i l l be i n t i i c t l i n t / m or jn * t n f n nt tireek Oracles," Mr. I'\ W. II. Myers gives some very in­
lUttil Me »au/c*y <4 t t w l u u' Hi 'ul hl’t th*i fnt fK i' iCtil i / o i <n,htt (tt (I
at thc c.Cf>n'uttun u j (fit f<i m at<b.icrtbtt( Jor. K e m i t t a i i e e s s h o u l d be m a d e iu
teresting informalimi as to the beliefs entertained by the
M o u e y - o r d e i s , ll n n d i > , IJiil che.juc-*, *or T r e a s u r y bill-*, if in r c ^ U t c i c d ancients 011 what w e should now call the spiiit-cont 1ol.
l e t t e r s ) , a n d m a d e p a y a b l e o n l y l o t h e J*HOl’l(I L lO lU OF ' H i t T l l l . O s o r i l l M , l ’orphyry tells how the “ d em o n ’’ (spirit) .sometimes speaks
K'3, ( J i r y a u m l i a e k l i o a d , D o m b a y , I n d i a .
through the m outh of the “ recipient” (medium) who is
A ii i . N l’> ; L o u d o n ( K n ^. ) , l i e r H a r d t j u a r i t c h , K» P i c c a d i l l y , W . ; . \ e w Y o r k , entranced : sometimes presents himsell in an immaterial
S U. W e l l s A: C o . , 787, l i r o a d w a y ; J>o->tou, M a s s . C o l b y a n d K i i l i , U, M o n t ­ or even material form.' The trance-state is mixed with
g o m e r y IT a ee ; ( l i i e a - o , 111. J . C. i J u u d y , I a Salle- S t . A m e r i c a n Mil.-
ac ri b e r a m a y al>o o r d e r t h e i r p a p e r s t h r o u g h W . Jud^e, 71, i h o a i l *
“ exhausting agitation or struggle.” Bight choice of time
w ay , N e w V o r k . * and circumstances for inducing the trance-state, and ob­
( e y l o n : l> aa e W e e r c a o o i iy a , D e p u t y C o r o n e r , D o d a u d u w a ; J o h n H u b e r t taining oracular replies, is, according to Porphyry, most
d e ftilva, C o l o m b o
important., f o r a Pythian priestess (medium) compelled to
prophesy (speak in trance) while under control ol au alien
spirit, died ; and under unfavorable conditions, “ the spirit
T H E T H E O SO PH 1ST . would warn th e auditors th a t he could not give informa­
tion, or even that lie would certainly tell falsehoods on
U O M I I A V . .11' I . \ r 1 s t , I SMI. that particular occa>ion." “ On descending into om atm o­
sphere the spirits become subject to the laws and in-
Jluences that rule m a n k in d .. .and then a confusion occurs;
T liu E iliU u s iliacl.iim i u>[ioiisibilily fo r o|iiiiiu iis i \ | i u ^si il therefore, in such cases, the p ru d e n t impiirer should defer
liy c o n li il m t o i: j in t h e i r a rt ic l e s . ( I r c a t l i l t il m l e is a ll n w c d his researches, a rule with which inexperienced investi­
tu corn'.s|Mjii(li'iit.s, a m i t h e y a l o n e a r c a c c o u n t a b l e 1'ur w h a t gators fail to comply
l i n y w rite . Kcji ctcil M S S , a r e Jmt ret m 11<•<I.
(liv e n a fav o ra b le day, find a ''g u i l t l e s s i n te r m e d ia r y ’
( a t r u e m e d i u m ) , s o m e c o n f i n e d s p a c e w o u l d t h e n b e .se­
l e c t e d s o ( h a t t h e i n f l l l e l ic i 1 s h o u l d n o t b e l o o w i d e l y d i f ­
TIIK Ol TOIll.i: ANII NuVK.MIIKll iSSL'KS OK Tlllh .Inl'KNAI, fu sed ."’ T h i s p la c e w a s s o m e t i m e s m a d e d a i k , a n d llie
h a v in g b e e n r e |n inlcil, new sulwcriber.s wliu w ish l<> sp irit w as in v o k e d w ith " yells a n d s i n g i n g . ’ D u r in g th is
liave tlu .ir y e a r h i i 11 w i t h t h e O c t o b e r n u m b e r , will imw s i i i ^ i n ^ t h i ' m e d i u m " f a l l s i n t o an a b n o r m a l s l u m b e r
be c h a ry v il a n n a s c i ^ h l a i h l i t i o n a l t o c o v e r t h e e \ l i a w h i c h e x t i n g u i s h e s fo r I hi' l i m e h i s o w n i d e n l i t \ . a n il
cost ot t h e )V|iulihcutioii. ' 1 'liosi: a v I i o o iih r t h e i r m i I i - a l l o w s t h e s p i i i t to s p e a k l l i m u g h h is lips,' o r iu t h e e x ­
^crijitions to ilate Ironi t h ': JJeceinb ei', n r a n y l a t e r i.-fMie, act w ords of P orph sry , "to co u iriv e a voice for h im se lf
|»ay Its . (J o n ly . t h r u i i L ' h a m o r t a l i n s t r u m e n t , — S/>ii d u a l A c / * s
 T H E T H E O R Y OF CYCLES.
I t is now some time since this theory which wns first
propounded in the oldest religion ol' the world, 'Vcdiiism,
then taught by various C reek philosophers, and afterwards
defended liy the Theosopliists of the Middle Ages, but which
came to be flatly denied hy th e ii;lse men of tlio West, like
everything else, in this world of negation, has been g r a ­
dually coming into prominence again. This, once con­
trary to the rule, il is t he men of science themselves who
take up. Statistics of events of the most varied n a ­
ture are fast being collected and collated with the serious­
ness demanded liy im p ortant scientific questions. S ta tis­
tics of wars and o ftlie periods (or cycles) of the appearance
of great m e n — at least those a.s have been recognised its
.such by th e ir contemporaries and irrespective of later
opinions ; statistics of the. periods of development, and
progress a t large commercial centres ; of the rise and fall
of arts and sciences ; <>f cataclysms, such as earthquakes,
epidemics : periods of extraordinary cold and heat ; cycles
of revolutions, and of the rise anil fall of empires, &c.:
all these are subjected in turn to the analysis of the
m inutest mathematical calculations. Finally, even the
occult significance uf num bers in names of persons and
names of cities, in events, and like matters, receives u n ­
wonted attention. If, on the one hand, a g re a t portion of
th e educated public is running iulo at lieisni and scepticism,
on the other hand, we find an evident curre nt " f mysticism
forcing its way into science. If, is the sign of an irrepres­
sible need in h um anity to assure itself that there is a
J’ower Param ount over m a tte r ; an occult and mysterious
law w h i c h governs the world, and which we should rather
.study and closely watch, trying to a dapt ourselves to it,
than blindly deny, and break our heads against fhe rock of
destiny. More than one thoughtful mind, while studying flic
fortunes and reverses of nations and g re a t empires, has
been deeply struck by one identical feature in their his­
tory, namely, the inevitable recurrence of similar histori­
cal events reaching in turn every one of them, nnd alter the
same lapse of t i m e . This analogy is found between the
events to ho substantially the same on th e whole, though
there may be mole or less difference as to the outward form
of details. Thus, the belief of tlie ancicnls in their astro­
logers, soothsayers and prophets might have been w a rra n t­
ed by the verification of many of their most im portant
predictions without these prognostications of future events,
implying of necessity an y th in g very miraculous iu th e m ­
selves. T he soothsayers and augurs hav ing occupied in
days of the old civilizations the very same position now
occupied by our historians, astronomers and meteorologists,
t here was no! Iiing more wonderful in the facf of I lie for­
m er predicting the downfall of an empire or the loss ol a
battle, than iu the latter predicting the return of a cornel,
a change of tem perature, o r perhaps, the final conquest of
Afghanistan!. T he necessity for holli these classes being
acute, observers apart, fliere was tlic study of certain
sciences to be pursued thru as well as they a l e nmr. The
l ienee of to-day will have become an “ a n cient” science
a t housand year-? hence. Free anil open, scient itic st ud v
now is |o all, whereas if was I hen confined hut. to the lew.
Y d , whether ancient or modern, both may be called
ex act sciences ; fur, il the astronomer of to-dav draws his
observations from mathematical calculations, j),,. astrolo­
g e r of old also based his prognostication upon no less
acule and mathematically correct ohservalions of fhe evcr-
veeurring cycles. And, because (lie secret of this science
is now being lost, docs t!::iL give any warrant to say that
it never existed, or that lo believe in it, one must he
ready to swallow “ magic,” “ miracles” and Ihe like slu lf !
“ If, in v iew of (he eminence to which modern Science has
readied, (lie claim to prophesy future events must be
regarded as either a child’s play or a deliberate deception,”
says a writer in the Xavoyr I 'rnin/d, the best daily paper
of literature and polities of St. Petersburg, “ then we can
point at science which, iu its turn, has now taken up and
plaecd on record th e question, in it.s relation to past events,
w h e th e r Micro is or is not in the co nstant repetition of
events a certain periodicity ; in other W'ords, whether
these events recur after a fixed and determined jienod of
years with every nation ; and if ii periodicity there be,
w hether this periodicity is due to blind chance or depends
on the same natural laws, on which are more or less de­
pendent many of the phenom ena of liumnn life.” Un­
doubtedly th e latter. And the writer has the l>cst mathe­
matical proof of it, in I lie timely appearance of such works
as th a t of Dr. E. Zasse, under review, and of a few others.
Several learned works treating upon this mystical sub­
ject hav e appeared of late, and of some of these works
and calculations we will now treat ; the more readily ns
I hey are in most cases from the pens of men of eminent
learning. H aving already in the J u n e num ber of the
Tiikusoim iist noticed an article hy Dr. Blohvitz On
the firjiii/iatitci' o f tin', num ber Keren, with every n;i*
• ion aud people— a learned paper which appeared late­
ly in the Herm an journ al Die liegemen rt— we will now
summarize the opinions of the press in general, on a more
suggestive work by a well-known Cerm an scientist, E,
Zasse, with certain reflections of our own. It has just
appeared in the P r u s s ia n Journal o f Statistics, anil
povvedully corroborates the ancient theory of Cyclcs.
These periods which bring around ever-recurring events,
begin from the infinitessimal small— say of ten years—ro­
tation and roach to cycles which require 2">0, oOO, 700
and 1000 years, to effect th e ir revolutions around them­
selves, anil within one another. All are contained within
tin; Ma/id- } hi/, the “ (.Ireat A g e” or Cycle of the Mann
calculation, which itself revolves between two eternities—
the “ Pmlayns” or N ig h ts o f Jirahma. As, in the objec­
tive world of matter, or the system of effects, the minor
constellations and plan ets g ravitate each and all around
the sun. so iu the world of the subjective, or the system
ot causes, these innum erable cycles all gravitate between
th a t which th e finite intellect of th e ordinary mortal
legayls as eternity, and the still finite, b u t more profound,
intuition of the sage and philosopher views as b u t an eter­
nity within T n K far Kit MTV. “ As above, so it is below,"
runs th e old H erm etic maxim. As an experiment in
this direction, Dr. Zasse selected the statistical investi­
gations ol all the wars, the occuirence of which has
been recorded in history, as a subject, which lends
itself more easily to scientific verification than aiijf other,
l o illustrate his subject in th e simplest and most easily
comprehensible way, Dr. Zasse represents the periods of
war and the periods of peace in the shape of small and
large wave-1 ilies running over the area of the old world,
J he idea is not a now one, for, the image was used lor
similar illustrations by more than one ancient and nie-
diieval mystic, w hether in words or picture— hy Ilcniy
K nu rath, for example. li n t it serves well its purpose and
gives us the liicts we now want. IJeforo he treats, how­
ever, of the cycles of ware, th e a u th o r brings in the record
ol the rise and fall of th e world’s g re at empires, and
shows th e degree of activity they have played iu the
Universal History, li e points out th e fact th a t if vve
divide th e map ol the Old World into five parts__intu
Eastern, Central, and W estern Asia, Eastern and W e s ­
tern Kurope, and F.gypl —Mien we will easily perceive, (hat
every 2"i0 years, an enormous wave passes over these arciis
bringing into each in ifs turn the events il has brought to
the one next preceding. This wave we may call ‘‘ the
historical wave” of the 2'»0 j'ears’ cycle. The reader will
please follow this mystical num ber of years.
^ T h e first of these waves began in* China, 2,000 years
J!. (.'.— the “ golden age” ol this Kuipire, the age of philu.
sophy, of discoveries aud reforms. “ I n 17-‘>0 ll. C. the
Mongolians of Central Asia, establish a powerful cm-
pire. Jn J -">00, Kgpyt rises from its temporary degrada­
tion and ciirries its sway oyer many parts of Europe and
Asia ; and abo ut I2.10, the historical wave reaches ami
crosses over to Eastern ISurope, filling it with the spirit
of the A rgonautie expedition, aud dies out, iu 1000 1!. C.
at the siege of Troy.” *
^ A second historical wave appears about tha t time in
Central Asia, “ l h o Scythians leave her steppe;?, nnd
inundate towards th e y c a r7 o 0 R .C .th e adjoining countries,
diieeting themselves towards the S outh and W est ; about
the y e a r .">00 in W estern Asia begins a n epoc h of splen ­
dour fur ancient Persia ; and th e wave moves mi to tho
east, of Europe, where, about 2.‘)0 15. C. (Sreeco reaches
her high est state of culture and civilization— aud further
on to th e West, where, at the birth of Christ, tlio Homan
Em pire linds itself a t its a)>ogee of jiower and greatness.”
Again, nt this period we find th e rising of a third h is­
torical wave at the far East. A fter prolonged revolutions,
about this time, C hina forms once more a powerful e m ­
pire, and itij arts, sciences ami commerce flourish again.
Then 2 ‘>0 years later, we find th e l l u n s appealing from th e
depths of Central Asia ; in the year SOI) A. 1). ft new and
powerful Persian kingdom is formed ; in 7f>0— in Eastern
Europe— the liyzantine empire ;an d, in th e year 1,000—
on its western side— springs up the second Roman Power,
the Em pire of the Papacy, which soon readies an e x tra ­
ordinary development of wealth and brilliancy.
A t the same time, the fourth wave approaches from tlio
Orient. China is again flourishing ; in 12.">0, the Mongo­
lian wave from Central Asia has overflowed aud covered
an enormous area of land, including with it Russia. About,
1 o00, in W estern Asia the O ttom an Empire rises in all its
m ight and contpicrs the Balkan p e n in s u la : b u t at the
same time, in E a ste rn Europe, Russia throws oil" the T a r ­
tar yoke, and about I7o0, during th e reign of Empress
Catherine, rises to an unexpected gra n d eu r and covers
itself with glory. T h e wave ceaselessly moves fu rth e r on
to th e West, and be ginning with th e middle of th e past
century, Europe; is living over an epoch of revolutions
and reforms, and, according to the author, “ it'it is p e r­
missible to prophetize, then, about Ihe year 2,000, W e s­
tern Europe will have lived one of those; periods of cul­
ture and progress so rare in history.” Tin* Russian
press taking th e cue believes, t h a t , t o w a r d s those days the
Eastern Question will be finally settled, the national dis­
sensions of the European jieoples will come to an end, and
th e dawn of the new millcuium will witness th e abolish­
ment of armies and an alliance between all th e European
empires.” T he signs of regeneration are also fast m u lti­
plying in Ja p a n and China, as if po inting to tin; approach
of a new historical wave a t the extrem e East.
If, from th e cycle of two-and-a-lialf century duration we
descend to those which leave th e ir im press every century,
and, grouping to gether the events of ancient history, will
mark the development and rise of empires, th en we will
assure ourselves that, beginning from the year 700 11. C.
the centennial wave pushes forward, bringing into p ro m i­
nence the following nations— each in its tu r n — the Assy­
rians, the Modes, the Babylonians, tho Persians, th e Creeks,
tho Macedonians, the Carthagenians, th e Rom ans and the
(iennanians. ' all the rivers iu Italy were frozen. In Kill!) the winter in
The striking periodicity of the wars in Europe is also
noticed by Dr. E. Zasse. Beginning w ith 1700 A.]).,
every ten years have been signalized by c ither a w ar or
a revolution. The periods of the stre n g th e n in g and
weakening of the warlike excitement of th e E uropean
nations represent a wave strikingly regular in its periodi­
city, flowing incessantly, as if propelled onward by some
invisible tixed law. This same mysterious law seems at,
the same tim e to m ake these events coincide with astro­
nomical wave or cycle, which, a t every new revolution, is ac­
companied by the very m arked ap pearance of spots in the
sun. T he periods when the E uropean powers have shown tin;
most destructive energy are m arked by a cycle of .')()
years’ duration. It would be too long and tedious to
enum erate them from the beginning of History. W'e may,
therefore, lim it our study to th e cycle beginning with the
year 1712, when all tho European nations were fighting
at tlie same tim e — th e N orthern, and the T u rk ish wars,
and the war for the throne of Spain. A b o u t 17<> 1, the
“ Seven Years’ W a r ” ; in IS 10 th e wars of Napoleon I.
Towards IStil, th e wave has a little deflected from its re­
gular course, but, as if to compensate for it, or, propelled,
perhaps, with unusual forces, the years directly preceding,
as well as those which followed it, left in history, th e re ­
cords of the most fierce and bloody war— th e Crimean war—
in the fbnnerperioil,and th e American Rebellion in the la tte r
one. Tlie periodicity in th e wars between Russia and T u r ­
key appears peculiarly s trik in g a n d represents a very charac­
teristic wave. A t first the intervals between the cycles re­
turning upon themselves, areof thirty years’ du ration— 1710,
1740, 1770 ; then these intervals diminish, and we. have ft
cycle of tw enty years— 1700, LS10, 1S20-:!0 ; th e n t h e
intervals widen again— US."ill and 1S7*S. Rut, if we tako
note of th e whole duration of the in-flowing tide of th e
warlike cycle, then wc will have at the centre of it— from
17li.s to 1S12— three wars of seven years’ duration each,
and at both ends, wars of two years. |
Finally, th e a u th o r comes to th e conclusion th a t in view
of facts, it becomes thoroughly impossible to deny th e
presence of a regular periodicity in (lie excitement of both
mental and physical forces in the nations of the world.
H e proves th a t iu the history of all the peoples and e m ­
pires of tho Old W orld, tho cycles marking' the mille-
ninms, the centennials as well as the minor ones of .'>0 ami
10 years’ duration, are th e most important, inasmuch as
neith er of them has never vet failed to bring in its rear
some more or less marked event in the history of th e n a ­
tion swept over by these historical waves.
Tho history of India is une which, of all histories, is th o
most vague and least satisfactory. Vet, wen* its conse­
cutive g ie a t events noted down, and its annals well search­
ed, the law of cycles would bo found I d have asserted i t ­
self here as plainly as in every other country in respect
of its wars, famines, political exigencies and other m atters.
In Franco, a meteorologist of Paris went to th e trouble
of compiling th e statistics of the coldest, seasons, and dis­
covered a t the same time, that those years which had (ho
figurell in (hem, had been marked by th e severest win­
ters. Ilis tijjiires
O run t h u s #: In A. 1). the nor-
thorn part, of th e Adriatic sea was frozen aiul was
covered for three m onths with ice. In 117!* in th o
most, moderate /.ones, th e earth was covered with seve­
ral foot of snow. In 120!*, in Eranee the depth of
snow and tin; b itte r cold caused such a scarcity of fod­
der that, most of the r a ttle perished iu th a t country. In
124!*, the Baltic sea, between Russia, Norway and Sweden
remained frozen for many months aiul communication was
held by sleighs. In KCHI, there was such a terrific w in te r
in England, that, vast nu m b ers of people died of starv a­
tion ami exposure'. In 140!), th e river D an ub e was frozen
from ils sources to its m onth in the Black Sea. Tn 14(i!),
all tin; vineyards and orchards perished in consequence of
(he frost. In lilt)!), in I1’ranee, Switzerland and U p p e r
Italy, people had lo thaw th e ir bread and provisions b e ­
fore they could use them . In l(i."!!), the harbour of M ar­
seilles was covered with ice to a grout distance. In Hi.')!)
France and Italy proved the severest and longest of all,
Tho prices for articles o f 1'otnl were so much raised t h a t
half ol the population died of starvation. In 170!) th e
w inter was no less terrible. Tin; ground was frozen in
Franco, Italy and Switzerland to the depth of several feet,
and th e sea, south as well as north, was covered with one
compact and thick crust of ice, many feet deep, and for a
Considerable space of miles, in the usually open sea. Mass­
es of wild beasts, driven out by the cold from their dens
in the forests, sought refuge in villages and even cities ;
and the birds fell dead to th e ground by hundreds. Tn
172!), 174!) and I7li!) (cycles of 20 years’ duration) all tlio
rivers and streams were ice-bound all over Franco for
many week’s, and all th e fruit trees perished, in 17iS(),
France was again visited by a very severe winter. In
Paris, the the rm o m e te r stood a t 1!) degrees of frost. R u t
the severest of" all winters proved th a t of 132f). For fifty-
four consecutive days, all th e roads in I1'ranee were covered
with snow several feet deep, and all the rivers were frozen.
Fam in e and misery reached the ir climax in the country in
th a t year. I n i 811!), there was again iu France a most
terrific and trying c o ld season. Ami now th e w inter of
1S7!) has asserted ils statistical rights and proved true to
th e fatal influence of th e figure S*. T he meteorologists of
oth e r countries m e invited to follow suit, nnd m ake their Tho six revolving wheels of force, mentioned in flip
investigations likewise, tor the subject is certainly one ot' sequel, nre connected with one an other and are further
tho most fascinating as well a.s inst ructive kind. connected with th e grand m achinery of Maya pervading
E n o u g h has been shown, however, to prove t h a t n e ith e r th e Universe. It, is not. to be supposed th a t there is in
th e ideas of Pythagoras on th e m ysterious influence of reality any wheel or lotus in the h u m a n body ; the author
numbers, nor th e theories of a n c ie n t world-religions and m eans only to point, out the active centres of certain
philosophies are ns shallow and meaningless as some too forces.
forward free-thinkers would have had the woihi to believe. “ S h a t C halrabhed,
“ O u t s i d e Die sp in e , t o tlio left, is (lio I r a n e r v e , r e s p l e n d e n t like
t h e m o o n , n m l t o tlio r i g h t is t h e 1 'ingnla n e r v e , r e s p l e n d e n t like
A G L I M P S E O F T A N T i l I K O C C U L T I S M .* tl i c s u n . I V t w e e n t h e s e n e r v e ? , t l i a t is, w i t h i n t h e c a n a l of the
sp i n e , in t h e .S ush iim im n e r v e , effulgent, l i k e t h e win, 1110011 nml fire,
J IV 1 IA R A D A KANTA, M A JU M U A R . a m i p o s s e s s i n g t h e t h r e e n ltriliu t.es o f S w a t w a , l t n j a s n m l T n i i m
A s s u m i n g t h e s h a p e o f n f u l l- b l o w n D a t u r a m e t e l t o w a r d s the
There is a p o in t beyond which experim ental science M u l a d h i t r P a d n i u ( r a d i c a l s u b s t r a t u m of t h e psychologic al forces)
cannot g o ; an d th a t is tho point which divides tb e e m ­ i t e x t e n d s t o ( h e c r o w n ; n m l w i t h i n t h e a p e r t u r e o f t h i s nerve is
pire of w h at is called m a tte r from th e em pire of force. n n e r v e c alled I ’.ajiii e x t e n d i n ' ; f r o m t h e piuh-ndm n virile to the
c r o w n . T h e i n t e r i o r o f t h i s l a t t e r n e r v e is p e r p e t u a l l y b lazin g .
( 'ortainly tin* physicist is acquainted with the n a tu r e and
“ W i t h i n t h i s b laze o f t h e l ’ajttl n e r v e is a n e r v e called ('hitrini,
laws nf certain forces, or more correctly, certain m o di­ g i r d l e d h y t h e t ’r a n a v a ( t h a t is, t h e t h r e e p o w e r s e x p l i c a t e d hy it)
fications of some mysterious force, b u t beyond this a n d fine a s t h e s p i d e r ’s w ell. T h i s n e r v e p e r m e a t e s t h e s i x lotuses
every th in g is in darkness. To t h e m odern scientist the ( t h e I n j u n c t i o n | i o i n t s o r c e lls w h e r e t h e I r a a n d t h e l ’in gala nerve
land of mystery is sealed w ith seven seals. H is in­ m e e t w i t h t h e S u s h u n m n n e r v e ) o n t h e . S u s h u m n a n e r v e . Within
t h e C h i t r i u i is a n e r v e c a l l e d l ’r a h i u a n o n e , w h i c h e x t e n d s from
s tru m e n ts and machines, his scalpel and retort servo
t h e m o u t h o f t h e g r e a t p o s i t i v e f o rc e ( M a h a d e v n ) ill t h e first- cell to
him ill to solve th e g rand problem of existence. Is t h e crow n.
there no hope th e n ? A re there 110 means by which “ T h e r e is a v e r y d e l i g h t f u l p l a c e ( t h e f i s s u r e o f S y l v i u s ?) where
the occultism of n a tu re m ay be revealed to m an ? Aryan t h e m o n t h of t h e j i r a l i m a n e r v e e m i t s n e c t a r . T h i s nlnec is tlie
philosophy says there are. H u t th e ways nre different. j u n c t i o n o f t h e f r o n t a l lol«e w i t h t h e t e m p o r a l lolic o f t h e cerebral
T h e external senses are but th e vehicles for com m unicating h e m i s p h e r e s a n d is t h e m o n t h of t h e S n s h u n u is i n e r v e ."
to th e mind impressions of those objects which these T h e a u th o r now proceeds to describe tbe seven systems
senses can ta k e cognizance of. B u t these A ryans are not of psychological forces pervading th e body through tlie
adapted to receive impressions of th e ultra-gaseous or cerobro-spinnl cord. T h e re nre seven • points where the
force sta te of m atter. Sight, smell, hearing, touch nnd spinal accessory nerves, Irn nnd l ’ingala, meet with tlie
taste are essentially those a ttrib u te s of th e m ind which Siishum na nerve. Each of these points is called a lotus.
u n d e r certain conditions receive physical impressions 1 will in th e sequel call them cells.
from things w ith ou t nnd tran sm it those impressions to nn “ The first evil, called A d h iir I'a d m a .
observant faculty w ithin. And y e t a proof of th e existence “ T h i s cell is s i t u a t e d o n t h e S u s h u m n a n e r v e b e lo w t h e puden­
of these a ttrib u te s of th e m ind is best had in th e dream du m virile n m l a b o v e t h e f u n d a m e n t . I t is b r i g h t ns gold ami
state, when not only is m ental vision brought in requisi­ h a s f o u r p e t a l s o f t h e c o l o r of 1‘i g n o n i a I n d i c a , s y m b o l i z e d b y tlie
tion, b u t smell, taste, touch and hearing, all have th e ir fair f o u r l e t t e r s ha, ?a, no a n d sho. I t is s i t u a t e d t o p s y - t u r v y .
play hiulependently e f the r.Hcrvol scvses. 'When we con­ “ W i t h i n t h i s cell is t h e < |u a d r a n g u l n r m iu i i h u ie d i s c u s surrou nd ed
h y eight, s p e a r s , so ft a n d y e l l o w a s t h e l i g h t n i n g . W i t h i n thin dis­
fess to ourselves th e existence of m a tte r ami force which
c u s is d e p o s i t e d t h e p r o c r e a t i v e solicit virile.
nre not cognizable by th e s e n s e s , w e can, perhaps, safely “ T h i s *m in i virile is d e c o r a t e d w i t h f o u r h a n d s n n d is mounted
look upon th e m ind ns th e only a g en t th a t can perceive on t h e e l e p h a n t , of I n d i a , I n i ts l a p is t h e c r e i t o r - b o y , having
such subtile phenom ena ; for in one sta te at least, 1 mean f o u r h a n d s a n d h o l d i n g t h e f o u r V e d a s in h i s m o u t h .
dream, we know of its in d e p e n d e n t .powers to see, hear. “ W i t h i n t h e q u a d r a n g u l a r d i s c u s a b o v e r e f e r r e d t o is n goddess
iKrc. This clairvoyance of th e m ind wns known to th e a n ­ (p a ss io n , I b e l i e v e ) n a m e d I lakini w i t h s w i n g i n g f o u r h a n d s anil
cients mnny thousand years ago. D u rin g th e ir trance b l o o d - r e d ev es. .She is g l o r i o u s l i k e t w e l v e s u n s r i s i n g n t t h e same
t i m e ; b u t v i s i b l e o n l y t o t h e p u r e - m i n d e d yogi.
stnte (samadhi) th e Yogis by m eans of inner vision could
“ W i t h i n t h e p e r i c a r p of t h e llajrii n e r v e , b r i g h t a s t h e light­
see th e m ysterious agencies of n a tu re u nd erly in g the n i n g is t h e p h i l o p r o g e n i t i v e t r i a n g u l a r d i s c u s of T rip u n'i D e v i . W i t h ­
universe. in t h i s d i s c u s is t h e a i r o f K n n d a i p n ( c u p i d ) , w h i c h i.s c a p ab le nf
p a s s i m ' f re e ly t h r o u g h nil t h e m e m b e r s o f t h e b o d y . I t is the
I n verse Cl, C h a p te r X V I I I . of the I ’hngabalgitn, Sri
t o v e r e i g n lo r d of a n i m a l s , is b l o w n l i k e t h e Jio iid v li flower .mil
K rish n a says to Arjun, sittin g in t h e hearts of the created g l o r i o u s lik e h u n d r e d s o f m i l l i o n s o f su n s .
objects, " O h Arjun, Ood tu rn s th e m achinery by his “ W i t h i n i t is t h e p h a l l u s of a S iv a , f a c in g w e s t, hi.s b o d y soft
M aya.” B u t nowhere in that, learned philosophy is any li k e m e l t e d go ld, e m b o d i m e n t o f w i s d o m a n d 1 o n ii m n i io n . red like
m ention m ade of wliat. this m achineiy of Maya is, nnd how a n e w tw i g , a n d s o f t a s t h e b e a m s of t h o m o o n . I t lives in the
it is worked. P u rn a n a n d n Gaswiimi, an em inent T a n trik s a c r e d c i t y ( K a s i ) . is full o f f e lic ity n n d is r o u n d lik e a w hirlp oo l.
Yogi, who lived more th a n two h und red years ago, has “ F i n e a s t h e s t r i n g o f t h e s t a l k of l o t u s p l a y s n b o ve t h i s phallus
t h e c h a r m e r o f tlie U n i v e r s e ( K u l n k u n d a l i n i ) e x t e n d i n g t o t h e nec-
left a book in Sanskrit, th e n am e of which is M a t CJiulro- t a r - t l o w i n g fissure of t h e T l r a h m a n e r v e . L i k e t h e l i g h t n i n g play­
l>hed, in which he tre a ts of t h e occult nerves nnd forces in i n g in n e w c l o u d s a n d t h e s p i r a l t u r n o f a s h e ll, s h e r e s t s o v e r the
Ih e hu m an body. Mention of these nerves and forces, p h a l l u s in t h r e e a n d a h a l f c ircles a s d o e s t h e s l e e p i n g s e r p e n t over
however, is to bo found in the B r a b n m u la Pnruua, (U ttra- th e h e a d of S iv a .
gitn, C h a p te r II., verses from 11 to LS), b u t credit, is due “ T h i s K u l n k u n d a l i n i , r e s i d i n g i n t h e M u l a d h m - I 'a d m a , hums
l i k e t h e b e e i n e b r i a t e d w i t h t h e n e c t a r of (lowers, a n d b y d istr i­
to th e T a n trik au th o r for having described them at length.
b u t i n g t h e i n s p i r a t i o n n m l r e s p i r a t i o n of n n i m a l s k e e p s t h e m alive.
I t is to be regretted th nt th e nutlior hns used figurative
“ W i t h i n t h i s K n h i k u n d n l i n i , s u b t i l e r t h a n t h e s u b t i l e s t , nml
language th ro u g h o u t th e work which renders it valueless, r e s p l e n d e n t as t h e l i g h t n i n g is S r i l ’a r a m e s w n r i ( t h a t is. Prakriti
except to such ns have th e key to t b e allegories. o r m u n d a n e s o u r c e ) , W h o s e b r i g h t n e s s m a n i f e s t s t h e U n i v e r s e like
a cald ro n .”
• T h e f o n d n e s s o f t h e A s i a t i c m i n d f o r a l l e g o r y a n d p a r a b l e is w e ll il l u s ­
“ The second cell, called S'lradhi.ihtdn I'adm a.
t r a t e d in t h i s p a p e r o n T a n t r i k O c c u l t i s m . T o a W e s t e r n m a n w h o c a n n o t “ O n t h e S u s h u m n a n e r v e is a n o t h e r cell n t t h e r o o t o f t h e y w -
r e a d tlio m o a n i n g b e t w e e n t h e H u e s , i t will v e r y l i k e l y s e e m v o i d o f pen.*e. deitdittn virile, w h i c h is r e d l i k e V er m illio n n n d b r i g h t ns lightning.
T I i h h t h e Athnrw a p p e a r e d to M ax M u lle r only ‘ th e o lo g ical t w a d d l e / I t has six petals sym bolized by th e six l e t t e r s ha, him, ma, ?/<*, m
v h c r e a * it* t e x t is f u ll o f p r o f o u n d p h i l o s o p h y n n d p r o v e s t h n t i t s a u t h o r
o r a u t h o r * w e r o i n t i m a t e l y a c q u a i n t e d v i t l i t l io h i d d e n e n e r g i e s o f n a t u r e . a n d h i. ■
T h e s i g n i f i c a n t f e a t u r e o f t h o p r e s e n t e . v a y is t h a t t h o T a n t r i k Y o g i f r o m “ W i t h i n t h i s l o t u s is t h e w h i t e d i s c u s o f B a n i n a ( N e p tu n e ) , in
w h o s o w o r k t h e e x t r a c t s n r e t r a n s l a t e d , k n e w t h e g r e a t a n d m y s t e r i o u s la w
t h a t t h e r e a r o w i t h i n t h o h u m a n b o d y a s e r i e s o f c e n t r e s o f f o r c c evolu* w h i c h is t h e se e d , * W, ar g e n t, l i k e t h o a u t u m n a l moon, h a v i n g cres­
tim i, t h e location of w h ic h b e c o m e s k n o w n t o th o a s c e t ic iu t h e c o u rs e of
hi* p h y s i c a l s e l f - d e v e l o p m e n t , as w e ll a s t h o m e a n s w h i c h n m . ' t b e re* c e n t o u i t s f o r e h e a d a n d m o u n t e d on 17 .*
s o r t e d t o t o b r i n g t h e a c t i v i t i e s n t the.*© c e n t r e s u n d e r t h e c o n t r o l o f t h e w ill.
T o e m p lo y th e O r ie n t a l figurative m e th o d , th c p o p o in t s a ro so m n n y o u t ­
• T l i e S a n s k r i t w o n t is * m e a n s B a r m i n : b u t I d o n ' t k n o w wliat
w o r k s t o bo c a p t u r e d i n s u c c e s s i o n b e f o r e t l i c v e r y c i t a d e l c a n b e t a k e n . —
11. S. U th is m eans.
 11 In th e lap of th is ^ seed , lilu c lik e th e clom l, y o u n g , uml N e ith e r in the hall, nor iu the yard was there any one ;
w e a r in g red clo th in I la r i (|> ositive force) h a v in g S n b a t.-a an d K oiih- b u t th e w'fttch-dog, which had growled at first, was now'
ta v u -iiia n i ou h is b rea st, and h o ld in g t h e fou r V e d a s in liiu four howling and moaning piteously, and the gate which she
h a n d s w ith I-akxhnii (n e g a tiv e force).
“ W ith in t h e said d isc u s is a g o d d ess, liu k iu i, h er color in like
had lioltod stood wide ojien.........
t h e h ln o lo tu s, h o ld in g n in n y arm s in h er h a n d s rea d y to a tta c k , T h e heart of the m o th e r was struck with tenor. Shfi
w ea rin g m a n y o r n a m e n ts and ap p arel, an d hix m ind in eb riated . ran out into the street again, looking to the right and left,
" H e w h o can rea lize th e d iscu s o f lia n u iii iu h is liiin d b eco m es — b u t not a soul was there to be seen at that late hour.
in a m o m en t freed from in d iv id u a l c o n sc io u sn ess aiul e m e ig in g
W ith a heavy presentim ent of something evil, she r e tu r n ­
lro m th e duvkiic.Hri o f f o lly sh in e s lik e th e s u n .”
ed to her work, for she could sleep no more. There she
(T o be continued.) S4it— according to h e r own simple narrative— th in k in g
how two years before, just before her husband’s death, that
lia js h a h i in l ’eli^ul, A p ril lSHO.
same gate, do what thoy might, would nut keeji shut.
It was useless to liolt it, however liimly, for as soon as
shut, it would be Hung o j m - i i , as though some invisible
A S P E C T R E ' G U ID l l
baud bad unbolted it. A nd this wont on until the m a s­
11V V . 1*. Z K L 1 1 I O Y S K Y . * te r ’s death. A fter th ey had buried him, the gate opened
no longer.........
A t tlie end of November, 187!), o c c ii n tJ in our town of
W hile brooding over the past, and overcome by her sad
TiHis (Russian ( ‘aucasus) an event so extraordinary ami
thoughts, th e widow suddenly fell asleep over th e table*.
incomprehensible, as to persuade more tlian one hith erto
It was but for a mom ent, for she suddenly awoke, tr e m ­
scejitical person that, there m u st I k* some tr u th iu the
bling from head to foot, and covered with tho cold swoat-
belief of tlie spiritualists. I t is in tin; police and crim i­
terror ; in vision she bad seen her only son, calling her
nal records now', anil ran be verified at any day. 1 was a
pitifully to his help, and she Lncte that he himself could
witness to it myself, aud th e chief jtersonages of th e tr a ­
come no more. She could hardly wait for daybreak, aud
gedy live but a few steps from my own family residence
at early dawn sallied forth to search for her boy in all the
in th e Nieolaefskaya Street, which adjoins the Ovtchalsk
neighbouring taverns and gin-slmp*. Hut Alexander
Street, where stands th e house of the Kaazmin family.
Kaazinin could not. bo fouud nor had any one seen him on
The* event is th u s sum m ed u p in th e police records :—
(lie n ig h t before. T he old woman had thus visited many
“ The discovery o f the crime is due, to the njijitirilitnt of'
drinking places, and was already retu rning home n f t ie
the murdered man hinisclj, in f u l l daylight mill before U
minutes before n o on, tired out, and in both m ental and ph y ­
'number o f iritneimea.”
sical agony.
In tin; Moluluii ipiarter, on the outskirts of Tillis, be­
Kvorywhere the quest was fruitless, and the load grew
tw een the garden of Moushtaid and the railroad, lives a
heavier on her heart at every disappointment. The
widow, whose only sou, Alexander, a lad of about eighteen,
passcrs-by looked woudcringlv into her grief-stricken face,
left free after his lather's death to do as he pleased in the
and some who knew would have stopped to ask th e cause
house and with himself, .soon fell into had company and
of her trouble and ofler their help. Huf she saw no one,
took uncontrollably to tl rink. T h e m other was in des­
heard no one ; one image alone occupied h e r thoughts,
pair ; she preached and lu mped and threatened, hut all in
and her eyes wandered from face to lace only to see if it
vain. Alexander Kaazmin went on, and with every day
were his, whom she sought, but finding it was not, looked
m a ttc is became worse with him.
no longer. T he direful sense of im pending disaster grew'
Once, before sunset, he lelt tho house after quarrelling
stronger every moment, and though she ceased not to look
w ith his mother. She had insisted upon liis rem aining at
in every direction, despair possessed her soul more and
home, for she well knew lie would return drunk. Though
more. Now she found 1101X011’ in a crowd which had been
he had deceived her more than once, and usually broke
gathered by some tem porary obstruction of th e footway,
liis promises, yet this tim e as he had solemnly pledged his
but she k e p t on, aud tlie peoph*, as though moved by the
word to come home earlier, the mother, having p u t the
subtle intluence of her sorrow, parted to th e right and left
youngest girls to bed, sat a t her work to await the return
for h e r that, she m ight pass through. She had reached a
of her prodigal son.
street-eornor and was about to cross when at the opposite
T hu s she sat quietly sewing, eagerly catching every
side th e figure of a y oung man whose back was towards
Sound, iu the ho|*e o f hearing the creak o f th e opening
her, arrested her attentio n. T h e m o th e r’s ipiick glance
gate and the familiar footsteps; b u t she listened iu vain.
recognized it instantly as her A lexander’s, and with a cry
Hours passed on and m id night struck at last. T he
of joy she darted forward to catch hold of him. The
silence was profound abound her, and uo sound was heard
man turned at the sound of her voice...yes, it was lie, but
but the chirp of th e cricket, behind the fire-place, and the
how pallid ! H is face was bloodless as that of a corpse,
monotonous ticking of the clock__ O f late, h e r S a s h k a f
and there was no life in th e eyes that looked into her own,
had been more th a n once absent on d ru n k e n sprees for
but a far-away look an d an expression of pain tha t sent a
days together, b ut th e poor widow had never awaited him
thrill through her every fibre. “ Sashka !’’ she screamed,
with such an anxiety as ou that, memorable night, and
“ Sashka !” Some would have held her, th in king her ill,
never longed so despairingly to see him back. Several times •
but she broke from th em and ran to th e place where she
she had ■'one outside th e jjate to watch for his return.
had seen him last. H e was gone, she knew not whither, b u t
T he n ight was frosty ami as light as day, th e N o vem ber
she hurried away iu th e direction in which lie had been
moon being at th e full.
proceeding— th e pale, despairing lace seeming to bid her
Two o’clock...then throe iu the morning !...T h e sad follow. Again, b u t this tim e far away down the street
m o th e r went once more into the street, ami seeing no ono, she saw him, ami pressed forward, determined this tim e
with a heavy sigh concluded to wait no longer and after not to lose sight of him. Ho had no h a t on, ami the N o-
s h u ttin g aud firmly bolting th e gate, went to h e r b e d ­ vemlier sun shone on his light hair so as to make it to her
room. Jill t hardly had she crossed the threshold, when indulgent fancy, alm ost like a mass of golden thread.
the iron latch of the gate was lifted, and th e familiar foot­ Once he seemed about to stop until she should come up,
steps of her son sounded heavily upon tho frozen ground. but he only raised bis arm ami beckoned to her, at tint
She heard them across the yard, th e n pass un der the w in­ same m om ent tu rn in g th e corner of a street which led to ­
dows toward tin; hall, b u t no one entered. T h in k in g that wards her own ipiarter. Fear lent speed to her weary
in her anxiety she had inadvertently fastened th e hall feet, aud she ran as th o u g h she wero a young girl again
door with the hook, she returned to open it for him. instead of a matron full of years. She reached th e corner,
t urned it, b u t he was not in sight., though she could see far­
• W r i t t e n f o r t h o TiiKt»soi*iiisT, h y n n e n r r e l a t i v e o f o u r> , an t h u t r u t h *
f u l n a r r a t i v e o f a u o c c u r r e n c e w liicli s e t t h e w h o l e t o w n a i u l t l i O | > o l k c o f
th e r than he could possibly have gone in the few seconds
Till i* A"h;v«t. th a t hail elapsed. She could not repress the groan that
f lJ h u im itiv o for A le x a n d e r , burst from her lips. A nd yet up to this moment, strangely
 enough, tho idea hml not occurred to her tliat slm Intel not.
been seeing’ her own living sen in flesh anil blood. T ru th
to say, what with her night-long vigil, h e r anxiety, and
tho excitement of the day’s adventures, she was iu no
mood to reflect. B u t now a superstitious horror came
over h e r all a t once. T he death-like face, th e vacant eye,
the d u m h appeal for her to follow, the disappearance and
lo-appearance, and now the tinal vanishing of th e su b sta n ­
tial tigure into thin air, rushed to her consciousness in
one crushing thought that her guide was but. the spectre
of her son. F o r a moment she tottered and every th in g
swam before h e r eves, she felt that she was about to
swoon : but some new strength seemed suddenly given
her, and she darted forward down the street..
She had ransacked, ns she thought., every placc of dissi­
pation whore Alexander would be likely to have passed
liis night of riot. Seeing the apparition no more she was
perplexed which way to turn ; but, just when lier confusion
of mind was greatest, an inner voice seemed to toll her to
inquire in an inn situated close to her own house. It was
not precisely a gin-shop, but a kind of eating-house and
boor-drinking saloon combined, which her son was not in
the habit, of visiting. As it was S unday the inn was full
and customers plentiful at the bar. To the m o th er’s ques­
tions, they all manifested s ym pathy for her, and answered
kindly, but. no one had seen her son.
Then Mrs. Kaazmin prepared to leave the place. The
saloon door opened into a yard, in which an exterior wood­
en staircase led to the u p pe r p a rt of a building, a kind of
lott where hay was stored. 'Dio poor mother, now con­
vinced of h er son s death, came out into the yard, folloAv-
ed by all the visitors of the beer-house and even by the
proprietor of th e place himself—an Armenian, all loudly
expressing th e ir sym pathy for her despair and trying to
give her hopes. Suddenly as she turned to leave, her eye
caught sight of th e staircase of th e hay-loft, and on the
platform a t the bottom, whom did she see but her son,
Alexander, standing right, before th e middle one of three
doors, the one of the staircase loading to tho hay-loft.
This at any rate could bo no ghost, for there he was as
solid and substantial as any of the men about her ! In a
gush of jov she exclaimed— “ S a sh k a !...T hank (!od !...
W h a t aro you doing there ? ...H ere am 1 worrying myself
to death iu search of you, and y o u ...th e re ! Sleeping
over the wine-fumes, no doubt, ?...(,V>mo here, you good-
for-nothing vagabond !...W h at are you beckoning me for?
But suddenly, her face became deadly pale, and she s ta g ­
gered. T he remembrance had Hashed upon her tha t now
in f u l l sunlii/ht, a v d til noon, h e r sou was repeating the
same gesture of mutt' entreaty he had used in her vision
of him, tho n ight before, ami liis life had tho very same
awful look she had noticed in th e street, ju st now.
Thou, a, wild terror seized hold of th e woman. To use the
words of her own testimony in the police-court— she felt,
tha t something dragged her irresistibly there, towards h e r
son ; and, forgetting her fatigue and everything else, she
rushed towards the staircase, and shouting to him to wait
for her aud not to go away again— for she now was con­
vinced that she saw her liv iv y son— she flow u p tho steps
taking two at a time. Tho witnesses to h e r conversation
with em]>ti/ zpciee, and her strange actions testified, at the
coroner’s inquest and also in court, that they had verily
believed her for one m om ent utterly insane.
Though h e r A lexander had again disappeared, and did
not wait for his m o th e r on the platfoim, she nevertheless
Jell, as she says, the, so m e mysterious force <lrori<ih>rj her
across t lie yard, and compelling her to select out oft he three
doors before h e r the right one. U pon en tering th e h a y ­
loft, th e m other began loudly calling her son, b u t there
was no answer. lie was not. there....
“ I cannot, describe, w h a t then possessed me,” she tes­
tified. “ I neith er felt, astonished a t the new disappear­
ance, nor did I th in k of any thing, or desire for aught. I
only fe ll, though I neith er saw 'nor found him anywhere,
th a t my son was there, near mo ....There was a largo b u n ­
dle of bay lying on the lloor...And 1 hoard as if it wore a
voice whispering within me : search it, search it....tu r n it
over !...and I rushed to do so. I immediately found a
pair of logs encased in boots, which I recognized ; and
before uncovering the rest, of the body, I remember well...
1 pushed and shook the logs, as one doe.1', to awake a sleep­
ing man, repeating loudly, 1 Come, get up ! you have had
enough sleep there ! (Jome out I ’ And then, seeing that,
ho heeded me not, I uncovered his head and face...It was
only then, tha t I saw he was indeed cold nnd dead !...
lint even then I did not feel surprised. I neither shouted
nor screamed, but. only tu rn ed round to call upon the
witnesses, to see irhtit I had discovered......... ”
The amazed hystaiidei-s had, of course, followed her im ­
mediately into the hay-loft and had witnessed the strange
scene. Hut, as soon a.s tho logs had been found, some
quick-witted men am ong them took upon themselves to
secure tho landlord. Livid and struck w ith superstitious
terror, t he d tm lho nlch ik (inn-keoper), as soon as he had seen
irhithcr the m other was rushing to look for h e r son, Alex-
finder, v h o hm l oppeoreil to her alone— waited neither for
police nor coroner, but hilling upon his knees confessed
before all th e people tha t young Kaazmin had been killed.
T he inquest now showed th a t neither tho tloalhnvtehil'
nor his two accomplices were m urderers by premeditation,
but only intended to gratify th e ir baser instincts a t his
expense. H aving plied tho bov with drinks till he had
become insensible, they wanted to have some “ fun,” they
sfiid, ami dragging him to tho hav-loft, piled upon him
heaps of bay and pillows to stifle his cries. B u t they had
miscalculated, it seems, th e stre n g th of the liquor and
wore very much astonished upon finding at th e end of the
“ trick” th a t the victim had become quite stiff anil lay
before them.— a corpse ! Y oun g Kaazmin had died of
either apoplexy or suffocation * ! Then, tho playful biu tes
decided in the ir pietv t h a t such was tho Will of (Jod...
and having covered the body with hay, waited for the fol­
lowing night, to come to dispose of it in some ditch. They
felt sure, they said, th a t th e young man being known for a
drunkard, his death would be attribu ted to apoplexy r e ­
sulting from drink, and buried ■without any further e n­
quiry.
So had the m uido rers decided, but not so the miserable
A lexander Kaazmin, o r h i s p e ri sprit as the French spirilists
would .‘•av. T he wraith of th e dead man had itself led the
search for his sinful bodv.
s rx o rsis o r the akyan l jt e p a t m e .
] ’.Y DAO l U I I A m il Ci01 ’j\ 1,11A 0 l i n n i K K D FP IIM V K H ,
1'iec-Trt'siih nt n f tin' Thcnsophiral Society.
The sacred literatu re of fho Aryas is divided by the
B ia h m a n s who follow the right-hand way of worship
i n t o t h u e classes called NltT fiom slnuti or
V idas, 31IH from I’itbees or lite ia tu re k mposid by I ’i-
.‘••liei s. and 11^7 from or literatu re written by men.
T he T antric Brahmans, who follow th e left-hand
way of worship, ta k e a different view. T h ey divide the
sacred literature into two classes lH’W or Vedic and SU’UT
or Tantric. They m ain tain that T a n tia s arc like JjffT being
mostly revi alcd by Shiv, th e favourite deity of th e Yogis.
K nlucka B h u t in his u li'm e n ta iy on the laws of Maim,
says—
'JltT literature includes th e whole range of the Vedic
books, such as I K l ? ? and f.n
which collectively aie called ^11^1. There are different Sha-
klias, fbundul on dilfeicnt Vedas and different readings of
th e Vedas.
3 1 ^ — A uxiliary scic nccs to lour Vi das are called " Up-
vi das.” T hese are and i. e.
medicine, mechanics, music and m ilitary art.
• The Coroner's inquest brought out this fact.
 Iff is figuratively considered a person liaving six or­ S OM E T J IIX G S T H A T AIlVAiYS KXUIW
gans, described in tlie following verses—
I1V T i l t ; L A T K U K .U I M A C I I A I U H A W A .
B>:*n$3w^fww«<?i*f«?5iff II
( t racitntic/i.
'n'^ff ||
Long before their discovery by the Jiuropean astrono­
mers, the theory of gravitation, and th e fact th a t tho
'J'hese v e rs e s say th a t —
earth revolves round the sun, and not th e sun round the
H is legs arc Prosody earth, was known to th e Aryans, for iu th e fifth Varag of
H is liands are Ritual th e fourth Adhvaya of the third A shtak of tho S a n h ita iu
H is eyes arc Astronomy th e Kig Veda tfiero is this S hruti :—
H is ears are Vocabulary fatTffi & FH ^ C 'T R 7fa4l*JcT*TI
H is nose is lln les of Pronunciation I t means that
H is m outh is (ira m m a r 73TIffT'*T ^ — all objects are supported by their nourish­
W hoever reads tlie Vedas with the help of these organs ing friend, the sun.
Coes to th e H eaven of B rahm a. ■nvfWffflTR?: ^ f e — the friend (the sun) attracts towards it
the earth.
yfff has minor organs 311*1 or six Darshnns or six systems
of philosophy, called ‘" “ I WfflH — not for a single m oment is the earth freed
from its attraction.
^ t'f f .
Now in this S hru ti from tin; Vedas we Iind the earth to
Hence the complete stu d y of the Vedas is called
be the object a ttrac te d and the sun the attractor
or swadhyaya R M R ,
Vedas are recited acconling to a peculiar musical system And as the a ttra c to r will never revolve round
the tiling it attracts, it becomes clearly proved th a t the
in eight ways, called f a ? Iff which are described as follows:
Aryans knew that it was the earth which revolved round
the sun and not the sun round th e earth.
JiUui.
Thoso originate in ^ or separated words and ^ or Tho origin and formation of rain was not unknown to
separated words twice repeated. Thero are live ^T^T, called the Aryans, for there is the following S h ru ti about it iu
WM, and tint eleventh A nuvak of the fourth Adhyaya of the second
Now the second branch of the Aryan literature is A shtak of the S a n h ita of the A pstam b Sa k h a iu the
Y a ju r Veda
I t includes or treatises ou law and customs, and NCI"!
or religious legendary stories. These together are called
T j ^ n r : >T*fr^<fffvWff.
A large num ber of these books and a variety of their c h a ­ 11 means that
racter have induced B rahm ans to divide them un der three Wm^HfflJtag^fCqiff— heat (agni) is the cause of the rain.
classes acconling to th e ir own viewrs. ’J'hese classes are callcd H^ff: — M arut or wind is the dispenser and distri­
rrsTO & fflHH Ol divine, hum an and diabolical. bu to r of rain in the Shrusti.
This principle is sometimes applied to shruti also. 3?f*f — b u t (.lie principal cause of rain is
is set down as ffWfl though supported by Vedas. — the sun ’s heat ( r a s m i) which
{Htff are divided into ami «V, large iind small. tin us water into the steam y vapour aud carries it u p ­
^CI°I are also divided into and 37U?1°I. wards towards the sky.
T here are other brunches of the literature which y l»y 'HV^fafff— and it rains (when the vapour cooled comes down
the following names. again iu the shape of water).
Thero is also the following Sam arli which gives the
1. lithics. same reason for the formation aiul fall ol rain.
ii. — Doctrine of devotion and faith as laid a T ff lU R f f T f f f f : H*:'T,T r T ^ ? * R q f f f ? f f II
down by and
3. — R h e t o r i c , J i n c l u d i n g * 1^ , H H l f a f f , : f l 2 -P In man}' other places in tlie Vedas then! are full and des­
&c. criptive accounts of the causes ol lain. It would be need­
4. Culinary art. less to enum erate them here. In short one should know
that there is nothing which cannot be found in the Veda*;,
5. ‘P1H$TI£f— Treatise on relations between man and
t >nIv the learned and the a ttentive will ever come to know
woman as laid down bv and ‘Kff.
what Irea.sures lie buried within them.
ti. — Magic as laid down by iShiv.
I'll Ii/'■'! .
7. — P o lit ic a l K co no m y.
It was A ttraya IJushi who first discovered the cause of
Now th e third class ol the literature ’JUsf consists of
books, written by tin: learned men in Kuli age, within lillccii Ihe eclipse of the celestial bodies, for there is the follow­
hundred years or from the tim e tlie Kishees ceased to ing Shruti in the fourth A shtak of the Sanhita of the
exist or from tho time the S a nskrit died as a .spoken Asvalayau Sakha in the Itig Veda.
language. These works are collectively called aiul . O w rnfln:
„* o
arc variously styled as— ; n r 3 ? $ T 'f '7 'H
ifHSWC, *57, lm [ f f ff c7, qiKStfff, D W , 11, means t hat
C3, f|5 I, m a p , ?T flr, H J, ^ H lf* & C . ' — the luminous body (gC (sur) means a body which
These works always depend lor th e ir authority on luniks like the sun shines ot its own light).
of who precciled these learned men. T h e Rishees — by the intcrvention ol the darkness
depend on ^Tff for authority and JjTff is allowed to be aut ho­ (tain) of the lion-luminous body (callcd asur or savar-
rity by itself, never referring to any other authority, llenco bhaim.*
it is called ?®Tff; Wf"T. * A t i ' i ' , bc c a u . sc i t U n o t a luininous ; him! (it
WcMUio i t c a u u o t •'iiinc w i t h o u t tl i o l i ^ lt t o f t l i e U hn iiu o r l u m i u o u s Ihk 1) ‘,
D o m b ay , -3th M ay ItvSO. un«I ^2) bccausc* i t i u t v r v c u t r t b c t w c c u o u r o y c s a i u l t l i e Iuimtt*>u 4 b o d y .
 — is prevented from being seen,
am : w A tfraya Rushi knew this.
3 it was not known to a n y one before
him,
lltiltnnlthi o f l/ir 1 'iirlh.
T he Aryans knew ilwit, 1h>; earth wa.s round, as will 1>f
seen from thi: following forty-third sliloke nf tin; twenty-
tliinl A dhyaya <>f tho third Ska n d h a of the Shrim ad or
Vishnu Bhagvat.
n n - ’T'Ttf'T
H ere now v f l ’Tttf means th a t tho i'arth is round.
Vyas has also said something about it in tho W udyoga
l ’arab in tin; Bharat.
Iu tin? same way in tin: Siddhanlshirom ani of tht* -Tyot-
ish Shuster it is said that MR: aT’jfly — tlie earth is
round.
B ut the Aryans also knew tha t the earth was not ex ac t­
ly muni! as will l>e seen from th e roots of th e an tiqu e
Words llruliuiunil and H/iuiiiu lulul. T he word BruloiVi.iiit
literary means “ a large egg,” .‘ind H/iuiiiunilul means
“ the sphere of the earth," " th e spherical earth.”
Ilrn. rrnli/ /hxlii'K,
They knew tlie other heavenly Imdies to be also spheri­
cal, lor they called the lunar orb and the sun the
That the heavenly bodies were inhabited was not- unknown
to them, as will l>o seen from th e words ' tv
There are a great many proofs of their knowledge of
the different planets which com|tose the Solar System.
T he days of the week were named alter the different
planets. T he lirst day of tin; week is called after the sun,
because the sun is tin; ccntre of our Solar System and b e­
cause he is the first cause of the system of measuring linn'.
T he second is called alter Ihe moon ; lor in the svstom of
reckoning time the moon on account, of its proximity to
th e earth is found to 1m; of g reater importance than the
other more distant planets. Its daily motions and phases
lire more conspicuous than (hose of the other planets.
T h e Aryans were great explorers of the countries on the
face of the earth, ami knew th e science of measuring
heights (distances, X-c.), because in the twenty-filth sliloke
of the tenth Adliyaya of Bhagvad tlita il is said that
the first among mountains is the Himalaya.
From the following sliloke. of the •lyotish Shuster, Ihe
reader can judge how well the ancients knew about the
l'orce of the gravitation of the earth.
?rfa
It means that the earth has within it its attractive
power whereby things iu the sky are attracted towards it,
and that is why bodies seem (to us) to fall downwards.
I n liict they do not fall. Th ey are drawn by the a ttr a c ­
tion of gravitation. In the infinite e xte nt of space where
should bodies reside or stand ? There only where they
a r e drawn by th e force of attraction,
IlK V . A. T„ MATCH, rnS O H E U A T IoS A I, M ISIST K H ,
Jvilierly Street., New York, furnishes the following sta te ­
m ent to the Xcl’JYurt: 'urht
II ; pervade with the affix nu, m eaning all-pervading— the
“ Von know he [Mr. Kdison] is a medium, and his great
invention of the q u a d ru p le s telegraph in strum ent was
revealed to him iu a trance state. H e sat one day, and
passing into that condition seized some paper lying
before him, and wrote until he had filled several sheets
with closelv-writtcn notes. T hen waking lip, and rubbing
his eyes, he said he th o ug ht he had been asleep, until his
atte n tio n was called to th e paper, which he had not read
through before he broke out. with his usual expletives, and
paid ho had got th e idea he had b e e n struggling for so
lo n g ."
P H IL O S O P H Y I N S A X ,W R I T N A M E S AND
WORDS.
IIV HAM 11AHAI *UIt DADOUA I’AN'DtMlAN'ff.
There may be b u t few languages in the world, if anv,
which abound in such a large num ber of synonyms as
th e Sanskrit. This is a fact of which every student of
that language becomes fully aware a t the very threshold
ol his studies, which threaten, as he progresses on, the
imposition of no small task on his memory ; and if he happen
to lie a wavering and fickle-minded student, the very
phalanx of these synonyms is qu ite enough to deter him
from the prosecution of his further studies in tha t noble
language. F or who will have patience enough to study
a language which contains no less than Uio names or
words m eaning the sun, 104 m eaning the moon, K7
m eaning the eaitli, ii.j m eaning water, 74 meaning
fire, 4"» m eaning the horse, JM) meaning a male elephant,
•i m eaning a female elephant, JW meaning the cow ;
43 names of \ is'linu, (not to speak of his thousand names
or a ttrib u te s mentioned iu th e 'Vishnu Sahasranama)
1 li!> names of Shiva, (independent of liis thousand names
mentioned in the Shiva J’urana), <S0 names of Indra, and
so forth.
Now any person of common intelligence would a t once
perceive from such a large nu m b er of words apjHireiitly
conveying in each case, and to all intents and purposes,
precisely the same idea, that, if analysed, a large numhet'
of them could not be otherwise than mere epithets or
attributes, disclosing at th e same tim e, many qualities,
virtues, or other incidental circumstances, inseparably
associated with those ideas or objects. To illustrate this,
1 shall first begin with the name of ( !od— the Suprem e
B e in g ; then those of th e divinities, or chief gods and
goddesses of th e Aryan mythology, and a t last those of
o ther common objects which fall under the cognizanco
of our senses.
V y u h riti.
I and my learned friend, Itao B ahad ur (iopalrao Ilari
D eshm ukh, have already explained a t some length the
monosyllabic Om as expressive of the name of the Supreme
Being, used at th e com m encem ent of every holy prayer
ol the Brahmans (r«/<- Theosophist Nos. •">, N). ] shall now
begin here with the holy Vyahriti, which immediately
follows the l ’ranava or O nkara in the recitation of the
Vedic m antras and prayers by th e Brahmana priests. It
points more to the idea of the loriix or space co-incident
with the S uprem e Spirit, rath er than to the circum-in-
cumhent spirit himself. Both being co-eval and co-exis­
tent, the two ideas can never be so separated a.s to form
a distinct duality. Hence, th e Vyahriti is th e necessary
II concomitant of the J’raiiava. Blm r Bliuvar Sw ar is the
vocal form of the Vyahriti, anil the necessary appendix
to the O nkara. It consists of three syllables— Bliur,
Bliuvar, Swar. which point respectively to th e th ree regions
of the whole universe, viz., the lower, the middle, and
th e u p p e r ; the th ree forming t h e . t r i p l e universe, one
within the other, aud each extending its influence all
around, though in different degrees. These three regions
are occupied by the G reat Spirit, Brahma, u nder its n o w
I’auranika and adorable name Vasmleva or Vishnu,
< *1’ •">!>
Thr iiuiiii's o f I isltini,
V i kIi i i v .— T his nam e is derived from the root Vi's to
all-pervading spirit. In the course of time as the exi­
gency of the hum an mind required a more tangible form
of contemplation and worship, th e mere abstract idea of
the all-pervading spirit wa.s personified into th e tangible
form of a benign and om nipotent god with four hands,
each holding iu it a symbol denotative of his power and
attributes. In one hand he holds his f/iunthn or conch,
by th e blowing of which he is supposed to announce to
the whole world th a t lie is tbe creator and preserver of
all. In the other he holds his c h c t i u or wheel or discus,
symbolic of th e revolution of time, and th e cycles of nil
the sublunary even ts; nr tin: various dispensations of
Providence. Iu tbe third band lie bolds bis y m la or
mace or club, •jiving thereby the whole world to u n d e r­
stand th a t he is the chastiser of tin) wicked and tho
evil-doers ; anti th a t by its blows lie is able to |>ut down
all the arrogance anil pride of tbe world. In the fourth
hand he a t last exhibits his J'ttthmi or lotus (lower, not
only to appease and tranqnilize the mind ofliis worshi|i]iers,
and the virtuous, but to rejoice and gladden (heir hearts
by his assurance th a t lie will keep them as IVesh and
delightful as th e (lower itself which lie holds in his band.
This is th e tru e and philosophic m eaning involved in
th e original conception of (he form of Vishnu with his
four hands holding (bur symbols, as represented in the
H ind u jmnthcon.
I shall now represent an o th e r form of Vishnu recom­
mended to all the Vaishnavas in their D h y an a P uja of
th a t deity. I t is cnitomized in ono shloka which is in
tb e m ou th of every Vaishnava. I t is as follows:—
faMfvrtf «r^T w p n t f H N ||
^ ||
T ranslation of the above.
“ I salute Vishnu who is o f peaceful form ; who lies
down on th a t g rea t serpent ; whose navel is lo tu s ; who
is the Lon I of th e gods ; who supports the universe ; who
resembles the sky ; whose colour is th a t of (he c lou d;
whoso body is b e a u tif u l; who is the favorite of l.iikshmi ;
whose eyes resemble the lotu s; who is apprehensible iu
meditation by the Yogis; who is th e remover of the least
a ttending the present stale of existence ; and w ho is the
only Lord of all the worlds.”
Vishnu, the Su prem e Spirit, is here represented as peace­
ful or tranquil, without motions or perturbations. T he great
serpent is here understood to be the Ananta-—a name
which ctyniologically means infinity— the great S p i­
rit dwelling in infinity, Lotus is symbolical of the
creative power of the (Ireat S p i r i t ; ami that power
inheres iu him. T h e Lord of the gods, and the
supporter of the universe, aro a ttrib u te s too plain to require
uny explanation. I.ukshmi is the goddess of beauty and
prosperity— the splendour of the whole universe, and the
original conception of Vishnu as the favorite or I iiis I kiih I
of th at goddess could mean no more thau (lie (act th a t
all the beauty and splendour of the universe proceed
from him and are his. T h e other attrib utes, in fact all
the attrib u te s which are ascribcd to Vishnu, are more
applicable to him as tho representative of the Saguna,
(invested with a ttrib u te s and property,) ra th e r than of
the Nirgima, (without attributes) lirahma. And, though
the explanation ottered heroin may rightly be considered
as forced and far-fetched when applied to lir a h m a — U n i ­
versal Spirit represented by Vishnu,— y e t the original con­
ception of the forms and personages which are usually
ascribed to him and other divinities of the H in d u p a n ­
theon, can hardly be considered as altogether devoid ol
any deep and philosophical meaning, for (heir very prc-
posterousnoss is hardly consistent and in harmony
with the well-known wisdom and philosophic mind of
the old Aryans, which gave birth to such original ideas.
l i u t let it not lor a m om ent be understood from my
g re a t inclination, as it m igh t be thought, to philo­
sophise such poetical ideas, that I am iu any way blind
to the great harm done by them to the development of
right and correct understanding in th e subsequent g e ne ­
rations of the Hindus. Nay, on (lie contrary, 1 fully
believe th a t such representations of the gods aud goddesses
of the H indu mythology have furthered and cncouragcd
the present idle and, in some respects, gross system of
H in d u idolatry aud superstitions.
JJombay, Dtli June, 1!SN0.
( Tu be continual.)
TIIK IVO 111) Ob' H O N O U R .
.1 S l i u l i / J ra nt t h e C t t l l i m i J I lw iJcutl.
IIV N I I ' ( II,AS J , VICSKOI' , *
It llio following narrat ivo does nut. appear in I lie menioiis
of the renowned, “ St. Petersburg J)oeiinieron,”+ it is only
because circumstances prevented me from ta king adv an ­
tage ol tlii1 amiable invitation of the gentleman, in whose
house the narratives, subsequently printed under this head­
ing, were til's* made public, liut now, when the cultlis
of tho dead” is followed by so many, I do not see why 1
should not also oiler my m ile to the “ ] Jooameron.”
My n arrative— brief and truthful, as the feelings of
friendship ■which bound me years ago to the ghost— differs
from some of (hose given in (In; “ Decameron” only in
this, th a t I p u t no mask, but give the true names of the
still living personages, nicmhci’s of our literary circle, w ho,
w hether directly or indirectly, Ibund themselves connected
with an event, which remained as strange and mysterious
for m e now, as it was when it took place. *
In view' ot (he very reasonable ilifliilence shown in (lie
so-called “ su p e rn a tu ral” plioi...... it appears to me of
the utmost importance th a t th e narrator of all such stories
should ncvei conceal himself. T hus, both the public and
the critics would have a hold o r a defendant whom they
could always have the means of ju dg in g with all the
severity of a critical exigency,
I he event', I am about to speak of, concerns personally
b u t myself ami a lute friend, once a great favourite in our
literary circles— A r th u r Lenny ; he it was of whom Tolhiu
(another departed writer) used to say, that ho had found
out lor a certainty, that lie was a disguised young Lnglish
lady. In the prologue of the story there was, besides that,
another personage as well known, the w riter I ). V. A vcr-
kiet, who, I am sure, will forgive me lor m entioning his
name in connection with this story.
I t was in St. Petersburg du ring the memorable w inter
when the political exile, V. .1. Kolsiei; haying returned
secretly to Moscow, A r th u r L enny was charged of bavin"
sheltered and concealed him from the police,
lienny and 1 worked a t that time on tin; journal *• The
N orthern lice,” ( Srrrnttn/a j ’lilttj/ht). We were both
young and great friends, visiting each other every day, and
trying to ho always together. Once-, :is I hud to change
my lodgings, to get nearer to onr oilice, I found very easily
•rooms to suit me. As to lienny he had the greatest diffi­
culty of securing a place suitable to his taste and habits.
H e had a mania for tin- largest rooms In: could find, and
such lodgings are very seldom procurable for bachelors.
H a ving passed several days in vain search, one evening,
ju s t as I was at my dinner, he rushed into my l o o m s with
a cry of trium ph, explaining th a t h« had found an elegant
suit of (luce rooms, had secured them, aud already dis­
patched his servant with his household goods and library,
l i e wanted me to follow' him immediately ou the premises
anil help him to unpack his b o o k s , adding tha t our
friend, 1). V. Avcrkiet, was there already. The latter in ­
ducem ent made me follow* him as soon as my dinner was
over. It m ust have been, therefore, about six p.m.
* * * * #
* A u t h o r u f t h e “ O n t i n ; l i o n k ’ r l i i m l , , f i l „ : W i ,iM ; " ,,| ■ ' l . i i i n ; l i l c r a m i
S t . r n i w , " i - l i ’. T I i l ’ I n t o t n o v e l , in II ,,- „l, .i |.i . , , f ,-iiilol.i ii; ;r »"| ili y o f a
l i i i. - x in i. n i ' l i l i ’ Hi.’ iii , i.t a in . r i i l r . - s .-ni! i'i! . l i i r . - h . l . . - M i i . - i i l u - t t - i r m U h i K
t u r n .if tliu I !<i\ei'iiiiii'iil .lin i n g thu n i-n uf t i n ...............- N k i .In n , : m<l nU,,
a - j a i l i s t u l n i s u * 1 Kji ]*< t I . 1 1< 'I i l l m i r |,i r - i ii t i l . n . , ' I’ ll, , l ii ' i . i . ,,11 i i n - i i ^ | k . c -1iiil^
l l i a r a i t e r , i s In.T-’ cC’ l l l c i l . I n I i l l " lit - \i l n . l i : l i f i - m i t l i t l i u f l k - m i - l i i | > III . 1 i l . - . i ^ e
ill; , ' a m i I i l l l l i i l i u u s y o i l l i j , - o l l n e r u f 11.«: n - l . li I m -i n: n f t i l l ' S I I ' l ’ l i l <1 . U| ' 4
■M-'i-rrt j m l i i u 1 ‘ i m l i i i - iki o | , | „ u l i m i t i i - tu i l i - t i n - u i - l i l i i n i - i l f n m l U r n s
o b t a i n |I| | . m i l l i o n , t il l - , f i ' i n i u l ” i n - n a n - I l i e I n n , l e a v e * i n Iii., m o m f u r .
I i i i l i k n b n n k * o f a r e v o l u t i o n a r y i l i a n u l e r , |m. ---e- l i i m i ll l o r a | i o l i | i , n l
i » i ;* p iia t o r , i i n c - t s h im n m l -jet* r r n n n l r i l T l i o n n l i l i n i a n t i m i l l v .-.nu-
i n i n l i s - t l i e v i c t i m o f a j . u l i i i a r y m i - l a l ; e i n 1 > 7" . I> n i-iii" t i n ' 11 1110 1 13 a m i
. c r - c c u t i n n a ^ - a i n - t t h c . l u n - . i i i t l . a t y e a i i n 1 1 . I i — a , In-, j n - t a - l i L a m n . i t
• y t h e t r a i n f n u n J l u . - i » » ' , i - i n i - l a U < n l-\ 1 1 , , - | . o l i i V f o r u m - o f t l i u r l i i i - f
m u t i n e e r * , . -f i / i- i I l i v 1 1 11 - o r i U ' i i o f t i n : t u - m n n l t i n \ t i n u r k o t / e i u i c n m l
( • I l h t i v l y ll "K XL''l h y t i l l ' « W i ’U II I- ' l i e s o f 1 1,1 - I n , I I; , n m l t h e a l u l ’ V l l l ' U
iliuru. .M. I s . I . y c - i k o f i - a u u l l - k n u u u " 1 1 l u r , n 1 e 1 a e u n t n h u t u r t u v a r i o u s
pclio ilii-.il-.
+ T l i o a u t h o r a l l i i i k s to a .-cries o f a n t h c iit k n t i.i l t;ho»t .-lo ries" w h k l i
H l i l ‘ C a i e '1 u i i ' t o r t l i i x t i t l e i n t l i e SI.
I ' e t c r - l m i - i i i l a i l y | > n j -c r . V u i v ' i | y ,,n ,
 T he elegant suit of rooms were iieai f lic Stone Bridge.
W hen wo filtered it, A verkief was already there, waiting
lor lJeiiny. TIk* apa rtm e n t consisted, as lie Iind told me,
of tlirei; very large rooms, nearly all dark at tliat time,
tlie hall Alone, where too tlie servant was busy unpacking,
being lighted, as well as tho farthest room, in which,
stretched upon a sofa, A verkief was reading at the light of
one candle. Disorder was reigning everywhere as is usual
in such cases, especially in th e middle room in which
heaped in confusion stood portable shelves, book-eases and
library ladders, and booksand nianiiseri]tts were scattered
everywhere. As soon as wc had arrived, B enny gave orders
for tea, and him self began busying him self with th e arrang e­
ment of his books, while Averkief. after exchanging a few
words, returned once more to his reading. A t first, I tried
to help Benny in arranging his library, but got very soon
tired, nnd th rew myself into a large arm-chair. The
s e r v a n t , after bringing the tea, retired into the hall, from
whence we heard issuing in a few m om ents a tremendous
snorin"' which nobodv th oug ht of interrupting. i\l. A v e r­
kief k ep t on reading while I sat silently musing. Benny
alone, wa.s diligently sorting his volumes. As collectors
of books will often do, before placing a. work upon t lie
shelf, he would sometimes open and peruse it unconscious­
ly to himself, read loudly a passage or two, think over it,
and then read again, without caring w h eth er any one lis­
tened to him or n o t . Such was liis constant habit. Thus
after a verse or t wo from the Bible in Knglish, he would
pick up a volume ot Uoete o r Heine, and read from them
in German, ju m p in g from it to the poet he most favoured,
Loii"fellow. H aving discussed th e m eiits and dem erits of
the Patriarch Jacob ; meditated upon the inconceivable
hallucination of Joshua, the son of N un, in relation to
the sun, and dusted O o e t e and Heine, B enn y finally
gave himself up entirely to the recitation of the favorite
p o e m of his favorite Longfellow— th e poet who handles
with such delicacy and at the same time firmness of touch
all tho unsolved problems ol life..........
I cannot well recall now. bow we began ;i conversation
very unusual to both of us. We discussed about the u n i­
versal it,y of the belief in a future life and its possibility,
now so "variedly conceived and explained by the presenti­
m e n t of mortals. Such a subject is, as all know, fine of
extraordinary elasticity and attraction, especially when it
is taken in hand by persons who rcipiire no n )>riori d e ­
ductions and conclusions. And Benny and I were just
such men : none of us felt ashamed of liis faith in th a t his
“ real self will escape decay and run away from death,” and
a t the same tim e we never allowed ourselves to be carried
away with the painful and hitherto, ever useless efforts of
“ solving the u n s o l vahle.
As 1 well rem em ber the conversation led us to speak
of Miss Catherine Crowe's work “ T he N ig h t Side of N a ­
ture,” in which, tho authoress collated with evident con­
scientiousness such a num b er of a uthenticated events and
stories, where to all appearance, intelligent forces m ake
themselves felt to men, thus manifesting their existence,
sometimes their desires, and showing their predisposition
towards the living.
I n those da vs, I had not lead the book myself, aud
therefore, listened to B enny— who h;id a wonderful m e­
mory, added to a remarkable gift, of elocution— wit h great
pleasure. It would seem th at wo had been talking in our
half dark com er , very long : for at tho tim e of a remark,
which brought our conversation abruptly to a close, it was
very late. It so happened th a t Benny in answer to a
doubt expressed by myself as to the possibility of t.he ob­
jective manifestations of spiritual incorporeal beings to
man, confessed in his turn th a t he had also similar doubts.
But that, so many had testified to and believed in it, th a t
it became hard to deny th e fact against the face of such
a i l evidence.
“ E v ents are told of friends,” he w ent on, “ who intently
b ent upon the same question ami, to test it personally,hail
exchanged pledge of honours to verify it. H o who would
bo tho first to leave life iu this body— if th ere bo any
yt-her life worthy of tho n am e— was to direct all his efforts
at the first moment of the return of consciousness to come
back and th u s testify to the fact to those who had sur­
vived him.” And, he added, “ as we are now three in
the room, and that, it is more than likely that one of us
will become a corpse earlier th a n the two others who will
thus remain witnesses to this conversation, I offer you a
covenant, gentlem en. Let us swear m utually on our honour,
that lie, am ong us, who will die th e fii-st, will use every
endeavour possible, u n d e r the conditions of tha t life of
which we are ignorant, to send a message of the event
•to the other two. Do you accept ? As 1 start, the idea, I
am the first to pledge liiv word to you for it most solemnly.”
“ In what shape, do you mean to return. Benny ? You
m ust not frighten us too m uch,” I remarked laughing.
“ Oh, no, why should I ! lie answered with a merry laugh,
“ I will do it thus : I....................” *
lint, at this moment, D. V. Averkief nervously shouted
from his sofa : “ Do you mean to keep on long with this
nonsense ! "Von have u n stru n g all my nerves, and bothered
me quite long enough with it, 1 believe i ’’ . . . ,
W e tried to turn the whole into a joke, but Averkief,
protesting with a great determ ination, declared that if we
did not change our subject, he would im m ediately go
home, the more so as it was g e ttin g very late.
As it, was far after m idnight, the unwelcome subject
was dropped : and, very soon we both took leave of Bennv
and left the house together. As far as I remember, Aver­
kief and I parted near th e Bridge, w itho ut one word more
saiil ol it. But, he must, well rem em ber this little cir­
cumstance. as, at our next m eetin g he reproved Benny and
myself for such conversation. H e was at, the tim e very
nervous and unwell, and wc both tried to excuse ourselves.
Ami here ends the first net, ol the drama. The interval
betw'cen this and the following was very, very long, and
pregnant with events for Benny. T he poor young man
had more than his share of suffering for his noble-minded
nature and love to h um anity ; he suffered want and pri­
vations, had to struggle hard and even found himself in
prison, until exiled from Bussia, he found himself finally
among the ranks of the Garibaldians.
H is exile, conjointly with ano th e r drama which s h a tte r­
ed his life, forced him to isolate himself from anything
tha t reminded him of it. W h en Benny was sent out of
the country with an aim ed escort, 1 was at Kief, visiting
friends ; I had bidden him good bye, ami parted from him
in his prison, two mouths before his departure, and since
then he bad lost all sight of him. I had heard upon one
occasion tha t he was upon the Saliirilm/ J ’criur staff;
and that, inteiesting articles, written by him about Bussia,
were at one time expected, from this q u a rter ; b u t hardly
had a ny thing of the kind appeared. This connection
was, however, discontinued and all remembrance of him
was lost even in our literary circles. ■
As far as 1 can collect my remembrances, neither our
conveisafioii, on tha t night,, nor his “ word of honour'’ to
send to me a message from th e “ world .of the unknow n”
ever recurred to me again. T h e event was entirely obli­
terated from my memory. And, when it returned to mu
again, it was with such a freshness ami reality that to this
d a y ,J have my doubts, w h e th e r my memory wa.s not as­
sisted in this case by one, who had ju s t received th a t hour,
another appellation in ano th e r world.
W hat 1 am about, to relate, may seem very trifling, and
I am ready to sub m it to criticism with all h um ility ; I
would ask b u t one th in g of th e public though, namely, to
understand tha t the little I do say, i s — positive truth, as
neither seriously, nor jokingly would I perm it myself to in­
vent s t o r i e s , taking for my hero, a deceased friend known
to many, and th a t too, w ithout any object or purpose.
The interval between the two acts had been in my case
also memorable ; J, too, had been— to use an expression of
Obloinof— “ handled by life and it hail left me b u t little
time for mysticism ; all of which did not prevent the
following.
I wa.s living then, at St. Petersburg, at the corner of Tau-
ridian Carden, house No. (>2. My library windows, on the
th ir d lloor, w e re s i t u a t e d to w a r d s t h a t g a d re n , w h ic h lia'J
 not lost tlion iis it has now, its Military beauty and fresh­
ness. Instead of an orchestra playing there, as in our days,
Sachtu/al-I'olktt, real, silvery-tuned, strong-voiced nor­
thern nightingales sing there a t n igh ts— and to them I
used to listen with delight in my idle hours.
On one of such evenings, after having in turn sat a t the
window, and walked about the room, I finally settled at
my w riting-table and worked till midnight. In those
days I wa.s disagreeably occupied with fighting out a law­
suit with the journal / .a n a , which had confiscated during
th e term of two years, the whole time of th e trial, my
novel, the *■ Soborcaney,” and thus, instead of rest I forced
ii]ioii myself a far more inconvenient work. * * *
* * * * • # # # * *
Il 1 mention this at all, it is not to rem ind the public
of personal m atters which can interest b u t myself, but
with the d eterm ined object of showing that there was
nothing then, in my mental state, which could have pre­
disposed me e ith er to mystical rtverir or hallucinations ;
but (piite the contrary. I was utterly plunged into the
prose and mire of daily life, with which I had to struggle,
th in k in g of no one far away, b u t deeply engrossed in ste m ­
m ing the opposing torrent and m ilitating against the
charges of those very near me a t th a t time.
It is in such a state th a t 1, tired out mentally and p hy­
sically, went to bed at about one o’clock, a.m., after pull­
ing down the heavy draperies of the windows and putting
out my stu d e n t’s lamp. T h e solitary street wa.s ipiite still
and everything ijuiet, the night was fresh aud through
th e opened window' the songs of the nightingales reached
m e as usual. I went to sleep imm ediately— sleeping for
a long while dreamless, heavy sleep, until 1 suddenly
found mysell in th e middle of a battle-field. I had never
seen battles, hut what 1 now witnessed was in a most ex ­
traordinary way, real and life-like. W h a t struck me the
most, was a smoky darkness, and m n n in g along it, a
stream of red-bluish tlashcs of tire, mingling somewhere
afar, with a blue and golden horizon, which had nothing
of the Kussiau sky in it, and somebody falling. . . . One
or many m en— I could not say, b u t some one, whom I
well knew, had been struck down............. I awoke with
a start, and found myself s ittin g on my bet I, and . . . .
now heard distinctly terrific bom bardment, while in my
mind, without any a p p a re n t cause for it, arose as real a.s
life the image of A r t h u r Benny and a voice inside me
pronounced with the u tterm o st distinct ness, his pledgi—
“ the word of honour’’— to warn me of his dcalli. Why,
and how, it has thus happened . . 1 know not
and at th a t time, I understood it less even than I do
now. Isn’t it perfectly immaterial w hether 1 have to
attrib u te it to a coincidence, an association ol ideas, or
the hallucination of a tired-out brain, once that it did so
happen { I am ready to accept the explanation either
way.
As it wns nearly daylight then, 1 arose, and gettin g
dressed, w ent down into tbe garden, having again forgot­
ten all about my “ nocturnal vision." 1 worked for an hour
at my writing desk, and then left my rooms to g o to
Bazounof’s Publishing Office. At the first corner of the
street, I met 1*. S. Cussof,* who was driving in a dmtjli,
and who upon perceiving me, made a sign to stop.
“ Diil you hear the news," he asked me, shaking hands.
At this very instant I fe lt that 1 ilid h io w ihn iwirx and.
mechanically, before realizing even w hat I did, I answered
— A rth u r Denny is dead (
Yes ; the news is ju s t received : he was wounded at
Mentane, and died from hemorrhage. But. bow could you
know ? who told you V
I scarcely remember my answer to th e empiiry ; but
what I strongly realized wa.s my own astonishm ent at
knowing the news without, being told of it by any one.
And to the present day it is as g reat a puzzle to me
as ever ; how could I have known of my friend's death ?
Yes ; it must be a coincidence, an association of it leas,
the hallucination of an overworked brain,— an ything you
like,— I am open to any of these theories, though I do not
understand them clearly.
For sonic time I was greatly impressed by the event,
and 1 unbosomed mysell to several friends, among others
to A. N. Aksakof ; and then, I again forgot all about it
and never remem bered till last year when we got a su d­
den fancy of “ tu rn in g over" from one side to th e other
our dead ones. And now, shall it m ake ms any livelier {
('arslbad, J u n e Hi, 1N7!>.
.1 S T U D Y I X Y E H F / T A n T A X l S M :
J l K I N i : AN i: X I * i : i U M K N T M A U K 11V t u t . K t ’f iK X K lU l. l'I N 'O K U ,
OK 11 A l. I. K , t i K H M A N V , t l o N JI IM SK I. K .
Ti'iilitlufi tl friiht tftc hy .1/. J*. JI(//hl'ool', .1/./).
I t is only very recently that we have had discussions upon
the subject of vegetarianism. Medical men have usually
taken sides against it. For this reason it may perhaps
be interesting to a large num b er of persons, if 1, who
have experim ented upon myself for a considerable length
of time with this method of living, should give the results
at which 1 have arrived. Formerly, 1 naturally shared
with all other physicians the universal prejudice against
a llcsliless diet, believing that it hail an effect to weaken
the physical anil intellectual powers anil the capacity to
endure ; and that it robbed life of most ot its gustatory
enjoyments.
By way of preface I may state that a long personal
ac(|iiaintnncc with a young vegetarian of cheerful disposi­
tion, in whose case I found none ot the evil results T
had looked for, gradually brought me to a jiositioii where
1 was able to lay aside my prejudices ; and, furthermore,
a desire was awakened lo investigate the effects <>t this
proscribed method of living in a scientific manner, by
experim ents made upon myself. And, being in a con­
dition of perfect health, I hoped to be able to m ake n
careful objective study.
In the tilist place, in spite of my unconi|uerable p re­
judice against the medical literature of th e laity, I lead
the writings on vegetarianism of lla h n , Baltzcr, Yon
Seefe.ltl, and others. To my great sur|>rise, I found tlie.si?
works to bt) ot the highest interest. T hey opened my
mind to perceive a m u ltitu d e of causes of disease, con­
cerning which a physician's knowledge is sadly deficient,
for they showed me th a t improper eating and drinking’
were among the principal causes of disease anil death iu
society. A n old French proverb says, that “ One-half
ot Paris dies li'om dining, the other half from supping.”
A.s to what is best in the way of eating and d rin k in g
physicians, as a rule, are (|iiite as ignorant as non-medica,
men ; and, indeed, th e ir opinions upon these points are
based upon what has been customary among fhe people
li'om time immemorial. This is perfectly natural, since
science, when it treads upon the domain of dietetics, has
no certain foundation un d e r its feet, anti even up to th e
present time, only the chemical, and, therefore, one-sided
and untenable view has been given. Virchow wa.s honest
enough to confess this, since, in his lecture on food and
diet, lie says : “ A strictly scientific system of diet has
been hitherto impossible : and it is, in fact, astonishing,
th a t alter so m any thousands of years, neither experience
lior science, a.s one would think, is able to bring this, first
of all i|ucstions in which Ihe interests of hu m anity are
concerned, to a proper solution.’’ Also, Prof. Voit, asjiecial
investigator in this de partm ent, in his most recent publi­
cation, declares th a t “ W hat, and how much, a man, under
all the varying circumstances of his life, re<|iiirc.s for
his sustenance, should we, lirst. of all, truly know ; and
yet. is our knowledge herein, alas ' very meagre, and not
;it all c o m m e n s u r a te w ith t h e im p o r ta n c e ot f h e s u b je c t.”
 According to th is s ta te m e n t it is not difficult to u n d e r­
stand how llm present, theories of diet, have been in­
fluenced hy custom, and why a flesh d ie t has been glori­
fied as th e self-evident and indispensable m eans of nou­
rishm ent. Hang indeed, Prof. Bock in bis time, in the
G arten Lav.hr, that flesh food increases th e poetic fancy,
nnd so lu1 recommended to the Silesians to eat, roast, beef
instead of potatoes. And so Prof. Molescholf, a no less
powerful champion nf a flesh diet, says in his lootiires:
“ To every meal belongs moat.”
On the o ther hand, writers on vegetarianism have
shown m e by proofs drawn from the book of n ature that
the eatin g of m eat is merely an act pi i red habit, and it
needs b ut little consideration to discover t h a t i t may lie
wholly dispensed with, or that. it. is a food wasteful of
th e strength and v i g o r . And if is not to he denied, cer­
tainly, tha t about ‘(00,000,000 B uddhists in India, China,
and Ja p an , live almost exclusively w ith o u t animal food,
and are not on th a t account any the less strong and robust,
and these reach for tin.* most p art a verv advanced age.
So is it indeed also a fact tha t Ihe rural population of
nearly every civilized country, from th e earliest times,
though perhaps not from choice, have been more or less
vegetarians. Nevertheless, they have been the most healthy
p e o p le ; as, for example, th e higher class of Italian
laborers, who perform th e most arduous duties. And
who will deny that the possibility of obtaining our n ou­
rishment, from sources which shall m ake the shedding
of blood unnecessary would be gratifying to the hum ane
and moral sense I So is it. also well known t h a t in all
ages various persons— philosophers and poets, am ong the
ancients, Pythagoras, Plato, and Plutarch ; and in more
recent, times, Shelley, Leibnitz, Newton, and others, have,
from esthetic considerations, for a considerable portion
of th e ir lives at least, eschewed animal food, nevertheless
they have been the most, beautiful examples of tho in­
tellectual life of our time.
In spite of these facts, which, a t all events, are well
worth considering, I was somewhat doubtful as to w hether
a fleshless diet would he suitable for us who, for genera­
tions, have been accustomed to th e use of animal food ;
nnd as to whether, on account of climatic conditions, we
could employ it without injury. In older to arrive a t
an independent, opinion on th is subject, I hold that an
extended practical investigation by actual experiment,
in this m ann er of living, is indispensable. A las! that
so manv, both professionals and non-professionals, speak
and w rite against vegetarianism according to received
prejudices, without having made any such experiment.
A person accustomed to meat, who occasionally makes
a dinner of pan-cakes and salad, cannot appreciate the
value of vegetarianism, and is not. therefore, justified iu
speaking to its prejudice. In this way only a distorted
judgment, can originate ; just, as one school of medicine
forms an opinion adverse to a n o th e r school, upon what,
is merely hearsay evidence. T h e vegetarian experiment
demands, indeed, from men of culture in modern times,
some self-sacrifice, and th e moral courage necessary to
liberate themselves from the popular opinions of th e day,
for the sake of truth. N or must they be afraid of ridicule.
For myself, th e experim ent had few difficulties, since I
had already made th e foundations of modern hygienic
science my own. So had I accustomed myself before­
hand to th in k of beer, wine, coffee, and similar means of
excitem ent as things seldom to he indulged in. I thought
that, smoking was to be avoided, as an unnecessary filling
of the lungs with soot ; and that, pure fresh air was to
be considered most important,, as a means of nourishm ent
by day and by night, to gether with much more th a t was
essential.
The experiment, now became to me an easy one, for,
in addition, I had for a long tim e previously been accus­
tomed to'cat. (iraham bread, one of the principal articles
of a vegetarian dietary. T h u s prepared, I ventured to
m ake the experiment scientifically, and resolved that,
for the period of one year, be ginning J a n u a ry 1, 1870
I. would abstain wholly from animal food in every form.
Since I was vigorous, well-nourished, somewhat inclined
indeed to corpulency, anil tem perate withal, I hoped to
be able to venture a good deal. My food consisted now
of uncooked milk and bread, of soups of all kinds with­
out meat, but with b u tte r only, wheat, corn, rice, anil
Ihe like ; of the m any varieties of vegetables, as of fmits
of every kind. To my great astonishment, a vegeta­
rian table offered, w ithout roast beef or steak, a mure
than abundant, variety. This is shown indeed by the
large cook-books of Von Theodore Halm, Von Ottilic
Ebmeycr, and others, which contain over 1,200 recipes
for the preparation of purely vegetable dishes. Since I
entered upon this m a n n er of living, n either after eight,
nor alter fourteen, nor after forty days, in spite of the
most, extrem e hard work, protracted walks, and the prac­
tice of niy profession, have I at any tim e become weary
or felt fatigue ; but, on th e contrary, have felt fresher,
more enduring, and more capable of hard work. So I
lost, the tears 1 had in the beginning as to w hether nr
not. 1 should obtain a sufficiency of albumen. Indeed,
th e longer I went on, th e less d i d ! fear this, and I there­
fore soon discontinued the use of eggs, since it gradually
came .about th a t th e more simple the food, th e better
1 liked it. But, in spite of Ibis change I could not per­
ceive the least dim inution of my ]rowers of endurance.
Indeed once, lor four weeks during the heat of summer,
half out of curiosity, I m ade trial of the cold food of the
Swiss hcrd-m aidens ol th e Alps, and during this time
partook of no cooked food : and thus, at the same time,
m ade a partial investigation of the question of abstinence
from salt. Genuine (iraham bread, as it is well known,
contains th e addition of no salt. Incredible as it may
seem, it is nevertheless true, that during this time 1 was
most lively, cheerful, and happy, and felt myself to he
in all r e s p e d s at. my best, and so was able to m ake in
my own person a scientific experim ent which completely
disproves th e popular dogma that, m an cannot, exist
without, salt. Whoever does not, hy discarding the skins
and bran, remove from fruits and grains the mineral
m a tte r which n a tu re has p u t there, requires the addition
of no salt to his food. This little episode is given only
as un example of th e way in which vegetarianism in many
respects rectifies science, and besides teaches each one
how to distinguish betw een the essential and the non­
essential requirements, and leads to th e most simple and
natural way of living.
As for th e rest, I persevered in my experimental trial
conscientiously, and d u rin g those ;M!f> days, for only three
times, in the first ipiarter of the year, did I, from social
considerations, m ake some slight, departures from my
general way of living. A t this period, at a general fes­
tival, I m ade some concession for th e sake of society.
W ith th e exception of th e first, eight, days, during
which lime I missed th e customary stimulation of flesh
food, I enjoyed my repasts exceedingly. H u n g e r was
a most, excellent sauce, and I had indeed, as th e experi­
m ent progressed, a constantly improving sense of taste
and smell. I rejoiced in the best, sleep, and there was
a constant, undisturbed condition of good health. Cor­
poreally, I decreased somew hat in w eigh t; I weighed five
kilogrammes less after the first six months. For m oun ­
tain climbing and pedestrian tours my capacity to endure
was greatly increased, and to these active exercises, rather
th a n to m y fleshless diet, was my loss in weight, to he
attrib uted. Fo r d u rin g my year of experim ent I was
physically more active, and also more moderate in my
eating and drinking than formerly. I soon observed that
by this n nstim iilating m anner of living the demand for
spirituous liquors and similar means of excitement, de­
creased, and likewise th a t I was completely satisfied on
a much smaller q uan tity of food than before on a mixed
diet. This la tte r observation was to me worthy of notice,
since it disproved th e formerly cherished opinion tha t
vegetarians had fo swallow’ an enormous quantity of food
in order fo be properly nourished. N othing can be more
erroneous th a n this idea, and it originates from another
mistaken opinion, namely, tlmt vegetarians are mere vege­
table nml grass eaters anil worshippers. Rightly regarded,
however, th e vegetarian ta k e s vegetables ami salails only
as additions to his loud, th e nutritious grains and fruits
forming the basis of bis diet.
Just as unfounded is another objection which lias been
raised against vegetable fo.nl on th e side of science ; th a t
is, th a t vegetables are more difficult of digestion thau
the llesh ol animals, and that, therefore, a smaller por­
tion ol it is digested. l ’erhaps m any plants used for
tood aro-more difficult of digestion, especially to weakened
digestive organs;a.s, lor example, beans and peas cooked
iu the ordinary way ; properly prepared, however, even
these become easy of digestion, as is proved by the legu­
minous preparations.of Hartcnstein, well known as con­
sisting of finely-grounded beans, peas, and lentils. They
have great celebrity, are easily digested, and s tre n g th e n ­
ing foods for invalids. On tin: oth e r band, n atu re does
not otl'er to man his food in a concentrated form. A
food containing nothing b u t pu re nourishm ent would be
like an atm osphere of pure oxygen, and would not con­
tribute to m a n ’s welfare. A flesh die t is somewhat a n a ­
logous to an atmosphere of pure oxygen, and wears out
the body too rapidly. Vegetable food is, on the contrary,
u n e x c itin g ; it has neither a chemical nor a stim u lating
effect upon tbe organs, nnd offers to the vegetarian the
liot-to-bo-despiscd advantage, that he has not, a.s the
flesh-eater— for example, the Englishman with his enor­
mous q u a n tity of pills, aperient waters, and such like—
to battle against habitual constipation.
D uring the latter part of my experimental year, 1 had
a season of excessively hard labor, including much w atch­
ing at night. In spite of my abstinence from meat and
wine, my strength did not desert me ; indeed 1 bore the
severe trial cheerfully and with unbroken spirit.
To my discredit— tb e learned doctors will say ; and I
acknowledge it— in the course of my experiment, having
lieen convinced of the advantages © of tho veffetarian
O m an­
ner of living upon tbe side of dietetics, and also upon the
side of esthetics, economy, aud morality, out. of a Saul I
had become a Paul. I have since tha t time had no reason
to change my views. My opinion agrees fully wilh that
of llufcland, who, in his “ Art of Prolonging Life,” says :
“ Man iu tin1selection of his food always leans more towards
the vegetable kingdom. Anim al food is always more ex­
citing aud heating ; 011 th e contrary, vegetables m ake a
cool and mild blood. AVe also find that not tbe flesh-
caters, but those who live upon vegetables, fruit, grains,
and milk, attain tb e greatest age.” Also Nienicver, of
l.eipsic, who a few years ago .spoke of vegetarians as being
wonderfully healthy, iu his most recent, work, which con­
tains the kernel of the vegetarian theory, greets the IViends
of a natural m anner of living (vegetarians), as a coura­
geous minority, and as pioneers of a w orthy rcfnim in
society. Indeed, he pictures the children of vegetarians as
models of a natural nourishment, and allows to th e adults
the evidence of physical elasticity and endurance. From
the fullest conviction, therefore, 1 give it as my deliberate
opinion th a t vegetarianism is a justifiable reaction against
Liebig’s albuminous theories of diet-, upon which the m o­
dern doctrine of m eat-eating i.s built ; and th a t it opposes
and has a tendency to correct the pernicious theory every­
where prevalent, th a t meat and wine are tbe most s tre n g th ­
ening articles of diet ; and that, on this account alone it.
deserves consideration and respect from science. More­
over, on account of its influence in the domain of national
economy, is vegetarianism w orthy of th e attention of all
who have the physical and moral welfare of the jieople at
heart. To all the friends of man, therefore, is it to be per­
sonally recommendeil, and on every suitable opportunity a
knowledge of vegetarianism should be imparted. Propa­
gation of these ideas among our people is indeed of very
recent date. Each one must begin with himself, for each
has his own special difficulty. Vegetarianism is, however,
in its whole nature so true, that in later centuries there
will certainly be a conflict in its favor.— ( 1 ‘hrm. Jaiir.)
s< > cy / )/ y < ;s in t j ie o cean of a u y a n
I.IT E H A T U E E .
II II It 1 I I A T S A M II I T A . .
11V K . Y K N K A T A N A l t A S A V A , O F 1 I F . L L A U V .
U n d e r the title “ Soundings in the Ocean of Aryan
L iteratu re,” Mr. N ila k a n th a Chat re, 15. A., publishes veiy
useful and interesting information from th e celebrated
work of Varfdiamihirn, called B h rih a t Sam hita. I t is the
earnest desire of every one who wishes to get some insight
into the ancient history of our country to see every m outh
som ething from th e pen of our learned friend.
In his article a p p c a r in g a t page 205 of the T i i k o s o I’HI s T,
he presumes B h rih a t S a m h ita to have been written in the
sixth century A. C. and gives two reasons. The first is
th a t the elaborate com m entary of P andit U tpala bears
date XK.H of th e era of Stilivahana, and the second is that
Varfthamihira, th e au th o r of the Sam hita, quotes from
th e work of A ry a b h a tta who, he says, was born in 470
A. 0 . To su pp ort him iu his calculations, he gives ex­
tracts from th e works of U tp a la and Aryabhatta. The
first extract shows th a t U tp a la wrote his com mentary in
the year HttO of “ the E ra.” Mr. N ilakantha supposes
th a t the year is of the era of Siilivahana. I do not think
tha t the authority, quoted by him, supports him iu such
a supposition. T he very name Utpala shows tha t he
was a d o n d a and not a Dravida, and, if so, he very pro­
bably resided beyond th e Yindhya mountains. If such
be the case, it is fair to presum e that, the era given by
him is th a t of Vikramaditya. W h atev er may be the
era given by U tpala, it is quite plain that the date of
his commentary helps us very little in fixing the time
of the Sam hita. All th a t it can show is that the work
in question was not posterior to the year SNO (w hether
it be of the era of Y ikram a or Salivahana).
The second reason, given by our friend, viz., th a t Vnrfi-
hamihira quotes from A ry ab h a tta is one which can­
not be easily g ot over. I t is quite clear from the second
extract th a t A ry a b h a tta wa.s born in the year .'l,li2:i of
Kali, corresponding to A.C. 521 and not to A.C. 470.
In th e “ sloka ” extracted, A ryab hatta says that sixty
times sixty years plus tw enty-three had elapsed from
the beginning of th e Kaliyug up to the date of his birth.
So, it is q u ite evident th a t he was born in A.C. 521.
H ere I m u st confess th a t I am at a loss to know how
Mr. N ilakantha, or Dr. Bliau Dajee got the figures 470.
Laying aside the discrepancy of 51 years, we may safely
assert th a t A ry a b h a tta flourished a t the close of the 5th
or beginning of th e sixth century. If it be true as alleged by
Mr. N ila k a n th a t h a t Varaham ihira quotes IVoiu Aryabhatta,
we m u st accept t h a t V araham ihira flourished after A rya­
bhatta. W e have, however, a reliable authority from
which it appears t h a t the contrary is the fact. There is
a work called Jyotirvidabharan am , written by Killidasa
(the well-known S a n sk rit poet) and dated the year .‘t.OCN
of Kali. In the appendix to this work, the autho r says
th a t he, and eight others, viz., Dhauwautari, Kshapanaka,
A m ara Sindia, S anku, B c b dah hatta, lih a ta Kharpara,
Varahamihira, and Vararnchi were the nine gems of the
court of Vikramaditya, th a t of them, Sanku and others
were Pandits, some of them were poets, ami Varahamihira
and others were a s tro n o m e rs; and that after writing the
three poems, Raghuvansa, Kuuiiira Samhhava, and Me-
ghaduta, and a treatise on Smritis, lie wrote Jyotervida-
bharunam in th e year ;i,00S of Kali. If this is t o lie re­
lied on, it carries th e tim e of Varahamihira back to
tbe beginning of th e Christian era. Then there arises
very naturally a question which of the two calculations
is correct. In point of authority both appear equally
supported. I f both are true, it is quite clear th a t there
lived a t two different times two persons by the name of
Varfihamihira, and th a t one of them was a Pandit in
V ikram’s court, and the other was th e a u th o r of Bhrih
Samhita. Having no copy of this work with me, 1
beg that Mr. N ilak an th a wiH iu a future issue of th e T iiko -
 furnish us witli extracts from t h e Samhita, show­
s o p h is t
ing tlie portions in which A ryabhatta's work is quoted,
together with such remarks as hear on the subject.
M Y S T E R IO U S S T O N E -T H R O W IN G A T
P L U M STEAD .
Tlie residents on the western side of Maxey-road, Plnm -
Htead, a t th e upper end. have during th e last, few days
been alarmed by a singular b o m b ardm ent of th eir houses.
Stones of large size have been showered upon them by
some unknow n hand at. th e rear of the premises, destroy­
ing th e windows to such an extent th a t in ono house every
pane of glass is broken. T he inhabitants of Burrage-road,
whose gardens m eet those of the Maxey-road houses, have
naturally been scandalised and vexed a t th e imputation.
N oth in g could be seen to justify a selection of the
offending quarter, and the aid of twenty police-con-
stables in plain clot lies was obtained, and they were hidden
about the gardens anil houses, but, failed to discover the
offender, and although the stone-throwing co ntinued from
about six till ten o’clock every evening, ifs origin was still
a puzzle. Indeed, for a day or two, th e bom bardm ent con­
tinued all through th e day, and a t intervals of five m inutes
smash went a pane of glass or the remains of one, and
another large stone found its way into fhe parlour, b e d ­
room, or kitchen. No. 200 Maxey-road has been an especial
mark for attacks, and suggests th e interior of a house
after a siege. It has been recently whitened at th e back,
to which may lie attrib u te d its being made a mark of as­
sault l«v the assailants. T h e b e d -ro o m window is barricaded
with boards and carpets, not to save it, for every pane of
glass has gone, but for the protection of the inmates, one
01 two of whom have been injured. T h e same destruction
is to he seen in all the other rear rooms: even the project­
ing scullery, whose window taces the south, has come in for
its share of the assault, proving that the ca ta p u lt or e n ­
gine used must stand somewhere in that direction, (iivat,
stones lay about such as no h u m a n hand could have thrown
(or any g rea t distance, some weighing nearly a pound. A c­
cording to latest information th e stone-throw ing continues,
but a t more uncertain periods. A elm; to th e oflender has
been obtained, and there is every reason to believe the
unoffending inhabitants ot Burrage-road will be fully
exonerated from any participation in the mischievous
atta c k .— D a ily Chronicle.
THE M IN D IS M ATERIAL.
The following difficulties, propounded by one of our
correspondents, are offered for consideration and solution
bv those who have studied or thoug ht upon the subject.
“ In the T h k o s o J’HIST for April, was an article headed
‘ The mind is material,’ which was based on th e reasons
th a t its faculties are thinking, judging, knowing, &c„ and
they are affected by th e affection of the material body.
This philosophy is perfectly true, but what, I w ant to know
now is this— when the body is destroyed, the mind is also
destroyed anil the immaterial soul is left to itself without
having the powersthat w ereattached to th e m in d . This sta te
of the soul is no b etter than nothing, because the qualities
above enum erated are the only means by which it could
feel, know, think, &c. How does it, then suffer the conse­
quences of good or bad actions it, has done during the life­
time and what, becomes of it, and what is it (
T here is ano th er question. The ghosts are nothing but
departed souls; it has been proved in your journal else­
where th a t they perform acts ju s t like living beings ; they
u tte r articulate sounds, express fear and all kinds of
faculties th a t the mind possesses; how do they possess
these faculties if the m ind is destroyed with th e hotly !
I am sure t h a t the mind is material, because it is affected
by bodily sicknesses and diseases. Besides in the state of
sound sleep, it feels nothing excepting when dreaming,
aud hence it, is dedticible th at the soul is also material
and th a t after death there remains nothing.”
TH E SPIRITU AL COMMANDMENTS.
AVe commend to our readers a little book, published
under the auspices of the Samadarshi Sabha, Lahore,
u nder the above title. T he principles and rules of con­
duct are clearly and carefully announced, and a thought­
ful reading of them will prove a powerful auxiliary to
efforts for righteousness. We give them below and are
sure that, they will be read by all with interest and profit.
I.— T hou sh.'ilt search for Truth in eveiy departm en t of
being— test, prove, and try if what thou deemest is Truth
and accept it as th e H o n / o f God. .
I I .— Thou shalt continue the search for Trut h all thy
life, and never cease to test, prove and try all th a t thou
deemest to be tru th .
I I I .— Thou shalt, search by every attainable means, for
the laws tha t underlie all life and being ; thou shalt strive
to com piehend these laws, live in harmony with them, anil
m ake th e m th e laws of thin e own life, thy rule and guide
in all thine actions.
IV.— Thou shalt not follow th e example of any m an in­
set, of men, nor obey anv teaching or accept of any theory
as thy rule of life, th a t is not in strict accordance with thy
highest sense of right.
V.— Thou shalt rem em ber th a t a icroia/ done to th e least
of thy fellow-creatures is a wrong done to all ; and thou
shalt never commit a wrong wilfully and consciously to any
of thy fcllow-men, nor connive at wrong done by others
without striving to prevent or protesting against it.
VI.— T hou shalt acknowledge all m e n ’s riyhts to do,
think or speak, to be exactly equal to thine own : and all
rig ht w hatsoever that, thou dost demand, thou shalt, ever
accord to others.
V II.— Thou shalt not hold thyself bound to h, re or associ­
ate with those that, are distasteful or repulsive fo thee, but
thou shalt, be held bound to treat such objects of dislike
with gentleness, courtesy and ju stic e ; and never suffer
thy a n tip ath ies to m a ke thee ungentle or unjust to any
livinu© creature*.
V I I I .— Thou shalt ever regard the rights, interests, and
welfare of th e m any as superior to those of tlie one or tlic
few, and in cases where thy welfare or that of thy friend
is to be balanced against th a t of society, thou shalt sacrifice
thy self or friend to th e welfare of the many.
IX .— T hou shalt, he obedient to the 1av'» of the land in
which thou dost reside, in all things which do not conflict
w ith th y h ig h e st sense of right.
X.— T hy fii'st and last d u ty upon earth, and all through
thv life, shall be to seek for the principles o( riijht, and to
live th e m out to the utmost of thy power and whatever
creed, prcccpt or exam ple conflicts with those principles,
thou sha lt shun and reject, ever remembering that th e laws
of right are— in morals, J u stic e ; in science, H a r m o n y ; in
religion, The Fatherhood oj God, The lirothrrhootl o f Alan,
the immortality o f the h u m a n .*on1, and compensidion and
retribution for th e yood or evil done on earth.
T u x IllMjKS OK l i l t ! J I T .
I.— Tem p era nce in all things, w hether physical, mental,
afl'ectional or religious.
I I .— Justice to all creatures th a t be—justice being the
exercise of precisely th e same rules of life, conduct,
thoug ht or speech t h a t we would desire to receive from
others.
I II.— <7entlene*fi in speech and act— never needlessly
wounding th e feelings of others by harsh words or deeds ;
never h u rlin g or destroying a u g h t th a t breathes, save for
the purposes of sustenance or self-defence.
IV .— Truth in every word or thought, spoken or acted,
b u t reservation of harsh or unpleasing truths where they
would needlessly wound the feelings of others.
V.— Charity— charity in thoug ht striving to excuse the
failings of others ; charity in speech, veiling the failings of
others ; charity in deeds, wherever, whenever, and to
whomsoever the opportunity offers, ' _
 VI.— Almn-givimj— visiting tlio sick and comforting the So David brought the thresh- So l>.ivid gave to Orimn for
afllicted in every shape tliiit om1 moans a dm it of, iind the ing llooraml the oxen for fifty the plaee six hundred shekels of
necessities of our fcllow-creatures demand. shekels of tit err. 11. Sam. e. 24, i/old by weight. I. Chron. c. 2 1 ,
v. 21. v. 2").
VII.— S e lf-hoc f t fue, w herever the interests of others are
to l»e benefited hy our endurance. 1 sliall not break th e ltevd. E ditor’s h e a rt by citing
V III.— 'J'cmj>t‘ru/c y e t firm defence of our views of more contradictions. I shall only assure him (if he does
right, ami protest against wrong, w hether in ourselves or not read th e Bible himself) th a t there are many more and
others. even the few cited are sufficient to convict the H oly Bible
IX.— Jixliinh'y in following onr calling we may lie e n ­ of peijury. r, ,
gaged in, or in devoting some jmrtion of our time, when T he C hristians laugh at T u k a ra m ’s ascent to Heaven
otherwise not obliged to do so, to the service aiul benefit in W l y , and believe in the same feat when achieved by
of others.
X.— Love—above ami beyond all, seeking to cultivate I had thought th a t yEsop's Fables and similar books
in our own families, kindred, friends, aud amongst all were the only works in which animals speak. But even
mankind generally the spirit of th a t tru e and tender love in this respect the Bible is not to he outdone. It makes
which can think, speak or act no wrong to any creature B alaam ’s ass talk. T he idea of the God of the Old T esta­
living ; rem em bering always, th a t w here love is, all the ment can only be appreciated by those who have read the
other principles of right nre fulfilled beneath its influence Old Testam ent, and yet th e missionaries express pious
and embodied in its monitions. astonishm ent a t the perversity of th e educated natives in
rejecting this God. Surely the missionaries are either
blind or will not, see. Or is it th a t the powerful light of
T H E r i i A H T H A S A S A M A J v s . C H R I S T I A N I T V.
the Divine Itevclation dazzles their vision and makes them
11V A M K M 1IKK O F T I I K I ' l ! A K T H A X A S A M A J . blind to the follies and absurdities narrated iu the Holy
Some time back, after the K u t a n in the lV arthana Bible.
Samaj had come olf, it will be remembered th a t some tam e J J o i i i I h i i / , 2 3 rd M oy 1SS0.
sheep from the fold ot J e su s wrote to the J )muio<liiya
taking exception to Tukaram , his doctrines, iVe., \ c . To
this the Suhndh 1‘ati'iha replied iu a sensible m anner and I I U A I I M O I S M v s. H I N D U I S M .
at the same time incidentally remarked th a t the Holy
Bible contained many contradictions. T he rem ark galled It y u ycitt Icimi n hnliltn<f nn iiiifiorlniil Office m a ‘ii met toil
the ltevd. E ditor of th v Jhiaiioiliiyii, who challenged the tctlh the, S m l h a n m Jlruhmu Sn.mnj.
J \ d r t k u to point out any contradictions in the Bible. I t
I am Sorry to find th a t in your issue of April last,
seems th a t the Hevd. E ditor has not read the Bible very
“ No H u m b u g ” has tried to hum bug the public by his
carefully, or else ho would have found therein enough to
misrepresentations through the columns of a journal like
satisfy his curiosity. For ready reference 1 shall place
yours, whose object is th e investigation of truth. Allow
before him the following :
me, therefore, to undeceive your readers hy the following
( i v H C S l t th. /• O c ili'ft i eh, / / .
facts.
Anil God made tlie bcii.-t 1 H. And the Ix.nl said ; I l
of the earth after l.is kiml, and is not good th at the man should The widow, alluded to by your correspondent, is not, and
cattle after their kind, &e. I*, uloiie : I wilt m a t e him au was when she, voluntarily left, the protection of her
And (iod said, l.et us help meet for him. brother,’ ta O
girl of im m a ture. age. so. as to• he i in need of a
make man, &e. 111 . A nd out ot (lie ground
“ custodian.” Slit.* \v;ts desirous ol lw*ttori 11*' m*r jnosjiccts
27. So God created man in his the hol'd God forniedevery beast
own image, in the image of God of the lield and every fowl of iu life and of living freed from the thraldom of widowhood
created lie him ; male ami fe- the air, &u. and all its concomitant miseries well known to those who
laale created lie them. are acquainted with the customs of the H indu society,
In the first chapter, beasts are said to have been created aud the tyrannies of th e orthodox members of that society
before man ; iu th e second, after man. The lirst chapter to which the Hindu willows arc usually subjected throu gh­
says “ male and female created lie them : the second says out their wretched lives. T he house of her brother was
th a t W om an was created out of A d a m ’s rib. Iu other virtually a jail to her, and her brother a jail-keeper— her
words the first chapter seems to say th a t man aud woman position was hardly lietter than that of a slave iu America
were created together ; the second th a t woman was created before the great American war. She was immured into
after man. See tiencsis, chapter V., v. 2. “ Male and this jail by the monster ■’ custom ” and not by any lawful
female created he them, and blessed them and called their authority, lienee she had every right to tree herself from it,
name Adam, iu the d a y when they were c r e a t e d . and this she did, and no more. She voluntarily left the house
Anil the time that llavid was And the days that |)*avid of her brother and went to a Brahmo of whom she asked
made king in Hebron over the reigned over i>rael, were forty shelter temporarily in his house. As the widow was
house ot Juiluh was «iv<< I yearx: tt t’tii years reigned he in
a n d aw moiithi. i l . Samuel, llebron. 1. Kings, e. 2 ., v. 1 1 .
in a most helpless sta te and had done, nothing wrong
e. 2 ., v. 1 1 . inoi'ally or legally in leaving the house of her brother,
Ami, again, the u.ii/iv o f the .And Satan stood up against the Brahmo gentlem an, alluded to hy your correspondent,
Lord was kindled against Israel, Israel aud provoked I'avid to could not conscientiously refuse to give her the help she
and ho moved llavid against nuniher Israel. I. Chron. e. 2 1 , craved for, simply because his H indu brethren were o p­
them to sav, \ c . 11. Sam. e. 24, v. 1 .
V. 1. posed to give her freedom in regard to her choice of re­
marriage. T here is not th e slightest evidence, th a t th e
In the lirst it is (Jod who moves David ; iu th e second,
liraliino gentlem an who gave shelter to the pour widow
it is Satan. Which is true <
“ enticed away” or hccume “ an accomplice” ill tlie widow's
Ami Jo ab g u v e U[i the Mi ni of And .Joali gave t h e Mini of act of leaving her brother’s house. Hut even if this were
tlie number ot the |>eo|ile unto the n u m b e r of t h e p e o p l e lliito
the king : ami I here were iu 1'aviil. And all they of Israel
the case, he could not be held guilty by the tribunal of
l>rael eight hundred thousand Were a t h o u s a n d a n d au h u n ­ an impartial public, for, in that, case, he could only be a c ­
valiant men that ilrew the sword : d r e d t h o u s a n d m en th a t dre w tuated by a noble motive of rescuing a hum an being from
anil the men of Jutlali were live t h e bWord : a n d . l u d a l i was f o u r the thraldom of evil custom and practical slavery— not
handled thousand men. i t . Sum. hundred threescore aud tell even the enemies of these Bralunos dare insinuate a n y ­
e. 24, v. 'J. t h o u s a n d m en t h a t d re w the
sw ord. 1. Chron. e. 2 1 , v. a. thing against his morality.
So God came to l Javid anil So God eame to l.avitl, and Now, 1 leave it to you aud to your impartial readers to
tolit him, and said unto him, said imlu him. Thun sailh the judge whether the act of the Brahino, concerned iu tho
Shall scccit years of famine Lord, choose lliee either three
eouie unto th e c i u thy laud ! Xv. yeara’ famine, \ e . I. Chron.
above case, was culpable, or w hether the illogical conclu­
11. Sam. c. 21, v. lli. t . 21, V. 11, 12. sion drawn therefrom, that the whole body of the Bndi-
inos have adopted an “ aggressive p olicy ’ or an “ offending
attitu de" towards their Hindu b rethren is justified l*y
facts.
Yours sincerely,
“ JrsTK i;. ' ’
Lahore, 2">th May 1S.S0.
/ ’. S . — T l i c Hroftino J'ul'lic ( I j ii n u i n ol tIn* l i l l i i l i s l a n t ,
a n n o u n c e s t l i a l tin* w i d o w r e f e r r e d l o l i a s l i c o n m a r r i e d t o
a b a c h e lo r I J r a h m o g e n t l e m a n , a g e d 27, lier a g e b e i n g 2 1 .
A U M - l l O T H A r / l / L O S O / ' l l V.
IIV Mil. f'lliVNDAN I !1 >I*A I,.
H a v in g gone over your esteemed journal ii]i lo I,lie
latest liumlier, I liave come across most .interest ing art i-
clcs devoted |n dilfereiit branelies of philosophy, sciences
and many oilier useful subjects, but., I ;hii sorry to say, tlmt
I found none ou I lie |iliiloso]>liy of A y u i-lmt rn, and th e re ­
fore, earnestly hope t liat th e present subject will find ;i place
in your world-renowned journal.
T he problem, I am to discuss, is intended to prove the
moral philosophy of *\yni-hotnt which is based upon
nature. \\ il lion t I he perfect, knowledge of both of these
and a due pel I'm niance of the former, man is unable to
know the S uprem e Being. T h e absence of this know ­
ledge keeps a man immersed in worldly nlflietions ami
prevents him from obtaining I lie highest, position or sul-
Aiit.ii>)i or ^ 1^1 Ibr which every one should try wilh
till his heart and soul.
O b s e r v i n g t h e r u l e s o f m o r a l p h i l o s o p h y , ;i m a n m u s t,
t o t h e b e s t ol h is a b ilitie s , d o g o o d to ol l i d 's a s well as
to h im se lf. I’ut. w h a t d o e s d o i n g go od m e a n ? N e v e r to
lose s i g h t o f ju s ti c e in all o u r net ions. T h e c h i e f o f t h e s e
a r e :— F ir .'/, lo p r e s e r v e o u r h e a l t h — t h e i n s t i l l m e n t o f all
net i o n s — in go od o ld e r , a n d to l a k e s t e p s lo h e l p o l h e i s
to o for t h e sam e. S ra n iilly to b e li e v e a l w a y s in t h e I n f i n i t e
D i v i n e I’o w c r w h o e m b r a c e s e v e r y t h i n g w i t h i n a n d w i t h ­
o u t t h e li m i ts o f h u m a n sen ses.
But before I go on to solve the problem pul forth, I
must not omit, to mention a tiict. which bears u p o n the
subject in hand. 'What, is death of an animate, or des­
truction ol an inanimate, object ? I t is nothing more thau
tlie decomposition or analyzntion, sooner or later as the
ease may bo, ol Ihe live, elements, aud lienee of its pa rti­
cles which form the basis of the Universe. j\t the
name Iime tlie characteristie qualities ot tin? elem ents most
a l s o lie slated In be as follows: — Ot the tile lo decompose
pai I ieles of an v substance, of ihe air lo elevate them to
dilferent regions above th e earth, ol the water to compose
the particles to form a solid body, of the earth to k e e p
them iu contact wilh itself, anil (lie e v a l uation
Vicing the space wherein the other lour play th e ir pail.
N o w t h e d e m o n s t r a t i o n a n d proof.— T h e c l i m a t e h a s Ih e
g r e a t e s t effect u p o n h e a l t h in g e n e r a l , so we m u s t try
to m a k e it h e a l t h y . W h e n t h e s a c r ili c ia l - m iN lu r e
c o m p o s e d o f d if f e r e n t s u b s t a n c e s f o r m i n g t h r e e g r e a t
classes, viz., first, Ih e c u r a t i v e s o r r e m e d i e s a g a i n s t se v e r a l
d is e a s e s , s e co n d ly , Ion ic c o n t a i n i n g c h ie l ly s u g a r , corn a n d
b u tter, and th i r d l y , n m m a l i c s s u c h a s m u s k , &<•., is
t h r o w n in t o t h e fire, l i t t l e b y li tt le , so a s lo h e t h o r o u g h l y
b u r n t , t h e p a r t ic l e s o f its e s s e n c e , t h r o u g h t h e a g e n c y o f
t h e lire, g o u p in t o t h e a i r w h ic h e l e v a t e s t h e m to t h e r e ­
g io n s of c lo u d s or m o r e p r o p e r l y s p e a k i n g , to t h e
le g io n w h e n ' t h e c lo u d s a r e c o n d e n s e d a n d c h a n g e d in to
w a te r . T I m i i c Ii u n a b l e to e x p l a i n all tin; i n n u m e r a b l e
b e n e f i ts a c c r u i n g from t h e s e p a r t i c l e s to t h e w h o le w orld,
I m e n t i o n a few o f t h e m . In t h e b e g i n n i n g o f t h e p r o ­
cess, t h e s e p a rtic le s , till t h e y r e m a i n , t h o u g h f o r a s h o r t
ti m e , in t h e lo w er re g i o n s o f t h e a t m o s p h e r e , e x c l u d e Ih e
u n h e a l t h y p a r t ic l e s o f a i r from t h e p la c e w h e r e t h e s a c r i ­
fice is p e rf o rm e d , a f t e r w h ic h a s c e n d i n g h i g h e r t h r o u g h
t h e a fo re sa id a g e n c i e s t h e y r e m o v e t h e i r d e f e c t t h r o u g h
th e chem ical o p eratio n s p erfo rm ed b e tw e e n th e m by n a ­
lu r e . T h e a n i m a l s i n h a l i n g Ib is p u r i f ie d a i r g e t r e f r e s h e d
n m l h e a l t h y . .R e a c h in g t h e re g i o n o f r a i n these p a r t i c l e s
purify th e vapours forming clouds, and thereby make (lie
water of rain pure and healthy. The pm ilied air nml
w ater having great effect upon Ihe mineral kingdom, ton,
improve it a great deal. T he air, earth, anil water, tlic
basis of the vegetable kingdom, being thus purified,
m ake it healthy. T h e first, part of cur problem having
been proved, we m ust now turn to the second, viz., tn
try at Ihe (ime to know (In- Divino Being. I low can
(liis knowledge be obtained ? For (his purpose Y"H>:
m a u h a .« a r e repeated during the p e l Immalice, which also
(each us the philosophy lying hidden under the mysterious
veil of . \<iiii-/in(iii sacrifice.
Owing to my limited capacity, I cannot possibly he
ex peeled to exhaust so grand a subject, but our advanced
leaders possessing high intellects who wish to know it
more m inutely and to satisfy themselves, will please draw
fuller information from the ^ agur Veda, in which several
complete chapters are devoted to tho same philosophy,
the study of which has now been rendered much easier
than ever through th e favour of our revered leader I’nndit
D avanand Saraswati Swami whom we should pay onr
warmest th an k s for th e trouble he has taken to expound
the Vedas for the benefit of mankind.
It. may fairly be concluded from the above-mentioned
facts that the porlbiniance of A y u i - h o l m is not based on
.•1113’ prejudice or sectarianism, because the difference of lan­
guage can have no effect on the philosophy and sciences
thro ugh ou t the dilVerent .p a r ts of the world. Agui-hvlin
may thus be expected to gain popularity among those
who appreciate nothing b u t what is- based on justice,
especially among the Aryas, who lightly hold the Vedas
as impersonal and divine, and whose ancestors never pro­
nounced without a feeling ot reference and honor, the
holy nam e of Ayni-hotn<, the philosophy of which is mj
beautifully expounded by the litthi? and sages ol by-gone
ages.
J,U( k iimr. th e 2-)th .1 /<’)/ 1 S S 0 .
TIIK 1U N D U OJi A R Y A nU KsTlO N.
J!Y K. I*. It.
Many abler and w m thier hands have touched upon the
point, interest ing as it is. with belter results. B u t since
an ardent heart limls no satisfaction till its fulness is given
vent lo, m any of our impartial readers have Ihe sufferance
of going once more over these lines on the same question.
Of worth or m erit claim they none, hut only wish sym­
pathy to the Indian commonalty and call attention of onr
more enlightened brethren to a rectification of the inter­
nal evils of the people.
In these days of patriot frenzy— fienzy I would call it,
since among all a really patriotic soul is yet but scarce—
when every Indian youth regards it a bounded duly to do
his m ite in tin; g re a t work of national regeneration, u
serious controversy most, naturally undertakes to deter­
mine w hat must, be the appropriate appellation for the
country anil its people. Thanks, 110 doubt, to the TllKoso-
l’ll 1ST and Ihe Society, whose jo in t efforts could make so
much of the H in d u idiocrncy. But, would, that these
very many professions were not mere hollow sounds, that
this patriot agitation em anated really fiom the bottom nf
th e H indu heart, from the inmost privy of the Indian
soul ! Many, no doubt, will frown and ask— are these
laboring reformers of India then 110 sincere patriots,—
so many dissemblers only, mere pretenders lo Ihe cause !
But, alas ! sorry that, we are to answer in the afiirmntive.
T here are now on th e Indian soil, we grant, many, who
project chimeras in their minds, and fancy achievement
of wonders at once ; b u t who among all ever thinks uf
giving to their purposes, deeds, a reality ?
T he readers of the T iikosoI’H1ST m ust have noticed in
tin-A pril numlier of the journal tha t more than one native
p a h i o t have expressed desires to change the current name
of the people lor one more agieeable to them. “ A veiy
earnest F rie n d ” complains th a t the term “ N a tiv e ” is used
to designate the Indian s from foreigners, nnd suggest? tlmt
 th e word H/idvatiun* be substituted instead. H is patriotic
soul cannot brook t)iis nickname lie supposes p u t on him
by th e conquering, or rutlier ruling classes. lint then, our
E ditor himself contradicts him witli groat vehemence ;
and tho same we quote hero for our own views. “ Tho
complaint,” says he, “ does not seem entirely wcll-ground-
ed. In every country th e original inhabitants are called
Natives, to contrast th em with all who are not born on the
soil. In America, the freest country iu the world, ami where
there is absolute equality before the law, wo are proud
to call ourselves Nutiven, when w e wish to indicate th a t
we are not immigrants, and some years a g o , a great
political party calling itself th e Native American* sprang
into existence, a t a time of excitem ent caused by the
bare suspicion that foreigners were plotting to underm ine
ou r liberties. W e do not sec how the case of the Indians
can be made an exception to a custom which seems to
us unavoidable..............For our part, we would tool very
proud to lie able to boast ol such a country as I his, find
such an ancestry, even at tbe cost of being called ‘ Native,'
with a fine flavor of scorn.”
A nother Aryan brother, B. P. Sankdhar, asks whether
it is not advisable to begin our work of regeneration with
changing the name ‘‘ H in d u ”— •* a form,” he explains,
“ th a t means a liar, a slave, a black, an infidel, iu short
a man possessed of every evil to be found in the world.”
W e know not what lexicon, b u t his own (though most
opportune) interpretation, could furnish such a sense for
the word. Indeed, there is 110 .such Sanskrit word as
H indu. W e never come across if in any of our religious
books. N eith er I'anini nor the latest gram m arians d e ­
term ine its etymology ; nor is it recognised anywhere in
the great code of Mann. " Y o u seek it in vain,” .says a
•distinguished graduate nf (.'aleutta, ‘‘ iu the Puranas ; nor
do you g et a clue to its etymology till you come in con­
tact
• with foreign O languages.”
o o T he# fact is that the word
(,
is really Persian, though essentially Sanskrit, " t h e
science of language distinctly |>oinls out that the letter
Jt in Persian is analogous to s in Sanskrit.” Whoever
has seen tbe pages of Professor Miiller nr C o u n t <Jrimni,
attests the veracity nf the assertion. Hence do we get at
the leal derivation of the wold. W h e n our first Aryan a n ­
cestors, if we are to give credit to history, dwell, o n the
banks of the SindJtW (or the Indus), the brother Persians
who did as yet bear the same name, designated these em i­
grants Hindus in their language, which is according to the
law analogous to the Sanskrit Sindltu*, that is, those th a t
lived along tbe course of the Sinil/nt river. W h e th e r there
was any degree of hatred or abhorrence mixed w ith this
their designation, cannot now be known. If the Persians
ever took it to mean dark or black,” a.s is shown in the
last T iik o s o h i i s t , th a t is b u t a poetic interpretation of a
more modern date. T h a t the Greeks gave th e name, is like­
wise g ro u n d le ss; since nowhere do we find in the whole
Greek philology any such word as H in d tie Hindt’ m ean­
ing as Sankilharjee does, nor are t he older Grecians ever
.recognized to have even known the word. So, perhaps,
it is th e present degradation of th e people, nr ra th e r th e
condition in which they an) th o u g h t to be b jr some of tbe
vain Europeans th a t led the honored contributor to a con­
sideration such as is expressed by him.
N e ith e r does the term A rya” denote a.s Sankilharjee
thinks. This word, if we are to accept th e rendering
given by Max Miiller, m e a n t" a cultivator"— a word which
shows th a t when the term came into use, our ancestors
had abandoned their mmiadic modes of life and taken to
tlie nobler occupation of ploughing. In process of time, it
attained the noblest m eaning which it is jiossiblo f o r a
term to acquire ; for il. soon came to mean n o thing loss
than the best H indu distinguished for devotion, learning
and piety. Alas ! however, for h u m a n inconstancy the
word is ultimately applied to all H in d u s alike,— good,
bad and indifferent,— as distinguished from the Mlecheluis
or Yabant of the heterodox persuasions.
However, from the above, it is plain that wc are a t one
with our brother in regarding . H indu b u t a foreign
O desig-
O
nation, which from the Persians soon began to be used for
th e Indians by all the other nations west, of the Indus.
In time, when these W estern people chanced afterwards to
obtain sovereignty over this country, they would not call
us otherwise than by the name familiar to them, b u t
never perhaps using it a.s a nickname ; since, in that case,
it is impossible, that it should have escaped the attention
ofvsuch a kind aud tolerant prince as A kbar the Great,
who would even liear slanders on his name rather than
■treat the subject Indians with any sort of unkindness.
The Aryas became gradually accustomed to the term ;
degraded as they became, the)' took th e rulers’ word
without hesitation and soon aftei got over their own old
name. Hence, it wa.s universally adopted in India, save
by some retired recluses ; and, owing to the degeneracy of
tlie A 1‘i/il-t/liiii'uiti, ihe. model'll religion of ihe people was
also styled Hinduism, meaning the religion nf the modern
Jfiudus.
As shown above, tin: w u d s imply nothing evil in
themselves. Moreover, had the word trul> meant as our
brother supposes, it is impossible that a whole nation,—
and one as the Indian, having for its members not only a
few ignorant, but many learned and deep-thinking
men, and existing not a day or year, but Ibr ages anil
centuries,— would be so blinded or repressed as never a t
least to have perceived th e universal error.
Hut what, mailers further argumentation ? II is per­
haps high time for us to conclude, and so a few words in the
end. N o tw ith stan d in g the groat importance attached to
tlie subject, we think it might be as well dealt, witli with far
less prominence. Did over-Soeitil.es or Y alm iki—sages
whose equals, perhaps, shall never be born—c a r e whether
lie was called a Greek or an Indian, or by anv other name
whatsoever. Are not the Americans misnamed th e Y a n ­
kees, ami the Ijijti.sli tin,’ W hites { Merits, not titles,
aro judged. Children and the rustics may be solicitous
th a t they be not misnamed ; but the wise care not a
trifle lor such things. So, tar from arguing with so much
diligence w hether we be called Natives or Intlinn*, H i n d u s
or Arya*, We think it would be greatly more useful and
advantageous to devote that amount of oui attention to
th e leal well-being of our countrymen, lo I lie consider­
ation ol what proper steps should be taken to redress
very many piteous grievances of our brethren, anil to the
careful investigation of wherein lie the original causes
ol many, almost natural, defects of Ihe people. That would
he a work really more desirable and even more weighty
than volumes of such titulary discourses. There is one
who has dropped tierv words for the rcl'oimation of India,
oven finding fault with the Aryan caste-svstom and
o th e r manners and habits of the people, in the last
T iik iiso im iist . To these m atters we hope to advert in our
next, and the discussion of these may lie considered to do
a more desirable service. T he regeneration of a nation is a
task not to bo achiev ed by mere bazaar gossip or fantastic
schemes. We would, therefore, even join our brother to
pray: O, (rue sons ol this once exalted Aryavarla ! th e
lime lias come, or is nil her fast approaching, when wo
should show our spirits, act with vigour, and try our best
towards the re-exaltation of our beloved mother-country I
Arise from your long sleep, <>, ye lovers ot' your once
lamous seat of learning and religion, look around you and
.see in what a hapless state your country lies ■ Arise,
ye. nobicr b reth ren ! dev o t e your heart, to the great cause 1
Tire not, and without, weariness or disgust, lietakc y o u r­
selves to arouse and enlighten even the most uncouth
souls,— the low, illiterate hearts, that have parts which
would act well with your aid. Spare no pains to unite all
in one harmonious accord ;is into a Universal Brotherhood
of H um anity, using with one voice tin: unison iu praise
of our ancient glorious A r y a cart a, Hindustan, or I n d i a .
Out. tai eat,”

OVJl D E L E G A T E S /.V CEYWX.
I t is :i cin ■umstaucc wholly unexpected thal we h a w - I»•
depend upon M'condaiy s o u r c e s lor:m account of tlie mo-\c-
uicnts ot tlie Theosophical party in Ceylon. 'I lie fa d i
however, Unit every delegate's time, ; i i k 1 especially that ot
Colonel O lc.lt mill Madame lihivjitsky, is so occupied
th a t tliev cannot find the smallest leisure to write for this
m a g a z in e . S iino the landing a t Oalle, on the I f t h cl
Way, when they were caught up hy th e in h a b itan ts aiul
m ade into popular heroes, they have been surrounded by
r row (Is, and made th e centre of exciting events. Colonel
Old>tt has delivered on the average a t least one oration a
day ; to sav nothing of lectures and expositions to select
companies of hearers, and debates with Christian and o th e r
opponents of Theosophy. At eveiy locality visited, the
com m ittees of reception have comprised Ihe leading men
of the community, th e ir mission has been blessed by the
priests, and the most pious and revered ladies have come
in their richest attire to show their respect for M adam e
Bhivatsky. _ _
T h e best authorities say that since th e word C h r is tia ­
nity was fiist pronounced in Ceylon, there has never been
a n y th in g like the excitement am ong th e Muddlnst people.
T h e ir g ratitude to M ad am e lilavatsky and Colonel Olcott
for daring to stand up for th e ir faith as against the
C hristians w ho have systematically derided it, is b o u n d ­
less. Branches of th e Theosophical Society had, a t latest
advices, been formed a t Oallo, Panadure, Colombo and
Kandy. Money has been contributed to th e ir respective
treasuries to carry out th e plans su b m itte d by ou r Presi­
dent. It is fully evident already t h a t results ol imm ense
im portance m u s t follow the delegation s visit to the b e a u ti­
ful Island of Ceylon. Tho nam e nf our Society has become
a household word from one end of it to tin* other. Some
say that the effects of the visit will last for generations.
.T h a t th e Christian parly are alive to these facts is shown
in the unscrupulous attack s of thoir -secular press, the
tone of th e Lord Bishop’s own organ, 'The jfiocesov
Cnh mine, and the unw onted act ivity of the N a tiv e Cate-
chists and Mihlc-e.xhnrtcrs, and E uropean missionaries
and settled clergymen. T h e Theosophists now form the
staple te x t for th e ir preaching, and while our pa rty were
a t lvandy, live preachers were busy, exhorting the S in h a ­
lese not to hear them, but to listen to the (ioSjK*l ! in
th a t ancient city Colonel Olcott spoke first, al th e Dalada
Maliguva Temple, where the Tooth-Relic of B uddha i-
enshrined. T h e crowd was so dense as to pack all th e
corridoi'S and courts and prev e n t the orator from being
heard. An a d jo urnm ent was accordingly had to th e open
Esplanade in front of the temple ; and th e speaker, with
liis interpreter, th e delegates from th e Mom bay T heoso­
phical Society, and the chief priests of the K an d y a n te m ­
ples, took their places upon a bread buttressed wall. T he
scene is described as having b e e n most impressive.
In the absence of original material we take from the
Pioneer of J u n e Iti and 2-">, th e narratives given by its
special correspondent, which will be read with deep interest.
“ T he visit of the delegation of Theosophists to Ceylon
lias stirred tho native society of tho island to its depths.
T h e local oflicors declare that they never saw such g a th e r ­
ings in th e southern district before. T h e visitors were
expected here on the 11th, on which day 4,000 people
gathered at, th e landing-pier, the boats in t h e h a i b o u r were
decorated with flags, a native committee hoarded the P.
and 0 . steam er as soon as she dropped anchor, an d groat
preparations were m ade to give th e delegates a p op ula r
welcome . Mut th e public were disappointed, the Theoso-
pliists having decided to come by a British India boat so as
to visit their members a t Karwar, Mangalore, and Cochin,
T h is change of program m e was du ly telegraphed, but,
owing to a break in*the-sea cable, th e despatch was never
forwarded. However, advices were telegraphed from B om ­
b a y on the l l t l i ; a n d oil the 17th, when tlie E t h i o p i a was
signalled, a new crowd of nearly (J.OOO was in waiting. A
co m m itte e of twenty-five of the first native g entlem en of
Civile hail charge of all the arran gem ents ; the Theoso­
phists were taken ash o re in a large boat, cseoiled hy a fleet
of the ipieer ( 'iugalose canoes rigged out with Hags and
stream ers ; a c a rp e t avus laid ou th e landing-stage, and as
the visitors step p e d ashore, a roar of voices welcomed them.
Placed in carriages, tho y wore escorted to the handsome
bungalow, specially fitted up for their occupancy, by a
m u ltitu d e that tilled tlie road from side to side, and extend­
ed front to rear as far as one could see. On reaching the
house thov were m et on the \e ra n d a h bv the H igh Priests
Suinanatissa and Pivaratana, and a dozen or more subordi­
nate priests, who chanted verses of salutation from the
Pali sacred books. Krom that, lime to this I,heir quarters
have been besieged, and their time has been taken up in
receiving visits, d e b a tin g with priests, visiting temples, eat­
ing dinners, tiffins, and breakfasts of ceremony, and accept­
ing invitations to pass from town to town throughout the
southern district.
“ Colonel Olcott has already spoken twice in public—
last evening a t the f o rt Marraeks, th e largest room in
(ialle : and this afternoon in the compound of a gentle­
m a n ’s house, where fully 0,000 Muddhists listened to him,
On the former occasion the chair was occupied by Priest
M egittuwatte, th e most renowned orator and controver­
sialist in all Ceylon. T h e entire English colony was pre­
sent last evening, and besides tlie barrack-room being
crowded, then; was a volunteer audience outside the
building num b ering m an y hundred. T he lecturer’s topic
was “ Theosophy and Buddhism," and his argum ent was
to th e effect th a t th e univeisal yearning of hum anity for
some knowledge of divine things was satisfied pre-em i­
nently in th e system which Buddhn bequeathed to the
world. T h is faith, which is already professed by 470
millions— fully a third of the e a rth ’s populafion— was de­
stined to a tta c k thousands, if not millions, more from the
g re a t body of th in k in g men whom the statisticians classified
as Christians, but who had lost all faith in th e ir nominal
creed. W ith in the past ten years, he said, and especially
within the past, two years, there has been a marked inter­
est throughout tlieE nglish-speakingeountrios to know what
B u d d h a ’s doctrine really is. To satisfy this need a society
of intelligent, zealous Buddhists should be organized ;
tracts and oth er publications should he disseminated
broadcast ; and if it. could Ik* brought about, learned B u d ­
dhist missionaries should he sent to Eu rop e and America.
T he object of th e present visit was to organize ju s t such a
society a.s a branch of the Theosophical Society, which is
the rep resentation o f the principle of universal religious
tolerance, and included in its fellowship Parsis, H indus,
Jains, Jews, and alm ost every o th e r class of sectary. He
wa.s happy to say th a t this suggestion had received the.
entire approbalion of th e greatest Buddhist priests nnd
the most respected laymen, whose presence at this time
showed the sta te of their feelings. M egittuw atte fully
corroljoratcd Colonel O lcott’s statem ents, and ltespoke the
good-will of every tr u e Buddhist for the Theosophical
Society, of which h e himself had been a fellow for the
last two years. His rem arks were in Cinghalese, and
were delivered with perfect fluency and impressive elo­
quence. T he audience at to-day’s lecture was a sight to
be remembered. T h e Theosophists, w ith the High Priest,
Suinanatissa w h o h a d th c c h a ir .a n d Megittuwatte, occupied
a high balcony at th e easterly side of a great grassy q u a d ­
rangle, enclosed by th e principal and lesser buildings of a
private residence, and affording sitting-room for at least
*1,000 people. It was all occupied, and crowds also swarm­
ed on the steep sides of adjacent hills th a t overlooked the
compound. T his tim e th e Colonel s address was in te r­
p reted in Cinghalese, sentence by sentence, as extem po­
raneously delivered. T h e Theosophical delegation com­
prises th e following persons :— Colonel H . S. Olcott. Presi­
d en t ; M adam e H . P. Blavatsky, Corresponding Secretary ;
Mr, E dw a rd W imbridge, Vice-President of the parent,
society: and Messrs. D am odar Mavalankar, Panachnnd
A nnndji, and Parsho tam Narayaiiji (Hindus), and Sorabji
J . Padshah and Ferozshah D lm njibhai Shroff (Parsis), a
special com m ittee to represent th e Bombay Theosophical
Society. •
 “ On re turning to th e ir qu arters from to-day’s lecture,
th e delogation wore honoured with a call from the S ia m ­
ese Ambassador and ttu ite, who arc in ( in IK* for one day
tu route to England.
•‘ To-morrow evening a meet ing is to be hold to ta k e the
nam es of those who wish to jo in th e Gallo sub-section of
th e Ceylon Theosophical Society ; Tuesday evening tho
initiations will take place ; and on W ednesday the dele­
gation takes up its itinerary to Dodanduwa, Kalatura,
and Panadure, at each of which places bungalows, com­
m ittees, anil the audiences aw ait them ; aud thence on to
Colombo, th e capital city, where, according to all accounts,
th e re will be great goings-on.
“ N a t u r e clothes herself in Ceylon in h e r loveliest garb,
T h e verdure is som ething splendid. W herever the eye
tu rn s it sees au ex ub erant tropical vegetation with such
variety of hue and such noble forms as one fancies cannot
be found elsewhere. T he paddy-fields are all a bright
p«reen > : the clusteringO cocoanuts hang O from a million
tr e e s ; the m onster jack-fruit, th e betel-palm with its sil­
ver-ringed, smooth green trunks, th e golden plaintain, this
mango, pine-apple, bread-fruit, and bamboo are the choic­
est of their kinds ; a gnissy carpet borders every road and
lane, and a m ultitu de of flowers and colon red-leaf plants
■ afford a bouquet of rich colours. O u r table is loaded with
fruit of a size and flavour unknow n to us before coming
here, and served up in garlanded platters, th a t m ake tho
board look like a garden bed in the early su m m er time.
Ah, you who are parched by the furnace-heat of th e plains
o f In d ia take a m o n th ’s holiday and conn- to Ceylon if
you would form some idea of au Eden. Ami as for the
people— Bishop Ilcber may say what he will about every
prospect pleasing and only m an being vile ; b u t I, for my
part, declare that a more hospitable, kind, aud gen tle peo­
ple no one need care to encounter. As Ibr their “ vile-
uess,” statistics in th e Queen Advocate’s reports show
th a t th ere is less crime a m ong the natives of Ceylon th a n
nm ong any equal body of people in an y Christian country
th a t I can call to mind. In n (xqiulation of about 2.1 m il­
lions there were 1,100 convictions for offences of any kind,
great and small, in a whole year, and of these there wen;
b u t 37-> assaults against the person. W hat would Bow
S tr e e t say to that ! O f the whole n um b e r of convictions
more than one-fourth (274) were for cattle-stealing. T he
table shows a total absence of whole groups of crimes th a t
prevail am ong 11s ; while of offences directly traceful to
the use of liquor, th e proportion is but 7 per cent, as
against about M per cent, in London, or any other largo
C hristian city.”
T h e Pioneer of J u n e 2.5, says :— “ The first stage of the
Theosophical tour through th e Island of Spices has been
completed, and the p a rty are qu arteied iu th e large
bungalow called “ Redclitfe,” the former residence of Sir
C. (i. MacCarthy, Colonial Secretary. T h e ir m ovements
since leaving (ialle have been atte n d e d with tiie greatest.
]H>ssible eclat, the people g ath erin g in crowds at every
lialting-place providing them with quarters, com m ittees of
the most respectable m en waiting upon them, tho B u d ­
dhist priests welcoming th em a t th e ir viharas, and re a d ­
ing addresses to them in Pali. A t P iy a ga lle a nd K alatura
great processions were organized, with banners and music,
and trium phal cars, drawn by flower-garlanded bullocks,
in which th e Thcosophists were m ade to ride. In fact,
the delegation are utterly confounded by all these popular
demonstrations. T h e y came expecting to pay th e ir way
like ordinary mortals, stop at th e hotels, move ab ou t q u ie t-
i ly, and after organizing tho projected branch Society a t
Colombo, return to Bombay. B u t from the m oment
when they left their steam er in Oalle h arbo ur for th e
t jetty, escorted by a flotilla of canoes, th e ir fate was sealed,
1 and they became public characters.
“ Colonel Olcott’s oratorical powers and physical endu-
; ranee have been as severely tested as though lie had been
canvassing for a seat iu Parliam ent, a nd discussions on
religion, jihilosophy, and theology have kept Madame
B la va tsk ys hands equally full. T h e B u d dh ist women
seeiu to regard her as a deity dropped from the clouds, and
despite her energetic remonstrances, will insist upon m ak-
i n g t o her. Much ol this reverence is due to tho
circulation of a Cingalese pamphlet m ade up of translated
extracts from h e r lmok descriptive of the phenomena she
witnessed am ong the Lamaic adepts of T ib e t and Mon­
golia, and more to tho spread of reports of certain 'won­
derful things ol the same sort she did a t (ialle, Pa nnd 11re,
Oodanduwn, and other (daces on her way here, ns well as
since th e arrival of the party at Colombo.
“ T h e eagerness manifested to join the Theosophical S o ­
ciety lias caused au enlargement. of the original plan. A
branch Society was formed at ( ia lle : members were a d ­
m itted at various towns along the load ; a separate branch
is forming a t P a n a d u r e ; the Colombo branch will be
organized on Tuesday next, nnd the indications point to
K andy following suit. T he now membership already
embraces th e highest aud most energetic class of B u d ­
dhists, irrespective of sect, a n d —always a prime consider­
ation in any cam paign— the best able to supply the sinews
of war. These several bra n d ie s will, of course, be u lti­
mately brought into one general league, or Buddhistic
section, of th e parent Theosophical Society, and we may
reasonably look for a thorough exposition of G autama's
doctrine. As in all o th e r churches, corruptions and abuses
have crept into th e Buddhistic. T h e Cingalese priesthood
is divided into I wo great sects— the Amarapoora aud the
Siamese, each deriving its auth ority from the place whose
name it bears. T h e real differences between them are
trilling, and yet, as betw een onr Christian sects, there is a
g oo d deal of petty rancour. Still the leaders of both sects
perceive the advantages of the alliance offered by the
Theosophists. and so vie with each other iu tenders of
co-operation. Colonel Olcott and Madame Blavatsky,
have, in the plainest words, announced that, their Society
will not meddle in any of the internal questions of a
theological or doctrinal nature, nor permit it to be made
the organ for forcing these family differences upon the
public attention. N or will they propagate the idolatrous
perversions of primitive B uddhism fastened upon th e
church in Ceylon by successive Tamil dynasties. T h e
corner-stone o l'S akya Muni's philosophy was the doctrine
of Merit, its cap-stone that of Nirvana. These th e
Western world wishes expounded, and there is reason for
every a dm irer of G a u ta m a to look with a friendly eye
upon th e present movement.
“' T h e Thcosophists left (ialle lor their tour northward
on the 2(ith instant, in carriages supplied by a committee
a t Dodaiuluwa. Colonel Olcott was obliged to speak
twice 011 that day— at Ainbalangoda and Dodanduwa.
T he party slept a t th e la tte r place, and th e next morning
moved forward iu two mail-coaches, sent on by the fisher­
men o f (ialle, whose application to offer this courtesy
wa.s communicated, I believe, iu m y last letter. Four
speeches were squeezed out of the Colonel 1111 that day—
two of them to tremendous crowds. One of these was
gathered in and about th e temple a t Piyngalle, and, as
is remarked above, there was a procession. One incident
of the day created no little fun. J u s t after leaving Piya-
gallo the leading coach was stopped by a m an who came
running out of a house carrying a retlector-lnmp in his
hand. Tho party th o ug ht som ething serious must have
happ ened — a bridge I mj oi i carried away, or something of
the sort. B u t the lam p-bearcr only turned the blaze
of the light upon th e occupants of the coach, pointed out
Madame Blavatsky and the Colonel to a lew adm iring
friends, said he only wanted to have a look at them, told
tho coach to proceed, an d asked w hether the Pnrsecs
were in tho n e x t coach. Is it not Goethe who tells in
his memoirs about the visit lie received from a young
fellow one day, who sent iu his card, entered the room,
refused G oeth e’s invitation to be seated, surveyed him
carefully from a distance, walked around his chair and
took a back view and, then w ithout a W o r d laid a gold
piece upon G oethe’s writing-table, and walked to th e
door. U p o n being called back and asked tho cause of
his strange behaviour, and especially for leaving the money,
he said th a t he had been most anxious to see th e great
 man, had now been gratified, nml thought il. no more
th an liiir l«> compensate liim for tin' l>ri<•)’ interruption
of liis wfu'k— lor wliieli In* begged pardon. Tin- story
is a good one anyhow, and lliis onr will almost serve a.s a
pendant. Tins next day and night and Saturday morning
were passed at Kalatura, where an address was delivered
to some 2,000 people in a cocoanut-grovc, and another
a t tlie adjoining village of Wolira, where resides tlie
priest, Subhitti, whose erudition lias been made known
in Kurope by Mr. Childers in liis Pali dictionary. Tlie
party lunched at tbe- bouse ol Mr. A rnatbalam , tbe J ustice
of K alatura, a Cambridge grad uate ami a gentlem an ol
high breeding and culture. T h e untinished railway
(Colombo nnd (Salle Railway) is lien: readied, and tin:
Theosopliists were conveyed by train to l ’nnadure, where
the station and platform were found tastefully decorated
with cocoanuts, Dowers, and foliage, ami both s i d e s ol
the main street and the approach to the bungalow set
apart fqr "their use lined with strips ol palm-lcaves sus-
|K*nded from continuous cords. T h e ir lmst at this town
was the venerable ami wealthy Mudeliar Andris I’ereia,
a stately old man with a large family ol stalwart sons
and daughters. H o had not allowed any commit,tee to
assist, but had supplied everythin*;— decoration, house,
furniture, food, anil servants—at his personal cost. As
the guests neared the bungalow, they saw a trium phal
arch erected a t the gate of the compound, and their host
approaching them in the full uniform ot bis rank ol
Mudeliar. A large shell coml*—-the comb is worn by
all Cingalese g entlem en — was in bis iron-gray h a ir ; his
dress comprised a blue frock-coat, with gold Irogs and
jewelled buttons : th e national skirt, or illioti, worn as
a simple wrapping without folds and eonlinod a t tho
waist by a gold-clasped belt : a satin waist-coat with two
lows of large emeralds for b u t t o n s ; and a magnificent
sword with solid gold scabbard and hilt, both studded
with gems, suspended from a solid gold baldric elabomtoly
carved. H e was attended by two stave-bcarers in u n i­
form, and followed by his family and a host of acquain­
tances. As he marched along in tin: lull sunlight, h e
‘ certainly presented a very gorgeous appearance. 11 is
, sword and baldric alone are com puted io be worth at
least,-£2,.->00.”
A fter the above was p u t in type, tlie following letter was
retroiveil from one of our delegates in Ceylon to a Iricml
here. As it contains m any details of great interest, we
give it room here.
K.\i>euiTK ll n r s i : ,
( ' o I o i i i I h i, ./»/!<’ 1->, I 8<S0.
I have lieeii almost afraid to p u t pun to paper, feeling
bow inadequately 1 should convey to you any idea, of our
doings here. W c have, indeed, been paying tb e penally
of greatness. Followed, wherever we go, by eiithusiatie
thousands, not a m om ent to ourselves, our bungalow a t all
times surrounded by a crowd, wliieli the u tm o st endeavours
of two policemen can hardly prevent lroin m aking forcible
entry. O ur whole available time is tak en up in receiving
calls. W e have ju s t returned from Kandy, the ancient,
capital of Ceylon. It, is a lovely place, its environs still
lovelier— it is 0,000 feet above tb e sea level, and tlie cli­
mate magnificent. Words altogether tail me to do justice
to tlie beauty of th e scenery, exquisite both in form and
color. We were p e r m itte d , to sec th a t sacred relic, tbe
tooth of Buddha, which is very rarely shown, this being,
I believe, the first time since the visit ot the Prince of
Wales, five or six years ago. The scene was a most stri­
king one— th e courtyard of the tem ple filled with an eager
crowd of devotees drawn to th e sjiot by a double a ttra c ­
tion— the sacred tooth and th e Theosopliists. T he a n te ­
room anti the staircase leading to the cham ber where the
relic is kept, were filled by a crowd of K andian chiefs and
o th e r gentlem en— th e chiefs being conspicuous by reason
of their extraordinary costum e— a costume which J am
sure no words of mine can do justice to. I will simply
say that it consists of velvet hat of trem endous size and of
brigh t color, heavily embroidered with gold, a short, jacket
of th e same material, the sleeves of which are padded, so
as to m ake the shoulders apparently rise half way up the
head. A w hite satin vest., embroidered with gold and sil­
ver, is worn un der this, and the lower man is swathed in
about, fifteen petticoats secured at the waist, by an em­
broidered and jewelled g irdle— the enxcmhh' being .simply
immense. T h e relic, when not on exhibition, is kept in a
series of pagodas of gold and precious stones, each one
tilling into the other, I don't know how many there are.
but the first one is about three <>r four inches high, anil
the last one about two feet. (Inc of th e most interesting
things we have sje n since we came to Ceylon wns the
ceremony of ordination to the priesthood. We were in­
vited while in Kandy to one such ceremony by Suman-
gala, th e High Priest of Adam’s Peak, and a t the appoint­
ed time of N I*..M., proceeded to tbe temple, a building of
Some 2.'>0 years old, th e gift of one of the Kandian kings.
It is a rectangular oblong structure, the roof supported on
two rooms of square monolithic columns with carved and
painti.'d capitals ; at one end is a niche in which is placed
a large im ige of Buddha in the sitting posture, in front
of this sat two rows of priests, the chief priest being in
the centre of the front rank, all seated with I heir backs
to the image. Oil e ith er side of the hall were seated
oth er rows of priests within the lines of columns leaving
the aisles free. In one of these aisles, against walls were
placed mats aud cushions for our accommodation, and to
which we were duly ushered on entering. Shortly after
our arrival the proceedings commenced. A side door
opened and the neophyte, dressed iu the cost,nine (pre­
viously described) of a Kandian chief, entered,attend ed by
two sponsors, who introduced him lo the chief priest before
w hom he k n e lt and bowed his head to the ground— this
la tte r with considerable difficulty owing to the fifteen
petticoats; lie th en repeated some, lines in Pali and retired
to the centre of th e ball where his sponsors despoiled him
of his finery, and endued him with the priestly rolw, lie
was then lcdlxick to tbe priest, re|>eated more lilies, retired,
walking backwards, returned, and said a few more lines: this
with sundry genuflexions, bowings, itc., completed f lie cere­
mony. I m ust not forget to mention the Ian held by the
H igh Priest, d u rin g the ceremony ; it w a s about two feet iu
diam eter with a perfect, club of carved ivory by way of
handle ; I suppose fhe thing m ust have weighed ten
pounds a t least.
T il K * iil.ii.M I'iI T IIK I'S IIIM IU 'A I. Sim IC T Y W AS n lK iA M Z K U
and inaugurated by Colonel Olcott, and Madame Blavatsky
on the Kith ultimo, and the following officers were elected
Ibr the current, year :—
J ’rcs'uh'iil : Andrew P arera : Vhy-Prcsiih'tils : Simon
Silva and Sena D erage Tepanis P e re ra ; I 'a m U l o f the
iSocii'ty: P a n d it Don A ndris de Silv a Batuwantudaw e ;
S w t ' l i t r y ; J o h n Ja n ie s T h icdm an; Tivimtrer: Simon Perera
Dharm a <lu n naw an lh ana ; (Joniicillorn : Jo h n Uoliert de
Silva. ; William D. Abrew ; ( -harles Step hen Pereira ;
II. Aniaris F e r n a n d o ; 0 . Mathew Fcrnandu.
TAT1LK O F C O N T E N T S .
rnRr. r«sc.
Tin’ Theory of Cycles ........ 212 Soundings in tlic Ocean of
Aryan Literature ............ 25:J
A Olimpse of T an trik Occul­
Mysterious S to n e -T lu w in g
ti s m ...................................... 2 4 1
a t P h u n s te a d ..................... 2." I
A Spectre Guide..................... 215
Tin- Mind is Material ........ 251
•Synopsis of tlie A ryan L it e ­
The Spiritual Command­
rature ............................ . 2UI
Some Things tli.it A ryans ments ................................. 25 (
The l ’rarth.ma S.niuij vs.
K new .................................. 2-17
Christianity. 255
Philosophy in Sanskrit Names
anil Words .218 Erahinoism vs. H in duism ... 255
Agui-liotra Philosophy .. . 25G
The W on l of Honour............ 2-19
A Study iu V egetarianism... 251 T h e II itnlu or Arya Question 25G
Our Delegates in (,'evIon ... 258
I’linto-I nt tlio Iwlntlrivl l ‘, r n liy ]). ('urxotjeo k Co., nml iml>Jislio<l by
the Tlic050|'lii<-«l Society, at No. 108, (■ir^num Back Iton'l, Bombay.
 /Ocreativ
^com m ons
Attribution-NonCom m ercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported

Y o u are free:

to S h a r e — t 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 th e f o llo w in g c o n d it 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
I h 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 ith th e u n d e r s t a n d in 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 .
 A MONTHLY JOURNAL DEYOTED TO ORIENTAL PHILOSOPHY, ART, LITERATURE AND OCCULTISM : EMBRACING :
MESMERISM, SPIRITUALISM, AND OTHER SECRET SCIENCES.

Vol.. I. BO M BA Y , A U G U S T , 1880. No. 11.

Sl’KCIAI. NOTICKS.
WlTllol'T THE HKI.I’ (>K hlloll'I'-ll AN I) WHITEItS IT WILL
I t Id u v i d c u t t h a t t h o T m o a o r i l i v r will ull'ur l o ndvurti.scr.s u n u s u a l a d ­
V an ta g e* in c i r c u l a t i o n . \ \ e h a v e a l r e a d y . s u l n c r i h e r s iu e v e r y p a r t of lie inipossible lor eitlu*i the President or ( 'orrespon-
I n d i a , iu C e y l o n , J h i r m a h , a u d o n t h e P e r s i a n 41nlf. O u r p a p e r a U o ^ uca diny Seeietarv, to answer the letters which, upon return ­
t o ( t r e a t l l r i t a i u , F i a n c e , ( t e r n i a n y , l l u n r r a r y , (I ree cU , .Ku«>la, ( ' o n s t a l i t i -
n o p l e , h i f y p t , A u s t r a l i a , a m i N o r t h a i u l .S o ut h A m e r i c a . T h e f ul lu wi iii ; v e r y
ing from Ceylon, they find piled u p o n their desks. Ami
m u d e r a t v r a t e s h a v e ln. cn a d o p t e d : short-hand writers are not to be had a t Bombay. I t is
Ainiiirmisn Hati.3. hoped, thereiore, th a t those new aud old friends who
H r . i t i n s e r t i o n . ........... Iti li n e s a n d u u d e r ..............1 K u p u o . may not receive the acknowledgments always .so consci­
F o r e a c h a d d i t i o n a l l i n e ...............................................I A n n a . entiously made to correspondents by th e officers of our
S p a c e is c h a i n e d f o r a t t h e r a t e of 1 - li n e d t o t h e in c h . &pc» i.d a r r a n g e ­ Society, will kindly regard the fact as unavoidable aud
m e n t * c a n h e m a d e f o r l a r ^ u a d v e r t i s e m e n t * , a m i f o r l o n g e r a n d ti x e d
puiiods. t o r f u r t h e r i n f o r m a t i o n a n d c o n t r a c t * f o r a d v e r t i s i n g , a p p l y to benevolently excuse it. Those who have seen the work
M ua ai is . C O O l ' K K & Co.,
tha t is done daily iu tlie executive offices a t Bombay, can
realize w hat must have confronted us on castin.' the first
A dve rti >i iii 'A .L 'e id- *, IJiHifci-ellciM a n d 1'uhli^hcrj*, Meadow S tree t, Furt,
liom bay. * glance a t our respective tables, as well us t h c ° n w essity
for the present apologetic paragraph.
Tu s r iis c u i iiE u a .

T h e Snh-Heriptioii p r i c e a t w h i c h t h o T i i i i o s o r m s r h p u M N i c d h a r d v
co ve r.i i o - t t h e d e M - u in e ^ t a h l i . h i n - t h e j o u r n a l h a v i n g b e e n r a t h e r
t o r e a c h a v e r y v\ ido t i n le o f r e a d e r - , t h a n t o m a k e a p r o f i t . Wc cannot O C R 8 E C O X 1 ) YEAR.
a t l o n l , t h e r e f o r e , t o " e n d s p e c i m e n c o p i e s f r e e , n o r t o M ip p ly l i h i a i i e » m i -
ci eU cs , o r i n d i v i d u a l * g r a t u i t o u s l y . F o r t h e Mm.e jea.>on w e a r c o l . l i - e d Like all other pl. usant things, our first year's relations
to a d o p t t h e p l a n , n ow u n i v e r s a l in A m e r i c a , o f r e . | u i r h i i c .n.il.Mj-ihers t o
p a y in a d v a n c e , a m i o f .^ t o p p in ^ t h e p a p e r a t t h e e n d ot t h e t e r m p a i d f o r . with the 'I'llKi.s. > H I I s t ’s .su h . s c rilH . T S ale about to te rm i­
M an y \e a i\i of p ractica l e\|» ericn c c h a i con v in ced W e s te r n p u W i-liers th.it nate. The present is the eleventh number, th a t has been
t h i s >\ ,'t eni o f ca>h p a M i i e n t U t h e l*e>t a u d iuo%t s a t U f . u toi y t o h o t h
p a i t i e * ; n n d ail rc>|»ci t a li l e j o u r n a U a r e n o w c o n d u c t e d o n thi.*> p l a n . issued under the contract, and the Septem ber one will
S u l M c r i h c i * w i s h i n g a p r i n t e d r e c e i p t f o r t h e i r r e m i t t a n c e , n i n , t >e nd lie tin; twelfth and last. T hus every engagement assumed
:? t a m p i f o r r e t u r n p o ^ t o ^ e . O t h e r w i s e , a c k n o w l e d - ' m c n t * will l»e m a d e
t h r o u g h t h e Journal. by the proprietors of the magazine has been honourably
T I . e T h i . u m . n i u t u i l l ii|>|>viir c a c l . l u u i . t l i . T h u r a t e . - , f . . i t . v . . l « c n u m
and literally fulfilled. I t would seem as though they
, r s " * l, " t *c '-’ t l l " ‘ W i - - l u i . i l . , K o y a l I t o t i l < |,, „ f l u a , | j „ L. i i i a l t t , - were m title d to (he acknow ledgm ent of this much even
•ISO c u l u i n i . a i n a l l , a r c u s f o l l m v , ; T « f c m l w . i l . c n ih a n y l . a l t o l I n . l i a , troin those croakers who prophesied the total, proljably
l . s . 0 | .u r a n n u m ; ill ( V y l n u , K s . 7 ; iu tl i u S t r a i t , S f l l l c n i c n l . , , « 'lii n. i J a l . a n
a u d A ustralia, iu. 5 ; in A f r i c a , K u i o p o , a m i t h e U n i t e d * t a t c * t t. 1*. H alf speedy, collapse of the enterprise, l>oth before and after
year j I l K l m l I U . 4 ; b i n x l o c o j . i e , a .......is 1 2 . K t lu i t t a llc f ., in i . , „ | a i sta ll.., the first num ber appeared.
m .u t I.U a t t l . u r . i t u o f a n n a s 1 / t o t l . u K i i | . c u t o c u i c i - . l i s i o m . t . Tin- a l« .n -
rate* imcIimIv | H » , ta K « . A ., ,r ,u U i» t U U » ,it The case of the Til Kosoi-il 1ST calls f o r a Word or two
U n t il th ,s r , . u l t , , l ; l i t . / 1I„ : ,r/« U ot j.artiiulai comment. Even iu any large city of Eiiiojh:
»{ t 'C I " - l i t * ; ; 'U ,I K c l i . l U a n t t ' . s s h n . l h l t,u l u a . l u iu
M on ey-oi-tliT ., l | , n „ l „ , Di ll e l . c . , u UH. |.,i- T r o . i M u y I , i l l s , i f in r u - U t u r w l or America, it is a very rare thing for a periodical of
"IV1'I l l“ >'a l , !° " “ 'i'' t n tl iu I’u o i ’i m l u l l s UK T in . T i u . . t e w i l l » - r , this stam p to survive the natural indifference or hostility
JU o ,O ii^'au m b a c k h o a d , ijo m h a v , Jm lia.
..t the public tor whole y. ar. O ut of scores of atte m p ts
made within our own recollection, tin; successes are so
U l!« ri.a,-.l.< uai-U cl,, C, IV-c-a.Iillv, W . ; N V « - V o r k ,
S . K. W u ll , t o , , a , , Il, , . a , l „ a y ; Jla».,. C o ll .v a n i l K i t h , !l, tew as to be scarcely worth mentioning. As a rule their
ri'|C * ‘a t e ; t h i t n ^ o , III. J . C. l i u n . l j .H.-, I^i Si,llu S t . A m u - k a n Mil.- term ol existence has been in exact ratio with the lump
UI 1 " '<!■ T l, i l l u a . l sum their projectors have been ready to spend upon them.
In India the prospect was tar worse ; for the ]tcoplc are
poor, cut up into innumerable castes, not accustomed to
take in periodicals, and certainly not to patronize th o sy p u t
forth by foreigners. Besides, and especially, the custom
T l I E T H K ( ),S O I * 1 1 1 , S r l ’. has always been t,. give two, three and even nioro veins*
credit to .subscribers, and every Indian publication adver­
tises its respective cash and credit terms of subscription.
BOM IJAY, ALKJUST 1 st, 1880.
All this we knew, and both Anglo-Indian and Native
journalists of the largest experience warned us to a ntici­
I l i c K.litois discliviin xvsjiou.sil.ility lor-oj.iiiioiix t xi.icssi .1 pate lailnrc ; under no circumstances, they thought, woidd
by cmitiilmtor.s in tlii'ii- urticlca. tir r a i lutitiulc is allo n.il it he possible for us to m ake succeed among so ap athetic
to curi'<-.s|ioii(lotiU, ami tlioy ulono an; iiccjiuitabki f,„- wlu.l a people so strange a magazine, even though v\e should
tlivy wnti.-. Kfjcctcil MtSS. aro imt n.,tnnic«l. give unlimited cicdit. But as our object was not profit,
and a.s the Society badly needed such au organ, we decided'
to make the venture. A sum large enough to pay th e
entire cost of the magazine for one year was set aside,
T1IK niTOIIEIt AM) VuVKMllKIt HMI’KS OK THIS .K.l'itX VI.
and the lirst num ber appeared promptly on the day a nnoun­
i ' l l 1!-’ ii'l'iinti'il, new .'iibsci i lin s u l,.. vvisl,* t,l ced— October 1st, IS7!I. Believing thal the credit system
mvo tl.cir year 1..-I,, witl, tin- (Jctolifr ininilicr, will i,oH
was absolute!)- pernicious, and having seen the universal
Ijo cliarywl aima.s .-i-Iit a.I.IiLional to m v e r llir extra
adoption in America ot the plan of cash jNiymeut in
Lost ot tin; ruimblication. Tlio.se who order llieir sub-
advance and its un mixed advantages, we announced th a t
.serijition.s to .late In,in the December, or any late, i.ssm-
l>ay I U <i only, J ' Ihe latter would he tlie rule of this office. Tlie results
are already known to our re n d e rs; in the fourth inontU
 th e m ag azine reached, an d beforo the half yoar was gone,
passod (rliat ticklish p oint where income a n d expenses
bulanfco each i.thor, a n d its success win an assured fact.
M any subscribe™ have been so anxious to have us succeed
tli^t th ey havo sunt u s 'th e ir money to pay for tho m a g a ­
zine. two years iu advance, aud otliors have told us wo
. may oount upou their patronage as loug as thoy may livo.
I t goes w ithout.saying tliat tho p ro je c to rs of the Thko-
sorm sT liavo boon inexpressibly delig hted with the alTec-
'tio n a to response to thoir appeal to th e Asiatic people for
su p p o rt in i.n n tte m p t to snatch from th e ilu-t of obli­
vion tho treasures of Aryan wisdom. W hat h e a rt th a t
W iis not made of stono could lie untouched by so much
devotion as bus boon shown us ami our sacred cause of
human b ro th e rh o o d ! A nd it is our pride and joy to re­
alize th a t all these friends have clustered around ns, even
when we wcro undoi- tho heavy burden of tho suspicious
of tho In d ia n Government, because thoy have believed us
to bo sincere and true ; tho friends a n d b rothers of tho
a r d e n t sons of Asia. If onr first year bewail in un c e rta in ­
ty it closes all b rig h t ami full of promise. W h e re our
mngazino had ono well-wisher th en , now it has tw enty,
a u d by tlio beginning of tho third year will have IIft.y. i t
liaa become a necessity to h u n d re d s of you n g Aryan pa ­
triots, who love to know w hat th e ir ancestors wero so
th a t thoy may a t least dream of em ulating them. I t has
won a place in th e regard of evon A nglo-Indians, of which
class m any in inlluoutial positions time it. I ts merits as
a n oriental magazino havo boen acknow ledged by n n u m ­
ber of the first Orientalists of Europe, who have been by
it intro du ced for tho first t iino to some of tho most learned
of Asiatic priests, pa n d its and slinstre.cu. In another pbico,
m this num ber, will be found a few of tho kind words thut
have been said to aud a b o u t us, at this a n d tho oth er
sido of tho world. As to o u r present s ta n d in g with the
G overnm ent of India, the letter from tho ex-Viceroy,
L ord L y tto n , mid the leading article of the Pioneer, ( p r im ­
ed respectively iu the F e b ru a ry and .lime num bers) us
well as tho appeal from tb e Director of A griculture,
N .-W . P. for help, which uppeared in Jun o, aiuko nil plain.
In short, tho Theosophical Society, and its organ, tho
Tm :080i*insT, aro now so lirmly established t h a t — entirely
a p a r t from tho t>plendid results of llio mission to l!dyIon,
tro a te d olsowhero in a soparato article— every lover of
t r u t h may well rejoice.
W o re wo inclined to b o a stin g wo m ig h t hold out very
attractive inducem ents to subscribers for the second volume.
W e prefer to let our past performance stand ns g u arantee
of w ha t wo will do iu the future. W o havo e n gaged so
juany valuable articles by tho best w riters of Asia, E uro pe
a n d A merica th a t we have no hesitancy in prom ising
th at th e T h k o s o h u s t of 1880-81 will be still more in te rest­
ing aud instructive tlmu it has been for l 8 7 ‘J -80. N a t u ­
rally, the Ceylon voyage, aud tho ta k in g into tho Thcso-
sopliical Society of every lhid dliist priest iu th e Is la n d
of any reputation for ability or learning, will lead to
such a complete exposition of .Buddhism in these columus,
by tho ineu best qualified to speak, as must a rre s t uui-
versnj attention. No Oriental magttzine in th e world
could ever point to such a n array of learned co ntributors
as th e T hkos oi ' h i s t may already prido itself upou.
Thero will be no ohaugo in th e term s of subscription,
as wo wish to m ake it possible for oven the poorest clerk
to take the magazine. Our friends m ust not fo rg e t th a t tho
American plan embraces two features, viz., the subscrip­
tion mouoy must bo in tho m a n a g e r’s hands beforo any copy
is s e n t ; and llio jo u rn a l is discontinued nt I lie. expiration
of the term subscribed for. Theso two rules are invariable,
an d thoy liuvo been announced on the tirst pngo in every
issue, as may be seen upou referring to the P ub lishe r’s
notices. Tbo Septem ber num ber is, therefore, the last
thati will be s e n t to our present, subscribers, except, to such
as have paid f o r a f u rth e r term. A n d e s it takes time both
to remit money and to open a new set. of books, we advise
all who wisli to recoivo tho Novem ber n u m b e r a t tlio
usual time, to forward th e ir .subscriptions a t once. W o
m u st a g a in request th a t all cheques, huudis, mouey-ordors,
re g iste re d letters and other rem ittances on a c c o u n t of the;
magazine m ay bo made to tho order of “ th e Proprietors;
of tlib T h e o s o p h i s t , ” and, to no one else.
‘ ’ ■■ t
------ • ------- , ' .
F R U IT S O F T IIE CEYLON- M IS S IO N .' .
From th e narratives th a t have been transferred to these
pages from t he Pioneer mid o th e r sources, our public h a s
already le a rn t wlmt a splendid reception our D elegation
wns given in Spicy Lanka. These narratives liuvo includ­
ed some desc rip tio n s of th e pageuuts, processions, a u d
hospitalities >»ivcii iu their honour. But noth in g th a t has
been or can be w ritten, will adequately convey an im ­
pression of the alm ost royal welcome wo received from
our B uddhist brethren. From tho moment of our l a n d ­
ing to th a t of ou r departure, every day was made by th em
a jubilee of joy nnd fraternity. Our every want was a n ti ­
cipated and provided for. H o u b c s , furiture, servants,food,
c arriages—all were plue.od (it our disposal. W h e n wo.
moved from village to vilhige'it was in privato carriages,
or in mail-coaches specially chartered for our use. W e
wero en tertained and escorted by committees of tbe most
inlluential g entlem en ; aud the m ost em inent priests iu
all the Island invoked the bloated influence of B uddh a
mid tho holy R a h a ts (Uishis) upon our heads ; some of th o
most ag e d coming often a dozen or tw enty miles afoot to
pay us th e ir respects. I n eig ht weeks wo founded seven
Buddhistic Theosophical branch Societies, aud one—th e
L iu k a Theosophical Society, a t Colombo— especially for
the study of tho Occult Sciences. In this sho rt period of
time wo initiated more now m em bers than in all our
eighteen months iu India. Tho Theosophical Society is
now b ettor situated than any oth e r body iu the whole
world to secure a thorough exposition of the resources of
P.di literature, and tho prelim inary steps towards tha t
eiul have id road)’ been taken. A t one stride our Society
lias, th ro u g h the alfectiouato zeal of the Buddhist p rie sts
and laymon, been pushed to tho very fron t of the move­
ment for S inhalese regeneration aud religious reform. W o
havo taken no sides in sectarian m atters, a rro g a te d no
authority, made no rash promises, asked no privileges
except tha t of assistin g tho Buddhists themselves iu tho
grand work th a t is contemplated. W ith o u t seeming in­
vidious we cannot hero single out individuals to th a n k for
kindnesses. T o one and all, personally a n d on tbo spot,
wo did this. B u t there are certain priests whose names
will over bo held in grateful recollection iu this Society,
since to them is mainly duo tho magnificent fru its th a t
crown our mission. T hese are th e Jtevs. H ikkaduw o
Sum angala, M o h o ttiw atteG u n u n a n d e ,P o tu w ila In d rajo tti,
BulatgHina 1'. Sunuiuatissa, and Piyaratana Tissa. O thers
were cqmdly willing to help but prevented by one causo
or another from doing a g r e a t deal. J u s t before leaving
the Island, Colonel Olcott called, a t Galle, a convention of
priests and su bm itted a plan for th e organization of a
perm anent Ecclesiastical Council which was Unanimously
adopted, and th a t body will soon convene and d istrib u te
the work of tran slating such of the most valuable portions
of Buddha’s own teach in gs ns have n ot h ith e rto been
accessible to European scholars. On the following dny
thero was a general m e e tin g of tho Pre sid e n ts of the
seven Buddhistic branch Societies to receive instructions
as to the work th a t will be expected of them .
W ith tho fatuity th a t always possesses them , th e Chris­
tian missionaries an d th e ir party elected to atta c k our
Delegation with b itte r and unscrupulous hostility. N o t
content Lo “ leave well alono,” and perm it two millions of
loyal British Buddhist, subjects to enjoy without moles­
tation tho religious privileges to which they are entitled
u nd e r tho Constitution, theso idiots rtished a t them and
their friends, the Tlieosophists, with mud fury. Calum­
nies and l ie s of all sorts wcro circulated ; and every tneaus,
c x c o p tth a t of mimly public discussion, was adopted to te r ­
rorize tho mild SinhaloBO. T hey failed, of course,for if the
N atives h a d been ever so r ea d y to be cowed— which they
wero uot— tho Delegatesof ourSociety were m ade of different
stuff and returned blow for blow. A t P an ad ure (incor­ ' Councillor.!: -
rectly written Pan turn) they plucked up courage enough Mr. Nicolas Perera A b ay a K a ru n n a ra tn a Disd Nayaka.
to challenge Colonel Olcott to publicly debate th e divine „ D on Jaro nis Goonetileke R djakarunaratne.
origin of Christianity, b u t suffered such an ignominious „ Don Frederick Goonetileke Mahatmya. f
defeat, as the best authorities say, they had never m e t with ’ „ Sim on Fernando.
before. T h e ir champion on th a t occasioit wns made so ,, M aham arakkalage Samuel Perera.
ridiculous t h a t he was followed to th e railway station by a „ Cornelius Perera W arna K ula Jayasurya Karuna-
booting and jeering crowd, in which wero m any Christians, ratne Appoohami.
it is said. Among the stupid falsehoods set afloat by our „ Don Bram py K arunaratne.
enemies was one th a t th e R ig h t Honorable Lord Lindsay,
M.P., F.R.S., one of th e Councillors of the Theosophical T h k B e n t o ta T h e o s o p h ic a l S ocik ty.
[ K s tf th lis h o d a t B e n t o t a o n tlio 2 3 rd o f J u n e , 1890.]
Society, had repudiated his connection with us ; the fact
being th a t th a t em in en t savant and nobleman, in a letter President:
of May 20, accepts th e position iii question w ith “ cordial Mr. Don Andrew de Silva Tillekeratne.
th a n k s ” for w hat he kindly designates as tho honour done S ecretary :
him. T h e 'C h ris tia n party were fairly and publicly w a rn ­ Mr. Thomas de Alwis Goonetileke.
T rea su rer:
ed a t K andy to leave us alone and m ind th e ir own busi­
ness or th e y would m e the day. T h e y would n o t listen ' Mr. D on Jam e s P e ter de Silva.
to reason, and consequently will lose more grou nd'am ong T h e W e l i t e i u T h e o s o p h ic a l S o c ie ty . ■
th e Sinhalese within th e next tWo years tlian th ey have [Est/iblishod At Wolitora on tlio 10th of July, 1880.]
gained during the pasfc two centuries. T ruly th e y verify l\e s id e n t:
th e ancient proverb ‘ W hom the gods would destroy they Mr. Baltasar Mendis Weerasinghe, In te rp re te r Mudeliar.
first m ake mad.’ Vice-President:
T he following is a list of the branches in Ceylon of the Mr. Don Ovinis Goonesekere,
Theosophical Society, w ith their respective officers:— T reasurer : :
T h k K a .v d y T h e o s o p h i c a l S o c i e t y . Mr. K alum in Samuel de Silva.
[KutablisBeil a t Kandy onjtho 13th of J a n e , 1SS0.]
Tem porary Secretaiy :
President; ‘ * * ' Mr. Sadris de Silva W ijewardhana.
Mr. T. B. Pannabokke.
Vice-President : T h e G a l l e T h e o s o p h ic a l S o c ie t y ,
Mr. Don A braham W im alasurya Abayaratna, M obundrum. [Established nt GaIIo on th o 25th of May, 1880.]
‘ S e c re ta ry : • P residen t:
Mr. John H e n ry Abeyesekere. Mr. G. C. A. Jayasekere.
' ' Treasurer : Vice-Presidents :
Mr. Jam es A lexander Sriwardhana. Mr. Simon P erera Abey- Mr. Jacob Dias Abeygoone-
Councillors : wardene. wardene.
Mr. K. Solomon Perera. P a n d it:
„ George Frederick Weerasekara. Mr. Frederick Dias.
,, Arnold B. Silva. . Treasurer :
,, Don Carolis de Silva W ik ram atilak a Sriwardhana. Mr. S. P. D. B. D ’Silva,
„ Don Lawrence do Silva Sunderappoohami. Secretary :
Mr. P. C. Wijeratne.
T h e C olombo T h e o so p h ic a l S o c ie t y . '
A ssistan t Secretary: .
Mr. Charles Garusinghe.
[Established at Colombo on tho 8 th of Juno, 18S0]
Councillors : ..
P re s id e n t: Mr. H e n ry Perera Abeywardenc.
Mr. Andrew Perera. „ Geo. B. p ’Alwis.
Vice~l*residents : '
„ D on Dines Subesinghe.
Mr. Simon Silva. | Mr. S ena D irage Tipanis Perera.
„ P au l Edward de Silva Ponnam perum a
. Secretary ; Appoohami.
Mr. Jo h n Jam es Thiedeman. „ Samuol Sudriokoo Jayawikrama,
Treasurer :
Mr. Simon Perera D harm m a Goonewardhana. T h e M ataha T h e o s o p h ic a l S o c ie ty .
P a n d it: [EitablUhod at Mittnrn on tho 2Sth of June , 1880.)
Mr. D on A ndris de Silva Batuw antudaw e. P re s id e n t:
C ouncillors: Mr. David Andris Jayasurya.
Mr. C. Mathew. Vice-Presidents
„ Jo h n Robert de Silva. Mr. Don Andris de Silva Mr. Carolis Jayawere.
„ H. Amaris Fernando. Goonoratue, Mahawidane. , ,
„ Charles Stephen Pereira. S ecretary and T reasurer :
„ W illiam de Abrew. • - Mr. Darley Gooneratne.
Councillors :
T h e P a n 'a d u h e T h e o s o p h i c a l S o c ie ty .
Mr. Don Louis R am aw ikram a Jayaw ardhana, W idane
' Ar&chi.
[Established ht Pamulnre on tho 20th of Jnno, 1880.]
„ Don Bastian Jayasurya,
P re sid e n t : ., Theodoris W ikram atun ga, Arachi.
Mr. F. Charles J a yatilak a K aru na ratne, Mudeliar. „ R atnaw ere Patabondige Don Christian.
V ice-P residen ts: „ Don Bastian do Silva Samarasinghe.
Mr. Don A braham Leonar- Mr. Romanis Peiris, Mudeliar.
dus Abeyesekere. T h e L a x k a T h e o so ph ic a l S o c ie t y .
T reasurer : . [Established a t Colombo on tho 17th of Juno, 1880, for tbo study of tho
Mr. Theodore F ernando Vannigasekero Goonewardhana, • Occult Scioncos.J
Mudeliar. .. •, P resid en t: '
S ecretary : Mr. Edward F. Perera.
Str. M u ttu ta n trig e J o h n Jacob Cooray. ■ V ice-P resident:
Mr. J o hn Pereira.
A ssistan t S ecretary : Secretari/ and T reasurer ;
Mr. Solomon'de Fonseka. : : Mr. R. Hi teem bruggeh;
 7 7 //; OCCULT SC IE N C E S.
(A l . c t u r c i l e l i r c r e i l a t f 'o lo n ilio , C!oylon, 011 t l i c 15l.1i n f .Tuno 1880.]
IIV C O LO N K I. 1IK N K Y S. O U 'O T T .
1’retiJcnt of the Thcosophkal Society.
I n tlio toiitli chapter his famous work, entitled A n
E h ijHtri/ coitc/Tiit/i'/ 11u iit'i u Ij i\*if1t'ft <1ii i/ 1 ntj, David H u m e
a tte m p ts to define the limits of philosophical enquiry.
So pleased was th e a u th o r with his work tliat ho has
placed it. on record that, with the* “ wise and learned”— a
most necessary separation, since a niiin may ho wise w ith­
out being a t all learnod, while modern science has intro­
duced to us m a ny of her most famous men who, though
hurst in}' liko Ja c k liunshy with learning, wore far, r n y
far from wise— his (H u m e ’s) postulate m u st he “an ever­
lasting check to all kinds of superstitious delusions." For
many years this oracular utterance was unquestioned, and
l l u m e ’s a p o phthe g m was laid like a chloroformed h a n d ­
kerchief, over th e mouth of every man who a tte m p te d to
discuss th e phenom ena of the invisible world. Hut a
brave E n glish m an and man of science— whom wo are
proud to say accepted the diploma o f our Theosophical
Society— to-wit, Alfred Russell Wallace, F.Ii.S., has of
late called H u m e ’s infallibility iu question. H e finds two
grave defects in his proposition that, “ a miracle is a visita­
tion of the laws of N a tu re since it assumes, firstly, th a t
wc know all the laws of nature ; and secondly, that, an
unusual phenom enon a miracle. S p e a k in g deferential­
ly, is it not after all a piece of preposterous egotism for
any living m an to sayTw hat is, or ra th e r w hat is mtf, a law
of N a tu re ? 1 havo enjoyed th e acquaintance of scientists
who could actually re p e at th e nam es of the several parts
o f a bod h u g and even of a flea. Upon this rare accom­
plish m en t they |ilumed themselves not a little, and took
on th e airs of a man of science. I have talked with them
ab ou t th o laws of N atu ro and found th a t they thought they
knew en oug h of them to dogmatize to m e about the
Knowable and t ho Unknowable. I know doctors of m e­
dicine, oven professors, who were road u p in physiology
anil able to dose th e ir pa tie nts w ithout exceeding
tho conventional average of casualties good-naturedly
allowed th e profession. Thoy havo dogmatized to me
about science and the laws of N atu re, although not one of
them could toll mo any th in g positive abo ut th e life of
man, in eith e r tho states of omnn, embryo, infant, ad ult or
corpse. T h e most candid medical authorities have always
frankly confessed t h a t the human being is a puzzle as ye!,
unsolved and medicine " scientific guess-work." Has ever
y e t a surgeon, as he stood lieside a subject on tho dissect­
ing table of th e am phitheatre, dared toll his class th a t lie
know w h at life is, or th a t his scalpel could cut awav any
integum ental veil so as to lay bare tho mystery > Did
any modern botanist ever venture to explain w h a t is that
trem endous secret law which m ak es every seed produce
th e p lant or tree of its own k in d ? Mr. H ux ley and
his fellow-biologists have shown us protoplasm— th e gela­
tinous substance which forms th e physical basis of life—
an d told us th a t it is substantially ideutical iu composition
in p la n t and animal. B u t they can go no farther than tho
microscope and spectroscopc will carry them. Do you
d o u b t m e ? Then hear tho mortifying confession of P ro ­
fessor H u x le y himself. “ In perfect strictness,” lie says
" it is tr u e tliat wc know nothing a b o u t tho composition
of any body whatever, as it is !” A nd y e t w h a t scientist is
there who has dogmatized more a b o u t th e limitations of
scientific enquiry ? D o you think that, because the ch e ­
mists can dissolve for you the h u m a n body into its ele­
m en tary gases and ashes until w hat was once a tall man
can be p u t into an e m p ty cigar-box and a large bot tle,
thoy can help you any b e tte r to und erstan d w h a t th a t
living m an really was ? Ask th e m ;— I am willing to let
th e case rest upon their own unchallenged evidence.
Science ? Pshaw ! W h a t is th e re worthy to wear th a t
imperial name so long as its m ost noisy representatives
cannot tell us the least p a rt of th e m ystery of man or of
th e natu re which environs him, L<et science explain to
us how the littlost blade of grass grows, or bridge over
the “ abyss” which F a th e r Felix, the groat French Catho­
lic orator tau ntin gly told th e Academy, existed for it in a
grain of sand, and then dogmatize as much as it. likes
ab ou t the luirx o f N u t are ! In common with all heretics
1 h a te th is presum ptuous p r e t e n c e ; and as one who,
having studied psychology for nearly th irty years, has
some right, to be hoard, 1 piotost against, and u tterly re­
pudiate, tho least, claim of our modern science to know all
th e laws of N ature, and to say what is or w hat is nut
IKissible. As lor tho opinions of lion-scientific critics, who
never informed themselves practically about even one law
of N ature, they aro not worth even listening to. And yet
what a clamour they make, to be sure ; how th e public
ear h;us been assailed by the din of ignorant and conceit­
ed criticasters. It is liko being among a crowd of stock­
brokers on tin* exchange. Fvcry one of the authorities is
dogmatizing in liis most vociferous and impressive milli­
ner. One would th in k to read and hear what all these
priests, editors, authors, deacons, elders, civil and military
servants, lawyers, merchants, vestrymen aud old women,
and thoir followers, adm irers and echoing toadies have to
say— t h a t flu; laws of N a tu re wero as familiar to them ns
thoir alphabets, ami t h a t every one carried in his pocket
th e combination key to the C hu bb lock of th e Universe !
I f these people only realized how foolish th e y really arc
in rushing in
“ ........................ where Angels fenr to trend,” '
— they might, som ew hat abate th e ir pretences. And if
conimon-sonse were ns plentiful as conceit, a lecture ii]ton
the Occult Sciences would l>o listened to w ith a more
hum ble spirit than, I am afraid, can lie counted njion in
our days.
I havo tried by simply calling your atten tion to the
confessed ignorance of our modern scientists of the n a ­
ture of Life, to show you th a t in fact all visible phenom e­
na aro occult, or hidden from the average inquirer. The
term n in th has been given to th e sciences relating to the
mystical side of n a tu re— the d e p a rtm e n t of Force or
Spirit. Open any liook on science or listen to any lecture
or address by a modern authority, and you will see that
modern science limits its enquiry to the visible material
or physical universe. Tho combinations and correlations of
limiter under the impulse of hidden forces, are what it
studies. To facilitate this line of enquiry mechanical
ingenuity has lent th e most marvellous assistance. The
microscope has now been perfected so as to reveal tho
tiniest, objects in the tiny world of a drop of dew ; the
telescope brings into its Held and focus glittering constel­
lations th a t— as Tom Moore poetically says—
“ ................................ ........... . stand
Mko winkin'; neiitiiielH u| k>n the void
llevond which Clmns dwells
tho chem ist’s balances will weigh m a tte r to tho ten-
tho usan dth p a r t of a gi’ain ; by th e spectioscope th e com­
position of all things on earth ami suns and stars is
claimed to bo demonstrable in tho lines they m ake across
the spectrum ; substances hitherto supposed to be ele­
m ents are now proved to be compounds and w hat we have
imagined compounds, arc found to be elements. Inch by
inch, step by stop, Physical Science has marched from
its old prison in th e dungeon of ■'the Church towards
its desired goal— th e verge of physical nature. I t would
not be too much to ad m it th a t th e verge has been
almost reached, b u t th a t Edison's recent discoveries of
tho telephone, th e phonograph and the electric light,
and Crookes's of tho existence and properties of Ra­
d ia n t Matter, seem to have pushed farther away the
chasm th a t separates the confessedly Knowable from the
fancied Unknowable. 'I'lio recent advances of physical
science tend to m itigate somewhat, the pride of onr scien­
tists. I t is as though whole domains previously undreamt
of were suddenly exposed to view as each new eminence
of knowledge is gained ; just, as the traveller sees long
reaches of country to bo traversed upon climbing to the
crest of th e m ountain th a t had been sh utting him in
witli in a narrow horizon. Tlio fact is tlmt w heth er r e ­
garded from lier physical or dynamical side, N a tu r e is a
book with a n endless variety of subjects to be studied
anil mysteries to be unravelled. And as reyards Science,
there is a thousand times more th a t is Occult than fami­
liar aud easy to understand.
Tho realization of this fact, bolli a.s the result of per­
sonal enquiry and of conversation with the learned, was
one chief cause ol th e organization of the Theosophical
Society.
Now, it must be agreed that while the first necessity
for the candid student is to discover the depth and im ­
mensity of his own ignorance, the next is to find out when;
and how th a t ignorance may Ik; dispelled. We must tirst
fit ourselves to become pupils and then look about for a
teacher. Where, in what part of the world can there I k -
lound men capable of teaching us a part of the mystery
tliat is hidden behind the mask of the world of m a tte r
Who holds th e secret of Life ! W ho knows what Force
is, and what causes it to bring around its countless, e te r­
nal correlations with the molecules of m a tte r ' W hat
ndcpt can unriddle for us the problem bow W o r l d s are
built and why { Can any one tell us whence, man came,
whither he goes, what lie is t W h a t is the secret of
birth, of sleep, of thought, of memory, of death '! Wliat is
tha t Eternal, Self-Existent Principle, th a t by common con­
sent is believed to be the source of e verything visible and
invisible, and with which man claims kinship W'e, little
modern jieople, have been going about iu search after this
teacher, with our toy lanterns iu ourliands as though it were
night instead of brig h t day. The light of truth shines all the
while, b u t we, being blind, cannot, see it. Does a new
authority proclaim himself, we run from all sides, but only
see a common man with bandaged eyes, holding a pretty
banner aud blowing his own trum pet. “ Come,” lie cries,
“ come, good people, and listen to one who knows the
laws of N ature, hollow my load, join my school, enter
my church, buy my nostrum and yon will be wise in this
world, and happy h e r e a f te r ! ” How many of these p r e ­
tenders there have b e e n ; how they have imposed for a
while U]H>n the world ; what meannesses and cruelties
their devotees have done in their behalf; and how their
shams and hum bugs have ultimately been exposed, the
pages of history show. T here is but one truth, and that
is to Ik: sought for in th e mystical world of m a n ’s interior
nature ; theosophically, and by the help of the “ Occult
Sciences.”
If history has preserved for ns the record of m u ltitu d i­
nous failures of materialists to read the secret laws of
N ature, it. has also kept for our instructiou the stories
of many successes gained by Theosopliists in this direc­
tion. There is no impenetrable mystery iu N a tu re to the
student who knows how to interrogate her. If physical
facts can be observed by the eye of th e body, so can spi­
ritual laws be discovered by that interior perception of ours
which we call th e eye of the spirit. T his perceptive power
inheres in the n atu re of man ; it. is his godlike quali­
ty which makes him superior to brutes. W hat W e call
seers and prophets, the Buddhists know as nt/ml* and the
Aryans as true are only men who have em a n­
cipated th e ir interior selves from physical bondage b y
meditation in secluded spots whore the foulness of a v e r a g e
hum anity could not taint them, and where they were nearest,
to the threshold of N ature's temple ; and by the gradual and
persistent conquest of brutal desire alter desire, taste
after taste, weakness after weakness, .sense after sense,
they have moved forward to the u ltim ate victory of spirit.
Jesus is said to have gone thus apart to be tem p ted ; mi
did Mahomet who sjH.-nt one day in every mouth alone in
a mountain cave ; so did Zoroaster, who emerged from the
seclusion of his m ountain retreat only at the age of 40 : so
did Buddha, who?e knowledge of the cause of pain and
discovery of the path to A7n-<<//«, was obtained by soli­
tary self-struggles in desert places. T urn over the leaves
of the book of records and you will liud th a t every man
who really did penetrate the mysteries of life and death,
got the truth iu solitude and iu a m ighty travail of body
and spirit. These were all Theosopliists— tlmt i*. original
searchers after spiritual knowledge. What they did, what
t hey achieved, any oth er man of equal qualities may attain
to. Aud this is the lesson ta ught by the Theosophical
Society. As they spurned churches, revelations aud lead­
ers, and wrested the secrets trom the bosom ol Xat.ure, so
do we. Iluddha said that we should believe nothing Upon
authority, not even his own, but believe because our rea­
son told us the assertion wa.s true, lie began by striding
over even the sacred Vedas because they were used to
prevent original Iheusophieal research : casl.es lie brushed
aside as selfish monopolies. 11 is desire was to lliug wide
open every door to th e sanctuary of Tru th . We organized
our Society— as the very tirst section of our original byo-
laws expresses it— “ for th e discovery of all the laws of
Nature, and the dissemination of knowledge of tho same.”
Tho known laws of N ature why should we busy ourselves
with T he unknown, or occult ones were to be our spe­
cial province of research. No one in America, none iu
Europe, now living, could help us, except in special bran­
ches, such as Magnetism, ( Yystal reading, I’sychoniotry,
aud those most striking phenomena ot so-called medium-
sliip, grouped together under the generic name ot modern
spiritualism. T hough the Vedas, the 1‘uraus, th e Zend
Avesta, the Koran, and the Milile teemed with allusions
to the sayings and doings of wonder-working tlicuso-
pliists, wo were told by every one that the power had long
since died out, and the adepts vanished I rot i l the sight of
men. Did we m ention th e name Occult Science, the mo­
dern biologist curled his lip in line scorn, and the lay fool
gave way to senseless witticisms.
It was a discouraging prospect, no doubt ; but in this,
as in every other instance, the dilliculties wen? more
imaginary than real. We had a clue given us to the
right rural by one who hail spent a. long lifetime in travel,
who had found th e science to lie still extant, with its
proficients and m asters still practising il. as in ancient
days. The tidings were most encouraging, as are those
of help and succour to a party of castaways on an u n ­
friendly shore. W e learned to recognize the supreme
value ol the discoveries of Paracelsus, ot Mesnier aud
ot Von kcichcnhach, as the stepping stones to the higher
branches of Occultism. Wc turned again to study them,
aud the more we studied the clearer insight did we get
into the meaning of Asiatic myth and fable, and th e
leal object and methods ol tie' ascetic theosopliists ot
all agi'S. T he words ‘ body,’ • soul,’ ‘ spirit,’ and
Xin'ditn acquired each a definite and comprehensible
meaning. We could understand what the Vogi wished
to express by his uniting himself with Brahma, aud be­
coming Hrahma ; why the biographer of Jesus made
him say ' I and the .Father are one’ ; how Sankanicha-
raya and others could display such phenomenal learning
without having studied it in books ; whence Zartusht
acquired his profound spiritual illumination ; aud how
th e Lord Sakya Aluni, though but a man " b o r n iu the
purple,” might nevertheless become All-Wise aud A ll­
Powerful. Would my hearer learn this secret ! Let him
study Mesmerism and master its methods until lie can
plunge his subject into so deep a sleep t lui I. I he body is
made to seem dead, and the freed soul can be sent, where­
soever he wills, about the Earth or among l.lie stars. Then
lie will see the separate reality of the body and its dweller.
Or, let him read Professor Denton’s “ Soul of Tilings,”
aud test the boundless resources ol Psychmuetry ; a
strange yet simple science which enables ns to trace back
through the ages the historx of any substance held in
the sensitive psychometer's hand. T hus a fragment of
stone from • 'iccro’j* house, or the Egyptian pyram ids;
or a bit ot cloth from a mumm y s shroud ; or a failed
parchment or letter or painting ; or some garm ent or other
article, worn by a historic personage ; or a fragment
of an aTolite— give to the psychomcter impressions,
sometimes am ounting to visions surpassingly vivid, of the
building, monument, mummy, writer or painter, or
the long-dead personage, or the meteoric orbit from
which the last-named object fell. This splendid science,
 for whose- 11!:<•■<i\-.-rv In ihe \ rvn INK). tin'w orld is iudebt-
oel in l’iulcs-.i.i Joseph II. i >11<;11:i)i;111, now a Follow ol
our Society, Ims hut just begun to show its capabilities.
Put already it has shown us that, in tin: Al.iinn, or E th e r
ol science, are preserved (lie records ol' every hum an ex­
perience, deed and word. No m a tte r how long forgotten
.‘Mid gone hy, they nre slill a record, and according In
I’ucluinau’s estimate, about lour out ol' every 1,cn peM'sons
have in greater or less degre'e the |is\’i'liolnetl'icnl power
which can read those imperishable pages of th e Jiook of
Lile. Taken by itself either Mesmerism, or Psychoine'try,
or I’arou Roichenhach s theory of <>dvIe. or Odic Force
is sullicicnt 1v wondcrful. In Mesmerism a sensitive' su b ­
ject. is put by magnetism into the magnetic; sloop, during
which liis oi her body is insensible lo pain, noises or any
other disturbing iuHiieiices. T he I’sychometer, on the
contrary, does not sloop, but only sits or lies passively,
holds I he letter, t’rnyineiit of stone or other object iu tin ’
hand or against tho centre of the forehead, and w ithout
knowing al, all wl/al it is or whence it came, describes
wlial, he or she fools or sees. Oft,lie two methods of look­
ing into the invisible world, l ’sycliometry is prel’orablv.
tor it is not attended with the risks o f the magnetic slu m ­
ber, arising Irom inexperience in the operator, or low
physical vitality in the soinnainhule. Ha run Dupntot, M.
I'ahagnol. Professor \\ illiani O r c g o r v , and other au th o ri­
ties tell us of instances of this latter sort in which the
sleeper was wilh difficulty brought buck to earthly con­
sciousness. so 1ransceinlent Iv beautiful were the scenes
that broke upon ih e ir spiiilual vision. Uoichenbaoh s
disco v o n — t lie result, of several years' ox peri mental research
wit.li tho most, expensive apparatus nnd a. groat variety
of subjects, Iiy one of ihe most em inent chemists and
physicists of modern lim e s—was this. A hitherto un ­
suspected force exists in Nature, having, like electricity
and magnetism, its positive :iud negative poles. I t p e r­
vades everything in tho mineral, vegetable and animal
kingdoms. Our Kart-11 is charged with it, it is in the
stars, and there is a dost; interchange of polar influences
between us and all th e heavenly bodies, lio n ; 1 hold
in my hand a specimen of iptarlz crystal, sent me from
the (lastein M ountains in Furope bv llio Baroness Von
Yay. I!efiire Iteichenhach’s discovery of tlio Odic Force
— as he calls it— this would have had no special interest
to tIn1 geologist, beyond its being a. oiirious example of
imperfect crystallization, liut now it has a definite value
beyond this. I f l pass the apex, or positive pole, over
th e wrist, aud palm of ;i sensitive person— thus, bo will
fool a sensation of warmth, or cold, or the blowing of a
thin, rn'i/ thin pencil of air over t lie skin. Some fool
ono thing, some another, according to (lie Odic condition
of their own bodies, sp e a k in g of this latter phenomenon,
viz., that tho Odic polarity of our bodies is peculiar to
ourselves, different from the bodies of oncli other, different
in the right and left sides, and different a t night and
morning in th e same body, lot, me ask you w heth er a
phenomenon long noticed, supposed by flu1 ignorant, to be
miraculous, and yet constantly denied by those who never
saw it, may not be classed as a purely Odic one. I refer
to th e levitation of fisoet.ios and saints, or t he rising info
tho air of th e ir bodies at, moments when they wore deeply
entranced, Haron Reiclionbach found that, tho Odic se n ­
sibility of his best patients greatly changed iu health
and disease. Professor Forty, of ( Ionova, and Dr. Just,inns
Kilm er toll us that th e bodies of certain hysterical p atients
rose into f he air without visible cause, and floated as light
a.s a feather. D uring th e Salem W itch craft horrors one
of flu' subjects, Margaret Rule, was similarly levitated.
Mr. William Crookes recently published a list, of no less
than forty Catholic ecstatics whose levitation is regarded
as proof of their peculiar sanctity. \ o w I myself, in
common with many other modern observers of psycholo­
gical phenomena, have soon a person iu tho full enjoy­
ment ot consciousness, raised into the air by a more exer­
cise of the will. This person was an Asiatic by b irth and
had studied the occult sciences in Asia, and explains the
rem arkable phenomena as a simple exam ple of change
of corporeal polarity. Yon all know llio electrical law
that oppositely electrified bodies a ttra c t and similarly
electrified ones repel each other. Wo say th a t we stand
upon the earth because of th e force of gravitation, with­
out slopping lo think how much of flu; explanation is a
more p atter of words conveying no accurate idea, to the
mind. Sup]lose we say th at we cling to the earth's sur­
face, because the polarity of our body is opposed to the polar­
ity of the spot of earth upon which wo stand. T h at would
be soiont ilieallv correct, liut- how, if our polarity is rever­
sed, w hether by disease, or the mesmeric passes of a power­
ful magnetiser, or tho constant, effort of a trained self-w ill.
To classify:— suppose th a t we were either a hysteric
pal iont, an oeslatie, a soinnambule, or an adopt in Asiatic
Occult. Science. In either case if tho polarity of th e body
should be changed to it.s opposite polarity, and so onr
electrical, magnetic or odic state be made identical with
that of tlio ground beneath us, the long-known electropo-
laric law would assort, itself and our body would rise
into the air. It would lloat, as long as these, mutual
polaric differences continued, and rise to a height, exactly
proportionate to th e ir intensity. So much ot light is
let into the old domain of t ’linrcli “ miracles by Mes­
merism and tho Oil discovery.
Hut our m ountain crystal has another ami far moro
striking peculiarity than more odic polarity. It is nothing
ap parently hut. si poor lum p of glass, and yet. in its heart
can bo seen strange mysteries. There art' doubtless a
score of persons in this gieat, audience who, if thoy would
sit, iu an easy posture an d a, ipiiot place, and gaze into
mv crystal for a few minutes, would se.e and describe to
me pictures of people, scones and places in different
countries as well as their own beautiful ( 'ovlon. 1 gave
the crystal into th e hand of a, lady wlm is a. natural
clairvoyant, just after I had received it from Hungary.
“ I soc,‘‘ she said,’- a large, handsome room in what appears
to be a oastle. Through an open window can be seen
a park with smooth-broad walks, trim m ed lawns, and
trees. A noble-looking ladv stands at a marble-topped
table doing up som ething into a parcel. A servant man
in rich livorv stands as though waiting for his mistress s
orders. Il is this crystal that she is doing up, and she
puts it, into a. brown box, som ething like a small musical
I.ox.” T he clairvoyant know' nothing abo ut the* crystal,
hut. she bad given an aceurato dosci'ipfiem of the sender,
of her residence, and of th e box in which the crystal came
to m e . I low M m'iii any of the sell’-conceitod little people
who say sm a rt little nothings about, flits absurdity of
the Occult Sciences, answer !
I’oiohenbai'h's oaivful investigations prove th a t minerals
have e'aeli tlii'ir own peculiar odic polarity, anel this lots
us into an un derstanding of much that th e Asiatic people
have said about, tho mngie'al pre.pertios of gems. You
havo all heard of th e regard in which tb e sapphire lias
over b e e ' i i belcl for its .supposed magical property to .assist
somnambulic vision. “ The. s a p p h ire '’ aeeonling to a
Huddhist, w riter “ will open barre'd doors and dwellings
(for the spirit of m a n ) : it. produces a desire for prayer,
and brings wif.li it more peace; than any other gem ; but.
he who would wear it m u st lwul a pure anel holy life;.’
Nowr a series of investigations by Amoretti into the
electrical polarity of pree:ie>us stones (which we. find report­
ed iu Kiese-r’s . \ iy Ii !k Vol. IV., p. <12) resulted in proving
that fho iliamouel, tho garnet,, the; amethyst, are— E.. while
tho sapphire is + E. Orpheus tolls lienv by means of
a load-stone- a whole amliencc may be‘ affected. P y th a ­
goras, whose: knowleelgc was derived from India. pays a
particular attentio n to th e colour and n atu re of precious
st,ones ; and Apollonius of Tyana, ones of the purest anil
grandi'st mi'ii who ever lived, accurately ta u g h t his elis-
e'iplos the various occult pioperties of gems.
T hus does scientific inquiry, agreeing with the research­
es of tho greatest, philosophers, the experiences of reli­
gious ecstaties, continually— though, as a rule, un in te n ­
tionally— give us a solid basis for studying Occultism. The
more e.f physical p henom ena we observe and classify, the
more helped is th e stuelcut of occult sciences and of
 tlio ancient Asiatic sciences, philosophies anil religious. Sau.'l.rit. .1furathi. Latin.
The fact is, we, m o d e m Europeans, have been so blind­ Veerataru Pen taptcres Arjuna.
ed by the l'limes of our own conceit that we have
Sahachara ) W'T3t '
not been able to look beyond our noses. We have (two varieties ) j-L a rle n a longitolia
been boasting of our glorious enlightenm ent, our scien­
tific discoveries, our civilization, and our superiority Darbha Sacchariun cylindricum.
to everybody with a d a rk skin, and to every nation, east V rikshadanee Loranlhius sp. '.
of tlie Volga and th e Red Sea or south of tlie M editer­ Goondra ’I?! i ,, . ...
ranean, until we have come almost, to believe th a t the ^ Ull 111
Pauiei ginosum.
writer rstt
world was built for the Anglo-Saxon race, and th e stars
Kooslia Poa cyiiosuroidcs.
to make our bit of sk y pretty. We have even m anufac­
tured a religion to su it ourselves out of Asiatic materials, Iva-sha ^fJT Saccharum spontaueum .
and think it b e tte r th a n any religion t h a t was ever heard Ashuiablledak Cycltanicu hederatfoliu in.
of before. It is tim e th a t this childish vanity w ere done A gnim anlha 3T{°n Prem na spinosa.
away with. I t is tim e th a t we should try to discover th e Moiiita ( 'lemalis triloba.
sources of modern ideas ; and compare what, we think, we ^ asuka Calolropis procera.
know of the laws of N a tu re with what the Asiatic people
V.isheera If3ti7ToJf I’othos ollicinale.
really did know, thousands of years before liurope was
inhabited by our barbarian ancestors, or a European loot Sallooka ^ rightia pilbescens.
was set upon the American continent. T he crucibles of Kooroontaka 'TS Karlena ]>ri<>nitis.
science are heated red-hot and wc are m elting in them Indeevara Tfls Nymplia-a sp.
everything o ut of which we th in k we. can get, a fact. S u p ­ Ivapota-vaiika 31?Jff JI vdrocotyle Asiatica.
pose that f o r a change, we approach th e Eastern people iu Asliwadanshtra Asteraeant ha longifolia.
a less presum ptuous spirit, and honestly confessing that,
Iliese are said to influence the nervous system and
we know nothing at all of the beginning or end of N a t u r ­
some ot them relieve dysuria or dillicuity in passing urine,
al Law, ask them to l i d p us to find out w hat th e ir fore­
llic y were believed to dissolve urinary calculi also.
fathers know ! This has been th e policy of the Theosophi-
Group V. General alteratives like those contained in
Cid Society, and it bits yielded valuable results already. Group 111.
Depend upon it, ladies and gentlemen, there are still
'■wise men in the East,” and the Occult Sciences are b e tte r f ? TT-TtfT ^ ?TT T'TJTH0!.
worth studying than baa hitherto been popularly supposed. SaiLilril. M a ra t Iti-. Latin.
(The lecture was loudly applauded and a t the close, a
Salasara m R( Teclona gra.ndi...
vote of thanks was, upon the motion of Mr. Jam es, Science
Master iu the Colombo College, adopted.) Ajakarna Shore;! robusta ( { )

lvhadeera ^1*^— j* Ac.ii ia catechu.

{ L’oiitiimcil from tlie Ju no munlicr.)
K alask an d h a cPTltf C i n n a i n o i u a z e y la n ic a .
E A S T I N D I A N M A T E R IA MEDK'A. K r a n io o k a A c a c ia b etel,
Group III. General alteratives and insensible blood lilio o rjap atra H3f l l e t u l a K h o jp a lr a
depuianls. M e sh a .s h rin g o e ( ! vm iiem a s y h e s tr e .
'I inislia Dalbergia ( )ojeinensis.
C handaua “P Siriuin myrliloliuin.
Sanskrit, M a ra th i. Latin. Sliisiuhsapa Scshania lalilolia.
V aru na Cnetcva Koxburghii. rihirisha Jl imosa sirissa.
Artagala ^ “Tl • As.in riemecarpus anacardeiim.
Shigreo j q ]• Moringa plorygospcrma. Dlmva "'Tl'73'f ( 'oiioearpus latifolia.
I 5F3T) ) A rjuna P i-ii Ui pleres Arjuna.
Tankarce l ’hysalis Peruviana. la i n tHS Iiorassus llahi'lliformis.
. . . . . _ ,, „ I Asclcpias ge m in a ta o1' N ak tamala Pongamia glabra.
Mcshashriugco m z t UlSI ( , yl„nen,a Sylvcstre.
Again '3T'IiT Agallocha aipiilaria.
Pootika Pongamia glabra. lvaleisyaka Lciberis lyciiim.
A guiniautha 3T<oT| Prem na spinosa. Vi'getables ot this group act as .stimulants ol llio
Saireeyaka (2 \ ^Kl?l ?IS5T <T f L aiieria ceruhea. general circulation and thereby relieve congestions. I’lu’y
varieties) ( PToSI I & s|». lemove the tendency of the tissues to form fat, aud as
Vimbi . (TfTai Moinordica nionodelpha. most of them contain an astringent principle, they relieve
Vasuka *Tt^K(tT?) Calolropis proccra. fluxes from mucous tissues, especially those of the intes­
tines. They exert also the remote action ot influencing
Vashira 1'T'ToSf l ’otlios ollieinalis.
the cutaneous circulation.
Ohitiaka Plum bago rosea.
Sluitavaree ^IcT^f Asparagus racemosus. Group VI. T ru e or prim ary aslringenis. '7 fcfHl).
Bilwa .Egle marmelos. Snn*krit. M arathi. .hulin.
Darbha Saccharuni cyliiulriciim. Loti lira SympioCos racemosa.
lirihatee (2 ( X<-*T°Tf( if- | Solatium trilobatum. I’alaslia 'fSIH liutea fromlosa.
varieties) | ^TC^i) j jacfpiini. t • a losa.nllies ( I ’ig n o n ia .
T etu t In d ica.
Plants chussed in this group act through tlie blood, Aslmca doiiesia Asoca.
remove visceral congestions, relieve cerebral hypcraunia En.iiji.-e Hir»i ( ,'lerodendi'on i n l b r l u n a t u i u
anil also internal or visceral inflammations. They Lhereby ' ^iq'frss
improve the general nutritive processes and prevent the Kiit pliala ! K bits s u c c e d a n e u m .
+(+<JI$T'ir )
formation of fat. , ( A red p o w d e r c o v e r i n g th o
Group IV. N ervines or liervc'toiiics and lithonlriptics Elvalooka \ Seeds ol all Ulidcler-
* f *
f'aTRsmr a iu l ( mined plant,
 77/ '/.O I W A S T R I A X R E L IG IO N AS U EPRE-
Salai '•( 'iiiiiii iu in si ri c tm u . S E X ' I E I ) J i ) ' M A / { T I N J / A I ' d , I ' l l . ]>.
ST'fT #1) '
Illl I KI'KI) 11V A l’AIlSt Til 111ISOI’II 1ST.
* ) i i i ° i h (_v \ \ i h I h t ,

Kiuljuiibji X nnclt'ii I\ !iiliiinl.i.'i. 'I'lie relieions writings of tlie rnrsees are known hv the
name of Zend Avesta. They .should more properly he
l i o n ie d i o s , d e riv e d IVo III (liis g r o u p ill v e g e ta b le s , r e p r e s s designated A \esta-o-Zend. Avesta, moans the text, and
p h l e g m ac tiv c lv , a c t i n g as i 111111 <•<Ii:it•• a s ti in g ciils. T h e y Zend moans the commentary. When in the course of
als o re liev o congestion-'. :itnI a c t a s d e t e r g e n t s ol u lc e r s ayes, the original tex t or Avesta became unintelligible, n\v-
am i s u p p u r a t i n g surfaces. T h e y p r o v e a ls o a l c x c p h a r m i c . ine to the langnaye in which it was written ccasiiig to In;
a c t i n g a s a n t i d o t o s lo m o r b id poisons, c o u n t e r a c t i n g (lie the vernacular of the- people, coinmontmies were written
d c h il it a t in g clfcols n f elf e le llllidh a m i p r o d u c t s . T h e \ to explain il. And, similarly, when thi' language of the
w e n - a l s o s u p p o s e d to p u r i f y a m i a u g m e n t I In: s e m i n a l commentaries also cca.sed to lie the vernacular, further
s e c r e ti o n in tin* m ale, a m i a l t e r (lie u l o r i u e a m i v a g in a l Zend or the commentary of tlio first Zernl was written.
secretio n s. And now the words Avesta and Zernl which m eant the
(!riiii|i VII. A lurtlier group of general alteratives text and the comm entary aro appropriated a.s the
alnl I iIihmI dcpurant.s. They act IiUir (.Iniso nf (lrnM|i .No. III., names of th e lunt/iuiffrD in which the text and the tirst
lint diiollv ami notably as detergents, ami skin alteratives, com mentary wero written. The language of the later
relieving congest ions, a d fiijl* as antizuolics ami relieving commentary is known under the name of the l’elilvi
skin diseases ami eruptions. language. A vesta-o-Zend, .therefore, moans tho writings
iu the A vesta and Zend languages. T he religioMs writings,
as they originally existed in tho combined Avesta and
Saitelrtl. M oiiill". I.'iiin.
Zend languages, were very voluminous.
A rk a *TS. <'alutrnpis gigantca. “ I’liny reports on the a u th o rity of lleimippos, the.
A lark a .. pruecra ( Irock philosopher, t h a t Zoroaster composed two millions
Karanja (two | of verses, ami au Arabic historian, Abu .laHer Attavari,
varieties.) | I . sp. r assures us that Zoroaster’s writings comprised twelve
HlS^I'imi thousand cow skins, i. e.. parchments.”
•7<ilisl 1111ii let • ( Vla.striis p a l i i c u l a t a .
These writings consisted of twenty-one parts or No.sks.
^ln v o o ia k a <’olosia crist at a. Tho names and tlio eon touts of those Nosks, as translated
| (J l e i ' o i l c m l r o i i i 1111<r 11111 a - hv Dr. Jiang, arc given below:—
I >1ll 11'jLfi e HT*:1!
I tinn. , \ to n e s tttttl t'O ttlt'n !s v f l/tc h t't'itf l/ - tw r A tifl'x .
Indrapushpcc 5^? (Jloriosa su p erlia. 1. $t-itulltir oi• ,SV/in/ ) tixltt/i (Zend rlnili— praise, wor­
Kshmlraswela ship) comprised I hirty-throe chapters, containing the praise
and wuiship of )«:>//«* or angels,
iMaha.swela *fal „ (^n )
2. twenty-two chapters, containing pravers
Vrischikulcc ■3TI’^T T ra ^ ia in \o lilcrata.
and instructions to men about good actions, chiefly those
Alavana called jtnhiiii/tii, i. o., to induce another to assist a fellow-
Tapasa I l a l a n i l os . E g y p t l a c a . man.
lta sn a V anda l!o \b iirg h ii. !>. I ti/tis/it MtintIn'it, twenty-two chapters, treating of
abstinence, piety, religion, qualities of Zoroaster, I'fcc.
(I roup Remedies wliieli counteract phlegm nr re­ f. Jhii/ltii, twenty-one chapters, containing an ex­
lieve congestions. j?lHniSlJT ’-IIH TlfiV). They arc:— planation of tlio religious duties, the orders and command­
ments of ( Ji ii I, and obedience ol men, how to guard against
S iU ifk i'it. M t tr i il k t. L tlln t.
hell and reach lion von.
Hurasa TOT < •i v n i u n i s a n e l M i n . o. .1 Itint’ltit, thirty-tw o chapters, containing tho know­
Hweta smasa Vitex Ncgiimlo. ledge of this and that world, the future lifo, qualities of their
F anijjaka *f*??rTT <•cvniiihi "iatissim um . inhabitant.';, th e revelations of (iod, conccrning heaven,
A rja'ka Libiat plant. earth, water, trees, tire, men and beasts; the resurrection
/ of the dead and the passing of tho cltiiirnt (the way to
Jalatrim i :
heaven).
Stigandhakii frl'IS I I ’• i g o s ( i •n i o n o e v i n n i i l e s .
t • i. A tfihtr. lliiity-livo chapters, containing astronomy,
S iim ookha 7t5T T W 3H 3I
geography, astrology, translated into Arabic, M i l d e r tho
Kal:imal;i t Ivnamlropsis pcntapeylla name )'itnftil, and known to the IVrsiaus by tho name
Kasanianla ^l?>551 • jissia sojilnira, «/’ J'nirtiiiiti: Jan.
Katphala ^1^55 iMin ica sa piila. 7. Pajotii, twenty-two chapters, treating of what food
Surarsoo J>;ilsamodom 1ronniyrrlia. is allowed or prohibited, of the reward to lie obtained in
Koolahal ! > tho other world for keeping six (iiihdmf>i(r* and tho Fur-
Oomloorkuriiecka Siih in ia e n e ii ll a ta . rtirtlai/dn.
S. R ’tf ii */i Itii, titty chapters, (at tho time of Alexander
Fangeo MK;>n Cleroili-mlimi in Inn inial iiiii.
the Oreat, only thirteen were extant) treating of the differ­
IYachcebala 1 R 3dTV:T I' laeolirl ia e a ta p lira c ta . en .t n i h 's . or. heads in tho creation, such as kim-s,
K ak am ailiee ^TRofl Si *laiim 11■ 11i” 111111. . . . r ’ lindi
p
priests, ministers, aud giving statem ents as to wliat species
V isham oi >s111 ee S tr \r lm o s m ix vomica. aro Ahuramnzd's and w hat A hrim an ’s; there was besides a
D rills ol I liis iiroiip act, as cordial* mid appetisers, and geographical section in it.
liavo tlie I'eiimlc action of rolieviii”’ conee.sl.ions, conglis !l. Jhirisli, sixty chapters, (thirteen of which were
mid dillicnlt v of breatliini;. They also ael a.s delcrye.nl,s only ex ta n t a t Ihe time of Alexander tlio ( b e a t) containing
nnd as verini|i|et.,s or insecticides, provcnliiij; (In; liiriiiation the code of laws for kings, governors, &c., workmanship of
ot heliiiinthoiils, or internal parasites (they may. therefore, various kinds, tlio sin of lying.
Ijo tei'Miod antizootics ami aiitizvniotics.) JO. hits/ismr, sixty chapters, (at Alexander's time
liftcen only were extant) treating of metaphysics, natural
philosophy, div inity, X'c.
II. ]~t.iiiit<ji No*/.’, sixty chapters (at A lexanders time
IT ih T in : man w i i o i)i:i'i:i!M i\i:s 'I'm: i i m x i r v " F t h k only ton wero extant) on the reign of Gustasp aud his con­
ticciijiatioii, not, th o 0C.‘CM|Kition w liieli mcu.sMroi} t h o d ig - version to tlio religion nml its propagation l>y him through
u ity yf th e man. tho world.
 12. Khtt'ltl, tw euty-tw o chapters, divided into
six p a rts; jirat, on th e u a tn rc of the divine being, th e
Zoroastrian faith, th e d uties enjoined by it ; secondly, on
obedience due to th e k in g ; thirdly, on tlie reward for good
actions in the other world, and how to be saved from h e l l ;
fourthly, on tlie s tru ctu re of th e world, agriculture, botany,
&c.; fifth ly , ou the four classes of which a nation consists,
viz., rulers, warriors, agriculturists, traders and w orkm en ;
(the contents of th e sixth division are left out.)
13. Sfciul, sixty chapters, on th e miracles of Zoroas­
ter and Gdhduiburs, &c.
14. Jiraaht, tw enty-tw o chapters, on th e h u m a n life,
from th e b irth aud its end up to the day of resurrec­
tion, on the causes of m a n ’s birth, why some are born in
wealth, others in poverty.
15. B u y liu n Yeshl, seventeen chapters, containing the
praise of high angels like men.
1G. N u y d r u m , fifty-four chapters, codc of law, stating
w hat is allowed and w h a t prohibited.
17. A sjH irum , sixty-four chapters on medicine, astro­
nomy, midwifery, &c.
18. JJnmnijtuI, sixty-five chapters, on th e marriages
between the nearest relatives (called 1,-hvctuhltih), zoolo­
gy, and tre a tm e n t of animals.
19. Axtitrum , fifty-two chapters, tre a tin g of th e civil
and criminal law ; of th e boundaries of th e country, of the
resurrection.
20. Vendidad, tw enty-tw o chapters, on th e removal ot
uncleanliness of every description from which great defects
arise hi the world.
21. I h id iil/ it, th irty chapters, on the creation, its won­
ders, structure, &c.
All the Nosks are no t a t present in th e possession of
the Parsecs. Most or ra th e r the largest portion of these
writings has been destroyed, and it is the belief of the
Zoroastrians th a t th e y were destroyed by A lexander
at the time of his invasion and conquest of Persia.
This opinion is confirmed by the accounts given by
classical writers. “ W e find,” says Dr. lla u g , “ from
Diodorus and C u rtiu s th a t Alexander really did burn the
citadel at Persepolis, iu a drunken frolic, a t th e instiga­
tion of the A thenian courtesan Thais,• and in revenge
o
for the destruction of Greek temples by Xerxes." W ith
th e destruction of th e palace m ust have been destroyed
the sacred books k e p t in the Royal archives. D uring
the 550 years of Macedonian and P a rth ia n suprem acy
which followed A lexander’s conquest, it is said th a t Zo­
roastrianism bad fallen into neglect, and as a natural
consequence much of th e Zoroastrian literature was lost
during this period. W hatever may have been th e cause,
this is the fact, th a t a t th e Sassanian period, when the
revival of th e Zoroastrian religion took place, the largest
bulk of the sacred writings was gone and only a very
small portion and th a t too, except th e Vendidad, in a frag­
m entary state was left. These fragments, the learned
men of the Sassanian period p u t to gether according to
their understanding to make som ething like a consis­
te n t whole, and to explain them, wrote com mentaries in
Pehlvi, which was th e vernacular of the time. T he
portions thus preserved and bro ug ht together and now
e xtant with th e Parsees, are Y asna (Izeshne), Visporatu
(Visparad), Vendidad, Yaslits, H ado kh t, Vistasp Nosk,
Afringan, Niayish, Gab, some miscellaneous fragments
and the Sirozali (thirty days) or calendar.
The commou opinion of the Zoroastrians ascribed all
the above-named portions as well as the tw enty-one Nosks
in th e ir entirety to th e authorship of Zoroaster. Modern
philology has, however, now established beyond doubt,
by means of the difference in language, and where th e
language is the same, by th e difference in style, th a t these
writings were tlie productions of different persons and
brought into existence a t different times.
Thus the language in which th e writings exist has b e ­
come tliu indicator of th e periods of their composition and
of their authorship. According to this test, the oldest of
the writings o now (in existence are the five Gatlias,*
t ' t which
were embodied in th e “ Yasna,” and which with th e
exception of some few passages are ascribed to Z a ra th u ­
stra himself.
Some portion of the rem aining “ Yasna” contains th e
prayers very well-known to Zoroastrians, viz., “ Yatlia-
Alui-verio," “ A shem-Vohu,” and “ Y a n g e h -lla ta m .” These
small prayers nre declared to have been even older th a n
the Gatlias themselves.
After th e Gatlum, the n ex t in th e order of a n tiq u ity arc
th e following pieces, viz., “ Vendidad,” “ Yasna,” (excepting
the Gatlias and three older prayers,) more particularly
called “ Izeshne,” “ H ad o k h t,” “ Visparad,” ‘'Yaslits,” “A frin­
gan Nyaish,” “ Gab,” “ Siroza other fragments follow
which are collected to gether u n d e r the name of “ Klior-
dcli Avesta,” and arc m e an t to be recited in daily prayer.
These are composed by selecting and p u ttin g together as
seemed best to the Dastoors (or high priests) of the Sas-
saniaii period, passages from the writings preserved to
them. In all the writings, w h ether Avesta or Zend, the
religion ta u g h t by Zoroaster, is called a t all the various
places, by th e name of the ‘‘ Mazdiasni” religion, and the
professors of it, are called th e “ Mazdiasnians,” from “ Maz­
da” the most wise, and “ Yasna,” to worship.
Mr. K. It. Kama, who is the best, au th o rity on this
subjectinlndia,.shows in liis “Lifeof Z aratlm stra,”— a work
very valuable for its great learning, research and scope—
th a t several times previous to th e advent of Zaratlmstra,
there was preached th e religion of one true God, against
the prevalent irreligion and polytheism ; and tlio move­
m e n t a t each time is mentioned in the Avesta, under
the name of “ Mazdiasni religion.” T im s th e Mazdiasni
religion, i.e., th e religion of the one true God— Mazda, th e
most wise— was in existence among the. Persians, even be­
fore Zaratlm stra ; and he appeared in the character of a
reviver or »reformer. H is •teachings, as. distinguis/ie</ from
®
those which preceded him and which ho adopted, are
known by the name of Mazdiasni Zarathusti religion. In
one prayer where th e true believer confesses his faith, he
says “Ja sa m e a v a n g h e Mazda, Mazdiasno ahme, Mazdiasno
Zarathustris,” m eaning “ H e lp me, O Mazda, I am a Maz-
diasnian, a Mazdiasnian through Zoroaster.”
Thus, the nam e Mazdiasni borne by the religion ta u g h t
by Zarathustra, as well as by th e movements which pre­
ceded him, indicates th a t all these teachings were mono­
theistic, or the religion th u s preached a t different times,
and consummated by Z arathustra, was monotheism.
W e thus arrive at the question whether a.s the name
implies the religion is really monotheism or dualism, or a
worship in which monotheism, dualism and the worship
of angels, the sun, moon and stars, fire and water, &c., are
confusedly intermingled.
Dr. l l a u g says— T h a t Z a ra th u stra ’s theology wan
mainly based on monotheism, one may easily ascertain
from the Gatlias, chiefly from th e second. Z arath ustra
•fSpitama’s conception of Ahurm azd as Suprem e Being is
perfectly identical with th e notion of Elohim (God) or
Jehovah, which we find in th e Pouks of the Old T e sta ­
ment. A hurm azd is called by him, the creator of earthly
and spiritual life, th e lord of the whole universe at. whose
hands are all th e creatures, l ie is the light, and the
source of light, lie is the wisdom and intellect, >tc., &c.”
Let us see what a direct examination of the Gathils
themselves tells us. O f all th e sacred writings, the Gathas
being the portions ascribed to Zarathustra himself, infor­
mation as to the basis and essence of th e Zoroastrian faith
ought to be sought in them. The other portions of the
sacred writings came into existence some ages afterwards,
and if there is any difference between them and what is
■ T i m n a m e ; - o f l.husu G a t l i n s a r e (1) G a th a . A h u n a v a t i , (lii (i;Hh:i tJ.stv.iti,
(li) G . it h a S |> on to m a i r . y n s h , ( J) ( J a t b a V o h u - K h s h a U i r c n i , (fi) (>:Uh:i V a l i i s h -
o i s t i s . i i a l l i . i m e a n s a aont*-, a h y m n .
f Sfi ilo im i m e a n * t h e f a m i l y o f b p i l a m a . H i t h e <<|>inion o f mihiu ( h a t
Z u r n t lm .s lr a w a s i h e romm<»:i n a m e ap|>IU:4 t o h i g h a iu l ll ia l, t h e r e ­
f o r e , / . a r a l h u K l r a w h o lii> t t a u g h t t h e r e l i g i o n , whi<-h I n a r * liis n a m e is <li>«
( ing ni tsh eti in wevenil p l a c e s in ( h e A v e s t a a s Za n it l iu p ti M ft|*itaiun, i.e ., Za ra#
t h u s t n i o f t h o f a m i l y o f S j» it am a .
ta u g h t in tlic Gathas, th e latter certainly sire more to lie the good mind, tb e good action and the good word. So
relied upon as le v e llin g the real n atu re of tlic failli let us p u t down our gifts of praise in the dwelling-place
which Z a ra th u stra Spitama taught, T he language of of the heavenly singers.
the Gathas is most difficult, tu understand. U nfortunate­ 1. To what, country shall I g o ? W here shall I take
ly the great. European scholars, notw ithstanding all their my refuge. < W h a t country is sheltering the master (Zara­
labours, have. not. yet been able to give a. translation thustra) and his companion ? N one of the servants pays
which can be accepted as final and .satisfactory. Moro or reverence to me, n o t the wicked rulers of the country.
less successful efforts have been made to arrive a t the How shall I worship T’hec further, Ahura Mazda ?
true sense of the (Iathas, anil the translation ot Ur. Hang, 2. I know th a t 1 am helpless, look a t me, being
recommended by the high authority of his name, m ay.be amongst few men, for I have few men (I have lost my
accepted as th e best, th a t is available a t present. Every followers or they have left me) ; I implore Thee weeping,
verse of the Gathas, as given in Ur. H ang ’s translation, Thou, A h u ia Mazda-, who gran test happiness as a friend
hears unm istakoable evidence, as to the teachings nf Zara­ gives a present to his friend. The good of the mind is thy
th u stra being pre-eminently monotheistic. A few of these possession, Thou True.
verses are given below. As regards the so-called dualism of the Zoroastrian
1. 1 will n o w te ll you w h o a r e a s s e m b l e d h e r e , t h e doctrines, Dr. H a n g -writes as follows:— “ The opinion
w is e s a y i n g s o f t h e most, wise, Ih e p r a i s e s o f Ih e liv in g so generally entertained now, that, Z arathustra was preach­
(io d , a m i t h e s o n g s of t h e g o o d spirit,, t h e s u b l i m e t r u t h ing Dualism, th a t is to say, this supposition of two origi­
w h ic h 1 s e e a i i s i n g o u t o f t h e s e sa c r e d llnmes. nal indepen dent spirits, a good and a bad one, utterly dis­
2. You shall, therefore, hearken to th e soul ol nature tinct from each other and one counteracting th e creation
contem plate the beams of fire with a, most pious mind ! of the other, is owing to a confusion of his philosophy with
livery one, both men and women, o u g ht to-day to his theology. H aving arrived a t the grand idea of the
choose his creed. Ye, offspring of renowned ancestors, unity and the. indivisibility of th e Suprem e Being, he
awake to agree with ns (i. o., to approve of my lore to undertook to solve the g reat problem which has engaged
be delivered to you a t this moment). the attention of so m any wise m en of antiq uity and even
!). T hus let us be. snob as help the life of the future. of modern times, viz., how are tho imperfections discover­
The wise living spirits are the greatest, supporters of it. able in the world, the various kinds of evils, wickedness
The p ru d e n t m an wishes only to be th e re where wisdom and baseness, compatible w ith the goodness, holiness and
is at homo. justice of God. This great th in k e r of so remote an a n ti­
I I. Therefore perform ye the commandments, which quity solved the difficult question, philosophically bv
pronounced by th e wise (God) himself, have been given to th e supposition of two primeval causes which, though
m ankind ; ibr th e y are. a, nuisance and perdition to liars, different, were united, and produced the world of the
b u t prosperity to Ihe believer in the truth; they are the material things as well as th a t of the spirit ; which doc­
fountain of happiness. trine may best be learnt, from Yas. XXX.
N. W hen my eyes beheld Thee, the essence of the “ The one who produced the reality (gaya) is called
truth, the C reator of life, who manifests his life in his I 'nhii-iiitiiio “ the good mind,” the other through whom
works, then I knew Thee to be the primeval spirit, Thou th e “ non-reality” (ri.jya.iti) originated, bears the name
"Wise, so high in the mind as to create the world, and the Aht-m uno, “ the naught, mind.” All good, true and per­
F a th e r of tlic Good Mind. fect things which fall under the category of “ reality” are
•S.'!. 2. Who are opposed in their thoughts, words the productions of the “ good m ind,” while, all th a t is bad
anil actions to the wicked and th in k of th e welfare of the and delusive belonging to th e sphere of “ non-reality” is
crcation, their efforts will be crowned with .success through traced to the “n a u g h t mind.” They are fho. two moving
the mercy of A hu ra Mazda, causes in the Universe, united from beginning, and, there­
!H. 1. Immortality, truth, wealth, health, all these fore, called “ tw ins” (j/rma— Sans. Yaman). They are
gifts to be granted iu consequence of (pious) actions, spread everywhere in A h u ra Mazda as well as in men.
words and woishipping to those men (who pray here), are “ Those two primeval principles, if supposed to bo united
plentiful in thy possession, Almra Mazda ! in Ahura Mazda himself, are not called Vuhu-mnno and
Blessed is he, blessed are all men; to whom the Living Al'o-miiHu, b u t Spciitu-iim'mniish, tha t is. white or holy
W ise Ood of H is ( )\vn Command should g r a n t those two spirit and A»tjn>->u<iin)/u*h, i. c„ dark spirit. Tliat Angro-
everlasting powers (wholesomoness and immortality). For niainyusli i.s no separate being opposed to Ahura, Mazda, is
this very good, I beseech Thee, A h ura Mazda ; maycst unm istakeably to be gathered from Yas. X IX , where A h u ­
thou through thy angel of piety (Armaiti) give me happ i­ ra Mazda is m entioning his two spirits who are inherent in
ness, tlic good, tru e things, and the possession of the good his own nature, and are in other passages (Yas. 57) dis­
mind. tinctly called the “ two creators” and “ the two masters”
2. 1 believe Thee to be the Best, Being of all, the (payu). Aud, indeed, we never find “ Angro-mainyush"
Source of Light for the world. Everybody shall choose mentioned a.s a constant opponent to A hu ra Mazda in the
Thee, (believe iu Thee) a.s the Source of L ig h t Thee, Thee, Gathas, as i.s the ease in later writings. The evil against
Holiest Spirit, Mazda, i Thou creat.est all good, true things which Ahura Mazda and all good men are fighting, i.s
by means of the power of T h y Good Mind at, any time, and called di'id-hisk " destruction” or “ lie, ’ which i.s nothing
promisest, us (who believe in Thee) a long life. but a personification of the JJeras. The same expression
lo. T hu s I believed in Thee, Thou Holy One, Thou for th e “ evil” spread in the world we find in the Persian
Living ^ Wise. There he .came to .me with the good . . mind.* cuneiform inscriptions, where, moreover, no opponent of
May the greatest happiness brightly blaze o u t of these Ahura Mazda, liko Angro-mainyush, i.s ever mentioned.
flames ; m a y the number of the worshippers of the liar God (A hura Mazda) in the l'ock records of King Darius, is
(bad spirit) diminish ; may all those (th a t are present) only one, as Jehovah, in the old Testament, having no
address themselves to the Shoshiants.* a 11ve rsa ry w h on isoev o r."
■S. H im whom 1 desire to worship and celebrate w ith A ll these a tte m p ts a t explanation show b u t more forci­
my hymns, I beheld j u s t now with my eyes, him who bly the difficulty of solving the question, w hat is Zoroas­
knows the truth, him, the living wise as the source of trianism ? All th e passages in which A h ura Mazda, and
the two spirits— “ Volm-mano,” and Ako-mano,” or
* \< t l u ii m m ’ g i v e n t o t h o s e . w h o a d v a n c e d tl ic M n /. d ia s n i “ Spento-m ainyush” and “ Angro-mainyush,”— are spoken
r e l i g i o n hef<>rc X a r a l h n s t r a , w h o a l s o is c a l l e d o n o o f t h o N h o s h i a n t s . I>r,
l l a n g t r a n s l a t o r t h i s w o r d , a.s m e a n i n g “ fire p r i e s t ” f r o m I h e r u n t “ -Midi" of, seem to be fraught, with immense mystic meaning.
t o h u m ; n e e n r d m i r I " Mr. K. J l . K a m a “ . s u c h ’’ m e a n s “ In g i v e li g h t, " ' G reat learning and labour have been expended in de­
“ t-* e n l i g h t e n ” a n d S h o s h i a n t s w e r e t h o s e w h o e n l i g h t e n e d t h e p e o p l e in t h e
t r u e r e l i g i o n . T h a t t h e l a t t e r is t h e r i g h t m e a n i n g is c o n f i r m e d h y t h e ciphering these ancient writings, b u t the result of all
w o r d “ fcho.shians" w h i c h is t h e n a m e g i v e n t o l l m s c , w h o m a c c o r d i n g t o this has been to show more and more clearly th a t there
t r a d i t i o n t h e V ar ae c s e x p e c t iu t h e f u t u r e t o r e v i v e t h e M azd ia .s ui r e l i g i o n .
F o r p e r s o n s w i t h t h a t m i s s io n “ S h o s h i a n s is a n a p p r o p r i a t e n a m e w h e n it
is som ething within and something beyond which is not
m e a n s “ th o > c w h o e n l i g h t e n , ” a n d n o t w h e n i t m e a n s ( i r e - p r i e s t s . caught hold of. All th a t has as yet been said or written
 August, 1HS0 .] 'J' IL E T 11 E 0 S I)
on tlio s u b j e c t , lias n o t s u c c e e d e d iu u n i t i n g tlic s e p a r a t e
p a r t s in t o ii c o n s i s t e n t wliolo, a n d w l i a t is tlie e s s e n c e o f
Z o r o a s t r i a n i s m is y e t a n u n s e t t l e d q u e s t i o n . I t is, in d e e d ,
sa d if t h e m e a n s o f s o lv in g t h i s d if fic u lty a r e lost to tlie
w orld a l t o g e t h e r , a n d e q u a l l y sa d i f tlie s o l u t i o n is to b e
d e fe r re d lo n g b e y o n d o u r tim e .
srrn n - p r a n k s in t r a c a u i 'a s k s .
“ Verily Truth is often stronger tluui lirtiou !”
Home 111roc; m onths ago, tin; Yankee-1 rish editor of
an unimportant, tliinl-elass Anglo-Indian paper, in a lit,
apparently of ilelirlunt tremens, witli abuse aud low slan­
der, called us a “ Spiritualist." T h e epithet was thrown
into our teeth under th e evident impression that, iu the
eyes of the sceptical public, a t least, it would overwhelm us.
The mark was missed tha t time. If, to believe in th e reality
of numberless phenomena, produced for long years under
our own eyes, iu almost every country, and under the most
satisfactory test conditions, precluding all possibility of
trickery, constitutes one a “ S piritualist,” then in com­
pany with a host- of the most em in en t men ot learning,
we plead guilty. B u t if, on the other hand, we take W e b ­
ster’s definition th a t a Spiritualist is “ one who believes
in direct intercourse with departed spirits, through tins
agency ot persons called Medium.*" then it was a stupid
blunder th a t the editor committed. W h e th e r rightly or
wrongly, we do not a ttrib u te th e phenom ena we believe
iu to the agency of " spirits” that are tlio souls ot th e d e ­
parted. This is not th e occasion to expound our personal
theory. Kor, to begin, there! are b u t lew Spiritualists
who are unacquainted with it ; and our present object
being to draw the attention of every sensible person to
ju st such phenomena a.s the orthodox Spiritualists a t t r i ­
bute to spirits, it m atters little to whatever cause we
personally may attrib u te them. Earnest, and indomitable
searchers after truth, and w anting only the T ittrnt, none
of us, Theosopliists, claim infallibility or set ourselves to
dogmatising. We are no sectarians, aud most of us, if
not all, are honestly open to conviction. Let. any one
prove to us an alleged tact to be really one, an d we are
willing to accept it ius a dogma an y day. H aving said so
much, we may add, with the permission of the person
vouchsafing for the strange phenomena hereinafter d e ­
scribed, tha t the writer is our own sister, Madame V. 1*.
de Jelihofsky, of Tiilis (Russian Caucasus), one of the
most truthful women we have ever known, and a great
sceptic upon such m atters for long years. Hut the weird
experience Vicing her own, and all th e facts b u t one hav­
ing happened under her very eyes, she did not. hesi­
tate to state them. She is a Spiritualist. Had they been
stated to us by any other person, wo would, to say the
least, have accepted them with th e greatest hesitancy, and
ten to one Would have “ killed” th e letter. As it is, we
publish it iu lull.— Eli.
Anxious to fulfil iny promise, I devote this letter e n ­
tirely to Spiritualism ami its manifestations in our old
city. As to explaining these phenomena, 1 must decline
the task altogether.
Of facts there is such an abundance, th a t I am at a loss
with which to begin. Hence, according to our Itussinn
impolite custom, 1 will begin by speaking of myself.
Table-turning Hoiirishes among us, a t present, in a most
uiiiu-countahlc way. Of late it has become more distin­
guished for the manifestations of its physical, brutal
rather th an intellectual force. T he answers given by the
tablesand their arguments are weak and often mendacious,
but fancy, they have now taken ab ou t the rooms !
Yes, to literally llyiug. U psetting itself upside down on
the floor, our table hardly touched begins to ju m p of itself
un the sofas, living on top of other tables, on the side­
board, beds and other f u r n itu re ; and in its (light back
turns summersets in the air iu re turning to its original
|»sition. This seems so wildly fantastic, tha t were it not
V 11 1 8 T. 271
for the absurdity of the notion, I m ight be half willing to
believe that it is ourselves, who were cheating, and turned
and threw them about th e ro o m ' Two days ago, a t the
house of Madame-Babaef, a very heavy family dining-table
a t which we had ju s t had our tea, began to dance and tly
about, ju m p in g on every bit of furniture in th e d ining­
room, until, owing to th e supplications of Wladimir,
Popof's youngest brother, who saw something terrific in
these proceedings, we were forced to desist.
I must tell you that, this Popof family is a very extraor­
dinary one ; extraordinary, inasmuch as tlie most weird
and unaccountable phenomena, visions aud manifestations
have for years taken place among its members. They have
an unde, alive to this day, anil who resides a t Odessa, a
marine officer, named Tvorogof. -Many years ago, he fell
iuto a lethargy and was pronounced by the doctors dead.
The priests had come, and were already chant ing the funeral
service over bis dead body which lay in a eollin, and the
undertaker was ready to place it, on tho hearse. Tho poor
man who, t,hough nimble to manifest a sign of life, heard
and realized everything that, was taking place around
him, tooling th a t lie was lost, then made a supreme ettort
and in a last desperate, though to others inaudible, cry
called to his (.iod for help. A t the same instant his light
hand was lifted up by some supernatural power and made
to strike, a heavy blow against the. coffin lid__ The. thum p
was heard by all, and th e eoftin immediately opened. Hut
th e man inside it seemed as dead as ever ; and, were it
not for tho resolute protest of his old aunt would have
been buried nevertheless. As it was In; was left, to stand
with the coffin opened for several davs longei when, final­
ly, at the end of the fifth day lie revived, lie lived alter
that for twenty-live years more ! Mr. I’opof, the father of
the family, who aro our friends, saw his dead lathcrsevcral
times, nnd described him accurately. H is own sister lived
unto tho last, day of her life in a world of wonders and vi­
sions. <>ne instance ;—-A t. the death of Madame Nelidof,
her lilo-long friend, old Mrs. l’opof used to visit, tin; chapel
iu th e Nelidof palace a t Kaarsk (when; they lived) for
the solo purpose of having there interviews with her d e ­
ceased friend ! .More than that ; it is the firm belief of
the whole town, th a t oven after her death, Mrs. Nelidof,
who was renowned for her holiness anil piety, used to
regularly aud daily app ear in the old chapel, whcie she
had worshipped during her life, and then*, approaching
the image, of the Saviour, pray as if she were alive ! Tlie
old gentleman, Mr. A. I’opof, assured mo most, solemnly,
th a t many persons of his own family as well as the chil­
dren of the deceased had seen her phantom in prayer :
amongc* others,* Mrs. N e lid o fs d aug
o hter who was married
to tin; Count Kleinmichel.* Ami now, to my own e x ­
perience with this strange family. .
T h e ir son, Volodya, a sehool-boy of fifteen, is just r e ­
covering from an illness of th e most dangerous character.
An abscess hail formed in his lungs which, when burst, dis­
charged an enormous q u a n tity of purulent m a t t e r ; even
now— that is, after more than two months,— the discharge
continues night, and day into a vessel, through a tube set.
in the wound made by the operation. This boy it was
who supplicated us to give up our communications through
the table, assuring ns most solemnly that, the agency at work
was very, very bad ; th a t it was dangerous Ibr all of us. I
willingly believe what the boy says, and will toll you why.
T he fact, is t hat tho poor lad had been during a whole fort­
night given up by tho best doctors. There was no hope
for him, especially after th e cruel operation, l i e wa.s so
weak that, he had to be gently turned from one side to the
oth er on a pair of sheets, and was nimble even to raise a
hand. Suddenly, after a fortnight of agony, when his last
breath was expected every minute, he awoke quite bright,
and firmly declared to every one of the family th a t he was
voir saved aud th a t from that, day lie would be placed u n ­
der the care of anot/ur doctor, who would treat him by
a method of his own. At night, In; called to his m other
to bring a saucer of olive oil, and a glass of rod wine, and
” Aii tl iu s o a r o historical a n d v v c l l- k n o u n nam e, anions tlie K ukmud
aristocracy.
 bnde her place both 011 tlie stand near liis bed, together
with a wax-light, taper. Ho next, iniploreil liis m o th e r in tin-
most supplicating terms, in ease lie should be asleep, to
aw ake hint precisely at. 2 A. At., and then go and leave the
room. He assured her that, his very life depended on the
stric t performance of (his programme, anil begged of her,
moreover, not to question him at. the time. The boy bad
been on the very verge of death for over three weeks.
As a m a tte r of course, Ihe m other promised everything lie
liked, but mistaking tho whole thing for fever delirium,
concluded to tell him it. was two, (it whatever o ther hour
be m ig ht awake, and never for one moment lose sight of
him. T h e boy fell asleep early in the evening, and slept
soundly and calmly as he had never slept since his illness.
Ifis m o th e r sat n ear him, watching him as usual ; and
waiting for her sister, who came usually to relieve her at
S o’clock. Su d d en ly — it needed b u t ono m in ute !o two,
Volodya— bear in mind, th a t tlie boy was lying then
motionless, nud t h a t he never could move a muscle w ith­
out a fearful pain in his operated side and suffocation in
his diseased lungs— Volodya awoke, and sittin g up iu bed
lowered both his legs to th e floor and loudly called his
mother, who had been half dozing. She startl'd to her
feet, hardly believing her eyes ; her Volodya, was hu rried­
ly snatching off his night clothes, shirt and all......... Then
in a solemn whisper, he began supplicating her again to
go away, to leave h im alone for a few minutes,
repeating again th a t his life was involved iu her obeying
his prayer. She pretended to lea ve t.lm room but hid her­
self behind th e screens near tho door. She told me that
she now distinctly hoard her son conversing with some
invisible Presence as if answering questions—-to her­
self inaudible ; and that be ended by loudly repealing a
prayer, in which tin* words—“ 1 believe, () Mighty Lord,
1 believe in T h y sole help, and that. T hine hand alone will
cure me !...”were incessantly utte ie d. And, then, again
th is sentence : “ These ligatures will fall off a t T h y will...
T hou wilt help me, and they will fasten themselves again
on the wound by T hy o r d e r ! ’” Upon h earing this, the
m other felt mortally frightened, lest her son should snatch
away the bandages and th e siphon introduced into tho
gaping wound, and was ready to rush to him, when through
a crack in the screen she happened to catch sight, of her
son. She saw him sitting b e n t down and motionless upon
th e aide of his bed. in such a posture, as if he wero allow­
ing some one to bo e xam ining his operated side, and m u t ­
tering prayers aiul making signs of the cross all the while.
In a few m om ents, the boy straigh tened himself up, put.
on his shirt h im self (he is unable to do as much even now,
after a lapse of six weeks I) tixed his eyes upon the ceil­
ing, once more made th e sign of the cross, and laid back ou
hjs pillow__ T h e n the m o th er cautiously approached him
and, not daring to offer him an y question upon the m y s­
terious event, simply enquired w he the r he needed a n y ­
th in g more.
“ W h a t more can 1 need, now,” answered the boy with
an ecstatic smile, “ now, when (>od him self anointed my
wound aud promised to cure me '{"
From th a t n ight forward all idea of d e ath — an idea
which had never abandoned him since his sickness, ami to
which he had been fully resigned— left him.
Twice more, in all three times, he had th e mysterious
visit and now to the great disgust of th e physicians, be is
beyond all im mediate danger.
Y esterday I w ent to see him and had a long talk with
the boy. H e told me th a t in each instance, lie had been
forewarned in his dreams of the forthcoming visit and
vision of th e Presence, t h a t cured him ; after th at, a t the
appointed hour, the ceiling seemed to open over his couch,
a divine luminous light radiated from it. and God H im ­
self descended and anointed him with th e holy oils—
(showing me how H e did it). Hut th a t which God had
told him ho imparted to no ono b u t to his mother, assur­
ing me th a t such were “ l i i s orders.” N o th in g can shake the
boy’s firm conviction tha t it was not the doctor b u t the
" Lord Sabbaoth,” himself, as lie calls th e vision— who
cured him, A nd I, without any hesitation whatever, firm­
ly believe in the reality of the vision, and would wish
that, the whole world should learn and know that among
many absurd and meaningless phenomena there are such
happy manifestations, which, in my opinion, contain a
world of suggestive m eaning aud a grand consolation for us,
poor helpless sinners crushed under the burden of sins,
doubts and other woes and sorrows !
There is a certain bouse here, at Tillis, near the Moosli-
t.-ud garden, long since deserted ou account of its repu­
tation of being haunted. This winter, a strong rumour
was suddenly spread about th e town th a t phenomena of the
most infernal character took place there nightly. The
soldiers living opposite this house were constantly startled
in their barracks, by a fearful noise of thundering th um p1;
iu it, as though many persons wore engaged in pulling
down the roof and walls and scattering the fragments
all over. These rumours grew so wild th a t a number
of educated and determ ined men began to form in parties
anil visit it a t nights with the intention of invostigatiii"
i - . . * ♦ ®
t hem. ( )ne company of such fearless visitors was com­
posed of several professors and students,— Messrs. lladliu,
Professor of Languages, and Bokov, of Natural Sciences,
being am ong the number. These were th e most deter­
mined and zealous of all investigators, and it is from
these sceptical gentlem en th a t I have the details. Daily
with th e first, approach of tw ilight the whole buildin"
beg an to tremble, as if it were going to fall to pieces.
A most. ap]talling din and unearth ly ghostly noises shook
the house to its foundations. Large pieces of plaster
and tim ber fell in a shower from t.he ceilings, and sand,
shingle and even rocks pelted the visitors upon their
arrival. Some one of those who had visited the haunted
place previously, had warned our friends not to take their
watches with them a.s they invariably got s]n>ilt from
tho lirst moment of their appearance. Anxious to note
the time and having determ ined to pass there tho whole
night, a Mr. Stadlin had once taken with him an alarm
clock which ii]K>n e n tering he placed on th e window sill.
Before th e eyes of the whole party, the clock began imme­
diately to strike, whirr and rumble, whirled round and
round on its place, and suddenly buret into small frag­
ments. It was as if some one had made a mine in it,
loaded it with powder and then touched it off. In
answer to the sand and gravel showering ou his head,
Professor ljokey began to tire his revolver. But the bul­
lets, after going to th e distanco of three or four yards
harmlessly fell to the ground, suggesting the idea of
a hand catching th em in their flight and then throwingthem
down. One of the party offered to examine the invisible
host as to th e ir erudition, and with this object iu view,
drew on the wall some geometrical figures ; another one
wrote problems, and loudly asked “ the powers th a t be ”
to solve them, leaving iu th e room for this purpose a few
pencils. These, so long as the questioners remained in the
room, lay quiet.; but, upon th e ir leaving the room to repair
to ail adjoining a p a rtm e n t to try some other experi­
ment, and then retu rn in g they found the wall perfectly
clean, and every one of th e ir formulas aud ligures trans­
f e r re<l f r o m it to the jloor. Then a variety of experiments
was begun. Diverse objects being placed in a corner, the
party left the room sh u ttin g the door after them, and upon
their return found them in quite another place. Having
driven a large nail into one of the walls it was found------
w ithout the least noise of a ham m er being heard,— immedi­
ately driven into th e opposite wall ; and no signs left of a
hole in th e first one. T h e most curious feature of th e in­
vestigation is th e one th a t forcibly brought it. to an end.
Rem arking the various detachm ents of inysterious-looking
meu stealing nightly into the haunted house, and, mistaking
them for political conspirators,— Nihilists— the police made
a raid one fine night, and catching all of them on the spot,
arrested every one of the erudite investigators, and took
them to the police station ! Vain wa.s it for our peda­
gogues to p r o t e s t ; useless the explanations offered by them
to the severe guardians of public security in favour of
th e theory of the fourth dimension of space! T he police,
sure tha t they had discovered a new infernal plot, would
listen to no excuses. T his event created a great sensa­
tion and laugh about tho town. Every door nnd window of
tho haunted house was securely nailed and all entrance
into it made impossible. N o tw ithstand in g all these pre­
cautions th e noises an d disturbances inside are still going
on inside as lively as ev e r........
A high-born lady ot Russia, the Countess 1’ * * lost
her husband lately a t Berlin, and she and her family were
disconsolate. T he widow passed her days and nights weep­
ing and lamenting over her fate. One line day, the ser­
vant announces to her tlic visit of an American gentleman.
H e had just arrived a t Berlin and sought a personal in ­
terview upon some business ol th e highest importance to
the lady. At, tirst she refused to see him, as she had con­
stantly done, even with her best friends. T h en he sent
word th a t the business concerned h er late husband, from
whom he had a message for her. T h e n he was a d m itte d
into h er room. Slw saw' a good-looking, gentlem anly
Saxon, who in order, he remarked, th a t she m ig ht not
suspect his good faith, showed h er his passports. H e
then proceeded to tell her t h a t ho was a “ medium,”* who
had come to Europe on business, concerning an inheritance,
which business had led him to visit one of the Berlin
burial-grounds. I t is thero t h a t he hail made h e r late
husband’s acquaintance. He, th e dead man, had asked
him to visit his widow, and beg her not to, bo so despondent,
and miserable, as her grief was the only im pedim ent to
his bliss. That, ho felt far b e tte r and happier now, th a n
he had ever felt before, being now delivered ot his flail
W l y which had caused him so much suffering. T he
Countess stared at th e medium, and felt firmly convinced
th at she had to deal with a lunatic. But th e American
determined to convince her, set to describing the deceased
Count’s a p pea ran co to the m in u te st details, even to th e dress
he had been buried in ; and then she believed. Besides
that, he informed her th a t h e r husband wanted h er to
know’ th a t certain docum ents which she would very soon
need in a forthcoming law-suit for his inheritance, had
been concealed by h im iu the house upon one of their
estates. They w e r e hidden in a certain desk in a certain
room and in a peculiar-looking note-book. Tho informa­
tion proved perfectly correct, and became in time of the
greatest importance to th e Countoss, as tho law-suit took
place as prophesied, an d she easily won it. These are tho
tacts. • th e practical value of the sign language both in com­
T I I E G E S T U l l b ' - S l ‘E E C I I O F M A N K I N D .
In the T l l K i ) S ( ) i “lH S T of March last, we noticed a paper
read before the American Association for the advance­
m ent of Science by Colonel Garrick Mallory o f th e U n ite d
States Army, and attached to th e B ureau of E thnology of
tho Sm ithsonian Institution, upon th e Sign L anguage of
the N orth A merican Indians. W e have now received a
more extensive work by the same a utho r issued bv the
Smithsonian Institution, entitled “ Introduction to tho
study of Sign Language among tho N o rth American I n ­
dians as illustrating the G esture-S p eed i of M ankind,”
in which tho signs of the A merican aborigines are exam in­
ed in suggested comparison with those of oth er tribes of
men throughout,
© th e world and with th e natural,1 as dis-
tinct from the conventional, gesture-expressions of deaf
mutes. Tho scope of tho work is useful in elucidating the
evolution of articulate speech, the radicals of languages,
the forms of alphabets and syllabaries and the pietographs
which preceded tho latter. T h e present production is not,
however, final, only professing to be an exposition of the
gesture-speedi of man sufficient to excite interest and
invito correspondence, to indicate desirable points and
modes of observation, and to give notice of some facilities
provided for description and illustration. Tho final p u b ­
lication, to be issued by tho Smithsonian Institu tion will
mainly consist of a collation, in tho form of a vocabulary, of
• W o w o u l d t»e h a p p y t o l e a n t t h e lirtine o f l l n s A m e r i c a n m e d i u m .
a n y o n e te ll ? Ku,
all authentic signs,
o * including o signals
o made at a distance,'
with th e ir description, as also th at of any specially asso­
ciated facial expression, set forth in language intended to
bo so clear, illustrations being added when necessary, th a t
they can lie reproduced by the reader. The descriptions
contributed, asalso ’the explanation or conception occurring
to or ascertained by th e contributors, will bo given in
th e ir own words, with th e ir own illustrations when furnish­
ed or when they (ran be designed from written descrip­
tions, and always with individual credit as well as responsi­
bility.
To obtain the collaboration requested, a num ber of co­
pies of the “ Introd uction” with separate sheets of forms
to facilitate both verbal and figured description, have been
placed in tho hands of Colonel Olcott for distribution to
scholars aud observers in th e East, who may bo willing to
assist iu a study im po rta nt for philology and anthropology
iu general. T he efforts at expression ot all savage or
barbarian tribes, when brought, into contact with oth er
bmlies of men not speaking an oral language common to
both, should in theory resemble the devices of the A m eri­
can Indians. Thoy are not., however, shown by any p u b ­
lished works to prevail am ong many of the tribes of men
iu Asia, Africa, and Ooeanica in the same m anner as
known among those of N orth and also of South America,
but logically should bo found in all districts where uncivi­
lized inhabitants of tho same territory aio separated by
many linguistic divisions. Such signs may be, first, u n ­
connected with existing oral language, aud used between
•
people of different districts whoso diversities of dialect
prevent oral communication, or may consist of gestures,
emotional or not, which are only noticed in oratory or im ­
passioned conversation, and possibly are survivals ot a
former gesturo-language ; secondly, may hi'used to explain
or accentuate the words of ordinary speech ; and, thirdly,
hot h these classes of gestures may be examined philologically
to trace thoir possible connection with the radicals of
speech, syllabaries and ideographic characters in general.
Different classes of collaborators are necessary for these
divisions of the subject.
W hile tho a u th o r iu modest term s proposes to do no
moro th a n p u t forth inquiries and suggestions, he presents
much that is both new aud highly interesting, anil m akes
a valuable contribution to science. 11c dwells tirst upon
munication with living tribes and lor the interpretation of
native picture writing, " th e sole form of aboriginal re ­
cords, the impress upon bark, skins, or rocks of the evanes­
cent air pictures which in pigment, oi carving preserve
th eir skeleton outline.” T h e next chapter treats ot the
origin and e x te n t of tho gesture-speedi, holding th a t the
latter preceded articulate language in importance, which
remained rudim entary long after gesture had become an
art. T h e preponderance of authority is to the effect th a t
man, when in possession of all his faculties, did not m ake
a deliberate choice between voice and gesture, both being
originally instinctive, as both are now ; and there never
W'as a tim e when one was used to the exclusion of the
other. W ith th e voice ho a t first, imitated tho few sounds
of naturo, while with gesture he exhibited actions, motions,
positions, forms, dimensions, directions, distances, and
thoir derivatives. I t is enough to adm it th a t the connec­
tion between them was so early and intimate th a t the
gestures, in the wide souse of presenting ideas under ph y­
sical forms, had a formative effect upon many words ; th a t
they exhibit the earliest condition of the human m ind ;
are traced from tho remotest antiqu ity among all peoples
possessing records, and are universally prevalent iu the
savage stage of social evolution. Colonel Mallery next
proceeds to demolish th e oft-repeated story th a t there are
tribes th a t cannot converse in the dark, alleging in res­
ponse th a t individuals of those American tribes especially
instanced, often in thoir domestic wrap th e m ­
selves iu robes or blankets with only b reathing holes before
the nose, and c h a tte r away Ibr hours. T he common belief
Cun in an universal sign language
© o as a conventional. code shares
th e same fate at the hands of the author. In numerous
 instances there is an entire discrepancy between ilie .signs
made bv different. bodies nf Indians In express tho same
idea and a fu rth e r diversity between many nf tlieir signs
and I)mse vet noted -from tlie Eastern hemisphere, all,
however, being intelligent and generally intelligible.
W e aiv. glad that so co m petent a man as Colonel Mal-
lery is interesting himself In this investigation. W h a t is
now lacking is regulated intelligent co-operation, and we
bespeak for him the assistance of all persons who nre in
position to acquire accurate information on th e subject.
So far as linguistic results are concerned, we look lor light
from these inquiries at, least in the analogy between the
developments of signs and language, if not from any m a ­
terial ami substantive relation to be. exhibited between
the two. The processes of ml ml are tlie same, or nearly
tlie same, iu both cases, and wc: shall be able to study the
psychology of language in th a t of this other and lower
means of communication, as we study the physical and
mental organization of man in th a t of th e lower animals.
T h e study of picture writing ami signs should throw
light upon tlie genesis of syntax and help us to ascertain
the origin of the sentence. Religious, socialistic and
other ethnologic considerations of special interest arc in­
cluded in the heredited and transm itted gestures of the
world, and we have th e present enquiry, based upon the
pi'actices of the Western representatives of the Stone
Age as destined, with proper comparison, to slied a flood
(•flight upon those of the most ancient peoples of the
Orient.
the s T i'jry of r j / E o s o p n v.
I t v N. I>. K ....................I'.T.S.
“ W o feel we nre n o t h i n ; : — f o r ull is T h o u nail in T l i e e ; ”
“ W e feel we are "<'III rt ]) in^- that also ha* come from Tlire
“ W e me nothing, O Tliou- hut Tliou wilt help iik to lie."
. IIf,:,I 7
“ T h ere is no more fatal fallacy,” says Mr. Serjeant
Cox, “ th a n that the tru th will prevail by ils own force,
th a t it has onlv to be seen to be embraced. In fact, the
desire for the actual tru th exists in very few minds, ami
the capacity to discern it iu fewer still. Men's beliefs
are moulded to their wishes. T hey see all and more
th a n all th a t seems to tell for what they desire ; thin/ o n '
h liiiil (is h u ts to v :h iiti‘,vi‘v Ir lls ni/(i m s i th em . The urirn -
ti*tx are no more exem pt from this failing Ilian are others.”
A Bombay weekly that, professes to be the best inform­
ed, and most influential of (iiijevati papers, lately made
th e ludicrous statem ent, th a t the Delegates of the T heo ­
sophical Society'had gone to Ceylon merely to propagate
Buddhism. 'This is how the public.: forming its opinion
second-hand is entirely misled as regards the aims and
objects of the Society, th e sincere and earnest exertions
of whose founders in behalf of Universal Brotherhood
cannot fail by degrees to dispel th e haze from tlie eyes of
the educated and thoughtful sous of H in d — or not to hurt
the feelings of some— wo shall say, th e sons of “Aryavart.”
Previous to the last quarter of a century, European
Materialistic ideas had made little progress iu this coun­
try, b u t now it has to a certain e x te n t succeeded in teach­
ing the young mind to deny every th in g old and live
in an atm osphere of negation. As long as there was
blind, unquestioning faith, there was not much to disquiet
the simple mind ; b u t once tin; canker of d o u b t was raised
by the teachings of certain scientists, there seems to lie
no resting ground elsewhere than in the “ opprobrium-
covered m a t t e r ” in which Mr. Tyndall sees the “ promise
and potency of all terrestrial life.” Reviewing some time
back the life of Ju s tu s von Liebig, a writer in one of the
English periodicals, .says— “ Ignorance of the laws of
N a tu r e is the real cause of the destruction of nations and
of th e revolutions of history. Chem istry reconquers the
earth for mankind. T he trium p hs of science are of last -
iimo duration. Tlieir traces are the waving o cornfields and
the cattle on a thousand hills, and while leading to the
ever enlarging growth of hum an industry, they form the
material basis for a p e rm a n e n t peace among the nations
of th e E a r th .” A re not, however, the over increasing ami
multifarious weapons of war also “ th e trium phs of science,”
and as long as these exist and new ones continue to lie
invented, how can it bo said th a t we have the “ basis of
a permanent, peace ” t Mankind owe a vast debt to science,
hut science is powerless to afford a solution to various
problems of vital ini|>ortn.uce for the well-being of man­
kind. M atter in th e present century has almost been
deified, and the existence in Ihe universe of any other
power or force outside, and independent ol matter, is denied.
The civilization of th e present age of invention ami com­
petition is heart and soul engrossed in the solution of
one groat problem— how one nation is to outstrip nil
others in the race for wealth. O ther considerations aro
to it qu ite secondary. Ignoring the higher nature of man,
il is trying to tu rn men into machines, b u t defying the
laws of m atter, th a t na tu re often asserts ils right, and
upsets all calculations.
Science boasts th a t it has divorced Spirit from terres­
trial regions at le a st: b u t modern Spiritualism like a
goblin assuming protean shapes seems to stare cold materi­
alism almost, out of countenance. More than twenty mil­
lions of persons of various nationalities and countries of
the cirllitfil world believe in th e reality of these; phe­
nomena. This belief has grown up within the last thirty
years and is spreading apace. W orks have been written
by men e m in ent in science and other departm ents of
knowledge, and reports published by the dialectical socie­
ties of several countries who, after studying the pheno­
m ena for yours and exam ining them under test condi­
tions, have a I. last, pronounced t hem to be genuine. None
are so zealous as the spiritualists themselves to expose
th e great a m o u n t of imposture that prevails under th eir
n am e.: but, leaving aside all such jugglery which can never
stand any well-applied test, there is found to be a resi­
duum of tru th which n o t all the unfair criticism and
in some cases the positive mendacity of a lew unscrupu­
lous scientists has been .able to falsify. “ The fun­
damental doctrines of spiritualism ”, says Professor Hux-
lev “ lie outside th e limits of philosophical i n q u i r y ; ” and
when he was invited by the Dialectical Society ot Lon­
don to exam ine the phenom ena be excused himself on
the ground that he hail no time, that, such things did
not interest him, and ended by saying that 11 the only case
ol Spiritualism that he had the opportunity to examine
into for himself was as gross an imposture as ever came
under his notice.” In th e same m anner when the oppor­
tunity ottered to Professor Tyndall to investigate th e p h e ­
nomena, he avoided th e subject, and yet. in his “ F r a g ­
m ents of S c ie n c e " he speaks exultingly of a. case in which
he “ found out ” a m edium by ge tting under the table.
Professor H are of Philadelphia, “ the venerable chemist
universally respected for his life-long labours in science,
was bullied into silence' before the American Associa­
tion for the Promotion of Science, when ho opened the
subject of Spiritualism, and yet a t th a t very lime, th a t
same Association “ held a very learned, studied, grave and
profound discussion upon th e cause why roosters (barn
cocks) crow between twelve and ono a t night ”— a sub ­
je c t which Professor H u x le y would not have failed to
class as within “ th e limits of philosophical inquiry.”
These aro but a few o u t of th e many instances in which
scientists not only act unfairly towards Spiritualism and
'Mesmerism, but w ith o u t any foundation to base th e ir
opinions upon, try a t every opportunity to throw discredit
upon the subject. No ono who has ta ke n pains to exa­
mine with candour has boon otherwise than convinced
of the realit y of those phenomena, and hence it is th a t
iu spite of such u nm eaning hostility, we Iind Mr. Alfred
U. Wallace the naturalist, Mr. Crookes the chemist, Pro­
fessors W agner and Butlcrof of St. Petersburg, Lord Lind­
say, Serjeant, Cox, Baron Du l’otet, Flamm arion the astro­
nomer, Professor Zbllner, Ju d g e Edmonds, and numerous
other eminent, men testifying to the tru th of those pheno­
mena. I f any fact is to be believed upon hum an testimony.
those of Spiritualism, Mesmerism mid Psychomet ry m u st be
taken to have been well established. It is not th a t these
phenomena occurred a t somo time in tin: d istan t ]iast,
and cannot again lit? observed ; tliey eon Id even yet be
examined a t any tim e anil tliat und er every sort of test
conditions. Much of th e hostile attitu d e is due to the
fact th a t .scientists are unable to satisfactorily explain
the cause of these manifestations hy the known laws of
matter, tlie applicability of wliieli seems to them to be
the crucial test by which to judge of the reality or o th e r­
wise of u phenomenon, all testimony of a most reliable
kind to tlie contrary, notwithstanding.
To th e educated classes in India who in this their age
of intellectual lYiuiixmim-K are in the generality of cases
swayed h ith e r and th ith e r with the theories propounded
by every scientific writer, these phenomena are of deep
import. Mill, Spencer, Bain, lluxlev, Tyndall, Darwin,
Buchner and the like are tlio gods of most of our e d u ­
cated youths. They are, so to say, the writers of the
Scientific Bible, th e perusal of which leaves on the mind
a vague idea of certain heterogeneous opinions, inclining
one to deny the existence of (.hid, and the imm ortality
of the Soul. All argum ents from analogy regarding the
})ossihility of a life beyond the grave fail to satisty the
sceptical mind, which then generally drifts towards Materi­
alism. Spiritualism, Mesmerism and Psychonietry, on
the other hand, promise to offer us ‘ proofs palpable of
Immortality," and it seems as if tlie dark Unknowable
were unfolding its jiortals to allow us a glimpse o f the
world beyond. If, then, we tried t o examine the cre­
dentials of the W eird Stranger and a tte m p te d to bring
him to light, with what justice could it be said that such
a proceeding is the revival o f “ mouldy s u p e rstitio n '' (
I t is often asserted that these tilings have long since
been exploded. But. who did anil how { Not, Mr. Jlum e,
lior the scientists a t all events.
Modern Spiritualism is yet too young to teach a science
of its own. T h e theories of the Spiritualists regarding
the causes of these manifestations th a t have so profusely
and persistently come to light, are necessarily imperfect,
based as they have been on certain preconceived opinions,
and a comparatively short experience. In such a dilemma
Theosophy, which is as old as the origin of man himself
and which claims to give “ a theory— of God and H is
works—Itased upon individual inspiration,” has had to
step forward to enable the bewildered public to estim ate
these phenomena a t th e ir true value, to dispel certain
apprehensions th a t prevail regarding their causes, and to
show that they occur un der laws as natural as those which
regulate the ebb and How of tides. Theosophy points
out besides th a t there was a complete science of tlie occult
laws of N a tu r e known to tin; ancients, and th a t this
science is yet in th ehu nd s of certain adepts who, if approach­
ed in all sincerity, would not I k: unwilling to teach.
Theosophy does not try to force upon any one any belief
of any kind, hut, on the contrary, it encourages free and
fearless inquiry. The declaration of Horace Greeley-— " I
accept iinrv'ci'i'cdl'f the views of no man living or dead— ”
is the motto of the Theosophist., who m ight he said to
be a liberal searcher after truth in whatever place or shape
he m ight find it. Our universities give their alumni
a liberal education, which ought to enable them to a p p re ­
ciate the liberal views of the Theosophical Society, but
some of them not caring to understand, often unconsciously
try to misrepresent. As the Society has now and then
to speak of Spiritualism, Mesmerism and the marvellous
powers of the Soul, these persons expect some of the
advanced Theosopliists to entertain them with magical
performances, and when they learn that such idle curiosity
is not to be gratified, or when thi'}' come aud inquire
regarding certain matters, and the answers do not coin-
cule with th e ir way of thinking, they are at once disposed
to look upon the Theosopliists as mere dreamers. For
an inquirer, however, to discuss a subject new to him,
with profit, he must at least take t he tioiible to inform h im ­
self beforehand to a certain extent regarding the subject,
by reading, when he can easily command th e means ol'so
doing. T he demand of such persons is somewhat like
t h a t of th e Irishm an desirous of learning music, who, on
being told by the imtrslru t h a t for a beginner his charges
Were two guineas Ibr the first lesson, and one guinea for the
second and each subsequent lesson, answered that he did
not care to have the first, lesson as it cost him double, but
would have the second a t once. Before such inquirers lies
a book replete with facts and argum ents and marvellous
knowledge depicted on every page of it. But they heed
it not. W hile some of them breathing an atmosphere
im pregnated with the intoxicating emanations of their self­
conceit, after reading half a dozen |>agcs, and not taking
any trouble to understand th e meaning, think they know
much better, aud sh u ttin g up the book commence to ex­
patiate upon th e views of the author. Self-conceit, how­
ever, is one of the tirst things that a stud en t of Theoso­
phy ought to divest himself of. Every one who aspires to
be a Theosophist or desires to know what Theosophy is,
ought carefully to lead and study /*i* litcrlliil, wliieli
is really a m aster-key to the mysteries of ancient and
modern Science aud Theosophy. This is what the Most
Worshipful Jo h n W. Simons, thirl.y-thinl Degree and
Past Grand Master of New York State, editorially said—
‘‘ To the scholar, masonic student particularly, and the
S|>ecialist, to the Philologist and the Aivha-ologist, this
work will be a most valuable acquisition, aiding them in
their lalHirs and giving to them the <<«/</ chtr to the laby­
rinth of confusion in which they are involved.” And the
JS'cio Ynrk I l c m h l s a y s :— “ With its striking peculiarities,
its audacity, its versatility, and (In; prodigious variety of
subjects which it notices and handles, it is one of the most
remarkable productions of the nineteenth century.” Most
Eroemasons aud others commonly believe that n<> Woman
has been or could be adm itted to the degrees of Masonry,
ll will, therefore, lie a surprise to them that for "s how ing
in her book the true sources of Speculative Masonry, aud
the esoteric knowledge aud powers possessed by the brothers
of the E ast”, the Sovereign Sanctuary of the Memphis Rite
iu England and Wales, have sent to the authoress, Madame
Blavatsky, through J o h n Y arker Esq., the ‘ Thrice Illus­
trious Sovereign Grand Master General,’ the diploma of
some of the highest honors of th a t Order. T he original
diploma can be seen at the Library of the Theosophical
Society.
A Ixiok so truly valuable ought to be on the shelf of
every library w orthy of the name, and yet, a well-known
and old society of Momhay th a t professes to lie a repository of
Asiatic archaic knowledge, when moved by a learned
member to purchase the book for its library, allowed itself
to be dissuaded hv the pusillanimous advice of a few nar­
row-minded aud bigoted members, the others not having
the moral courage to contradict them. The native m em ­
bers, a t least, ought to !«• ashamed ot such a proceeding.
For, what hook describes the true glory ot ancient India,
its religion and philosophy so learnedly and convincingly
as those admirable pages (
livery religion, be it ( 'hristian or heathen, rests on the two
primary and primitive T r u th s — the existence ol (Iod and
the immortality of the Soul. All the various ceremonies,
forms and observances a re so many alter-creations of the
hum an mind and have naught, to do with those Eternal
Truths, a glimpse of which we get through intuition, and
inspiration helps us lo realize. “ Inspiration is the addi­
tion of a higher m entality to the subject’s own individuality.
It is an extraordinary exaltation of the conscious self.”
W hen a religions revival is contemplated, the promoters
thereof m ust undergo a certain am ount of sell-sacrifice aud
their lives must be such th a t the words they u tte r might
be thoroughly exemplified hy their acts. The various
Samajcs in India are a significant sign of the times. They
form a great movement in the right, direction, but for these
Samajcs to lx- a real success their iiiemlwi's must show
much more self-abnegation. Iu their homes they m ust be
the same liberal-minded ju'itclicttl reformers that they give
themselves out at their gatherings to be. At the same time
their religious and philosophical teachings must command
the attention of the educated public whom they address.
W hence can they g e t this most, im portant knowledge except,
through the <•,«>!<■m - teachings off lie sages of old— “th e "Wis­
dom Religion"— which is Theosophy ? H ow else are the
doctrines of Brahminism, Zoroastrianism and Buddhism to
he understood so as to call for the veneration of the enlig ht­
ened and thoughtful ! Philology has done a great deal to
interpret the m eaning of old languages, but, has that literal
interpretation brought any satisfaction to our mind ? Must
not. these religious doctrines be interpreted according to the
spirit, of the times wherein they were p r e a c h e d ; and how
are we to have a knowledge of th a t spirit,— when the
ancients for various reasons shrouded th e ir real meaning
under the veil of mystery— except by trying to lift up the
veil.
Oriental philosophy shows a strong faith in th e prodi­
gious and occult, powers of m an’s immortal self. W h y
should not the educated Indian, therefore, satisfy himself
w h ether this wondrous power is mere unconscious cerebra­
tion,” or a reality i
Thu practice of high morality for its own sake is u n i­
versally desired, b u t how is it to be accomplished except
by showing, th a t it works not merely ideal but. real good,
and th a t it is the only means by which the god-like
powers of the hum an sold are to be developed ? Preaching
and sermons arc well enough for the hour or h alf an hour
th a t they are listened to, b u t th e universal and emphatic
teaching of the ancients th a t in the practice of pure morality
and the development of will-power lies the key to th a t
which we call the “ Unknown,” ought to be to us a Reve­
lation in this materialistic age.
Those who are banded together for ciinir*t!>/ searching
after T ru th must naturally feel real sym p athy for m a n ­
kind in general and lie free from narrow, selfish desires.
It is in this sense,
. therefore, that, the idea of formin':^ “ a
nucleus of Universal Brotherhood,” by th e Theosophical
Society need not be taken to be a chimera, b u t a project
th a t bids fair to he realized to some e xtent slowly and by
degrees. T he Society allows any well-conducted person
to be a, member, b ut it will at once be seen from th e rules
th a t the third section which every one joins at. the com­
mencem ent is one for Probationers, and th e mere fact of
joining the Society means very little. For, unless the
Probationer m ake himself really worthy by his own merit,
neither money, nor dinneis, nor social position, nor intel­
lectual acquirements, can help him to g e t to the higher
sections : and insincere members are imm ediately shown
out. Moral elevation is the principal th in g insisted upon,
and side by side with it. the probationer is supposed to
improve his knowledge. He, therefore, who would be a
true Theosophist, must bring his inner self to guide his
every thought, word and deed, every day of his life ;
and, a t the same time along w ith other studies try to ac­
quire a knowledge of Mesmerism, Psychology, Spiritualism
nnd th e real philosophy of the ancients.
To m ake its members learned iu A ryan Wisdom is not,
however, the sole object, of the Society. Investigation of
tru th in every branch of knowledge is most welcome to it
and those who have no taste for mystic lore may yet join
it with profit. W here every tru e m em ber is an earnest
and sincere worker, each one would be ready and willing to
help the o th e r; and as the members of the Society are
spread over the four quarters of th e globe and nianv of
them are em inent in science and other departm en ts of
knowledge, the Indian members cannot b u t derive great
benefits from their advice and co-operation in various m a t­
ters with reference to the well-being of this country. It
has. however, been said by sonic— “ W hy need we join the
Society when these persons since they liave sym pathy for
th e ir fellowmen would help us even if we remain o u t­
side i” Such questioners lbrget th at for men to co-operat.e
with each o ther thoroughly, they m u st know each other
well, and when such persons are scattered in d istant places
th e best means of knowing each other well is to form
themselves into a brotherhood.
Again, it must not be forgotten th a t the Society does not
wish its ordinary members to tu rn recluses an d ascetics, but,
•on th e contrary, it is thought th a t there is greater m erit
in honestly doing your duty as a mem ber of the stale,
the society, the family, and at the same time remaining
an ascetic at heart, giving to earthly things the neces­
sary a ttention and keeping all thoughts, desires and pas­
sions u nd er proper restraint, th a n in entirely forsaking
the world.
T h a t there is a Power transcending matter which is
shaped and moved thereby ; that, there is in man some­
thing akin to that. Power, which something could be deve­
loped to give us u ltim ate knowledge by means of purity of
life and c o n d u c t; t h a t there is a lile beyond the grave,
the preparation for which is not through the observance
of forms and ceremonies which have usurped th e place
of true religion, b u t th rough unselfishness, self-denial,
self-control, in short, th e practice of a high order of moral­
ity ; th a t sincerity in everything we do and purity of
life has a sort of magnetic attraction to draw towards
ourselves all th a t is good ; th a t there has been from time
immemorial a world-rcligion based on Divine Wisdom
which the ancient, sages of all nations have ta u g h t under
the veil of myths, allegories and m y s te rie s; t h a t Magic
is nothing else but th a t Wisdom whose two pillars are
Mesmerism and Psychology; th a t this religion, if pro­
perly understood, would ten d to dispel scepticism from
our minds and point, out th e harmony th a t underlies the
principles of Vedism, Zoroastrianism and Buddhism ; that
there are other worlds an d systems ; th a t no p art of the
Universe is void, b u t is full of beings and existences made
according to the elements in which they live; th a t man
can un der certain conditions commune with and even
control these be ings; th a t harmony pervades the U n i­
verse ; that, no branch of knowledge is to be slighted or
neglected through vain prejudices; th a t there is nothing like
a. miracle in N ature, and that, it is merely onr ignorance of
the hidden laws of N a tu re that, makes us designate certain
marvellous phenomena, as miraculous : all this a n d much
more Theosophy helps us properly to understand. The
Theosophical Society aims nt disseminating a knowledge of
Theosophy and among several o ther objects it has thromdi
its Eastern Branch shown a desire to promote the moral and
material well-being of India, as far as lies in its power.
W h a t sincere well-wisher of our country, therefore, could
fail to join its ranks or be behindhand in feeling sympathy
with its views ? In connection with reform there has been
hith erto a great deal of em pty talk but little of real action,
for there has not. been an adequate am ount of zeal and
sincerity. H e re Theosophy increasing in our would-bc-re-
formers th e ir self-respect, would make them liberal-minded,
hum ble and sincere workers, and cause them to lav aside
for ever, the uttering of empt y platitudes or the perform­
ance of idle ceremonies. A t least, these are th e views of
one Parsi— th e writer.
LIUII']' F R O M T IIE M IS S I O N A R IE S WASTED.
HY A T H U T ll-S K K K K U .
T he subjoined few questions ale offered with a hope
th a t some enterprising Christian will answer them. I
send them to you in preference to any Chiistian jour­
nal for two r e a so n s: first, I can count upon thoir p ubli­
cation in the THKosnrillKT, and secondly, The TllKOSo-
J’lUST having a very wide circulation, the answers would
be read by m any who, like myself, are engaged in the
pursuit of tru th . T h e answerer will please cite authorities
where necessary. T he questions are :
1. W ho wrote Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, N um bers and
D euteronom y ( They could not have been w ritten by Moses
as alleged, because he has recorded his own death, and
no m an can record his own death". (See Deuteronomy,
chapter 34, verses f>, (>.) The tenth verse of the chapter
cited reads t h u s : — And there arose not a. prophet since
in Israel like unto Moses, whom the Lord knew face to
face.” Does this not, plainly show th a t the books were
written by somebody else and not bv Moses ?
2. W ho wrote the Book of Joshua ? It could not have
been written by J o sh u a for the reason given in ques«
tion, (Sec Joshua, chapter 24, verses 29, 30.)
 •t. God created A d a m and Eve. To them were bom
Cain and Abel. Cain slays liis brother, (lud curses him
and drives him out, Cain says “ every one t h a t findoth
mo shall slay inc. (^\. J i .— There was 110 h um an being
living except the tam ily of Adam, even supposing th a t
he had other children.) God, instead of assuring (Jain that
besides his tamily th ere was no living soul on the whole
earth, sets a mark upon Cain “ lest any finding him should
slay him. Does this not plainly show th a t there were other
people living besides A dam and his household i Again,
“ Cain went o ut from the presence of tins Lord and dwelt
in the land ot N o d ...A n d Cain knew his wife ” who was
(Jains wife { Surely he did not m arry his own s is te r;
lor independently of the incest it would involve, A dam
had no dau gh ter a t this time. Does this not prove beyond
doubt th a t there were other people living and th a t th e
asset t ion th a t the whole h u m a n race sprang from A dam
is utterly false ( Or is the whole story bosh
4. “ There were giants in the earth in these d a y s;
and also a lte r th a t when th e turns o f (n/d came in unto
the i(aiiijlda\s of men etc.” (Genesis, chapter (i, verse 4.)
W h a t is the meaning of the italicised expressions ! W ere
there other sons of God besides Je su s '{
.'). Do the Christians observe the laws, rites and cere­
monies ami mode of worship laid down by God in chapters
•21— ,*{<) of Exodus i I f not, why not i Do they not break
the commands of God in this respect {
(J. Who wrote the Books of Sam uel I N ut Samuel,
for reasons mentioned in Questions 1 and i . (See 1
Samuel, c h a p te r ih.)
7. T he Book of th e Acts of Solomon, the Book of
Jush er and possibly others existed before the Bible since it
quotes them. Tho Bible is, therefore, not the oldest book.
8. H ow is it th a t n o mention is made in the Old
T estam ent o f the T rinity in the Godhead .' I f Christians
believe t h a t there are throe persons in t!ic Godhead and
yet God is one, w hat difficulty can they find in believing
th at there are th irty-three crores o f persons in tho God­
head and yet God is one { W hen you have more th a n
one person in the Godhead, it is jierfectly im m aterial
w hether you have three or th irty -th re e crores.
!). Why do th e Christians m ake so much of faith in
Jesus, whereas they seldom urge th e necessity of having
faith iu God, tho F a th e r ? T he Holy Ghost is scarcely
mentioned by them as a power in itself.
10. W hen and by whom were tho Gospels w ritte n ?
(Reasons required, not dogmatism.) How many Gospels
wero there I Why wero only four recognised and th e rest
rejected ( 1 mean on w hat grounds W h a t was the test
of spuriousness ( W h a t assurance is there th a t tho four
Gospels also are not forgeries 1 For the present these
questions will do. W hen these are answered satisfac­
torily, I shall suggest others. I shall bo obliged if these
could be sent to a missionary and if his answers could be
published along with these questions. 1 require no names
as I don’t give mine. My object is oidy to learn the
truth. 1 must, however, a t the same time say th a t th e
answers m u st be published in the TilKosoi’illST; and if
any one wero to iisk me lo see him personally I would
dcclino to do so.
AT W V T IlK V II.l.K , IN’ THK S'l’A T K OK VI ItrjIN l
there is g re a t excitement over certain miraculous cures
which are said to have been performed by a mechanic,
named Richard Miller. H e is a deeply religious man and
affirms th a t in March last he dream t th a t “ with God’s
help he could perform wonderful cures simply through
faith." T he next day he healed a sick man by touching
him. Instances are given in th e ( 'inrininil! .I'Jin/tiircr of
cures wrought by him in cases of paralysis, rheum atism
and even cancer. He scornfully refuses all recompense
for his services, and altogether impresses one as a very
humble and sincere zealot endowed with strong magnetic
power, which he mistakes for a special miracle-working
inriiK'iice from Uod,
[C o n clu d ed fro m th e J u n e n u m b e r ]
A L A N D O F M Y S T B 111".
HY JI. I*. 11.
To refer all these cyclopean constructions th e n to th e
days of the Incus is, as we have shown before, more incon­
sistent yet, and seems even a greater fallacy than th a t too
common one of a ttrib u tin g every rock-femplo of In dia to
Buddhist excavators. As m any authorities show— Dr. Hea th
among the rest— lncal history only dates back to the
eleventh century, A.I)., and th e period IVom th a t tim e to
tho Conquest, is u tte rly insutlicient to account for such
grandiose aud innum erable works ; nor do the Spanish
historians know much of them. Nor again, m ust we
forget th a t the temples of heathendom were odious to the
narrow bigotry of the Homan Catholic fanatics of those
days ; and that, whenever th e chance offered, they e ither
converted them into C hristian churches or razed them to
the ground. A n o th e r strong objection to the idea lies in
the fact th a t the Jneas were d estitu te of a w ritten lan­
guage, and th a t these an tiq u e relics of bygone ages are
covered with hieroglyphics. “ It is granted th a t the T e m ­
ple of the Sun, a t Cuzco, was of local make, b u t th a t is
the latest of the five styles of architecture visible in the
Andes, each piobably representing an ago of hum an pro­
° V*8- . . . .
I he hieroglyphics ot Peru ami Central America have
been, are, and will most probably remain for ever as
dead a letter to our cryptographers as they were to th e
Ineas. 'I'lie la tte r like th e barbarous ancient. Chinese and
Mexicans ke p t th e ir records by m eans of a. quipus (or I,nut.
in Peruvian)— a cord several feet long composed of differ­
e n t colored threads. IVom which a multicoloured fringe
was suspended ; each color denoting a. sensible object, and
knots serving as ciphers. “ T h e mysterious science of tho
quipus," says Prescott,, “ supplied Ihe Peruvians with the
means of com m unicating their ideas to one another, anil
of transmit ting them to future generations........” Each lo­
cality, however, had its own method of interpreting those
elaborate records, hence a quipus was only intelligible in
tho place where it was kept. “ Many quipus have been
ta ke n from the graves, in excellent state of preservation
in colour ami tex tu re,’’ writes Dr. H eath ; “ but the lips
that alone could pronounce the verbal key, have for ever
ceased their function, and the relic-seeker has failed to
note the exact, spot where each was Ibuml, so th a t th e
records which could tell so much we waul to know will
remain sealed till all is revealed a l the last day.” ...if a n y ­
thing a t all is revealed then. Hut what is certainly as
good as a revelation iiow, while our brains are iu function,
and our mind is acutely alive to some pre-em inently sug­
gestive tacts, is the incessant discoveries of arclueologv,
geology, ethnology and o th e r sciences. It is the almost
irrepressible conviction t h a t man having existed upon
earth millions of years— lor all we know,— the theorv of
cycles is the only plausible thooiy to solve the great pro­
blems ol humanity, th e rise aud fall of numberless nations
and races, and the ethnological differences among the
latter. This difference— which, though as marked as the
one between a handsome and intellectual Kumpcau ami a
digger Indian of Australia, yet makes the ignorant sh u d ­
der and raise a great outcry al the thought of d e ­
it. s . A ., stroying the imaginary “ g reat gulf between man aud
bru te creation”— m ight thus bo well accounted for. T h e
digger Indian, then in company with many other savage,
though to him superior, nations, which evidently are
dying out to afford room to men ami races of a superior
kind, would have to be regarded in tho same light
as so many dying-out specimens of animals— and no
more. Who can tell b u t th a t the forefathers of th is flat­
headed savage— forefathers who may have lived aud pro­
spered am idst the highest civilization before the glacial
period— were in the arts and sciences far beyond those of
the. present civilization— though il, may be in quite ano­
the r direction { T h a t m an has lived in America, at least,
aOjOOO years ago is now p ro v e d scientifically and romaum
 !i fact beyond do ubt or cavil. In a lecture delivered ;it
Manchester in J u n e last, by Mr. H. A. Allbutt, Honorary
Fellow of tliu Royal Anthropological Society, tbe lecturer
stated t.lio following :— " N e a r New Orleans, in out; part of
the modern delta, in excavating for gas works, a series of
beds, almost, wholly made up of vegetables m a tte r wen;
dug tlirongli. In tlic excavation, at, a, depth o f K i f c e l
from the upper .surface, and beneath lour buried forests,
one on the top of the other, the labourers discovered point;
charcoal and th e skeleton of a man, the cranium of which
wa.s reported to be t h a t of tin; type of flic aboriginal Red
Indian race. To this skeleton Dr. Dowler ascribed an
an tiquity of some iiO.OOO years.” T be irrepressible cycle
in the course of tim e brought down the descendants of tho
contemporaries of tho late in hab itan t of this skeleton,
and intellectually as well as physically th ey have d e ­
generated, as th e present, elephant, has degenerated
from his proud and monstrous forefather, th e a n te d ilu ­
vian Si.atfhcrhmi whose fossil rem ains are still found in
the H im alayas; or, as the lizard has from the plesiosaurus.
Why should man be the only .specimen upon earth which
has never changed in form since the first day of his a p ­
pearance upon this planet < T he fancied superiority of
every generation of m ankind over th e preceding ono is not
y e t so well established a.s to m ake it impossible for us to
learn s o m e d a y that, as in everything else, tbe theory is a
two-sided question— incessant progress on the one side
and as an irresistible decadence on the other of th e cycle,
“ Even as regards knowledge and power, the advance
Avhich some claim as a characteristic feature of hum anity
is effected by exceptional individuals who arise in certain
races under favourable circumstances only, and is quite
compatible with long intervals of immobility, and irrn n f
i/ft'lint''* says a modern man of science. T his point is cor­
roborated by what we see in the modern degenerate d e ­
scendants of tbe great aud powerful races of ancient America
■
— the Peruvians and the Mexicans. “ How changed '
1 low fallen from their greatness m u st have been th e Incas,
when a little band of one hundred aud sixty men could
penetrate, uninjured, to th e ir mountain homes, m u rder
their worshipped kings and thousands of the ir warriors,
and carry away their riches, and that, too, in a country
where a few m en with stones could resist successfully an
army ! Who could recognize in the present I n ic h u a and
Ayniura In d ia n s their noble ancestry !" ............. Thus
writes Dr. 1loath, and his conviction tha t America was
once united with Europe, Asia., Africa an d Australia,
seems as linn a.s our own. There must exist geological
and physical cycles as well as intellectual and spiritual ;
globes and planets, as well as races and nations are born
to grow, progress, decline ami— die. G reat nations split,
scatter into small tribes, lose all remembrance- of th e ir iu-
tc o i t v , gradually fall into th e ir primitive sta te a n d — dis­
appear, one after the other, from th e face of the eaitli. So
do great continents. Ceylon must have formed, once upon
a time, p art of tho Indian continent. So, to all ap pe a r­
ances, was Spain once joined to Africa, t he narrow ch a n ­
nel between Gibraltar and th e latter continent having
been once upon a time dry land. G ibraltar is full of large
a p e s of the same kind as those which an; found in great,
num bers on the opposite side ou the African coast,, w here­
as nowhere in Spain is either a monkey or ape to be found
at. any place whatever. Anil the caves ol G ibraltar arc
also full of gigantic hum an bones, supporting tho theory
th a t they belong to an antediluvian race of men. The
same Dr. H eath mentions the town of Eton in 70 S. la ti­
tude of America, in which the inhabitants of an unknown
tribe of men speak a monosyllabic language th a t imported
Chinese labourers understood from t he first, day of the ir
arrival. They have th e ir own laws, customs and dress,
neither holding nor perm itting communication with th e
outside world. N o one can tell whence they came or
when ; w hether it was before or after the Spanish Con-
rpicst. They are a living mystery to all, who chance to
visit th e m .........
• Jovmnl of f..r Fcl>runry, Article —11Tlic Alleged
botnrccu Mnn nml 15nitc.”
W ith such facts before us to puzzle exact science her­
self, and show our entire ignorance of th e past verily, wu
recognise no right of any man on e a r t h —whether in geo­
graphy or ethnology, in cxact or abstract sciences— to tell
his n eighbour—“ so far shalt thou go, aud no further !”
Put, recognizing our debt, of gratitud e to Dr. H eath of
Kansas, whoso able and interesting paper has furnished
us with such a n u m b e r of facts, and suggested such possi­
bilities, we can do no b e tte r than quote his concluding
reflections. “ T h irteen thousand years ago," he writes,
“ I iyn or a htjnr, was the north polar star ; since th e n how
many changes has she seen in our planet ! H ow many
nations and raccsspringinto life, rise to their zenith of splen­
dour, and then decay ; an d when wc shall havo been gone
thirteen thousand years, and once more she, resumes her
post a t the north, completing a ‘ Platonic or Great Year,’
think you th a t those who shall fill our places on the earth
at, tha t time will be more conversant, with our history thau
we are of those th a t have passed ? Verily m ight we ex­
claim in terms almost psalmist,ic, ‘ Great, God, C reator and
Director of th e Universe, what is man th a t Thou a rt m ind­
ful of him!’ ’’
A m en ! ought to th e response of such as yet believe
in a God who is “ the Creator and Director of th e U n i­
verse.’’
X O T E S O X “ A L A N D O F M Y S T E R Y :'
'I’o the Editor of tho Til KosormsT :— I have read w ith
much pleasure your excellent article oh the “ Land of
Mystery.” In it you show a spirit of inquiry and love of
tru th which are truly commendable in you and cannot
fail to command the approbation and praise of all u n ­
biased readers. R u t there are certain points in it in
which I cannot b u t join issue with you. In order to
account, for Ihe most striking resemblances th a t existed
iu the manners, customs, social habits and traditions of the
primitive peoples of th e two worlds, you have recourse to
th e old Platonic theory of a land connection betw een th e m .
R u t the recent, researches in th e X<irew;/ni have once for
all exploded th a t theory. T hey prove that with tb e ex ­
ception of the severance of Australia from Asia there
never was a submersion of laud on so gigantic a scale as to
produce au A tlan tic or a Pacific Ocean, th a t ever since
t heir formation th e seas have never changed their ancient
basins mi any very large scale. Professor Geikie, iu his
physical geography holds that, the continents have always
occupied the positions they do now except th a t for a few
miles the ir coasts havo sometimes advanced into aud r e ­
ceded from th e sea.
You would not have fallen into any error had you ac­
cepted M. Quatrefagcs' theory of migrations by sea. The
plains of Central Asia is accepted by all monogcnists as
tlio centre of appearance of th e hum an race. From this
place successive waves of emigrants radiated to th e u t ­
most, verge of the world. I t is no wonder th a t the ancient
( ,'hincse, Hindus, Egyptians, Peruvians and Mexicans— men
who once inhabited th e same place— should show the
strong resemblances iu certain points of their life. Tho
proximity of th e two c ontinents a t Behring Straits enabled
im m igrants to pass from Asia to America. A little to
the south is the c u rre n t of Tassen, the Koiiro-sivo or
black stream of the Jap a n e se which opens a g re a t route
for Asiatic navigators. T he Chinese have been a maritime,
nation from remote a n tiq uity and it is not impossible th a t
their barges might, havo been like those of tbo Portuguese
navigator Cabral in modern times driven by accident to
the coast of America. But, leaving all questions of possi­
bilities and accidents aside, we know th a t the Chinesu
had discovered th e magnetic needle even so early as B,
(J. 2,000. W ith its aid aud th a t of the current of Tassen
they had no very considerable difficulty to cross to America,
They established as Paz Soldan informs us in his Gvotjrti-
fiit tU'l P e n t a little colony there and Buddhist missionaries
“ towards th e close of tb e fifth century sent religious mis­
Distinction
s io n s to c a rr y to I'o u -S a u g (A m e ric a ) the d o c tr in e s of
B uddha.” This will no doubt he unpleasant tn ninny
European rondel's. Thoy aro averse to crediting a s ta te ­
m ent th a t takes tlie honour ot’ th e discovery of A m erica
frointhoniand assigns itto w lia t thoy aro graciously pleased
to r a i l " a sonii-harbarous Asiatic nation.” Nevcrt In-loss
it is an unquestionable truth. C hapter X V I I I ot tho
H u m a n Species by A. l)o Quatrofagos will bo an interesting
reading to any one who may ho eager to know som ething
of the Chinese discovery of America. But the space at
his command being small he gives a very meagre account,
of it iu his W )k . I earnestly hope you will complete your
interesting article by adverting to this and giving us full
)»articulars of all th a t is known about it. Tho shedding
of light on a |mint which has h itherto been involved in
mysterious darkness will not bo unworthy of th e pen of
one, the be-all and end-all of whose life is th e search ot
tru th ami when found to abide by it, I k; it at w hatever cost
it may bis.
AM H IT A L A L B ISV A S.
Calmtta, l l t l i July.
Scant leisure this m onth prevents our m ak in g any de ­
tailed answer to th e objections to the A tla n ta n hypothesis
intelligently p u t forth by our subscriber. B u t let us see
w heth er— even though based upon “ recent researches
which “ have once for all exploded th a t theory — they are
as formidable' as a t tirst sight they may appear.
W ith o u t e nterin g into tbo subject too deeply we may
limit ourselves to b ut one brief remark. Mon! than one
scientific question, which at one time has seemingly been
put a t rest for ever, has exploded at a subsequent one over
the heads of theorists who had forgotten the danger of try ­
ing to elevate a simple theory into an infallible dogma.
W e have not questioned the assertion th a t “ there never
was a submersion of laud on so gigantic a scale as to pro­
duce an A tlantic or a Pacific Ocean,” for we never pre­
tended to suggest new theories for the formation of oceans.
The latter may have been where they now aro since the
tim e of their first ap|Kiarance, and yet whole continents
been broken into fragments partially engulfed, and left in­
num erable islands, as seems the case with tho submerged
Atlantis. W h a t we m e a n t was th a t at some prehistoric
time, nnd long after th e globe teemed with civilized na­
tions, Asia, America and perhaps Europe wero parts of
one vast continental formation, w hether united by such
narrow strips of land as evidently once existed where now
is Behring Strait, (which connects the N o rth Pacific and
Arctic Oceans and has a depth ol hardly more than tw enty
to twenty-five fathoms) or by larger stretches of land. Nor
shall we tight tho monogcnists who claim Central Asia as
tbo one cradle place of hu m a n ity — b u t leave the task to
the polygonists who are able to do it far 111010 successfully
than ourselves. But iu any case before wo can accept the
theory of monogonesis, its advocates m ust offer u s s o m e
•H/nui.u'r,•»</>/« hypothesis to account for th e oUserved
differences in hum an ty)>es lietter th a n th a t of “ divari­
cation caused by difference of climate, habits and rclli/Ious
culture." M. Quatrofagos may remain as ever, in dispu t­
ably a most* distinguished naturalist— physician, chemist
aud zoologist—yet we fail to understand why we should
accept bis theories in preference to all others. Mr. A m ritu
Lid Bisvas evidently refers to a narrative of some scienti­
fic travels along the shores of th e A tlantic and th e Medi­
terranean, by this eminent Frenchman, en title d — “ Souve­
nirs d ’un N aturaliste.” H e socms to regard M. Quatro-
fages in the light of an infallible Pope upon all scientific
questions : we do not, though lie was a m e m b e r of the
French Academy and a professor of ethnology. His theory
about the migrations by sea, may be offset by about an
hundred others which direct ly oppose it. It is j u s t be­
cause we have devoted our whole life, to tin; research of
tru th — for which complimentary admission wc thank our
critic— that wo never aecejit nue fa ith a n y authnrili/ iijhiii
any question whatsoever ; nor pursuing as we do T u u t h
and progress through a full aud fearless enquiry, u n tra m ­
melled by any consideration, would we advise any of our
friends to do otherwise,
H a ving said so much, wo may now give a few of our
reasons for believing in th e alleged “ fable” oft.be s u b ­
merged A tlantis— though we explained ourselves a t length
upon tho subject in Ixis Unveiled (Vol. I. pp. :'»!)() cf *«/.).
Fir.*t. W e have us evidence th e most ancient traditions
of various and widely-separated peoples— legends in I n ­
dia, iu ancient Greece, Madagascar, Sum atra, Java, and all
the principal isles of Polynesia, as well as thoso of botli
Americas. A m ong savages, as iu the traditions of th e
richest, literature in th e world— the Sanskrit, lite ra tu re of
In d ia — then; is an agreement in saving that, ages ago, thero
existed iu the Pacific Ocean, a largo continent which, by
a geological upheaval, was engulfed by the sea. A nd it is
our firm belief— held, of course, subject to correction—
that most, if not all of th e islands from the Malayan A r­
chipelago to Polynesia, are fragments of th a t once im mense
submerged continent.. Both Malacca and Polynesia which
lie at th e two extrem ities of th e Ocean and which, sine*;
th e memory of m an never had nor could have any in te r ­
course with, or even a knowledge* of each other, have yet.
a tradition, common to all th e islands and islets, that th e ir
respective countries extended far, far o u t into th e sea ;
th a t thero were in the world b u t twn immense continents,
one inhabited by yellow, th e other by dark men ; and that,
tho ocean by command of th e gnds and to punish them for
thoir incessant quarrelling, swallowed them up.
N o tw ith stan d in g the geographical fact, th a t N ow
Zealand, and Sandwich aud E a ster Islands, are a t a dis­
tance from each o th e r of bet ween S00 and 1,000 leagues;
and that, according to every testimony, n either those* nor
any o th e r in te rm e d ia te islands, for instance, the Marqiiesan,
Society, Feojec, T a h itia n , S am oan and other islands could,
since they became islands, ignorant, a.s tlieir people
were of t.he compass, have communicated with each o th e r
before the arrival nf E u r o p e a n s ; yet. they one and all
m aintain t h a t th e ir respective countries extended far
toward th e west, on the Asian side. Moreover, with very
small differences, they all speak dialects evidently of
the same language, and understand each other with little
difficulty ; have tho same religious beliefs and su p e rsti­
tions; and p re tty m uch the same customs. And as few of th e
Polynesian islands were discovered earlier than a century
ago, and th e Pacific Ocean itself was unknown to E u ro pe
until the days of Columbus, and these islanders have
never ceased repeating the sam e old traditions since the
Europeans tirst set foot on th e ir shores, it. seems to us a
logical inference th a t our theory is nearer to the tr u th
than any other. Chance would have to change its liamo
and meaning, wore all this du e b u t to chance alone.
AN K.IMDKMIC OK SOMK D ISK A SK U K S K M IK .IN C C H O U I'.A ,
or S t Vitus’ dance, has broken out in a Roman Catholic
school for girls in America. B eginning with a .single
child it soon attack ed fourteen and threatened to go
through th e whole school, but. was stopped by sending
every ono of th e pupils to her home. Those atllicted a p ­
pear to have acted in an extraordinary way, dancing con­
vulsively, tw isting them selves into strange contortions,
grimacing, je r k in g their limbs, and heating th e ir feet upnn
the tlonr. Some have offered the theory of demoniac pos­
session to account for th e facts, and perhaps if wo wore a
little way back iu th e Christian era, the services of th e
headsman instead of the doctor would have been engaged.
As it is, th e a tte n d in g physicians can come to no v e ry
definite conclusions as to tho causes of this outbreak.
“ A M ISSIO N A R Y W U II*.” — M U. A N D IIK W f l l K U M S I O R , A
recent traveller in Central Africa, has placed in th e
hands of Dr. Cameron, M. P., a whip, with which
he states th a t the missionaries a t a mission station
established near L ake Nyassa are in the h a b it of flogging
the ir refractory converts. T he whip consists of several very
thick thongs, and is a more formidable w e a jx m of punish­
m ent than the navy cat which was exhibited a t th e House
of Commons last year. T ho subject is, we hear, likely to
undergo official investigation .— D u lly i\Vten.
W h a t h e a th e n c o u ld r e s is t s u c h p e r s u a s iv e a r g u m e n ts ?
 T H E JI1N D U B K N G A I.
H Y T U M I l ’K A U Y r H A X D J I I 1 T I S A , K . T .S .
A lth ou gh Bengal is tlio first. Presidency <>f British
India, its early history before th e M ahom edan a d m in i­
stra tion is alm ost unknown. W« have collected tlio low
f ra g m e n ta ry notices wo liavo found on the subject, in tlio
hope that, thoy may load to furthor enquiry.
It is still an unsettled point, whence th e Aryas came,
but it is q u ite certain that they were originally settled nn
th e seven rivers, r/r., the Indus, th e live livers nf the
Punjab, ami Sarasvati. The laud between th e Sarasvati
and Drishadvat. was called the Brahm avarta. Those who
inhabited il, were contemplative and philosophic, the range
ol thoir contem plation extending fmm th e son I to God
and from God to th e soul, and all else being a subordinate
study. Originally there was no caste, no priest, no temple
am ong thorn, and thoir great, aim was to worship tin*
unseen Power through Ihe soul. A lthough this spiritual
state continued for a long I imo, it d i d not. and could not
spread far. Population increased, and th e organization of
society was called tor, which resulted in th e formation of
professions. Caste is m entioned in as early au authority
as th e Rig Veda, in the 1Oth Book of which work B rah ­
min, Kslietrya, Vaisya aud S ud ra are named. Brahma
iiioa.nl. “ nol. prayer or thanksgiving, h u t th a t invocation
which, with the force of I,In* will directed to God, seeks to
draw him to itself and to receive satisfaction from him.”
From Brahma, Brahm an wa.s formed, its m eaning being
ch an ter of pravers. W ith in a confined circle, Aryai.-m
continued in ils prim itive or spiritual state, but, speaking
generally, its aspect was changed. Great or st ress was laid
on the form, organisation, ritualism, offerings and c e r e m o ­
nies, and loss ou tlio internal adoration of God and tho
development, of the soul. Before the composition of the
S a n ia and Y a jur Vedas. B rahm ins were divided into foui
classes of priests, for th e performance of sacrifices, cerenio-
nios anil c ha nting of prayers. T h ey also assumed the title
of Pi iroll its, th e friends and counselors of kings.
Tho social organization brought, on by external circum­
stances required development, and each profession n a tu ­
rally .'ought for a field in which its energy could be directed
to advantage. T h e holy land, or tho B ru h tim rn rh i. as
well as tin* original seal, on t.he seven rivers, became crowd­
ed. Tlie A ryas th u s situated took “ for th e ir guides the
principal rivers of Northern India and were led by them
to new homes in tlieir beautiful and fertile valleys.” Tin*
countries which were of the earliest formation wen* U tta -
ra Kuril, K ash m ere and Gandhar now Candahar. U ttaro
Kuril was on th e north, beyond the H im avat. The Malia-
bharat, speaking of th e IJl.tara. K uru women, says that,
thoy wen; unconfined, they roved in dependently and pre­
served th e ir innocence. T he countries which next attra c ­
ted the Arya em igran ts wen* K urn k sh e tra (near Delhi),
Matsya on th e J u m n a , Panohala near m odern Cannj, and
Sursena(M athura). Menu calls this tra c t of land Jirah-
vmrshi. T he countries constituting th e M m lh y o Dr>a of
M enu were bounded by the Vindhya on the south, H im a ­
laya on th e north, and reached from Vinasara nn the east
to Pairag (Allahabad) on th e west.
A ryab artta comprehended all th e above and reached
from th e m o u th of the In d u s to tho Bay of Bengal.
Bengal is not mentioned by Menu. In th e Kig Veda,
th e Ganges and J u m n a are mentioned. W e b e r says that
he can trace “ in the later portion of th e Vedic writings,
th eir (Aryas) dispersion as far as th e Ganges.” In the
S a ta p a th a Brahm ana, there is a legend from which it
appears th a t the Aryas advanced from th e hanks of th e
Sarasvati to Sadiuiri or to Bolmr and Bengal. (Muir’s O.
'I'. P. 11., p. 42:$). T h e route of emigration given by Bur-
n o u f is from “ tho In d u s to th e Ganges and from the Ganges
to th e Dekkan.” T h e B rahm ins app ear to have taken the
lead in the colonization. They were settled in “Sarasvati,
Oanoj, Gauda, Mithila (Tirhut), U t k a la (Orissa), Dravida,
Mararastrn, Telunga, G uzrat ami Cashmere. T h e ir de-
scendante inhabited A uga (Bhagulpore), B an ga (B eD gal),
Oalinga. Kamrupa. Assam, » W * Tho Brahmin element
was th e strongest elem ent everywhere. N o coronation, no
religious, social or domestic ceremony could lie performed
w itho ut th e Brahmins. W hen Sita wa.s married to Hama,
the palace of J a n a k a was full of Brahmins.
“ How many thousand tiralnniiiR lieri*. ‘
Kroni every rogimi fur and near.
Well versed in lioly lmvu|>|nar. f ’rijlillt'* I!<im'i>/an.
Next, to the B rahm ins the Kshotryas wore the most
powerful. They formed tho military class from which
kings wero chosen. Tliev prosecuted tin* extension of
th e ir dominions, gave protection to life and property, anil
held out. every encouragement, to the promotion of agricul­
ture aud commerce. T h e next class, the Vaisyas, were
thus stim ulated to concent rate tlieir energy on the develop­
ment. of the agricultural l e s o u r c e s , and the augmentation
of the commercial prosperity, of th e countiy. The first
throe classes wore th e Aryas, who wore callcd "tw ice boili,"
from their right to th e sacred thread. Tin* Sudras were
most, probably the aborigines, and they were doomed to be
servants to th e three classes, with liberty to earn tlieir
livelihood by mechanical arts.
W h e n colonization had progressed considerably, India
was divided into N orthern, Central, Eastern, Southern and
W estern parts. Although India consisted of a number of
kingdoms, and m any of them were tributary for a time, it
does nol. app ear th a t th e whole country was subject to one
ruler or to nno line of kings. Kingdoms were often en­
larged or sulxlivided according tn circumstances, and allegi­
ance was often exacted by the most powerful nionarchs,
specially on occasions of the Ashwameda Yagnya, or on
other extraordinary occasions.
Tn the Vishnu Purana one of the descendants of Yayati
was the King of Banga or Bengal. In th e Unghu Yausa,
by Kalidasa., ( ’hap. 10, Hagliu, the great, grandfather ot
D asaiath, is described as having “ conquered the kings of
Bengal possessing fleets.” Bengal was rich at the time,
as the kings after being reinstated, gave to Hagliu “ im­
mense wealth.” I n th e H am ayan th e countries constitu­
ting D asarath s Kingdom are “ tho eastern countries, Sin­
dhu, Sarastia, Savira. the Sou th ern countiy, Anga, Banga,
Magadha, Kosala, Kasi, \-c., “ rich in golden coins, sheep
and kino.” Dasarath, th e father of Hama, lived long before
Yudhistliira, whose era is fixed by Colebrooke and Wilson
between th e l.'tth and 14th centuries B .C . Banga is
m entioned several tim es in the Mahabharat, W hen Arju­
na w ent on a pilgrimage, ho visited Banga and Munijmre
(Adi Parva). Previous to tin* performance of tlie Bajsaya
Yagnya, Bhiin proceeded to tin* eastern countries to exact
allegiance from tlieir kings, and among the count rjes
conquered by him was Bungo, which must, have consisted
of four divisions, a.s the names of four rulers are mentioned,
ri:., Sam ad ra Sen, Chandor Son, Tam ralipla and Knr-
kutadhipafi. Tho people nf Banga, P undraka and Kalinga,
th a t is, L o w e r Bengal. Midnapore and Ganjam, presented
large tusks with elephants.+ Before the war of K uru-
kslirtin, a complete list of th e mountains, rivers and coun­
tries of India was furnished by Sanjaya to Dhritarastra,
from which it. appears th a t the different, parts nf India
wore inhabited by H indus. T here are several countries
which are difficult of identification. Am ong the countries
mentioned Ii<intfo ?’.*>• one— ( B h h m o — J ’arVa.) After the
war, Y u d h is th ira performed tlie A fln n n n lo Yiit/m/d. W ith
tlio sacrificial horse w ent Arjuna to several countries, among
which was Bengal. It. was then governed by Mlechas,
or out cast es, which m ay mean degraded Aryans, or bar­
barous aborigines. In the Itojtl/ionna A vamiMtnikti Porvu,
Bliisma enum erates several tribes, ri-.. Yavana, Kirat,
Gandhar, Chin, Savara, Barbara, Saca, Tomgara, Kunka,
Palada, Chandra, Mandraka, Poundra, Palmda, Rnmata,
and Kamboja. T h e question p u t was, how were they to
bo civilized ? T he answer was th a t th e king should con­
sider it a p a ra m o u n t duty to educate them. M enu’s idea
of Mlechas is th a t th ey “ speak barbarously, 01 not as the
• H u n te r 's B engal.
f Jouriml of tlie R. A. Socicty, Vol. YU., p. I'M.
 Sanskrit-speaking people.” Colonel Briggs, in liis in tere st­ krama, and Vikrampore in Dacca is called after him, and not
ing pajier* on tlio H in d u s and Aborigines, says tliat tlie after tho nam e of tlie Oujeiii monarch.* Tbe coins ot the
aborigines iiatl no priests, tliey allowed tboir widows to Guptas were 11 types of Greek origin.” The people were
get married, tliey a te cow’s flesh, tliey buried tlieir dead, acquainted with the G reek language and imitated Greek
and they were unacquainted with flu; arts and sciences. architecture. The Pal dynasty were the next rulers of
Wilson says that “ it m ust have been a period of Home Magadha. “ They were the sovereigns of Eastern India,
antiquity when all the nations fiom Bengal to tlio Coro­ including Benares, Magadha and Bengal.” T he Pals were
mandel were considered Mleehas and outcastes.” staunch Buddhists. Buddhism was evidently in existence
The tradition is that the countries on the left side of in Bengal while it, was tributary to Magadha during its
tin; Ganges were called Jinni/a, and those on the right side several Buddhist, dynasties. Adisur, whom Lassen places
were called hi/ii. Magadha was a very ancient country before the Pals, and who im)M>rtcd pure Brahmins, with
and a Magadha princess was the queen of Dilip. It was their companion Kaisthas, IVom Canoj, must have reigned
originally a part of Chedi Bajah's dominions'!' nf th e solar after the Pals, as up to their tim e Buddhism was strong in
race, b u t subsequently it was governed independently by Bengal.
Jarasandhu, who was a contcnqmrary of Yudhisthira. T he Pal dynasty was succeeded by the Sen dynasty.
Banga and several other countries were tribu tary to J a r a ­ T he founder of the lattei dynasty took Bengal partially
sandhu. M agadha was bounded on one side by Mithila lrom th e Pals, but did not possess Magadha till ll t i 2
and on th e other side by Banga. Its capital was Kusaga- A. D . f
rapura, afterwards Rajgir and then Rajgriha. It was in T he Pala kings reigned in W estern and N orthern Ben­
tlie midst of five; bills— “ lull of cattle, well watered, salu­ gal from «S.».-> to 1040 A.D., and th e Sena king.s in Eastern
brious, and abounding with fine buildings.” T his descrip­ and Deltaic Bengal from !(S(! to alxuit 1142 A.D.J U n ­
tion is given in the Savaparva when Bhini, A rjun and der the Senas Brahm anism revived in Bengal. Laksli-
Krishna visited the city to kill Ja rasandh u. Pataliputra, m an a ’s reign commenced iu 110(i. W e have already
or Pnliputra, was afterwards tbe capital. It is now under alluded to th e independent position of Bengal at different
water, b u t close to its site stands modern Patna. times. Colonel Wilfoid says th a t at one time the Bengal
kings were so |iowerful that they conquered “ all the
Tin* growth of a new religion is generally a ttrib utab le
Gangetic provinces as far as Benares and assumed th e title
to the decline of the spiritual e le m en t in the existing
of maharajahs.” An inscription found iu Sarun was erec­
creed. Long before Buddhism arose, the contemplative
ted hv a prince who was trib u ta ry to Gour or Bengal.
aud philosophical H in dus had learnt and th o ug ht w hat
In the Ayeen a list nf the H in du kings of Bengal is
the purpose of existence was, w hat was the n atu re of the
given:—
soul, and bow it could be absorbed in God. B u t these
abstract tru th s were being lost sight of, with th e increase 24 Khatrva kings reigned lor 2418 years.
of sensualism in meat and drink, the assumption of th e !1 Kaist. kings reigned for 2.">0 years.
authority evidenced in the caste system, and th e predomi­ 11 Do. of th e family of A disur reigned for 714 years.
nance of external rites and ceremonies. These circumstances 10 kings of th e family of Bhopal reigned for 08!) years.
necessitated the inception of Buddhism, which arose about 10 kings of the Pal dynasty.
477 B. C. Sakyam uni, the first B uddhist teacher, appeared Tho Vaidya Kajahs reigned from lOO.’l to 1200 A.D.
in .‘>88 B. C. He tirst preached in Benares, the citadel of Bengal, during the tim e of Ballal, consisted of the fol­
Brahmanism, then in Champa, Itajgira, Sravasti and Ko- lowing divisions:—
sambi. B ra h m a 11ism was convulsed, aud he not only g a in ­ 1. Barendro, w ith the M ahanundee on the west, tb e
ed an immense nu m b er of converts, but extended his P udm a (Ganges) on tho south, and th e Koorootoya on the
doctrines in every part of tho country. east.
2. B u n g u — east from th e Koorootoya to the Brahma­
C h a n drag upta’s reign commenced in B.C. .S2.">. Ho
pootra. T he capital of Bengal was near Dacca.
ruled from the Indus to th e m o uths of th e Ganges. H is
capital was Palibothra, where Megasthenes resided. H e 3. Bagree, the Delta, called also Dwqia, or the island.
was succeeded by Daimachus, tb e second Greek am bassa­ It had three sides, th e Bhagooruthee river on the west, the
dor during th e reign of Vindusara. Asoka was the next Pudm a on the east, the sea on th e south.
king of Magadha, and his dominions reached from Cash­ 4. Raliree. It. had th e Bhagecrnthoe and the Pudm a
mere to th e N erhudda and from th e Indus to the Bay of on th e north and the east, and other kingdoms on tbe
Bengal. To tbe eastward, his kingdom probably included west and south.
the whole of Bengal.J :t. Mithila— having th e M ahanundee and Gour on the
Bengal did not uniformly bear an independent character. east, th e B h a g e e iu th e e ou the south, and other countries
It was governed by its own kings, b u t it was often tr ib u ­ on the west and .south.
tary. W hen Alexander was here, Magadha included B en­ l'a H ian was here in .‘19!) to 414 A.l). and Hiouen
gal and Behar. Klphinstone states that, “ when the suc­ Thsang in (i20 to 114.) A.D. They both notice Tumlook
cessors of Alexander were th e successors of the kings of as a place of great importance, aud it. continued in a pro­
Prasii, Bhagadata, a prince of Bengal, was also th eir ally.” sperous condition till the fourteenth century. Tho Malta-
Alexander’s campaign took place in Il.’tO B.C. Megasthenes vanso names it a.s one of the nineteen capitals. W hen the
mentions the Gangaridie, supposed to occupy Lower Bengal, A i n t j i i t i i i i i n was parcelled out, the kings of Magadha, Mithi­
and their chief city is identified with Bunlwan.ij In 812­ la, Oude, Benares, Anga, Banga and Tumlook got, their
822 A. 1). In d ia consisted of tour great kingdoms, of which respective shares. The last named Chinese traveller
Bengal was one. (Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society, visited Bengal, which he notices.
Vol. VI.) In the seventh century the division of Eastern Gour (derived from Gur, or ungranulated sugar)}} was
India consisted of Assam, Bengal Proper, D elta of the the most ancient capital of Bengal. It existed lor two
Ganges, Suinbul|>ore, Orissa ami Ganjam. thousand years. “ It was the nmst. magnificent, city in
A fter the Maurya dynasty we have the G u p ta dynasty, 1ndia, of immense si/e, and titted v it h noble buildings.
which commenced in .‘il!l B. C. “T he kingdom of India It was tbe capital of a hundred kings, the sea*, of wealth
under th e Guptas is the country watered by the Ganges and luxury. T b e city was destroyed by a plague several
and its atHuents.” ( 'handra G upta assumed the name of Vi- centuries ago.” ( H u n te r ’s Bengal). The next capital of
Bengal was Vikramixirc, near Sonargong in Dacca.
* J o u r n a l o f tl io 11. A. S o c i c t y , V o l. X I I I . A lthough Dacca is looked upon as the Bo-otia of Bengal, it
*t* C hct ii w a s t l io c o u n t r y o f tl io K n l a f li u rC H o r H a i - h a v a * -Cli e<li iu
Inter lim e* hail tw o capital*. T r i p u r a , t l i c c a p i t a l o f < :| n .l i I ' r o p e r ,
• J o u r n a l o f t l i c l l o y a l A s i a t i c S o c i e t y , V ol. V I . N , S.
a n i l M aii i|> ur a, co n *i ile ic il t o liav o lic un ti le o r i g i n a l c a p i t a l , A i i l i l i o l o a i -
cal S u r v e y , V o l. IX . + A rc h u v lo j' ic a l S u r v e y of I n d i a .
t J o u r n a l o f tl ie ll o iu li n y l l r a u c l i o f t h e I!. A. S o c i c t y f o r J a n u a r y 1857. * . J o u r n a l o f t h o A s i a t i c S o c i c t y of M e n t a l , \ o 1.17.
j M c C r i i i ' l l e ’s A n c i c i i t I n d i a . § Tlio derivation i», wc think, oj*c» to «|uc»tion.—Kd, C. A\
 was a t one time a most, important place. N uddea was tin'
capital when l.uclmiuii Sen was tlio king of Bengal, ami it
lias been celebrated as tlit? seat of learning. Bengal had
several im portant cities, am ong which may I k; i mint'd
Sonargong near Vikrnni|ioro, anil Satgong near the m outh
of the Hooglilv. There is a map of Bengal m ade in the
fifteenth century, showing live largo cities, which consti­
tu te d a p o r t i o n of th e S ’lmlerliun now u n d e rw a te r, ('mi-
ningham says that the countries from the Sutledgc to
th e Ganges were th e richest and most |M>pulous districts.”
For more than two centuries Constantinople carried on a
trade “ from tho lianks of tlie Ganges and Indus. Then;
wa.s nn intim ate intercourse between Bengal and other
Indian countries. Bengal m erchants used to go in ships
to Ceylon. ( hi th e lianks of th e Ganges th ere were seve­
ral flourishing cities." Tin; Magadha m erchants used to
encouinge those who were lmld an d e nterprising and nt,
the same time cautious and circumspect. Traders from
Egypt came as far as tin; Ganges. T h e Greek traders
used to trade with th e Ganga, a c i ty on th e banks of tho
river of that name and north-w est of Paliliothra. In one
p a rt of tho linv was ( 'alinga and iu an other Sonargong, called
.Tnteninln, the capital o f which was Vikiampore. T he m a rt
of Vikmm pore had communication with Sylhet, Assam,
Rung]>ore, and the Bay o f Bengal. Silk, iron, skins, and
malaliathruni were sen t from Sylhet, and Assam, nnd
spikenard from Itungpore. T he exports from the m ail
were spikenard, pearls, mnlnbathnim , and muslins. Pearls
from Tipperah and Mymciising reached Vikrampore,
called the gigantic mart. Periplus (A. B. N(J-S!I) speaks
of Kaltis as the coin of Lower Bengal, where he notices
also gold and silver. Dacca continued ns a distinguished
city for a long time. It exported m anufactures to E thio­
pia, Turkev, Syria, Arabia, and Persia. Marco Polo
notices spikenard from Sonargong, and Fitch (1.»<S(! A.]).)
found cotton ex|>orted to Malacca nnd S u m a tra via India
and ( 'eyIon. The two Mahoinedan travellers (ninth cen­
tury) speak of Bengal (ltnmi), exporting cotton garments,
rhinoceros horns, Ling aloes and skins. Chittagong was
a nother important, mart, which used to receive silk, iron
and skins, from Serica (Assam,) m alabathriim, .a species of
cinnamon Albillora from Assam and Sylhet., and spikenard
from Itungpore. T he tree, grew in R ungporc u p to Mus-
sorie. Malalmthruin was from the leaves, and was used as
a perfume. The Greeks and Romans used it iu th e ir wine.
Maltebrun states th a t in Bengal, Orissa, and Allahabad
diam onds wero plentiful. Macaulay, in his W arren H a s ­
tings speech, speaks of the 11 muslins of Bengal” in the
bazaars of Benares.
Pragjotish is supposed to be T h ib e t or Assam. It. pre­
sented to Y ndisth ira sharp swords, javelins, spears, h a t ­
chets and battle-axes. H eeren notices a route from
Bootan to Kungpore. Pem berton writes that iu this
trade between Bengal, Bootan and Thibet, was well-known.
At Cooch Bcliar caravans used to assemble, and m erchants
came from China, Muscovy, or T a rta ry to buy musk,
cambals (blankets), agates, silk, pepjtcr, and saffron of
Persia. Agates were the tortoise shell forming th e p rin ­
cipal ornament, of Boot.eah and T hibetan women. The
articles which woiesent. to Itungpore were woollen cloths,
hats, lxiots, small horses, and clioury tailed cattle.
D r. H un ter, iu his Qri*xa, says th a t the five outlying
kingdoms of Ancient India were Anga, Bauga, Kalinga,
Siilima, and I’undra. Anga may mean t he Ganges m art
on the west, of Palibothra, well known to th e Greek trades­
men, Banga, Bengal Proper— Kalinga ou the Godavari,
Suliina, east ward of Bengal, perhaps Tippera or Arracau,
and Poundra, or t he Paundra, Vardhana nf Hitmen Tlisang
close to Govindaganj on th e Karatoya, It included Raj-
shalii, Dinagepur, K ungpur, Nuddca, Becrbhoom, Burd-
wan, Pachowte Palame, and part of Cliunar.*
W hat Kalinga is to the Godavari, ITt.kal or U d ra is to
the Malianadi. The formation of Kalinga is traced to nu
Indian sage from N orthern India. Both Kalinga and
Orissa had intim ate intercourse w ith Bengal. N o t only
• S e e Wilwin'-* V i s h n u P u r o n n n m l J o u r n a l o f t h e K o v a l A s i a t i c S»*c»etv,
V ol. V I . N . S .
Aryans, but, Yavanas, or Ionian Greeks, came to Orissa
from Bengal. Orissa im ported H ind u literature from the
valley of the Ganges, which is am ply proved by the
works written by th e Orissa authors. From the same
source Orissa received th e Buddhistic religion. The pro­
motion of agriculture led to commerce, and commerce to
navigation. Bot h connnercti and navigation were so much
appreciated that. “ tlio rock inscriptions speak of naviga­
tion and ship commerce as forming part of the education
of the prince." Following the example of Bengal, Orissa
made good fabrics.
Dr. Taylor, in his valuable paper in tin; journal of tho
Asiatic Society of Bengal (Vol. X V I. P a rt I.) expresses
an opinion that, lh'aarna might, refer to tin; Suiiderhims.
Mr. H. T. Rainey ( Calcutta Kci'imr, Yol XXX.) writes as
follows : “ T hu s we venture to thin k wo satisfactorily
prove th e existence of population in ancient times on a
broad and sound basis, and altogether independent, of the
existence of numerous rivers which may or may not date
siihseipient to tin; occurrence of the phvsical changes re­
ferred to above, and to the incursions of the Mugs and
Portuguese pirates which we know to have taken place
thereafter.” There are three other eminent, gentlemen
who have thrown some light, on this subject. Colonel
Gastrell ■' has found some ruins of masonry buildings, the
traces of old courtyards, and here anil th e re some garden
plants in lot, No. 211.” Dr. H u n te r says that, remains of
brick g ha ts and traces of tanks have also been found in
isolated parts of th e forest, and in one or two localities
brick kilns were discovered. Mr. Blochman says “ The
Sun d e rb u n s— formerly called Chanderbundns or Slianda-
bundus. In an inscription dated 11JMI Sunihut, or A. I).
1077, in northern Backergiinj, mention is made of a g rant
of land bv M adhava Sen, K ing of Bengal, to a Brahmin.
There are ruins of houses anil temples which are known
to exist in various places. Todar Mull’s rent-roll corre­
sponds with the north boundary of the jun gle marked on
the survey maps.”— ( H u n te r ’s Gazetteer) :—T he reason­
able inference is th a t the Siinderbun must, have been
inhabited and formed a p a rt of Bengal. Saugor Islam!
is connected with a legend contained in th e Ramayan and
M nhabharat (Baua Parva). T h e river Ganges goes as far
as H atiaghur, iu th e 24-Pergiinnalis, near the sea, in
honor of king Saugor, from whom Bhagirat.il was descend­
ed, and who is said to have brought the Ganges to
wash away th e sins of liis ancestors. Saugor Island lias
been considered a sacred place, being the of Kapila,
and is visited by pilgrims. It, appears from the Maha-
b harat that, there was a place on th e north-east of th e
sea before the Ganges em ptied itself into it, aud the for­
mation of the island took place perhaps subsetpiently. ’
In that, place Kapila resided. Yndisthira, to whom the
story of B hagirath was related, came to Saugor aud bathed
there. Thence he went with his brothers to Kalinga by
sea.— In the Sava Parva, Bliim is described as having
visited Saugor Island, which was then governed by Mlecha
kings, who gave Bliim different, kinds of precious stones,
sandalwood, ngore, clothes jewels, blankets, gold, &c., as a
mark of allegiance.
Bengal was in th e first instance Dtahmanical. T he
aborigines were driven away, or employed as servants or
lalxiurers. T he intercourse between th e m and the Aryas
m u st therefore have been constant. T he language of
tin; Aryas was S a n sk rit ; b u t it ought to be borne in
lniud th a t S ansk rit was of two kinds, viz., the natural or
spoken Sanskrit,, resembling the Prakrit and Pali found
even in the Vedas, ami artificial or purified Sanskrit.
Language precedes grammar, aud th e process of purifica­
tion according to gra m m a r is an after work. W hen the
Rig Veda songs were chanted, they were spontaneous or
inspirational, aud g ra m m a r was not then in existence.
Tin; A rya immigrants, coming in contact with the non-
Aryas, could not help taking many of their words iu
forming a language for m utual understanding. Sanskrit
wits thus subjected to modification, and in this way dif­
* ferent provincial dialects sprang up. T h e pure Sanskrit
 remained intact, but was confined, to learned circles ;
although gradually it became simpler, as tbe Puranas aud
Itihases were written in a simpler style tbau tbe Vedas,
Upanishads and Darsanas. Tbe character must liave been
originally Deb Nagri. Westmacott, reading an inscrip­
tion found in Dinagepur and Bogra,* observes :—“ The
character is in that style of progress towards modern Ben­
gali, which we find iu use in the eleventh century of the,
Christian era.” Dr. Rajendra Lala possesses a Bengali
MS. which was written seven hundred years ago. We
had several Kirtanas who used to sing, reciting the deeds
of gotls and goddesses in the Bengali language, which was
then in an imperfect state. Tbe names of the Kirtanas
are Vidyapati, Chundi Das, Brindabone Das, Cobind Das
and Chunder Saikur.
Although Buddhism was predominant in Bengal under
Buddhist dynasties, and the language used was Pali or
Magadhi, yet the Hindu literature was not ext inct,, and the
Bengali
O language
o o was being O formed. It is true that the
Pals were Buddhists, but they were tolerant. They ap­
pointed Hindus to important offices, aud were not hostile
to Brahmanism. The gradual decay of Buddhism pro­
duced a reaction in favour of Brahmanism. The original
conception of God through the soul was abandoned, as
such,a conception was too lofty for the people at huge,
whom the founders of the different sects thought it abso­
lutely necessary to work upon. Puranas and Apapuranas
were written in different parts of tbe country in simple
Sanskrit, inculcating the worship of particular gods and
goddesses, finite in form but infinite in attributes.
Of the Sen kings, IJallal raised tbe descendants ot the
five Brahmins and the Kaist-as who had come tromCanouj
forbidding intermarriage between them and the families
which were in Bengal. No less than 1•’>() families sprang
from the Caiiouj Brahmins. A hundred families were
settled in Barendra and sixty in Rara. As regards the
Kaisth families, Ghosc, Bose, and Mittra were declared to
be of the tirst rank.
The capital of Ballal was Vikrampore. lie was himself
a learned man and an encourager of learning. His son,
Lachmau Sen, trod the footsteps ot his father, and wish­
ing to imitate Vikramaditya, had five poets attached to
his court, named Goburdliuu, Snutrana, Jaydova, Kabiraj
anil IJmupati who were considered its gems. Of these,
Jaydeva is well known as the author of (Sita Gobind.
He was a native of Kinduvelwa in Bengal.
Besides the above poets there were Halayudha, Minis­
ter of Justice, who wrote Brahma Sarvasa, and several
other works on Smriti, besides Banisanhar Natak ; l’asa-
pati, his brother, tho chief judge and head pundit, who
wrote Dasa Karma Dipika, and Pushupati Padha, and
another brother of his, who wrote on Smriti, Mimansa
and Ahnika Padhati. Notices of a number ol works are
to be found in the catalogue of Sanskrit MSS. by Dr.
llajeudra Lala Mittra. In the fourteenth century Sonar-
gong Wiis renowned for “ holy and learned mcn.”'f Before
the time of Lachman literature in Bengal was not in a
state of activity.
In Tirhut, Gangasa Upadhya wrote Tutwa Chintumoni
about seven centuries ago, and Jadadeaa Tarkalankar
Bhatta, of Nuddea, wrote Turka Tipau about lour cen­
turies ago. In the fifteenth aud sixteenth centuries Vaish-
navism gave an impetus to the cultivation of literature
in Bengal. Chaitanya, who was born in Nuddea, was a
bold reformer. He denounced caste and taught universal
love, lie had able co-adjutors in Nityanund and Adwita,
and able disciples in Rupa and Sonaton, who were the
authors of several works. Ramanand, the founder of the
Ramanundi, Surdas, Tulsi Das and Krishna Das, who all
lived in Benares, promoted Vaishnaism by p m Am, thi/mx,
and songs, which reverberated in Bengal. Of the five
schools of Law, Bengal was one. Jimat Valiana wrote a
work called Dayacrama Sangraha. Raghunnndiin lived
• Jo u rn al of tlio A siatic .Socicty of Bengal, Vol. X h lV .
f J o u r n a l of t h e A sia tic S o c ie ty of H c n g a l, V ol. X M I I .
in the sixteenth century and wrote Daya Tutwa. His
fellow-students were Sisomani and Chaitanya.
In 1203 the Hindu kingdom of Bengal had become ex­
tinct on Buktyar Khilijy taking Nuihlea. Bengal then
consisted of five divisions :—1, Rara, west of the Hugli
and south of tbe Ganges ; 2, Bugdi, Delta of the Ganges ;
3, Banga, east of, aud beyond, the Delta ; 4, Barendra,
north of the Padma and between the Karatoya and Maha­
na11<1a livers ; ;">, Mithila, west of the Mnhananda. Bengal
meant Laknauti, Satagon, and Sonargon. Lakuauti con­
sisted of Barendra, with Ducat, and of llaur, to which
Lakhuail belonged.*
Although Bengal ceased to be the Hindu Bengal from
1230 A. D., yet in l.V>0 a king of Orissa was the king of
Bengal, and his name was Telinga. The limits of his
kingdom were: North, from Tribeni to Hugli, through
Bisscnpore to the frontier of Putkar ; East, the river Hugli,
and South, the Godavari, or tho Ganga Godavari, and West
from Singbhoom to Sonapore. ’fhe chief city was Sat-
gong, not far to the North of Hugli. "t­
He was the last independent king of Orissa. A ghaut
and a temple in Tribeni are attributed to him. He was
defeated and Bengal again fell into the hands of the
Mahomcdans (Cut. Itec.).
A B U D D H IS T M /S S IO N TO THE UNITED
S T A TICS.
The Tokio ( Japan) T i m e * says :
The famous Hon-guwan-ji of Kioto—perhaps the wealth­
iest and most influential of the various sects of Bud­
dhism in Japan—established a mission in Shanghai some
years a g o , but is not carrying on any great work of con­
version among the Chinese. In imitation of sonic of the
Christian missions of Japan and China, it has in connec­
tion with its more legitimate work a dispensary, where
the poor may obtain advice aud medicine tree of charge,
and ghostly counsel as well. The mission is situate iu
tin' Ki a n g s e load, and occupies extensive and handsome
premises.
This is the sect, it will be reniemlieled, from which it has
been proposed to send missionaries to the United States
and Europe, to convert the poor benighted heathen of
those countries from the errors of Christianity to the only
true faith. It is a fact. that, there is in the handsome new
college of the sect iu Kioto a number of young men who
are being instructed in English and trained in theology
with the view of their being ultimately sent across the
seas with the object mentioned.
T I T iik o s o i'iiic a i . S .
iik o n ia n im ik t y
The following is a list, of officers elected under tho
(.'barter just issued from the Parent Society :—
/'rcaident :
Professor Pasipialc Menclao, I). L.
l i v e - / ‘resilient :
Count Dr. Nicolas de Gonemys, M. D.
C orretjiondiiiy Secretary :
Otlio Alexander, Es<|.
Jtccording Secretary :
Alexander Rombotti, Esq.
'l'reusttrer :
Denietrio Socolis, Esq.
-
ft
T ill-: V O Y A G K FUflM IH iM I I . V V T < > P O I N T I >K G A I . I . K I U ' 1!I X G
the dry months, by one of the fine steamers of the British
India S. N. Co., touching at all the Coast ports, is charm­
ing. With an agreeable captain, good company, anil rea­
sonable immunity from sea-sickness, it is so like; a yacht­
ing excursion that one is sorry when the journey is ended.
Such, at anv rate, was our case. To come back in the
S.-W. Monsoon, as we did, is quite another affair.
* Journal of th e Asiatic Society <*f llm '/al, ^ X 1JI.
*(• Journal of tlic Asiatic fiuciuty vi Jkngal, Vol. X\ I, I'art J,
t e s t j m ; t iie b e w it c h k d m ir r o r th e o r y
HV ISAMU ASI‘ TOSH MITltA.
The facts related under the title o f“ tho Bewitched
Mirror" in tho T h k o k o p i i 1ST of June last, must have
excited curiosity, if nothing else, in tlio minds of all its
readers. At. tins suggestion of my friend Babu Avinas
Bheondra Banorjee, L.M.S., I decided tu make, tlio trial
myself; and on the very day I received the suggestion, I
ninth; arrangements, vcrv simple a.s they were, to repent
l’rince Tzcretelifs experiment. We did not consider it
“ all bosh," as the companion of Mr. Ivanoviteh’s friend
remarked, neit,lier did we take it to be like, the one ‘'of
being unable to eat champagne out of a soiip-pl;itc with
a large spoon without perceiving tbe devil at tins bottom
of the plate.'’ We admit, that wo ate not spiritualists,
but wc aro triith-sockors ami tin not, liko many, consider it
i n / m tliij to give any attention to spiritualism ; and we
are always glad to spare both time and trouble to make
any research in that secret science.
()ur Held of experiment was a room within the com­
pound of the Medical College, Calcutta, known as the
Prosector’s Room—where, moro than a thousand dead
botlies have been dissected. It wa.s quite solitary.
After half-past eleven at night, I entered the l o o m ,
taking a lighted candle in each hand, anil slowly approach­
ed the mirror in which was reflected part of a skele­
ton which stands at a little distance. 1 glanced at my
watch : it was a couple of minutes to the time. Mean­
while I was pondering oyer a serious .subject—soul, its
immortality, its destiny, &c.; my thoughts coming ami
going bv (lashes.
All was r|uiet. In an adjacent hall the clock struck—
tong, tong, tong—twelve times. 1 .straightened myself
up anti, firmly looking upon my own reflection in the
mirror, pronounced slowly, loudly, and distinctly
“ A—su—To—sli—iii—fra” ! Finished. I kept my
eyes fixed upou tho mirror, i|iiito forgetting the external
world.
After a good long; time (nearly five minutes) I repeat­
ed my name for the second time. No change in the
mirror, neither anything mystical in myself. My hands
anti legs were paining, my cye-siglit was growing dim,
as is natural when one stares long at, one object conti­
nuously. I repeated my name for the third time, hut
nothing came of it. Al l a s t , being disappointed 1 went
off ami found it was twenty minutes after twelve. I repeat­
ed the experiment on three subsequent nights with similar
results. On tho fifth day, my friend Babu Gopal Cliun-
der Mookorjoe tried it in a separate room, aud he also
was unsuccessful.
I would like to know if any other reader of the Til !•:<»•
St.il1H IST has tried it, for it might be that tho effects de­
scribed happen only with certain persons,
Medical College, Calcutta,
10th J u n e I!S<S0.
The experimental plan, followed in this instance hy the
Babu. is the only one by which it may be discovered how
much truth then; is in I h e time-honoured legends, tradi­
tions and superstitious observances of modern nations.
If liis nnd his friend’s tests prove nothing else, they cer­
tainly show that not every one who invokes himself iu
a mirror at, midnight* by the light ot two candles, will,
of necessity, h e appalled by ghostly apparitions. But
his own common souse has probably suggested what is no
doubt the fact of the case, viz., that the phenomena described
by Prince Tzeretclif, iu our Juno number, are observable
only by poisons of a peeuliai temperament. *1liis is cer­
tainly the rule in every other department, of psychic
phenomena. As regards the “ Bewitched Mirror tale
we printed it as an illustration of one of tho oldest ot
.Slavic beliefs, leaving it to the reader to put the test or
not as p le a s e d him b e s t,— J£ j\
SO U S, SO D S A N D P O S IE S .
A few weeks ago, one. George Naims, a British sailor,
brutally murdered at Calcutta a poor police scjkjv who
wns quietly standing on his beat, and with whom he had
never spoken or oven exchanged a word before. The
miscreant knocked down his victim, anil then cut his
throat with a knife which he had brought ashore purposely
to kill some one with. He was tried and convicted, but
recommended to mercy by tho jury. But. the (Joint, repri­
manding the jurors for a recommendation so utterly un­
called for under tho circumstances, gave sentence ; aud the
Government of India,upon being appealed to, very sen­
sibly anti justly affirmed the decision of tho (Join t. Well,
this red-handed murderer was hung, the other tiny, and
liis hotly interred at the Scotch Burial Ground, Calcutta.
The fiijlinn Ihi i hj N ri';* says :
T h er e w iti* p resen t :it th e c e m e te r y , som e tim e b efo re th e funeral
curtiyi' arrived , a b o u t fifty lad ies nm l g e n tle m e n . On th o arrival nf
th e hearse, tin* colh u , w h ich bore th e in scr ip tio n of U co rg e \ ; ii r i n ,
ex ecu ted J u ly i ’.i'il 1 8 8 0 , aged ;i!l y e a r s ,’’ w as eoveretl liy an U n io n
.Jack, am i w a s sh ou ld ered b y six o f N a ir u s’s sh ip m a te s,n m l carrieil
to th e fo o t of th e grave. T h e Itev. M r (iillu u n llicia tcd , an d in the
first in sta n c e rend o u t th o s e p o rtio n s of sc r ip tu r e w h ich N a ir n s wits
m ost fond of h earin g read to him a fte r Iii* co n d em n a tio n . l i e then
referred in gen eral to t h e te r m s of th e s ta te m e n t m ade b y N a irn s
ou tins scatlbld, and m ore p a rticu la r ly ad d ressin g th e sa ilo r s present,
lie w arned th e m to tak e e x a m p le from th e fa te w h ich had befallen
N a irn s, 'iml e a r n e stly a d v ised th em to avoid th e low N a t iv e lii|iinr
sh op s. T h e u su al p rayers w ere th e n ottered up. O n th e colliu
bein'; low ered in to th e grave, m an y a sod w a s throw n in p ity in g ly ,
and m any a m ercifu l w o m a n ly h an d llu n g in a h u n ch o f flowers,
an d m a n y a head w a s tu rn ed a sid e to w ipe a w a y a te a r for the
sh a m efu l en d o f a y o u n g m an w h ose career had p rom ised such
b e tte r tilin g s. A t t h e con clu sion , th e I!e \\ M r. (lo d w in , assisted
by sev era l la d ies w ho w ere p resen t, sa n g th e h y m n , ‘‘ S a fe in tliu
A rm s of J e s u s ."
Who would not, be a murderer of sepoys, after that, !
Fifty gushing ladies and gentlemen; tin; Union Jack to
enwrap one's colKn : consoling texts read from the Bible,
his favourites oftrr hix coiulriiimitioii (cheap country liipior
was his specialty before); sods thrown “ pityingly” in—for
good luck, doubtless, a.s slippers are thrown at weddings;
sweet nosegays; and pearly tears milling down fair cheeks
—what more could any respectable assassin demand {
What, indeed, but, to know that, like poor Rip Van Winkle's
drink, this murder should not count against liim. And
even this comfort was not withheld by the Church ; for, to
top off all, the winsome Reverend Godwin and his fair
slobberors launched out with "Sate in the Arms of Jesus."
1l.appy George ! It i.s to be regretted, however, that oiiv
Calcutta contemporary omitted one important fact, with­
out knowing which the reader cannot fully appreciate
tho beauties of tho Christian Atonement. I n ir/i<jxe arm*,
let n.< ix t/w ntiinlrreil ti'jini/ “ .-k/c" !
a n r n /tT i/s r h y m x .
HV I). M. STItOSU, MA.IOII, lOTII IIKNOAI, t.AKCKllH,
1.
A s so ft as life b y O u llga
T w o th ou san d cy cles sin ce,
T h y w ords, for w h ich w e h u n g er
M ild M uster, S aviou r, P rince,
‘2.
H a v e b lessed ns, peiiec or trial ;
U n ta u g h t by ch u rch and p riests
T o sta in ou r p ure d en ia l
W ith lu s t for iSwerga's feasts.*
:i ‘
A w h ile w ith L ove th ou rested,
A fath er's joy th o u knew .
T h u s nil ou r w ea k n ess tented,
D isc ern ed th e false nm l true.
4.
A s lo lie lv sp o o n b ill w ilig in g
T o brood in so m e w ild mere.
M ayb e, on w oes o u t-sp r in g in g
From life— the strife, th e fear :
t>.
S o th o u , dear Lord, d id st lea v e UH
A n d learn t th e ltig h tfiil W a y —
Kach on e h is b urden grievou s
ll im s e lf can c a s t a w a y . ■
* Ail author ou lJuddlu>m has rem arked th a t tho tru e lluddhist does not
nmr th e p urity of Ins self-denial in this life, 1>y lusting after the ppiritunl
joys of a vorl'.l to conic,
 ONJ-J T H E O S O P H I S T S V I E W O F M A N 'S
■ P O S IT IO N A N D P 1 W S P E C T S *
JlY W. K. KlltJ'.V, K.T.S.
Children of .Maya, nnd living in more senses tlinn ono
in the Kali-Yng, how can we arrive a t t r u t h ; we who
have m» knowledge of tlie absolute, nor anv .standard by
which we can a ttain to absolute tr u th ? Only, a.s it .seems
to me, hy ascertaining from the past and present exactly
where we stand.
T h e famous pai'ahic, propounded I 2 ;)0 years ago, on th e
occlusion of the arrival of some of th e earliest C hristian
missionaries to the English, a t the c ourt of King Edw in
of Northum berland, is as tr u e now as on the day when it
was spoken. ‘‘ Truly the life of a m a n iu this world,
com pi i red with th a t life whereof we wot not, is on this wise.
It is as when thou, O King, a rt .sitting a t supp er with
thine Aldermen and th y T hanes in t h e tim e of w inter,
when the hearth is lighted in th e midst, and the hall is
warm, hut without the rains and the snow aro falling and
the winds are howling ; then eometli a sparrow, and Hieth
through th e house, she eometli in hy one door and goetli
out by another. W hile she is in the house, she feeleth not
the storm of winter, h u t yet, when a little m om ent of rest is
|iasscd, she Hieth again into th e storm, and passcth a w a y
from our eyes. So is it with the life of man, it is b u t for
a moment, w hat goetli afore it, and w h a t eometli after it,
w'ot we not a t all. Wherefore il these strangers ©
can tell
us aught, th a t we may know whence m an cometh and
w hither he goetli, let us hearken to them aiul follow th e ir
law.”
Jt is doubtful w hether th e Teutonic tribes brought a n y ­
thing with them from the common home of the A ryans iu
Central Asia, except exoteric fragments of some O riental
religion, nor does it appear th a t they were ever fully in­
itiated, like th e ir predecessors in E urop e,a n d the Christian
nations within th e limits of th e Koman Em pire. Hut before
1 trace down th e growth of our present knowledge, 1 would
point nut th a t whereas th e seeds of m an y of the g reatest
advances in knowledge or intellectual developm ent have
liceu sown among the Latins, they have borne no fruit u n ­
til transplanted to (termini soil.")* I have j u s t said th a t
it is very doubtful w hether th e T eutonic nations were
ever initiated, either before th e ir conversion to C h ristia n i­
ty, or nltcnvards ; and therefore they eagerly took u p the
great intellectual movement of the Reformation. B u t th e
leaders of the Reformation shared in th e ignorance and
bigotry of their age, anil endeavoured to bind all succeed­
ing ages down to a barren worship of th e letter, which has
rendered Protestant ism, especially in its more extrem e
forms, the baldest and •most exoteric of all icli"ions. Yet.
. ®
they threw open the Bible to all, and th e light has tr u ly
shoue amid the darkness, and tho darkness comprehended
it not, for the more or less hidden wisdom which it con­
tains, especially th a t of the N ew T estam ent, has done
much to counteract the evil tendency o f th e theology of
the reformers. To digress for a moment, let me say th a t
there are three very distinct meanings jum b le d up in the
English translation of the Gospels, u n d e r th e word Heaven.
In th e synoptic Gospels th e word is almost always in the
plural, (except where it means the sky) and is evidently
used for the Spiritual Worlds. T he second meaning, a l­
ready mentioned, is the sky. Jn this case the word is in
the singular, and the meaning is obvious from the context.
'The third meaning is to be found in th e Gospel of John.
H ere the word is in th e singular, and usually denotes the
state whence Christ descended, and to which he was to
return, or in plain terms, Nirvana.
But even in physical matters, the horizon of Kuropeaiis
:$(>() or 400 years ago was fearfully contracted. The earth
was of very limited extent and duration to th e m : yet it
Was th e only im portant portion of th e universe, except
Heaven nnd Hell. T heir ideas were even more cramped
than those of the Alohaminadans, (narrow as is exoteric
• A |>n]»or read ocforu tlio Briti?li TliuoMopltioal S o ctat), .May
+ Tho Inform ation, tKo <‘irc u la tio n o f tlio au«l
ju.iy U) m entioned in Uliiatrntiuu,
Alohammadanism), lor th e A mbs extended their voyages
to Spain, India, China, th e A m Islands, Zanzibar, and
Madagascar, and p erhaps f u r t h e r ; and in addition to their
regarding the earth as of vast ex ten t (fai exceeding its
real dimensions), they had imported part of the Indian
metaphorical cosmogonies, which greatly cnlaigcd th e ir
ideas of the vastness of t h e universe.*
A t length, however, cam e Galileo and ColiunL.us, m u I
tlie real dim ensions and character of th e c a ith and th e
physical universe were discovered.
A lte r this came Rationalism, d em anding t h a t all
knowledge resting on auth ority should produce its
credentials. Its mission is to sweep away the falsities of
th e past to prepare for th e future, and this work is a.s y e t
incomplete. W e can afford, however, to look on calmly, for
it is not our mission to destroy, but to build up, and th e
Rationalistic plough only prepares the soil for the good
seeil of future progress.
Next came Geology, ex te n d in g our view backwards and
forwards, far beyond the II,0 0 0 yeais of the popular th e o ­
logy. T hen came the discovery of the nntiipiily of man,
and of principles of evolution, sweeping away I lie m a te ria ­
listic interpretation of Genesis. Finally, th e discovery of
spectiuni analysis has established the u n ity of the physical
universe, and the rise of Spiritualism lias opened before
us the vast horizons of the spiritual universe.
Nationally, we have every th in g to encourage us. W o
are not a race th a t has retrograded, and although the e a r­
lier civilisations may have risen to a higher level than
onr own, y et we ale a new people, risen within a veiy few
centuries from u tte r barbarism to the station which wu
occupy at present.
lint, we cannot get rid so easily of the contracted ideas
which prevailed until, as it were, yesterday, respecting
space and time, .lust as our <'hristian brethren, without
exception, look foiward to earn " I leav en” by one well-
spent life, so are we too liable to look to N irvana as a t t a i n ­
able bv . the singleO sustained effort of a single “ life. W e do
not consider th a t we inhabit a very small and very inferior
world, and th a t our aim is still too short, to reach the sun,
but like blind men restored to sig h t, we think we can touch
a n y th in g we can see. Even as regards the material
universe, I think I am m u c h 'w ith in the mark in saying
that ii pea placed iu the middle of one of our largest
parks would not more th a n rep resent tlie proportion borne
by our earth to the solar system alone. Beyond the
system it a v o i i Id take 2 0 0 , 0 0 0 years to count the num ber
(>f miles to the nearest fixed star.
You will ask me, w hat of the accomplished union wiili
God, ot which the mystics speak i This, 1 th in k J can
explain by referring to Swedenborg, who says th a t in
some of the inferior planets, the inhabitants are perm itted
to worship th e angel, (or th e societ y of angels) appointed
to rule over them. In a n o th e r passage, he says th a t tin;
higher the society, the more it appears to the angels that,
they act ot themselves, b u t the more certainly they know
th a t they speak and act from the Lord a l o n e ; tha t is, as
1 take it, ironi the society n ext above them, through
which the divine influx descends to them. Again, there,
is understood to lie perfect communion of' th ou gh t and
feeling within the higher societies, so th a t the thought or
act of any m em ber is felt as the thoug ht or act of all.
Hence it, would seem to any man who .succeeded iu placing
himself temporarily tn with such a society, th a t
he had liocome one with God ;a n d los feelings would be
practically incommunicable to anyone who had had no
similar experience. If this view is correct, it will go far
lo explain such ideas as absorption of individuality, which
are often used without an y very clear and definite sense
being attnchcd to them.
Again, very lew generations si-paraie the savage from
the sage. T he links have existed, but on looking back
through history they shade away. Shall one material
l^SO. existence, even on earth, be suttieienl for our development,
AMronoujy
J SVt tho -tory of Uuli'okiv.i, iu tliu Siykt!.
 awl t ii ii T ii k b s o i’ h i s ;i’ .
if it rei|uires material existence. a t all ?* Iutiiiitc arc tin*
phases of 1111111111 life, even here, nor could anv two exis­
tences lie oilier Ilian widely different. Hence a new e a r th ­
ly existence would lie to all intents aud purposes as new
a lifo as tlio transfer from om; spiritual society to another.
A nd tliere m ust lie a still g rea te r ditfeivnco between
p la n e t and planet. Lot us look rath er to slow and sure
step s Ibr advancement, than a tte m p t to scale the Heavens
a t a bound, and thus repeat th e error of th e Christians.
T h e earth is, (as the Arabs say, speaking of the habi­
table jMji'tion of th e earth, compared with their idea of
wliat is uninhabited) as a tent in a desert,; an d within the,
vast limits of the solar systeni, there must be, around
ami beyond the material worlds, worlds w ithin worlds
of spiritual universes, all which lie before us, as wc pass
to and fro, lirst, between the earth and its dependent,
spheres (for 1 greatly doubt if we are really in communica­
tion with any spiritual spheres at all, except, those im ­
mediately d e pendent nu the earth), and then from planet
to planet, our resilience in each planet, including residence
iu its depend ent spheres, till we reach th e suns, aud thus :
“ f r o m »t.ir t o star,
F rn m world to liuuiiiimi world, iim far
A m tlio universe strotehcs its lim ning wall."
B u t beyond the earths, beyond the spheres, beyond the
sun, beyond Sirius, lieyond Alcyone, lies N irv a n a, the
state of the pure spirits, far aliove any material or even
fluidic world, anil we are told t h a t when a Buddha is
ab ou t to a ttain it, lie would spurn IVom him w ith u tte r
scorn the otlor of becoming the king of a Dova-Loka,
(one of tbe highest spiritual worlds), for a hundred
million y e a rs; or any other conceivable blessedness, iu
exchange, although his pmver over the material universe
lias become practically infinite.
" T a k e all tliu jiIhikuivn of all I lie splicre*,
A a d m u ltip ly riirli th ro u g h endless y e a r s ;
One 1)iiII11to of 11'*)ivrn is w o r t h thi'iii nil.”
Truly, We vet stand low, very low on one of the rungs of
Ja c o b ’s ladder, with its foot, iu the primeval nebula, and
its bend in Nirvana. Let. us not, .suppose that one good
life can deserve Nirvana, any more than one evil lile
can deserve eternal suffering.
llo w itt once scoffed a t a visit to all the worlds in the uni­
verse as " r a th e r a long journey." ( b anted , b u t w hat m atters
time or space to us if we have an eternal existence before
us ( All our lives must, be connccted to g e th e r; and when
Ave en ter a world, we bring our capacities, and 1 doubt
not, our friends with us. The universe being held together
by bonds of sympathy, shall it not bo the case with spirits
from life to life ! Hut. I doubt if spiritual affinity dejKMids
on sex. W ith o u t caring to go into details, I may say
that, as I in terp re t well-known facts of physiology, sex
is a mere Imdily accident, and not inherent, in th e spirit..
Here, in states of society where the sexes are on a com­
parative equality, we regard the deepest affection as c o n ­
jugal ; b u t where this is not the ease, in ancient ami espe­
cially in Eastern countries, th e deojiest affections we read
of are not always so. It is clear that Achilles wa.s far
more sincerely attached to I’atroclus than to BriseTs, and
th a t David was far more attached to Jo n a th a n than to
Michal. T he deepest, affection, too, may sometimes exist
between relatives; as in the curious instance cited by
Miss Blackwell, of a mother and daughter, who wore so
deeply attached that, when the former died, sho im m e­
diately sought, and obtained permission to reincarnate
herself as her daughter's child.
Let, us not be led astray by I,lio contracted horizons
aud the narrow id*as of the past, but lot us look upon
the past, and future as becomes beings with infinite possi­
bilities before us, in an infinite universe, if wo. will only
free ourselves from prejudice, and work and wait, patiently,
w ith out hoping for or grasping a t everything at. once.
• Dr. Tem ple ha* shown im th a t tlic developm ent of tlie race i.« as the
developm ent of tlie Individual, and nm«t not th e converge be true, th at
tho developm ent of tho individual h a* th a t of the race {
[August, i,sso.
ADDITIONAL XOTK.
It, is sometimes argued that tb e other planets, and
much more th e suns, are too hot or too cold to supjiort
life : but I th in k it more reasonable to believe th at all,
or nearly alljthe planets are inhabited by lx'ings adapted
to the ir physical condition. Still less can I supjiose life
to bo absent, iu th e suns, themselves the centres of life
to th e planets around them. They arc probably the
al>ode either of the spirits controlling tho systems, or of
spirits not wholly free from th e last, link binding them
to th e m ateriality of the system which they a t present
inhabit.* Even th e prose Edda tells us that “ those not
indigenous thereto cannot e n te r Muspellheim.” Of course
nothing material as we understand the word could inhabit
even the superior planets, much less the suns.
- -*■-
H E A L T H O F T H E E I F S.
It V PItf *I*. I). S. MAHTIN.
Tho eye is one of the most sensitive and complicated
of all the organs of the hu m an I rmI v. It is intim ately
connected both with th e brain and nervous system on the
one baud, and w ith the general system of the circulation on
th e other. In its relation with the brain, it shares iu all
th e various conditions of nervous excitement, or depression,
lalwir or repose. In its connection with the general circula­
tion, it, is affected by all irregularities of the system, and
is, theiefore, liable to injury in any defective state of the
general health.
T here are m any ways iu which this most iin]h>rtunt
organ is a p t to receive harm, through ignorance of the need
that, there is of can.' in its use. It, is sufficient to refer to
a few of the most frequent of those causes ; and among
them may lie |iart.icularly mentioned three, viz:— S tm in -
ing Ihr ei/en, In/ irorkunj in <lefectirr, or in e.rct'sHtre, light—
Ovenrorlt, or e,rt rente to n l protm cleil e.rertimi. of' tin:
i'i/ i’kit/lit— U.iivy (hr eye* when h i an irritnlnl or icrukened
As regards straining the eyes, nothing is more common
than th e habit of trying lo work or read after the daylight
lias begun to lade iu the afternoon. Persons are anxious
to finish som ething that they are engaged upon, and so
continue th e effort to work long after the light is insuffici­
ent. and the attempt, in jurious. The members of a family
should in this respect keep watch over one another, to
prevent, this tendency. In the same way at night, care
should Ik- taken never to carry on any work which strains
the eyes, by an imperfect artificial light. If there is the
least, sense of effort in using llic eyes, or any want of ease
and comfoit in so doing, another lamp, candle, or burner
should lie lighted; or else, any work demanding much
exertion of the sight should cease.
As regards overwork of the eyes, the rem ark last made
applies with equal force. However sufficient the light
nia}' lie, if a t an v time, after working a while, there conies
on a sense of effort or weariness of eyesight, the work
should 1m; stopped. Hosting the eyes for a time will
generally enable a person to go on again without harm :
this m ay lie done either by closing the eyes and if jiossible
sleeping for a little while, or by walking out somewhat
in tlie open air and allowing the eyes to range over distant
objects, especially green landscapes, instead of dwelling
upon those that, are small and close.
The third point, that of use of the eyes when irritated
or weakened iu any way, is one of great, consequencc. The
tendency to harm from this source may arise from weak­
ness either of the eyes themselves, or of the general health
of the systeni,— very frequently from both together. Any
impaired sta te of general health is very a p t to influence
tho eyes ; and persons are not, aware how little exertion it
takes, a t such times, to injure these delicate organs,
Especially is this the case during and after recovery from
illness.
• Tlio I'mln nml tlicir nvntorn nrc nlwny* \vml>oll*e<l by the Min,
 P are n ts mid teachers should lie careful in regard tn the
liabit.s ol'children and young persons. T h e y should never
be allowed to read and stu dy under e ither of th e circum ­
stances described, v iz .: after daylight begins to fade, or by
imperfect light a t night, ./‘ttr iin th ir ran: should also be
exercised to preven t th e habit of holding the object,
unnecessarily close to the eye, or of lowering the head
near to th e object ; 12 inches luting th e least and a b o u t 2 0
inches the m ax im um distance for th e book or work from
the eye, in ordinary cases. Seats ought always to lie
so adjusted to th e height of tables or desks, th a t it shall
not be necessary for persons to stoop over into a “ ro un d­
shouldered” position in order to work or to read or write.
T here are also some other im p ortant points to be
observed, particularly with regard to the m a n n e r and th e
am ou nt in which strong light is allowed to fall upon th e eye
or upon the objects whereon it is engaged. T he q u a n tity of
light tolerated by the eye is limited. W e cannot look at
th e sun with impunity. Even luminous objects, far less bril­
liant than the sun, cause a painful sensation -when their
rays strike; directly upon th e eye. T h e more uniformly th e
light is dispersed and the less directly' its rays penetrate
the eye, the more beneficial is its action. T h e uniformly
dispersed daylight serves as th e best example. Every
violent anil sudden contrast, between light, and darkness,
is disagreeable, and becomes injurious if frequently r e ­
peated. Flickering light is likewise unpleasant and fati­
guing. T he simultaneous action of luminous contrasts is
also harmful. Such contrasts are produced w hen a bright
light is covered by a dark shade. T h e small space lig h t­
ed is intensified by the. broad dark zone of shadow around
it ; anti u n d er the influence of such contrary states of
illumination, the eyes aie strained and so tire easily. A
shade of ground glass or porcelain, covering th e flame and
causing a somewhat subdued but uniforn illumination, is
far preferable to a dark shade, I u these materials we
possess a powerful means of softening a dazzling light by
dispersion of its rays.
A no th e r m a tte r of care is, that, we should not, directly
face low windows through which th e light strikes. S k y ­
light or light from above,’ is the best light for all work not
O O ©
requiring a bent position of th e head, and, therefore, d e­
serves a liir more general application in the construction
of factories, workshops, schools, ami oth e r buildings, or in
the methods of artificial illumination. In writing or sim i­
lar handwork, th e light should strike from th e left side, in
order to avoid th e shadow cast by th e right hand ; and in
all cases it is far better th a t th e light should come from
almve than from below. F o r this reason, those window-
shades that raise and lower from the bottom, are preferable
to the ordinary ones th a t are rolled at th e top, or to th e
window awnings th a t shut, out the light of the sky, and
admit it only from below. It is, therefore, im p ortan t th a t
parents and teachers in schools should also see to it th a t
pupils do not. study with th e direct rays of th e sunshine
falling on the book, or desk, or floor, and that they do not,
o il the other hand, sit directly facing’low windows, as th e
eyes become dazzled by either of these errors, and injury
may result.
W hen there is percoivcd any great sensitiveness of the
eyes towards very bright or excessive light, towards white
and reflecting objects of work, or towards the reflection of
the sun-light from snow and other w hite surfaces, th e use
of spectacles with plain light-blue or gray (so-called London
smoke) glasses is generally safe and a great relief and pro­
tection ; as it softens th e painful brilliancy, w itho ut in te r­
fering with ready sight. Blue veils, to some extent,
answer th e same purpose as blue glasses.
In any case of persistent uneasiness, weakness, or other
observed defect of the eyes, recourse should be had p rom p t­
ly to a competent oculist.— P opular H ealth Almaiaie.
AT WIIATSOKYICH -Md.MK.N'T YOU CATOll Y O IJU SK I.F T K Y -
ing to persuade yourself th a t you are particularly humble,
bv assured that then you are farthest from humility.
[O m tinucil from tlie Mny iimnUcr.|
THE V E D A N T A P H IL O S O P H Y .
Expounilcil by tlie Sucinty of lienarcs P an d its, nn,l Iiruif-latCi! for 1 lip
Tliuusorilisr.
ItY PANDIT SU11YA NAHAYKN, KKC’Y.
T h e subject of our last discussion was th a t P un isher-
th a (human effort) is th e Aaron’s serpent th a t overwhelms
the result of th e Pr/lravdha actions. This enjoins J ir a to
take an u n in te rru p te d course towards Purushitrtlia for the
knowledge of thoso things which may succeed in p u ttin g
to an end th e troubles of this life from its root, th a t they
may not in tim e see the light again. The troubles of this
life are four in n u m b e r :— ( 1 ) relating to the body (STOW),
(2 ) relating to the m ind (M) relating to beings
(wi'fiffRT'tf), and ( 4 ) relating to a tutelary or presi­
ding deity (WW^l'T^'). T h e first group includes the va­
rious sorts of diseases with which a man is attacked ; the
second come in th e form of some desire or object, anger,
thought, and th e like ; th e third sort of trouble which is
experienced hy Jim . is set on foot by th e agency of m a­
terial beings, as, for instance, serpents, tigers, and various
other hurtful creatures ; anil the fourth or last, is th a t
which is brought abou t by the agency of spiritual beings.
Though there are .special m eans of annihilating the m ise­
ries above referred to, still at. the same time there is every
probability of th e ir recursion at. any time. As far as the
present subject is concerned, it is worthy of notice th a t
man should prom ptly ta k e in hand th e attainm ent of the
knowledge of those things only which may extirpate his
troubles and leave no room for th e ir g enus to grow again.
T his is w hat ivc mean by th e distinction between the
spiritual (W W l) and non-spiritual (3T»nWl).
I f the misconception of a th in g results from the u n ­
consciousness of its real nature, it is quite clear that the
knowledge of its true n ature will efface from our memory
th e inaccurate impressions of things so long made. As,
for example, th e figure! of a piece of rope in th e dark in­
volves till! existence of the different kinds of illusions ;
viz., a serpent, a rod, or a stream of wine, &c. : while tho
tru e knowledge of that rope which m akes th e sweet bells
of any one’s intellect ja n g le out, of tu ne is sure to subside
the fumes of existing delusiveness caused by his ignor­
ance.
In the same m a n n e r it, is simply the unconsciousness of
his real n ature that m akes Jira cast his regards about,
him as a doer, or an enjoyer, &c\, which, in case, whenever
lie recognises his real nature, passes into em pty air. Most,
people say th a t th e V edantis (followers of th e V ed an ta
doctrine) who are not exempt from th e actions of this work­
ing day-life, are surely accessories before the fact and wash­
ing the blackamoor white, if they deny in being called
doers or enjoyers, though they safely enjoy the results of
their actions a t th e same time. H ut this is, in fact, a mere
misconception of those who view the subject in this light,
for this J ira being a port ion, or rather a reflected beam of
th a t G reat and Glorious fountain-head of light.must neces­
sarily be similar in qualities attached to tho lbnner. As
B rahm a does not possess th e quality of a doer or an e n­
joyer, &c., so does J ira , and this end can be secured by
merely knowing his real form ; for th is body, the seat of
our efforts, which is made up of the five elements is not
the Jira we mean, and if we do that, it will bring into
light a dead set upon our arguments, th e result of which
will prove a perfect. Babel. It, is this. Supposing fliis
Jira to have a beginning and an end like th e body, th e
performance of such meritorious actions as giving alms to
the poor, showing mercy upon living beings, speaking th e
truth, neither himself commit,ting © theft nor instigating­
© ©
any other to do so, and venerating Ishw ara (vW ), &c„
is worth placing in the back ground, because th e re is no
chance of th a t Jiva who is dead now to come into exis­
tence again iu all his perfect, lineaments a.s before to enjoy
• Hy thU word th e V edanta d o ctrin e which is very sim ilar to th a t of tho
Sankhya, signific.sjrm interna) organ standing between th e organ* of |>crct|»-
ti vu nud of activn, ns au clcvtrutliorgau which partakes v i the u aturg vi bvt[i.
 the results of i.liose actions which rem ained dorm ant in
liis previous existence. W e are th u s led to conclude tliat
niiin undergoes th e happiness or misery of this world w ith­
o u t any cause, because, when there is 110 transm igration of
soul, how can we come to th e point th at th e happiness or
m isery as mentioned above is due. to the actions done iu
previous life. (This is taken into eonsideration in th a t
case oidy where there is 110 direct or straightforw ard cause
of th e ir occurrence in a present life), and also it, gives
rise to this detect th a t .Fb'a enjoys th e fruits nf those ac­
tions, which he lias not. dune, and is deprived, instead nf
it, of the fruits of those which have, not been done by
his agency. T he organs of the body ca.11 never be
called J iv n , because this chemical combination of a t o m s
and molecules (body) is not totally brought to ruin iu the
absence of any one of them , and th a t m an can live as ileal,
blind, an d dumb, X'c. Similarly we cannot designate the
■vitality or the vital action of life (3(®l) as .lir a , because
it, is d e stitu te nf .senses. As, for example, if a, man takes
away a n y th in g from near a man lost, in sleep, th e vital
action though at work at that time, cannot determ ine
w hat happens near the man.
After having made manifest the above statem'ent, \\e
run aw ay with the notion that rn<rmi. (the eleventh or­
gan) cannot also fulfil th e required conditions. W h en a
m an is sleeping soundly, lu; is q u ite d e stitu te of untn/f.
T his gives rise to a defect as in one of the above s ta te ­
m e n ts which furnishes J iv n w ith tb e enjoyment of the
result of the actions not done by him and the destruction
of those brou gh t into exercise in th e presen t life. Ano­
th e r defect, is when a m an awakes from sleep lie says lie
has slept much, and had no regard abo ut any ot her thing
rise. Now one should not. recollect, this fact when he is
asleep, because recollection is due to things once seen in
a wakeful sta te and that he cannot form an idea of that
th in g which he has never seen. H a d this unconscious­
ness not been experienced d u rin g sleep, its recollection
would never have-been b ro u g h t into light when awaking.
I h i t w c h a v e already said th a t (^I^T) and (*M) are both
absent d u rin g sleep, then we shall have to say th a t it is .//)■«
only w ho has th a t unconsciousness in view. Therefore,
viitna (th e eleventh organ) is not Jivn.
.Tiro who is existing in all times, i. e . , in sound sleep,
dream or wakeful state, is throw in g light everywhere and
is as free from th e disguises as Brahm a. lie being a por­
tion of H im whose influence pervades th e whole Universe,
is not a doer, or an enjoyer, &c., anil breaks loose from tin*
f o u r k in d s of troubles enum erated above on recognising
his real form or nature.
f F kom t h e O o i.o M ito ( C e y l o n ) E x a m in k h
7 'UK t j ip : os o n u s :/ y>.
So far as we can und erstan d the doctrines ot this so­
ciety. or, to speak more correct ly, so far as Colonel O l c o t t
has let us know th e m from his lecture, there is nothing in
th e m to provoke th e hostility of any religionists. T he
Theosophists avow th a t they hold 110 article of faith, they
oppose none, an d are ready to welcome all classes of belief
and shades of opinion into the Universal Brotherhood of
which they aro the. apostles. T hey are m ere searchers
after tru th , and they invite all classes and conditions of
men to assist them in their search. T he h u m a n intellect
has busied itself with this soarch from th e earliest ages,
a nd the m y th of th e (.{olden Fleece aud the Holy Grail
are exam ples of a phase of hum an faith which finds p e r ­
petual repetition even in our days of advanced civilization,
when railways and telegraphs, and th e elect ric lig h t— not.
to m ention less recondite agencies of physical force— have
well nigh disillusionised the mind of its tendency towards
mysticism and th e traditions of th e superstition. N e v e r ­
theless, t h a t there i.s a la te n t principle iu us which h a n k e r s
a f t o r t h e unknown, a longing to g o t a t th e unknow able,
is sufficiently attested by the m u ltitu d e ot w ell-educated
m en who have devoted th e ir lives to th e solution of this
Koit THE t i i m t i i , b u t so long as their search is made with
g reat problem. They have all confessedly been searching
due hu m ility and earnestness, 110 man who has a firm
faith in w h a t he believes is the truth, and the excellence
of his own system of faith, can quarrel with the Theoso­
phists. T h e ir minds are a. labulti I'nsn, so to speak, ami
ready to receive impressions. And if is left, to those who
differ from them to step in and impress th eir religion 011
them if they can. As our information goes, no one in
Ceylon or elsewhere has a tte m p te d this, though a Ceylon
journalist has permitted himself the privilege nf attacking
them.
A polemical countrym an of ours, we hear, challenged
I hem to a public debate, but this they declined to accept.
Abuse and public debates are the worst instruments of
conversion, and if the Theosophists despised the one ami
declined th e other, they have acted with commendable
prudence. T hey tell us they have a conscientious mis­
sion to perform, and we see them labouring earnestly in
th e discharge of th e ir self-imposed duties. They m ay lie
mistaken in th eir mission, ami their labours may be al­
together vain. Still th e spirit of research which they are
now striving to infuse into the minds of our torpid coun­
trym en cannot but fail to lead to good results ; especially
if the principle of Universal Brotherhood which th e y ad­
vocate lead to the demolition of the most pernicious nml
demoralizing caste system which, in spite of the doctrines
of equality and fraternity preached bv GouTAMA l!i;mm,\,
still enthrals the people of this country. But, says their
adversary, these are dangerous m en ; though they have no
dangerous doctrines to teach, yet bv th eir example they
teach people to throw olV fho restraints of all existing reli­
gions : they preach against C hristianity which believes in
a divine Trinity, against Mahometanism which believes in
one God, against. H induism which believes in m any gods,
but thoy favour Buddhism which believes in no (Jod. We
th in k this is not a fair statem ent of th e case. T he Thcoso­
phists say they have examined the various systems of
religion which prevail in Europe and A merica and are dis­
satisfied with all of them, that, from reading and exam in­
ing the different systems, they have discovered in Bud­
dhism th e glimpses of m any excellent truths, buried in tins
dusty corrupt ions of m any ages and th a t they have come
here personally to study Buddhism. Surely there can be
nothing in this th a t is subversive of morals or of good
Government. Kvery m an who professes a religion neces­
sarily denies a t least by implication, tho tru th of all other
religions than his own. T he Theosophists only go a step
further and deny all religions w ithout au exception. But
they do not stop there. They believe in a future state of
happiness or misery, they obey th e dictates of th e ir con­
.] science, some deny th e existence of a personal God, but,
all unite in inquiring after a closer knowledge of th e a t ­
tributes of God. T h u s far th e picture is grand, b u t when
the Theosophists ta lk of initiations and shiboleths, we can­
not help thinki'ng t h a t they are clogging a truly noble
cause by the adoption of vapid formalities. W e are told
th a t th e Theosophists are in possession of faculties which
were once ascribed to magic, and th a t such faculties ought,
not, to be im parted except to the initiated, and even
am ongst th e initiated, n o t to all b u t to the most approv­
ed of them.
The so-called occult sciences and th e black arts have
long been exploded,*' and though the votaries of modern
spiritualism would seem to have revived faith in th e old
direction, it would be impossible in this m a tte r of fact age,
an age which refuses to take any thing on trust, be it ever
so highly recommended, for any a tte m p t to lead th e mind
o u t of the groove of th e inductive logic of cause and effect,
to succeed at the end. W e have neith er partiality nor
prejudice* for th e Thcosophists ; wc believe they are actu­
ated by th e very best and noblest of motives— that, of
elevating th e ir brother men, irrespective of caste and color,
to th e higher level of a U niversal Brotherhood. In this
great, mission they ought, to command th e respect and the
* Perhaps not,—E<l, T iifys,
sym p athy of all true philanthropists, though, as in the case
nf all reformers tliey must bo prepared to encounter ob­
stacles and opposition, and even obloquy ; but if, as we
doubt not, they believe in the greatness of the work before
them, and endeavour conscientiously to carry it out, no
lover of his kind will grudge iliom w hatever success tins'
may achieve.
H A II. I T S I I I ! '.
Tt highly gratified our Delegates to Ceylon to find tha t
not only every educated priest, and layman, but th e u n ­
educated people of tha t Island also, knew the possibility
of m an’s acquiring tho exalted psychical powers of adept-
sliip, and th e fact, tlm t they had often been acquired. A t
Bentota we were taken to a temple where a com m unity of
.■>()<) of these Jlitlutl.-, or adepts had formerly resided. Nay,
we even met those who had quite recently encountered
such holy men ; and a certain e m in e n t p riest who joined
our Society was shortly after permit ted to see aud exchange
some of our signs of recognition with one. i t is true tlmt, as
in India and Egypt, there is a prevalent idea that the term
for the manifestation of the highest grades of rn h a tsh ip
(R a b a t or A ra h a t is th e Pali equivalent for th e Sanskrit
JUk/i !— one who has developed his psychical powers to th e ir
fullest extent,) has expired, b u t this comes IVom a, m istaken
notion th a t .Ihiddlia himself Imd limited the period of such
development to one millcnium after his death. To sot this
m a tte r at rest- wc here give a translation by .Mr. Frederic
Dias, Pandit of Ihe ( Jalle Theosophical Society, of passages
which may be regarded a.s absolutely au th oritative. T h ey
were kindly collected for us by the chief assistant priest
of ihe Parmanatida Vihare, a t (ialle,— Eli.
MKMOIIANIMJ.M.
A x opinion is alm ost universally c u rre n t am ong the
literary class of Buddhists th a t th e period of the wotld
for attain in g to R a h a tx h lp has expired, and the present,
age is only a theoretical period of tlie Vroga-system. That,
this opinion is erroneous, is evident from the numerous
passages of the Buddhistical Scriptures where the D hyana
system is described and the practical course of co ntem p ­
lation discussed. F ro m the m an y detailed accounts of
Raha(*liip, th e following arc extracted :—
il Digha N ikaya,'’ (Section treating on
System. Parinibberiea S u tta n .”)
! media Sulmihla Il/till'ii Suiitiiia Viltin'etjntt A shhim
J.ttLii AritJitnitohi.
“ H ear Subliaddra. T he world will not be devoid of
Ibdiats if the Yogis iu my dispensation will aud truly p e r­
form my precepts.”
“ Manorata l’urani A ngottara A taw aeva.”
Jiiiililliiiiiniilti pat'tiiibbitiiitltt icits.itt sahmat M r n't i pa/S.-'ion-
bhiila ntblttillcltin .'itilli'ii/1 htiopttraucha Ab/iim ni lalnj.i
A 'tik lfiita littti ii'tjja nibbniiteiili ijitrhrhanti I'ltlnhiji! nlb-
battelim Aihtl'lciilti .*u kka icej>m taka lamti.
W ithin a period of one thousand years from the te m ­
poral death of Buddha, the sacerdotal order will a ttain to
that, grade of Itahat termed ‘ Siwiipilidimbinpat I t a h a t ’
(the 1 st order). A t the lapse of this period the sacerdota-l
order will attain to th e grade term ed ‘ S h a t A b higu a’
(the 2nd order). In the course of tim e th e sacerdotal
order will a ttain to tho grade ‘ T ividd hy a’ (3rd order).
After a further lapse of time this grad e will also cease,
and the priesthood will a tta in only ‘ Su.ska W idarsaka’
(4th order.)
Among these four grades of Uahal, a limited time is d e ­
fined only to the first order. And no defined period is
assigned to the prevalence of the oth e r three orders.
“ Mtliii<lttj>]ii'>t.siut’'— B y the R uhut Mtiffaseiai.
“ As a. pond is k e p t filled up wit h w ater by th e continual
pouring of ra in ; as a conflagration is k e p t up by feeding
the fire with dry wood ; as a glass is lustred by frequent,
cleaning ; even so by the invariable observance of the e n ­
joined devotional rides, and by indefatigable exertion to
lead a pu re life mi the p a r t of the priesthood, the world
will not be devoid of Ualiats."
So it is evident th a t th e a tta in m e n t of Ho.hutghip has
no defined period.
(T o he c(militia'll.)
so la r r n r . r A i r o K s , on s p o t s u p o n
T H E S IIX
t*.Y i). k nrm.KY, >r. a ,
I n v iii'iltv r of Ihe Thcoint/ihictil S o c ie ty .
H a v in g with our four-inch, clear aperture, ( ‘lark and
Son’s telescope watched during th e past months, those
portentous spots upon the suit’s disk which have of late
excited such general wonder and caused redoubled a t t e n ­
tion am ong astronomers, 1 contribute th e following in the
hope th a t it may interest some of your num erous readers,
miscellaneous as they are in nationalities, creeds and taste.
Tho elaborate lit tle in stru m e n t referred to, is unexcel­
led in th e delicacy of its definitions. It developed on
Sunday, J u n e the 2 0 th, some thirt}-three specks on the
s u n : th e largest a solitary o n e ; the others grouped into
two distinct clusters, situ ated thousands of miles apart.
Around the tttwlettx of some ol these, not only the utnbea.
b u t the peiivritbi'ii were most signally and vividly por­
I rayed.
Wlioover has familiarized himself with tho use of that,
precious instrum ent, the Oplitltahinwi'opc, in the investiga­
tion of diseases of th e retina of the eye, mav form a g ra ­
phic idea of those telescopic appearances : inasmuch as
the image of the sun, when condensed by Ihe 4-ineh
refractor upon the little speculum employed by us, re­
sembles in its general aspect, size and contour, the view
thus obtained of th e above-named visual structure. More­
over, to enhance this likeness still more, those phenome­
nal spots tin tin g th e great Eye of Day. typified most
surprisingly some o f tb e pathological conditions o f the
retinal tunic of th e h um a n eye, giving it, all th e precision
of a photographic picture. Indeed, so impressive was this
similitude, that, du rin g our observations we found ourself
abstractedly giving th o u g h t to the case as one of pigm en­
tation, with anem ia ami atrophy of the choroid and retinal
vessels.
Dhyana From day to day, IVom hour lo hour, even while we
were watching them , those solar spots un de rw e nt visible
changes ; some became extinct, others became bridged ;
some two or three coalesced, while new ones of varying
forms and gra n d e u r burst, into existence. Finally, one of
the two clusters totally disappeared, while tho others b e ­
came enlarged ami so materially altered th a t instead nf
reminding us of the retinal specks of a diseased eye, the
spots hail gathered themselves into the form of a m iniature
chart of th a t Hawaiian group, spot ting th e Pacific Ocean,
which our English cousins prefer to style the Sandwich
Islands.
In the last .n a m e d condition, with slight \ isiblc alte ra ­
tions, th a t cluster remained until the monsoon burst, ami
we were precluded, for some fen days IVom th e m aking of
further observations, during which interval, if had with
slight exceptions disappeared. Opportunely, however, one
large spot had j u s t advanced to the sun’s limb, thus
yielding an oblique anil consequently instructive view.
Two days later, when we. obtained another sight, all had
vanished ; while a t present, only three or four com para­
tively u nim p o rta n t specks are, to lu* discerned.
N otw ithstanding the rem arkable changes in locality
and configuration which these spots nrc seen to undergo,
to the casual gazers who from time to tim e peep in upon
our delicate speculum — the size ol a shilling piece— they
always ap pear as b u t so m any insignificant dots from a
spattering pen. Yet., to the intelligent observer w h o ,
knowing the ir distance of procedure— some ninety mil­
lions of miles away— those same tiny dot p rints tell him
of vast aud m ighty convulsions— convulsions of fiery fluids
 nnd flnining gases— tlio sublimity of which wc on rt lily
mortals can form 110 adequate concept of. transpirin g iijmhi
our huge molten solar eenlro ; whose photosphere thus
bestirred, awakens irradiations whieh fructify tho orbs of
its planetary system.
Relatively with such energies, the most, notable ami
Constorimt,in«f of our mundane forces, th e most violent of
our cataclysms, display but a feehle iui))ulse.
In IriMh. the only sublunnry ru p tu re whieh enii con­
vey to our minds even a faint, picture of these solar dis­
turbances. is th a t of the renowned volcano of M ninui Lon,
on th e largest of th e previously named Islands of Hawaii.
This picturesque m ountain rears its camel-shaped hum p
from the verdant tropics into the regions of eternal snow,
where, upon its sum m it, yawns the unfathom able crater
of M o lim w o v e n , through whose twenty-four miles of
encircling jaws, it occasionally regales with thund erin';
pyrotechnics the inhabitants of the whole areliiopelago. Its
lurid Haines illuminate the high heavens, whence by re­
flection, scintillations are shot, to a groat distance around,
upon the wide, wide ocean.
Still, it is not the illuminations of this su m m it crater,
which particularly convey to our minds an idea of the
titanic powers at. work upon the still’s surface ; but. that
of the great. Kilaiiea., situated upon tin 1 same mountain,
some ten thousand feet--below that, of Molnoirroirro anil four
thousand above the level of the sea. This stupendous and
ever active crater, enclosing within its deep and precipi­
tous walls a sea of molten lava— vast enough to engulf the
whole m ountain of Vesuvius and sublim e il at one blast,
of its plutniiif furnaces— exhibits to th e visitor, a m inia­
ture spectacle of what we conceive to be taking place upon
our da/./.ling luminary.
Here, amid th e roar of tiery waves, of boiling, foaming
and collapsing liquids, huge masses of igneous rocks and
vitreous lava, uplifted by the escaping gases, are hurled
into th e chilly atm osphere above, where they explode
with th e violence ami hissing rejMirts of ltomh-shells. H ere
also, in this tiery gulf, among oth er titful signs of disorder,
m a y b e observed deep vortices opened by th e cyclonic m o­
tion of th e glowing fluids as they are sucked back into the
entrails of the earth.
In short, this troubled crater, environed as it is with a
series of vast smoking terraces whose high concentric
walls point to th e varied epochs of its pristine grandeur,
the whole resembling a gigantic a m p h ith e a tre of more
tlmn a hundred miles iu circumference, would, wen: it
possible to transport ourselves and telescope to the moon
— two h undred and forty thousand iniles away from us—
present to th e eye of the observer, using this glass, a
fiti'-xhiiili' of the solar spots and th eir surroundings, or
penumbra, as they appear from our globe through the
instrument.
T hu s much for Kilnuoa, the largest and most ini|H>sing
volcano now existing on this planet. D uring its most,
terrific outbreaks, it might, possibly eject incandescent,
rocks and other materials ten or fifteen miles iu th e a i r ;
its smoke and ashes may at. times be wafted a thousand
miles awav ; while its shocks and groans mny have been
noted a t double that distance.
To those who have not witnessed the results of such
trem endous forces, this relation will perhaps appear ex­
aggerated. Yet, according to th e observations of th e Into
Rev. F a th e r Secclii, some of those superb solar eruptions
hurl th e ir flaming materials millions of miles into space—
even to that, poqiloxing display known as th e zodiacal light.
A t any rate, they embrace a field so vast that, our earth,
if plunged into the depths of the vortices, would be but as
a pen dropped into the devouring crater of Vesuvius.
Now these molten elements, oscillating from tem pes­
tuous volcanoes to maelst roms whirled around a dark ver­
tical axis by th e a lternatin g respirations ot its internal
ferments— for such u nd er w hatever photosphorie theory
we adopt, th e solar s|xits undoubtedly are— m u st necessa­
rily 11in lor the law of correlation ami conservation of forces
work im portant changes ; such would bo the convoision ol
heat and light into magnetism and electricity, which ro-
net, producing, ns nbove intimated, vital efloets through­
out the? whole planetary system. Viewed by this light,
they become not. only of interest to the astronomer nnd
meteorologist, b u t particularly so to the physician nnd
pathologist..
Upon our earth countless species of microscopical germs
await but tho requisite conditions to spring into life by
sw aiming myriads. Kneli of those represents, in like ex­
pectancy, clouds of others too dim inutive to bo visible
oven hy the highest magnifiers : indeed, so wonderfullv
infinite and ethereal are they that measured by tho
former they would 1m; b u t as ants compared to elephants.
Now every new change, every new phase, eruption or
irradiation of th e solar orb, produces meteorological modi­
fications furnishing conditions upon which ponds the evo­
lution of some one or more species of these tiny myriads :
and presto, iu the train of such events, life to firmaments
of deleterious organisms which come into existence— con­
tam inating every breath of air w ith th e ir imperceptible
presence.
N o tw ith sta n ding this philosophy of evolution, th e read­
er should not lteeome alarmed. For in the very ratio
that every now solar perturbation yields that magical force,
th a t vital spark, to develop life in one genus of deleterious
organisms, so it is certain that, this same mysterious agent,
sends out inllucneos which are baiiolul and niortilerous to
an equal n um ber of some oth er noxious genus already
altaiunding.
T h u s the wheel turns, the scales are equihalanood and
order over m aintained. Thus, from solar and other astral
commotions fluctuate thronging armies of invisible, but
all the more insidious and powerful enemies. Thus, the
subject, I m 'o o u i o s not only pleasant, but. an obligatory study
to the physician, who must, he over on tho alert, to dis­
cover and I race these, intricate connections with the phe­
nomena of diseases iu order to avert, combat, or remedy
them properly aiul promptly.
Fanatically biassed indeed, must be th a t intelligent,
being— rath er th a t pitiful ofligy of one— who cannot both
adm ire and revere th e elevated sentim ents and devotion
of those ancient, people, such as the Hindus, the Zoroas­
trians, the Egyptians, th e Peruvians, the Mexicans, the
Hawaiians and, in tr u th the forefathers of most, if not of
all, races aud creeds who, not withstanding thoir apparently
absolute isolation in some cases, by some common mys­
terious instinct, adopted that mighty sphere, th a t Celes­
tial Kye, Lord of Day, Governor of Seasons, Source of our
Light, Heat and other vivifying principles, as the most,
fitting Symbol of the Great, and Ineffable L ld lT ok
L ie MTS.
2, Glare Jtoad, Bombay, Ju ly IMHO.
TU ,K T I I E O S O r i U S r S I N C E Y L O N .
( 'oloinlio, Hl/i July.
■ My last le tte r brought up the history o f th e Theosophi­
cal Mission to th e arrival here, and the delivery of Colonel
Olcott's lirst lecture at IlodelilVe House. T he seed-thought
th a t the Theosophists aro sowing is that., while no ono
religion contains all th e truth, no one th a t has over made
any progress am ong men has been devoid of some part
of the truth, and th a t if we will all unite iu a friendly
way to sift the ancient religions of Asia, we shall And the
germ s of every faith th a t has been evolved since the
Aryan period. This programme of fraternal co-oporatiou
seems to captivate all the Asiatic people, possibly because
it is so flattering to th e ir strong race pride. N ever was
there seen such an enthusiasm among th e Buddhists as
this visit, has awakened. Towns vie with each other for
the honour of receiving the strangers as public guests, and
the crowds that have been thronging to hear Colonel
Olcott’s speeches a ie immense. H e has had the ablest
interpreters in th e island, along with some of th e worst,
b u t the idioms of th e English and Singhalese lnnguasros
are so ditlerent, and the latter is so bare of nil terins
relating to modern scientific discoveries, tliat tlic sjieaker’s within a cagc of iron bars, and the tower door is secured
ideas liave sonietinies been knocked a good deal out of
shape.
Tlio visitors stopped in Colomlio nine days lie to re
proceeding to Kandy. D urin g this tim e Colonel Olcott
made six addresses .to i w® r audiences— one to .about
.
4,000 persons, a t Widyodaysi College, tlio Buddhistical
high or normal school, where priests are instructed in
Sanskrit, l’ali and E lu liy th a t greatest of Singhalese
scholars, H ik kad uw e Sumangala, the High Priest of
A dam ’s Peak. Instead of one liraneh of the Theosophical
Society a t Ciilomlio two were organized, of which one is
purely Buddhistic, and the oth e r composed exclusively of
free-thinking Christians and ex-Christians. T he latter,
which will occupy itself only with the occult sciences, is
the fruit of a public lecture upon th a t fascinating blanch
of study given by the Colonel a t th e Itacquct Court.
The vote of thanks 011 tha t occasion was moved by Science
Master Ja m e s of the Coloinlio Academy, a p re tty good
proof of its quality. A t his lecture a t th e tem ple of tlle
famous pricst-orator, Mcgit.tuwat.te a t Kotahciua, the ' have a sigh t of it, and a lte r th e private view was over the
crush was something fearful. T he tem ple was bravely
decorated, and iu front of th e canopied preaching-desk
hung a framed device in blue and gilt, comprising th e seal
of tin; Theosophical Society and its title in large letters.
A t the gatherings at C otta and Kelanie, there were tr iu m ­
phal aruies, Hags, and a profusion of festoons and s tre a m ­
ers in white iiIIiik, or th e young leaves of th e palm-tree.
The delegation left here for Kandy on the !(th of June ,
aud were received by almost the whole population ot
th at ancient capital of the K andyan kings. T he bun ga­
low taken for them was besieged, ol course, and before
laying off their travelling dress the visitors received a d ­
dresses of welcome from a com mittee of Kandyan chiefs,
mid one representing a Buddhistic Literary Society. The
next morning ceremonial visits were paid them by the
chief priests of all the great temples. A t '2 I'. >1. Colonel
Olcott went to the Dalaila Maiigawa, or Tem ple of the
Tooth Relic, to speak ; but th e place was so packed tha t
he proposed au adjournm ent to the green I'lsplanade o u t­
side, and addressed them from th e crest of a broad wall.
T he next evening the Colonel lectured at the Town Hall
to au English-speaking audience, on “ Tho Life of Sakya
Muni and its Lessons.” It \v;is received with much ap pro ­
val, though a protest .was made a t the close by a C hris­
tian speaker, supi>orted iu a noisy way by a knot of Native
converts, when some European gentlem en present came
on the platform and apologized for their rudeness.
T he following morning Colonel Olcott met a conven­
tion of chiefs aud high priests a t the Tooth T em ple to
discuss the state of Buddhism, and to give them his plans
for a revival of Pali literature, and th e dissemination
throughout W estern countries of the facts rcsjiectiiig B u d ­ profusion there were handsome trium phal ears, a revolving
dha’s d o c tr in e ; which plans were found to be practical
and were approved. In the afternoon he addressed another
monster audience from the wall 011 the Ksplanade.
T he next day, Sunday, th e T iik o siiN IIs ts went to
Gompola, whilom th e scene of a famous religious con­
troversy between the M egittuvatte aud the missionaries.
The Colonel spoke from a temporary pavilion erected
for the purpose. The Moliundrum of the place e n te r ­
tained them a t tirtin, and when it was time for the
train the eutlmsiatie crowd removed the horse fioni the
carriage in which Colonel Olcott, Mine. Blavatsky, Mr.
W iinbridge and one other of the party rode, and d rag­
ged it themselves. A t Kandv, that evening, the Kandy
Theosophical Society, ano th er Buddhist branch, was orga­
nized w ith Mr. PanualMikke as President and other
high cla.ss men as incumbents of the o ther offices.
T he highest compliment th a t can be paid by Singhalese
Buddhists to any guest is to exhibit to him the world-
famous Tooth Kelic. Enshrined in a nest of jcwel-stud-
ileil gold and silver ami ciystal ditt/oUtf, or mound-shaped
covers, the gifts of various sovereigns ami chiefs, this
alleged relic ot the divine Buddha is guarded with the
closest care iu a tower iu the inner court of the Dalaila
Maiigawa, I t is kept iu the u pper room of the tower,
by four locks, th e keys of which are respectively held by
the High Priests of the two principal temples a t Kandy,
the Devanilama or special custodian, and the British
Government. T he permission of each of these must be
obtained lie fore th e relic can be exhibited. The necessary
a rrangem ents were this tim e attended to by the Buddhists
themselves, and a t an appointed hour the Theosophists
were escorted to the temple and m et by the Kandyan
chiefs in their national court costume, headed by the
venerable Devanilama aud his colleagues, the chief priests.
T h e party Were required to remove their shoes lie fore
entering the sacred precinct, and were given a private
view of the relic by the light of the lamps th a t caused
the precious ilai/iibtt# and th e ir incnisted gems to sparkle
with a dazzling splendour. O f the relic itself we need
not speak, since it has been described in detail more than
once, except that it most assuredly was never anchored
in a hum an jaw. W hen it was bruited almut tha t the
relic was to be shown, there was a great rush of people to
holy bone was removed to the lower room of the tower,
and tho crowd was allowed to tile by and make their
p t'jti and gifts.
The same day tlie delegation returned to Colombo and
stopped there three davs, completing the organization of
th e ( 'olomho Theosophical Society, which starts with a
puhlication-fuiid of over a thousand rupees ; an d th a t of
the Lanka Theosophical Society, the scientific branch above
adverted to, receiving farewell visits and addresses from
priests and laymen, and exjiounding theosophical views,
by the m outh of the. President, in public lectures. On the
1Sth of J u n e they left for Galle and interm ediate places,
declining on th a t day ten invitations to visit different lo­
calities aud speak.
Travelling southward at H oritudw a a lecture was O<m’e i i ;'
a t Panadure they were again lodged at the priest’s rest-
house of the old Mudcliyar Andris Perera, who with some
ot his sons au d son-in-law joined the society ; organised
the Panadure Branch Society with Mr. Mudcliyar Kenia-
ratine, S up rem e Court Interpreter, as President; passed
through a )M>pular ju bilee a t Bentota, when- there w;i_s a
mile-long procession, fourteen triumphal arches, ten or
twelve miles uf 1<//« decorations lining the mads; an oration
was delivered by the Colonel, aud iu tha t single day
enough members initiated to form a strong branch society.
Thence they went to Galle, rested a couple of days,
and then pushed on to Matara, the ancient, seat of Pali
learning iu th e Low C ountry provinces. Upon reaching
the township boundary line tbe visitors were met by
the largest and most, interesting procession yet, formed in
their honour. Besides Singhalese flags ami banners in
m iniature temple, a m arionette van hung around with
mannikin figures of gods, rajahs and ladies. Groups of
dancers representing Singhalese demons capered about,
and men aud boys in old national costume moved through
the swaying measures of th e nnuteli, twirled the quarter-
statt to th e sound of music, mid performed a verv inteiest-
ing sword-dance, in which each actor alternately cuts ami
parries as he goes right and left mound the circle. Both
sides of the road for four miles wen! lined with the white
1dins fluttering from strings stretched between stakes ; the
profession required two horn's to cover the distance, and
the Theosophists were heartily glad to get to tbe spacious
bungalow assigned for th eir occupancy, and take a little
rest. The front of th e house presented a gorgeous a p ­
pearance truly, it being covered by Hags and green palms,
aud the pillars of th e verandah hung with cocoanuts ill
token of welcome. Tin: ( 'oloiiol spoke twice a t Matara,
and although the party were there only two 1lays, a branch
society — the seventh since coming to the island-—W ji s form­
ed ; and besides initiations, visitors, and the eating of
tillins, there was a grand conclave of about, one hundred
Buddhist priests, who let off a t Colonel Olcott two address-*
es, iu Pali and Sanskrit, abounding in Oriental figures of
speech,
 The next objective point was Wcligama, a town which
gives its liann: tn om- nt tlie ripest Pali scholars iu Ceylon,
a priest win iso writings nro favourably known iu Europe.
Ilore there was an oration, tin; usual crowds, streets gay
witli hunting anil <>//»/*, th e firing of guns iu a fi'ii-ilr-jnii•
ami a repast at the rest-house, or travellers’ bungalow,
which is delightfully situated at. the margin of the sea.
T hence onward to (!allc again, where they now are. w ait­
ing for the B. I. stem .... . Ihaf, is to take them hack Iu
Bombay.— P'wmur. J u l y .*fl.
I he V iu n tvr# correspondent appeal's to have entirely
overlooked one nt tho most, im portan t events of our ( 'ey-
Ion visits, (hi tho 4th of J u ly the Convention of B u d ­
dhist priests elsewhere alluded to bv us, met a t Gallo, and
listened to an address fmm Colonel Olcott upon the ne­
cessity of reviving Pali literature, and Ihe special dutv
that. rested upon them a.s its sole custodians. T here­
upon they unanimously adopted a resolution to per­
m anently oigani/.o as an Ecclesiastical ( 'ouncil under the
auspices ot the Theosophical Society, and every priest
present, lint previously initiated, applied for and was duly
received into our Parent Society. This • 'n n\en tion was
entirely composed of picked men —of such as were recog­
nized to he leaders in tlieir respective sects ; hence bv
this one meeting the Society enormously increased its
strength and prestige iu all Buddhistic, countries.
I h e profound agitation caused in Ceylon sX'ietv by the
visit of our Delegates may bo gauged by a, single fact :....
\\ bile wc wore there throe Christians of ( 'a lb ' were miiile
insane by brooding over our arg u m en ts against the
sufficiency of the basis of their religion. Poor things '.
thoir Indict was evidently founded ii|mu faith la th e r than
logic.
On the lOtli of J u ly we went by invitation to Welitara,
a village between Galle and Colombo, to organize our
seventh, and last. Buddhistic branch. As an illustration
ot the thoughtful kindness shown us evoi vwhere we mav
111<*lit.ii>11 that, though we were only to spend a lew hours of
daylight at. Welitara, we found ready a large bungalow
completely furnished, every article of furniture iu which
had been sjK'cially sent down from Colombo bv the m il­
lionaire Mud;ilayar Mr. Sampson Uajnpaksa. At this village
are the temples of two em inent priests, the Bovs. Wimc-
lasarn nnd Dhanimalnnkara, of the A m a ra p u ra sect.. It<j-
sides founding the NVelitara Theosophical Society— with
Mr. B a lta sir M. W’corasinghe, I n te r p re te r Mndalayar, as
President— we a d m itted thirty priests of the two vihares
hImuc mentioned. T hus was g a th e re d into the Parent
Society the last, ot t.he cliipios, or schools among the B ud­
dhist priests, and th e last obstacle to a practical exposition
of Buddhism lielbiv tin: world removed.
The perm anent organization of the (.Jallc- Branch, on the
evening ot J u ly II. wa.s the last important, business
transacted. On the morning of the l.'lth— the /(//’//-•-riv/i/A
day since we put foot upon Cevlon soil— we em barked
on the B. I. Co. s steamship <’lunula for Bombay, which we
reached on the 24th after a stormy butfetting of eleven
days by the S.-W. monsoon. Again the Nund»cr Seven
asserted itself, tin* 24th of Ju ly being th e ■rrnfy-xen-nth
da\ since wc sailed from Bombay for Ceylon ! In fact,
the part which the N um licr Seven played in every essen­
tial detail ot this ( 'ovlon visit is so striking aud mysterious
th a t we reserve the facts for a separate article.
T H K K A M II. V iiH' T i l H ’I 'A C ii liK S IS AM< iN< I T ill -:
tingui.’diod in Bengal. T h e ir descent iu that part of
India is traced In a certain holy Brahmin of the eleventh
century,.named Bliatta N aravana, who was one of l.lio live
priest* called hy tho then reigning sovereign, king Adixura,
from Kanouj to regenerate the people and their religion.
T he ( h-iriilul MixccUmnj for J u ly in an interesting article
uiwii this great family, says th a t of th e scions of the house
jiow living the most distinguished are Baboo Dcbeudraiiuth
Tagore, the Hoii’ble Maharajah Joteendro Moliun Tagore,
Rajah Sourindro Moliun Tagore, and Balmo Colley Kriste
Tagore. Baboo Dehcudranath is tho respected President,
of the A il! Hrn/mio Sunny. M aharajah Joteendro Moliun
is a Member of the Legislative Council, and one of the
native nobility, most honored and most highly esteemed
bv the E uropean community. Like liis uncle, he too has
been decorated by her Majesty with the Companionship
of tin: S ta r of India, and to him the Native Community
are indebted for the preservation to them of the Doorgnh
I’oojah Holidays. His brother, Itajah Sourindro Mohun
Tagore, is one of th e most, decorated men living. Not
only is hi.* a Doctor of Music, but also K night Commander
of th e Order of Leopold of Belgium ; K n ig h t Com m ander
of the 1st class of the O rder of A lbert of Saxony ; C heva­
lier of the Imperial O rder of Medjidie of Turkey and ot the
Royal Portuguese Military Order of C h r i s t ; K night of the
Siamese I )rder of Busabamala ; K night of the <lurkha Order
ot Sarasvati, San gita Nayaka aud Sangitn Ssigara of
Nepaiil ; Founder and President of the Bengal Music
School ; H onorary Magistrate, Justice of tho Peace and
Follow of the University ot C a lc u tta : Member of the
Royal Asiatic Society, and Fellow of th e lloyal Society of
L iterature, (Ircat Britain and Ireland ; Honorary Member
of the Royal Asiatic Society, C e y lo n ; H onorary Member
ol the Hoyal Swedish Musical Academy, Stock ho lm ;
Oftieior do I'lnstruction Publii|ue and Officicr d ’Acadc-
inio, Paris : Associate Member of the Royal Academy nt
Sciences, Letters and F ine Arts of B e lg iu m ; Correspond­
ing Member of the Musical Society of Anistordan ; Foreign
M em ber of the Royal Philological and Ethnographical
I n stitu tio n of N eth erland s India a t th e H a g u e ; Corres­
ponding Member of the University nf Geneva ; Socio
<•norann of th e lloyal Academy of St. Cecilia, Rome : Socio
Onorario Socictti I(idascalica lLiilia.ua; Aceadcmico Corris-
]Minilcnte of the Academy of th e Royal Musical In s titu te
and O rdinary Member of the Oriental Academy of Flo.
r c n c e ; Socio Cnrrcspundente of the Uoval Academy of
Ratfaollo, Urhiuo, Italy ; Bene-Merito of the Royal U n i­
versity of Parma ; Socio Co-opera tore of the Academy of
Pitfagorica, Naples ; Socio Onorario of the Philharmonic
A cademy of Bologna ; Honorary Member of the Arclucolo-
gieal Society of Athens, G re e c e ; Socio Onorario of the
Royal Academy of Palermo. Sicily ; Patron of the Athc-
na'iim of i he lloyal University of Sassari, Sardinia ; and
Honorary Member of the Philharmonic Society of Mel­
bourne, Australia ; >Vc., &c.. Bal>oo Colley Kristo is
well-known for his noble acts of charity.
T he Rajah Sourindro has, nevertheless, many medals to
get. beforo lie can hope to rival Prince Bismaik whose,
manly breast, it. is estimated, would have to be twenty-one
foot wide to enable him to wear his various decorations
and orders of knighthood and nobility. They nu m ber 482.
T A l ’.LK Oh’ C O N T K M S .
r.ijft-. 1'llflC.
< Mir S c c n i n l \ i - n r ................... T lie H in d u J’.elij'al....... . iM)
F r u its o f tlie C ey lo n M is­ A J iu d d liisl M ission In tlie
sion ............................................ , iiii U n ited .S tales................. . . . 2Si
Tin- I liv a ll S r ifiii i ' s .............. ■JC,4 T e stin g tlie llevvitclicd M ir­
K ast In d ian .Materia M eiliia •JliT ror T l ie o r y ............................ Sst
T lie JCoronstrinn l!«*ligiou as •Solis. S oils iiml l'n xies......... i s i
rep resen ted b y M artin A Jjiuld liist H y m n ................... 2s4
1 lung, 1*11. I ) ......................... 2li8 I*lle T lieosop liixt's \'ie w of
•'S p ir it ” T runks I n i m C a u ­ M u m ' s P o sitio n nnd P ro­
ca su s ....................................... 271 sp ec ts ................................. . 2*.j
'J'llC ( ie.-llire-Spi'C ill of H enltli o f tlie liv e s ..............
MUST liis- M .'iiiUiuiI................................. ■i:?. T lie V ed a n ta P h ilosop h y ,. 2S7
Tliu .Stuily o f T in ' jhii| illv . . . 274 T h e T h eo so p h ists ..................
J /i" lil from the -M isMon- ............................................... ■i"i)
iii'ies w a n ted ........................ 270 Solar Viileanoes, or S p o ts
A l,:uid o f M y ste r y .............. 277 upon tlie S u i.......................... 2S!)
JCotes on ’* A Ijiind nf Mvs- T h e Tliuoaopliixt* in C eylon i!K)
t e r v .-’ ................................ 278
l*rint«*l at tliu /Y '« bj* II. ' ’urMctjcc & Co., aiul l.y
tlio ’J'liai>*u)iliiunl Spclolv, a t No. 109, lliiynuin Hnck Homl, Koniliny,
 W H AT
THE PRESS HAS SAID
AUOUT
THE THEOSOPHIST.
1 ■» OOCj <
" ... .I t will supply a long-fell national w a n t— tlmt of some
organ through winch native scholars could m ake th e m ­
selves felt in the Kuru)«:an and American worlds of thought.
Mo H in du need shrink from comparing tin; intellectual
m onum ents left by his ancestors w ith those left by th e
progenitors of any W estern people. T h e world has never
produced but one Vedic philosophy, and th e first to lathom
the nature of the hum an soul were th e Rishis. Since the
TuiiosoPHiST carefully abstains from politics, ami its plan
is one of a Universal Brotherhood, it should be welcomed
by ever)' sect and people throughout, th e world. And as
it recognizes the Aryans as the fathers of all religions and
sciences, H ind us owe it th e ir enthusiastic su p p o rt.”— 'The
A inrila Ui'zur 1‘ntrikn, (Calcutta) S e p te m b e r 1 1 , 1n7'.I.
" ........T hough it takes the reader oil and far away from
tin; beaten paths of W estern classics, few can at Void to
underrate the indications of thorough scholarship and
eclectic philosophy w ith which several articles of this
num ber are replete.”— B o m b a y R eview a n d I n d i a n A d ­
vertise?, October 4, 1870.
“ ........ T h e present num b e r is well got u p and contains a
num ber of excellent articles ou the subjects of Theosophy,
Spiritualism, Ac.............. The journal promises to achieve
much success anil prosper.”— In d ti-R ra lM sh , (Bombay)
October 0, 1870.
“ ........T he new periodical will probably obtain au ex­
tensive circulation am ongst the N atives.”— S ta te sm a n ,
(Calcutta,) October 7, 1870.
“ ........We have no space to do ju stic e to all th e articles
in the present n u m b er of the T h e o s o p h i s t . T h a t it is a
credit to its promoters, no one will be disposed to deny.
T he get-up is excellent for u Bombay press. T he T i i k o s o -
l ' l l i S T should tind m any readers."— The I n d ia n Sjtectalor,
(Bombay) October 12, 1870.
“ ........I t is needless to point out th a t a m on thly m aga­
zine under her (Mine Blavatsky's) auspices eannot but
become a periodical of strong interest for th e large and
varied public lying between the two religious ex trem es—
atheistic materialism on the one side and simple orthodoxy
on the other.— The l Jioneer, (Allahabad) October 1 I, 1870.
“ ........We can only say this much here t h a t the issue to
hand fully m eets th e ex]>ectations th a t were formed of
it as to the m a tte r it would contain. W e wish every sue-
cess to the journal it so richly deserves.”— jV n tirt Oj'inion,
(Bombay) October *20, 1870.
........T he Til Kosot'H 1 s t made its appearance, as pro­
mised, on th e 1 st of this mouth, and a n y one whose curio­
sity has been aroused by the mission of Madame Blavatsky
aud her friends from America, ma)' tind .much to interest
them in a perusal of the varied contents of the new
m agazine....... ”— I h e Timex oj Jmlia, O ctober 1870.
“ ........There is a tone of elegance and scholarship about
the whole of this periodical, which almost leads European
readers to envy it. T h e translations of the Indian sacred
documents given have the advantage of being revised
by H in du s and there i.s, accordingly, a decidedly Oriental
aspect to the whole work, which contra,sts with the a tte m p ts
eci'lain German speculators have made to see the \ edas
through the spectacles of Vaterland if not of Vater. All
students of Oriental lore who have derived their ideas
from the current philological treatises, which are, iu fact,
chiefly mere dilutions of Schleicher, m u st ])eruse this work
for themselves, and, if they have patience, will be able
to understand for themselves how some H ind us accept all
the sacred writings of the East. A periodical of this
nature being published a t the present m om en t must a ttra c t
some atten tion on the juirt of the intelligent Hindus, who
(at least some of them) have not been altogether ground
down under the Mahomedau religion of th e East. Still
there is not a word in this paper which is olfensive to any
cla ss o f th e o lo g ia n s , T o sh o w t l m t i t is a th o r o u g h ly
learned production, it is merely necessary to indicate th a t
the name ap)»caring on the cover as conductor is th a t of
11. 1\ Blavatsky, the erudite author of “ Isis Unveiled,”
anil one of th e greatest living Orientalists. We wish that
th e T h r a •sophist did not come out as far off as Bombay.”
/'ul'lic Opinion, London, November 1870.
j “ ........It is som ew hat strange th a t the Yoga philosophy
' with its mysterious rites, which had almost died in India,
and which every educated native was ta u g h t to ridicule,
should receive help from this unexpected quarter, and
promise to rise again to bo a disputed q uestion............ But.
w hatever success the jou rn a l might attain in arresting the
progress of materialism, or in gaining over advocates to its
cause, it is none tho less certain, th a t it shall prove ou
other grounds em in en tly useful to our countrymen. T he
large Immunity it breath es in every column, the Universal
Brotherhood it advocates, and the sym pathy it, extends to
all classes of people cannot b u t m ake it popular and a t the
same tim e useful........”— N a tiv e O p in io n , November HO,
1870.
“ ........ It is a large, •well-printed journal, full of interest­
ing reading, much of it contributed by natives of India,
and affording an insight into the religious thought of the
tar F a st. . . ”— The Sp irit m ditl, (1/ondun) October TH, 1870.
], “ ........ We greet our contemporary as a noble foe, and
|j wish it all success in th e domain of u tility ........"— Thu
I'/iiloKiijthir. / lu/itirrr, (Madras) J a n u a r y 11, 1880.
' “ T h e TilKosi ipii 1ST h:us now outlived the necessity for
a friendly notice from its older contemporaries. But we
have taken such interest in it from the beginning of its
career, it has so well justified our interest, th a t we need
j no excuse for re tu rn in g to it for the fourth time. T h e
: current (January) num ber is teem ing with topics of peculiar
| value to the ludophile in science, art, and philosophy,
while to him who ‘ reads as ho runs,’ its columns open up
I fresh avenues of th o u g h t which, like so m any new dis-
I coveries, till him with glad surprises and tend to expand
' his narrow vision. In this respect the establishment of the
T iikosoI’IIISt m arks a new era in th e history of modern
A r y a v a r t; aud every tru e Aryan heart will beat iu unison
with this expression of our sincere hope th a t the Tiiko-
Sol’IIIST may have a long, prosperous aud useful c a re e r...”
] B o m b a y Reriew und Indian A drertiscr, J a n u a r y 17, 1 8 8 0 .
1 “ T he F eb ruary num ber of the T hkoso I'IIIST has ju s t
been published, and it is perhaps the most interesting fur
|j the lovers of mystical lore of any of the series.............”
'The llom inty Gazette, F e brua ry 1880.
*• “ Its list of' additional subscribers’ throws a halo of golden
health over the columns of this m o nth’s T ilK o sorii ist .
i This is satisfactory. ‘ T he feast of good t h i n g s ’ w ith
which this lusty caterer m on thly provides the public liaa
1 received accession oi stre ng th and savour from a Pursi and
a Moslem contributor. This too is satisfactory........”—
'I Jiombny Rcrietn nnd Indiiui A d vertiser, February 7, I MM.
I] " .........T h e busy Theosophists have already created a
[I wide interest in th e ir doings.. . ”— The l l u rbin<jer n f LijliL
| (M e lb u iim e ), March I, 1 8 8 0 .
1 “ ..........Vs regards the object in v iew in coming to India,
i we caunut sec th a t any o th e r resulL b u t good can come
of honest endeavours to bring about a belter, a closer
I intimacy in thought, word and action lietween the various
| races to be found iu th e East, especially lietweuii the
governing and the governed. W e believe most sincerely
th a t by far the larger jtortioii of the evil th a t is a t work
in our jiossessions in the East, may Ik; attrib u te d to the
wide gu lf which separates the European from the N ative ,’1
— The Gfi/tnu Tim es, J u n e ;’>, 1M80.
“ T he T hkosopjiist for May is rapidly increasing its
merits as a high-class literary organ........Wc marvel at the
beauty and accuracy with which this magazine is edited,—
I I ’nhlic Itp in iw , J u n e 1 2 , 1880.
 The Proprietors o f th e THEOSOPHIST a ck n o w led g e w it h thanks, the
fo llo w in g ad ditional sub scriptions, all paid in advance.

INDIA. Gunwantiam M. Mehta, Esq., Secretary,

Rudha Kishnn Thnpur, Esq.
Baliadurkhanji High School Reading
The Khoja General Heading Room and
M. Virarnghnva Charinr, Esq., Manager Room, Junngur.
Library.
of the Hindu Triplieane. C. W. Nallatamby, Esq.
K. C. Vislnvaniith Iyer, Esq., Talug Over­
Miinshi Naraiu Dass, Esq., Sub-Judge of Ilari Ruoji, Esq.
seer, Madura. Hukmat Rai, Esq.
U nao.
V. Sabhiae, Esq., Deputy Tehsildar and
Arya Ilitaishini Sabha, Shahjahaupur. D. Sawoo Iluosenun, Esq.
Magistrate, Mudnkalafhere.
Secretary, Arya Samaj, Fatehgarh. Khan Saheb Noor Khan, Honorary Secre­
Si. John llcwil, Esq., Assisi,aut Engineer, tary, Anglo-Hindustiini School.
Babu Koylash Cbumler Chalterji, Super­
Slate Railways, Paehniarhi. Nawab Mookurramood. Dowlali Bahadur.
visor, Public Works Department.
Khudabakhas Seerinaliomed, Esq. Ram Nath, Esq., Deputy Moonscrim, De­
Reverend John Traill.
puty Commissioner’s Court, Bharaich
SeiTcsoobranmnia Pilly. Esq., Purooraimy P. Yedautachari, Esq., Secretary, Reading
Room, Saidiipet. (Oudli).
Matladar. Thakttr Dass, Esq., Ilead Clerk, Treasury
V. M. Sathashiva Moodeliar.
l ’ursliotfam Umiashankar Acharya, Esq. Ollice, Dera-Gltazi Klian.
•Naraiu Dass, Esq., Officiating District In-
Moonshi Goor Pershad, Extra Assistant Taloekchund Manockchand, Esq., Alas ter.
speclor of Schools of Gujarath (Punjab.)
Commissioner, Balaghat. II is Highness Daji Rnj, Thakur Saheb of
Jamshcdji Naoroji Unvalla, Esq., Head
Gopal Goviiul Ghate, Esq, Subordinate Wadhwan.
Master, Bhaunagar.
Judge, Kotri. j Vasanji Kallianji Desai, Esq. L. C. E.
Balkrishna Gopnlji, Esq., Talim Contrac- Motilal Jiwandus, Esq.
II is Highness the Raja of Bausda. j lor, Ilis Highness (lie Nizam’s Public
Dr. Griffith Evans, M. D. ! Works Department. Ganesb Krishna Apte, Esq., B.A., L.C.E.,
Assistant Engineer, Dliarwar.
Gangooloo Narsuuiooloo Cliitty, Esq., j Lalla Kalla Ham.
FO R E IG N .
Abkari Tnlukdar of liis Highness the ! Babu Dabi Lall, Canal Zilladar.
John 11. Meister, Esq.
Nizam's Government. Gordon Barlow, Esq. Stephen 1’. M. Tnsker, Esq.
Balm Nageshwar Prasad, Judge’s Court, j II is Highness the Maharaja ofTravaucore. F. W. Percival, Esq.
Gorakhpur. ' Diwau Bahadur to Ilig Highness the Jno. Turner, Esq.
Secretary, Library and Heading Room Maharajah of Travancore. S. Hockley, Esq.
Trieliur. C. P. llogau, Esq., Foreign office, Simla, D. J. W. Edirisinglie, Esq., Chief Sur­
Yckkar Rumkrishnayya, Esq. lvilpudi Ram Rao Esq., B. A. veyor’s Oflicc, Galle, Ceylon.
P. S. Santan Krisliuan, Esq., Head-Master Major R. S. Thompson, Officiating Deputy Dr. A\. G. Vandort, M.D., Colombo, Cey­
Hindu Middle School, Madura. Commissioner, Buldana. lon.
Babti Clieda Lnll, Government School, Ingol Kishorc Lai, Esq. Sampson Rajcpakse, Es<[., Mudeliar of
Bareilly. K. Venkoobhuclmri Esq., Secretary, Arya tho Governor’s Gate, Colombo.
G. Ramasami Pillay,Esq., District MunsitT, Samaj, llospct. J . Wettha Singliu, Esq.
Tinnevelly. Babu Kali Prasana Mookerjee, Assistant Israel Homer, Esq.
Chcragh Ali, Esq. Engineer, Baksar. Edward F. Perera, Esq., Proctor, District
F. A. Perroux, Esq. Dal Mukund, Esq., Ilcad Clerk, Ollice of Court, Colombo. Ceylon.
Ilis Highness fhe Raja Soureiidia Moliun Executive Engineer, Attock Bridge Richard Adrian Miiando, Esq.
Tagore, C. I. E . Divison. James Perera Jayatilaka, Esq.
Moraijec Rayjee, Esq. P. Mitltusami l ’illai, Esq., Secretary, Don Abraham Leonardus Abeyesekere,
A. P. Webb, Esq. Pamiiigton Public Library. Esq., Panadnre, Ceylon.
Pandit Laksbtui Narnyan, Sub-Manager, Y. Kakolum, Esq., Overseer, Public Works David I’erdiimmlus Obeyrckere, Esq.,
Jhaujarpur. Department, Pachmarhi. Interpreter Mudeliar, District Court,
D. Jones, Esq. Babu Dwarkamith Roy, Accountant, I. V. Tangdle, Ceylon.
llarischandra Krishna Joshi, Esq. S. Railway, Mooltau. A. S. Dias, Esq.
Snrajratn Blmgwatram, Esq., Secretary to Isltwar Prasad Siugli, Esq. Stephen Peter de Silva, Esq., Interpreter,
the Bird wood Library, Wudliwan. Dr. Jamshcdji Maimockji, Ilis Highness Additional Courts, Matara.
lleeralal Tribhuwandas, Esq. Nizam’s Government. Charles Anmrdus dc Silva, Esq., Proc­
ltamrao Mangeshyya Bhatukal, Esq. Babu Slmuiacliaran Bhattu, Pleader, J udge’s tor, Galle, Ceylon.
J . D. Massey, Esq. Court, Berhampore. Don Charles Phillip Weerakoon, Esq.,
Harry Newcomb, Esq. Dalpatram Praniijiwaii Khakar, Esq., Galle, Ceylon.
J. M. Simpson, Esq. Educational Inspector (Culch) Bliuj. T. N. Cripps, Esq., Kingston, Jamaica,
liis llighnets Koer Penuatiaiid, sou of Major D. M. Strong, 10th Bengal Lancers, West InJies.
Peshawar. Miss Mary Chapmau.
llaja Ja y Kislicu Das Bahadur,
L. D. Smith, Esq.
C.S.I. V. Madhavrao Naidu, Esq.,
Messrs. Triibncr aud Co., London, Eng­
Narayan Laksliniayya Bhnlaknl, Esq. Lula Ganga Ram, C.E., Executive Engi- land.
P. Sesbachcllaen Nayadu, Esq. ! necr, Amritsar. Mine. II. C. Calcar, Editor of the “ Spiri-
I t
Pandit Motilal, Judicial Assistant Com­ I Obhoy Cliaran l ’anday, Esi|., Clerk of the tualistisch Maaudwerk,” Haag, Holland.
missioner, Gurdaspur. Court of Small Causes. Messrs. Kirkland, Cope & Co., London,
J . G. Meugent, Esq. Kirty Chundcr Chowdry, Esq., Assistant England.
Narmndashnnkar Lndhnblmi, Esq., Arasa j Engineer, Calcutta, Mme. Al. Gebhard, Elbcrfeld, Germany.
Ilis Highness Knar Lakshman Sinhn, Son Geo B. Strom, Esq., G> N. Telegraph
Nyayadliisli.
of the Raja of Bara. office, Slmughnc, Chinn.
Chhotalal Jiwanlnl, Esq.
 /Ocreativ
^com m ons
Attribution-NonCom m ercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported

Y o u are free:

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 th e f o llo w in g c o n d it 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 ith th e u n d e r s t a n d in 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 .
 A M ONTHLY JOU R NAL DEVOTED TO ORIENTAL
MESMERISM, SPIRITUALISM, AND OTHER SECRET SCIENCES.
V ol. I. BO M BA Y , S E P T E M B E R , 1S80.
S l’KG'l AI< NOTIC'KS.
It Is cvideltt th a t tlio T iikosoi’Hiut Kill olfer to advcrti.icrs unusual ail*
vantages iu circulation. Wc hnvo already nuh&criburi In ever)' jxirt of
Iudia, iti Ctyloii, Hnruiah, aud ou tlio 1‘uraiai. liu lf. Onr |>.i|»cr also
to (tre a t B ritain, tia n c o , Germ any, H ungary, (Sruece, ituKai.-i, Constant!*
nojilc, Ki»yj>t, A ustralia, and N orth and South Amcrica. Tho fullowiu*' very
m oderate rates have beun adopted :
Auvkutisinc. H a t i :s .
F irst in sertio n...........10 lines am i under............1 llupcc.
F or each additional lino........................................1 Anna.
Space is charged for a t tlic rate of 12 lines to tlio inch, bpecial arrange-
m eats cau ^b e innito for lar-^c advertisem ents, nml fur lunger and tixed
periods. t o r fu rth e r inform ation and contracts for advertising, >4 '[Ily to
M issu s. COOI’KIE k Co.,
Ailvorlisiiij; Agents, liouksellors ami l'ublishers, Meadow S truct Fort
Uoiiibay. ’ ’
Tu SUllSCKIIIEItS.
The Subscription prico n t which tho T ili.usol'llisT is published liarcly
covers cost - th o design in cstablishim - llio journal having been rath er
to reach a very "M o circle of readers, ihun to n,nl;o a prolit. Wo cannot
allord, therefore, to solid specim en copies froe, nor to supply libraries .so­
cieties, or individual.. j-puluitou.sly. Kor the snnie reason we art; obliged
to adopt th e plan, n.iw universal in America, of re.niiriii}' subs. riUers to
ra y in advance, ami of stop p in g th e paper a t the end ol llio term paid for.
Many years of practical cxpericnco have convinced W estern publishers th a t
this system of cash p ay m en t is tho best and m ost satisfactory to both
parties ; and all res|m etablc jou rn als are now conducted on th is plan.
K ubscritois w ishin- a p rin te d receipt for th eir rem it tauccs m ust send
stam ps for retu rn postage. Otherwise, acknow ledgm ents will be made
tin num'll th e journal.
The Thi:o.soi*imst will ap p ear each month. Tho rates, fur twelve num ­
bers of not less th an 4i) colum ns Koyal Ito each, of reading m atter, or
i. c°lum us ni all, arc as follows : To Subscribers in any p a rt of India,
I.s. b i« r annum ; in Ceylon, Us. 7 ; in the S tra its S ettlem en ts, China, Ja p an ,
and A ustralia, Its. 8 ; in A frica, Kurojio, and the U nited sta te s, A 1. H alf
year (India) l!s. j ; S in-lo copies anuas 12 U cm ittaneci iu iiost.d stam p
m ust lw a t tlio rato of annas 17 lo llio l.’n|>oe to cover discount T he aliovo
rates include posta;;o. .V„ hituc *-,« Ik I lU U..L, >,.• 4t„<
n«l<l the M m uf is ytm d U d ; aud U t a r i M f the /si/ier v-iU !«■ ,l,,c ;l.l,„ ,„ d
u ttk e ,x/H m hu,t„ J tic Ur... n'lisc,iUd / o . . KeniilU i.ccs should be m ade iu
Mouoy-ordors, lluiidis, Hill elie>|iios, tor T reasury bills, if iu rojfistcrod
[f.1*> “ “ d ui"1do !«ynb o only to the 1‘noniiK ioK s o f m i: T iitu su rin sT .
iOo, U ir^aum liack lload, Dombny, India.
» U 1u :N’?i IteTtmrcl Q.n.ritch, ] ’, I'iecadilly, W. : New York
h. U. Wells K. Co. ,8<, Itroadwuy ; boston, Muss. C d l.v and Kich, II, M ont’
gomery Place ; C1iicbKii, 111. J . C. liun.ly, Ifi, l a Salle St. Am erican sub-
way^New*V’'ork.° ° ' ll,ul1' tl,rul' «h «i- Jm lKe, Us,,., 71, Uroad-
d o ^ lv a " :v!,S1,: l \ - V0,0T s''° ''ijj'.’ D odam luw a: .lolm Hobort
mly Ko,tcUo:im 'S trc e t- Colombo, Uou T im othy K m nnaratue,
THE THEOSOPHIST.
BOMBAY, S E P T E M B E R 1 st, LSNO.
1 lie Editors disclaim responsibility l'..r opiniun.s cxim-ssed
by contributors m their articles. Ore,'it latitude* is allowed
to correspondents, and they alone are accountable for what
they w utc. Rejected U S S . are not returned.
l l l k O C Io llK R AKD N oV K M IIK It IS S l'K S o K T i l l s .lOl/IINAT.
uivm<r been reprinted, new .siibserilK-rs who wish to
have their year beyin with th e October number, will now
be charged annas eight additional to cover I lie extra
coat ot th e rcpulilication. Those who on lor thoir sub-
f-enptions to date lioni the December, or uny later issue
p.iy Rs. (j only. ‘ i.rdent sons of Asia. I f our first year began in uncertain­
PHILOSOPHY, ART, LITERATURE AND OCCULTISM : EMBRACING :
N o. 12.
OUR SEC O N D Y E A It.
Like all other jileasant things, our iirst year's relations
with th e T u k o s o p i i i s t ’s subscribers are ab ou t to term i­
nate. T he present is th e twelfth aud last nu m b e r to be
issued und er th eir contract with us. T hus every eiK w e -
m ent assumed by the proprietors of the magazine* has
been honourably and liteially fulfilled. °
T he c;use of the T i i k o s o p j i i s t calls for a word or two
of particular comment, Even in any large city of Europe
or America, it is a very tare thing lor a periodical o f
this stam p to survive tlie n atural indifference or hostility
of the public for a whole year. Out of scores of attem pts
made within our own recollection, the successes are so
few as to be scarcely worth mentioning. As a rule their
term of existence has been in exact ratio with the lump
sum their projectors have been ready to spend upon them.
In India the prospect was far w orse; for the people are
poor, cut up into innum erable castes, not accustomed to
take in periodicals, and certainly n o t to patronize those p u t
forth by foreigners. Besides, and especially, the custom
has always been to give two, tine*; and even more years*
credit to subscribers, and every Indian publication adver­
tises its lespective cash and credit terms of su b scrip tio n .
All this we knew, and both Anglo-Indian and N ativ e
journalists of th e largest experience warned us to antici­
pate failure ; under no circumstances, they thought, would
it be (>ossible tor us to make succeed among so ap athetic
a people so*strang.: a magazine, even though we should
give unlimited credit. B u t as our o b j e c t was n o t profit,
and as the Society badly needed such an organ, we decided
to make the venture. A sum large enough to pay th e
entire cost ot th e magazine toi one year wa.s set aside,
and the first num ber appeared promptly on the .lay announ­
ced— October 1 st, Believing th a t th e credit system
Was absolutely pernicious, and having seen the universal
adoption in America of th e plan of cash paym ent in
advance and its unmi.xed ail vantages, we announced th a t
the la tte r would be the rule of this office. The results
are already known to our readers : in the fourth m onth
the magazine reached, and before the half year was gone,
passed th a t ticklish point where income and expenses
balance each otliei, ami its success was an assured fact
Many subscribers have been so anxious for our prosperity
t h a t they have sent us their money to pay for the maga­
zine two years in advance, and others have told us wo
may count upon their patronage as long as they may live.
I t goes w ithout saying th a t the projectors of the T h k o -
SO l’llIS T have b*en inexpressibly delighted with th e att'ec-
tionatc response to their appeal to the Asiatic people for
support in an a tte m p t to snatch from th e dust of obli­
vion the treasures of Aryan wisdom. W hat heart th a t
was not made of stone could be untouched by so much
devotion its has been shown us and our sacred cause of
human brotherhood ‘ Ami it is our pride and joy to l e -
•dize th a t all these friends have clustered around us, even
a. hen we were u nder the heavy burden of the suspicions
ot the Indian (Joveriiment, because they have believed us
to be sincere and true , th e friends aud brothers of th e
ty it ile-es all bright and full of promise. W here our
magazine had one Avell-wisher then, now it has twenty,
and by tlio beginning of tlie third y ear will have filly. I t
has become a necessity to hundreds of young Aryan pa­
triots, who love to know what th e ir ancestors were so
th a t they may at least dream of em ulatin g them, i t has
won a place in the regard of even Anglo-Indians, of which
class m any in influential positions take it. Its merits tis
an Oriental magazine have been acknowledged by a n u m ­
ber of the first Orientalists of Europe, who have been bv it
introduced for the first tim e to some of th e most learned
of Asiatic priests, pandit* and shmtrces. In ano th er place,
in this num ber will be found a few of th e kind words that
have been said to and about us, a t this and the other
side of the world. In short, the Theosophical Socicty,
and its organ, the TiiKosnpillsT, are now so firmly estab­
lished t h a t —entirely a p a rt from th e splendid results of
the mission to Ceylon— every lover of t r u th may well
rejoice.
W ere we inclined to boasting wc m igh t hold out very
attractive inducements to subscribers for th e second volume.
Wo prefer to let our past performance stand ;is g uarantee
of w hat we will do in the future. W e have engaged so
m any valuable articles by the best writers of Asia, Europe
and America th a t we have no hesitancy in promising
th a t the Til HOSOPliiST of 1880-81 will be still more interest­
ing and instructive than it has been for 1870-80. N a tu ­
rally, tlie Ceylon voyage, and th e taking into th e T heo ­
sophical Society of every B ud dh ist priest in th e Island
of any reputation for ability or learning, will lead to
such a complete exposition of Buddhism in these columns,
by the men best qualified to speak, as m u s t arrest u n i ­
versal attention. N o Oriental magazine in th e world could
ever point to such an array of learned contributors as
the Tuf.osoi'IIIST may already pride itself upon.
T here will be no change in th e term s of subscription, as
we wish to make it possible for even the poorest clerk to
take th e magazine. O u r friends m ust not forget th a t the
American plan embraces two features, viz,, the subscription
money must he in the m anager’s hands before any copy
is sent ; and the jo u rn a l is discontinued at the e.rpiration
o f thi- term subscribed fo r . These two rules are invariable,
and they have been announced on the lirst page in every
issue, as mav be seen upon referring to tho Publisher's
notices. T he Septem ber num b er is, therefore, the last
th a t will be sent to our p resent subscribers, except to such
as have paid for a furth er term. And as it takes time
both to rem it money and to open a new set of books, we
advise all who wish to receive the October num b er a t
the usual time, to forward th e ir subscriptions a t once. We
m ust again request th a t all cheques, hundis, money-orden?,
registered letters and other re iritta n c es on account of the
magazine may be made to the order of “ the Proprietors
of the T j i k o s o I ’ M I S T , ” and to no one else.
As an inducement to friends to m ake special
exertions to increase the circulation of our magazine, we
hereby otter the two volumes of “ Isis Unveiled,’’ of the
latest edition, a.s a prize for th e person who shall (luring
the next six m onths procure the largest n u m b er of sub ­
scribers a t our advertised rates. T he com petitor must
himself send us the names and money, or if not th e latter,
then a certificate from each subscriber th a t he consents to
have his nam e credited on th e com petitor’s list.
A r.EKTLEMAN’ WHO IS t'oNSIDKUKD HV SOMK OV THF.
London Theosopliists to be b e tte r veiled in th e literature
of Occultism th an any fellow of our British branch,
w ish e s:—
1. To purchase a copy of the Madras M ahatm a (liana
Yogi's p a m phlet on Raja Yoga.
2. A copy of Dr. Ballantyne s translation of tho lirst
two chapters of Patanjali’s Aphorisms of the Yoga Philo­
sophy.
3. T hat our contributors should give ua sonic more in ­
teresting facts about the l)n<inne*ltvari.
4. T rustw o rthy information about th e “ black Agra
hhatteh mirrors, w heth er they are of any real use in deve­
loping clairvoyant power and inducing Samadhi.'' If so,
are they procurable and a t wliat cost ?”
We hope our b ro th er’s wishes may be realized, and re­
qu e st any one having the desired information to send it to
these Head-quarters.
T I1 E S P R E A D O P B U D D 1 IJ S M I N W ESTERN
C O U N T R IE S .
According to th e Catholic Review, Buddhism is making
progress in America, not as a mere philological stu dy as
in Europe am ongst scholars of the present (lav, b u t we
arc assured as a religion. Buddhism, according to this
authority, " is becoming qu ite fashionable, and in some
circles it is considered in ‘ b e tte r form’ than Ritualism.”
F u r t h e r proof is afforded in the very large sale th a t Mr.
Arnold's “ L ig h t of Asia” (reviewed in our October number)
has had, and the alm ost enthusiastic praise bestowed upon
the charactcr and teachings of th e ‘ H ind u Saviour,’ by
the American press. T here is not room for th e slightest
doubt t h a t if some B u ddh ist orator like “ th e silver-ton­
gued M egittuw atte” as Colonel Olcott dubbed him, should
visit th e U n ite d S ta te s with such a com petent interpre­
ter as Mr 1’annabokkc, of Kandy, or Mr. K arunaratne, of
.Panadure, anil preach the pure, u nad ulterated doctrine of
Buddha, he would win thousands of converts.
In our J u n e issue appeared an appeal from a London
philanthropist for th e sending of B ud dhist missionaries
to England, and now in a recent editorial discussion of the
subject of Buddhism in Europe, the Pioneer says :—
“ I t is reck on ed th a t, o u t o f th e e ig h t h u n dred m illio n s nml odd
w ho form th e p op u lation o f o u r p la n e t, ab ou t four hu n dred m il­
lio n s p r o fe ss t lie creed o f S a k y a M u n i. O ne o f th e d octrin es of
th a t ereed, ns o rd in a rily p rofessed , is X ir v n n a ; in w liieli it is im ­
p lied th a t th e life w e lend in th e w orld is so n ecessarily and irre­
m ed ia b ly Imd, tlm t th e o n ly (nip p in ess for m an con sists iu leavin g
il. N o t a t ou r ow n p lea su re ; th e r e is, it Recms, a ‘ canon a gain st
se lf-sla u g h te r b u t to l> c ca lled a w ay liy a g e n tle M unitions, to bo
‘ b low n o u t lik e a la m p .’ T h is d octrin e is n ow ex ten d in g ltoyoiid
th e con tin cs o f A sia. A n d it is on e th a t m u st lie d istin g u ish ed
from th e p a ssin g m o o d s an d o u tc ries o f p oets, and su ch frivolous
p cia o n s as g iv e v en t, from tim e to tim e, to im |ia tic n t m urm urs
am i lo n g in g s for r e s t w h e n tem p o ra rily w ea ry w ith th e burden
o f life. S u ch occa sio n a l v o ic e s h a v e b een heard, from Sophocles
w ith h is
“ Not to be b orn , su r p a sse s all d evice,
B u t h a v in g b een , to go th e q u ick est back
T h ere w h en ce w c cnm e, is far th e se co n d b est, ’
d ow n to tlie so n n e t in r e e p u l Leave*, ob je cte d to in th e lu st CaU
c iittu Jtceieie, w h ere M r. K ecn o sa y s thnt
“ N on e cou ld b ea r th e h ap p iest h u m an lot
B u t for d e a th ’s cold lig h t on th e horizon shilling."
T h e s e sp a sm o d ic c o m p la in ts nrc n o t tru e B u d d h ism . I t w a s re­
se rv ed for S ch o p en h a u er and h is su ccessor, V on lliir tin a n n , to
reproduce N irv a n a as a sy ste m a tic o b je c t of asp iration iu m odern
Euro|»c ; and to oiler to th e i li te o f recen t p rogress th e con so ln lio n s
th a t sa tis fy th e ign oran t m u ltitu d e s o f C eylon and C h in a. Tho
id ea is p u rsu ed in G erm an y w ith u n r e le n tin g v ig o u r.”
T h e Pioneer inveighs against this tendency in European
contemporary thought, calling the doctrine of Nirvana
pessimistic to th e last degree, and regarding it as a mental
disease. I t may n o t be known to our respectable co n­
tem porary th a t th e B uddhist priests themselves by nn
means agree th a t a tta in m e n t of N irv ana implies the total
annihilation of consciousness. More than one very active
and learned controversy has been carried on upon this
q u e s t i o n , and to-day th e opposing schools are led respec­
tively by th e Right Rev. H ikkaduw e Sumangala, for tho
affirmative, and the Rev. l ’otuwila Indajoti, for th e nega­
tive. B uddhistic philosophy in its refined esoteric aspect
differs very little from th e crecd of the V edanta school,
and still less from th e secret doctrine tha t can be read
betw een the lines of the Veda by one whose perceptions
have been really awakened. In a future nu m b er we will
present th e views of the two schools of Buddhists respect­
ing Nirvana, and try to m ake the subject intelligible
to our readers.
 [Translated from tho Italian original.]
ADDRESS OF T H E P R E S I D E N T O F T H E
IO N IA N m E O S O P IIIC A L BRAN CH
AT CORFU.
U PO N PRESEN TING TH E CHARTER OK CONSTITUTION TO
TH E EELLOWS.
BV a i a s o n TA3(jUALE MENELAO, D.L., PRESIDENT OK T 1IK URANCU.
D e a r B r o t h e r s : Of' the m any ami different meetings
iu which I have presided in my life, this one is for me the
most agreeable of all, because it has not for its object any
worldly interest, or any politic.il scheme. N o r is it for lite r­
ary discussions th a t we have this day assembled together,
b u t to see ourselves confirmed iu the sacred and sublime
office of confessors of progress, I dare uot say of T ruth,
because it being located in an elevated site, it is not easily
accessible, more especially to myself, who am powerless
and void of merits.
Nevertheless, I see, m y dear Brothers, th a t in spite of
th e barriers and thorns by which we are surrounded in
these places, we have progressed a step further towards
our object, for wo aro here united in tho same faith with
the same determ ination of progressing, and, therefore, 1
tru st th a t our object may be prosperous.
To crown our wishes to satisfy our desires, the worthy
Central Society has sent us the Charter, which I present
to you th a t it may be deposited in our archives.
I f until now our Society had been vacillating and u n ­
certain, let us tru st th a t from this m om en t we may be
fixed and settled and our duties be more assiduous, more
positive and sincere.
I t is tru e t h a t the belief in One F ir s t Cause, in th e
individuality and im mortality of th e h u m a n soul., in its
eternal progress, in tlie firm desire to ameliorate our own
moral condition, in loving our neighbours as ourselves, in
rendering ourselves useful to all hum anity, in endowing
our intellect, our faith and our belief, faith and belief
which we feel as if born in us or brou ght with us from a
previous existence, all this is true, I see it, I hear it a t
every m om ent repeated by you, I rejoice and heartily
rejoice and feel happy for i t ; b u t this is not enough, great
ideas m ust not only be felt, not only b e loved, b u t we must
exercise and develop them, we m u s t m ake th em evident,
own th em and teach th em by word and in deed.
W h a t are we, therefore, to do, in order to render our-
Belves worthy of the tru st placed in us by our Central
Society ? How are we to act in order to be gradually
initiated into the sublime knowledge of th e Aryan P hilo­
sophy ? How shall we hope to be allowed to p e n e tra te
the secrets of nature, which are in th e power of those
supreme beings called Adepts ? How shall we bo able
to procure for ourselves the heavenly pleasure, as also the
satisfaction of being useful to our follow-creatures, not
only with our moral, b u t also, with our natu ral means,
availing ourselves of t h a t power iu N a t u r e which lies a t
our disposal.
Several of you, Brothers, have tasted and will taste th e
divine pleasure of healing or m itigating th e infirmities of
your suffering brothers by mesmerism. I, too, w ith o u t
attribu ting it to my knowledge or to oth e r m erits (which
I do not possess) have been and am ha p p y whenever, by
th e simple laying of my hands, and im ploring th e help of
the A u th o r of th e power of creation have cured and do
cure several, nay m any cases of dangerous fevers, wounds,
hemorrhages and even some of cholera. B u t this is not
the only power attainable by m a n ; more occult, greater
and deeper mysteries, are yet to be unveiled, and the
knowledge of these is likew ise a favour which is not g ra n t­
ed to the first comer. To dispose more or less of th e
force of nature, it is not given to all, because every one
would not make good use of it. T he h e a rt of m a n is for
the greater p art prone to evil, clinging to the things of the
earth, more th an to the heavenly treasures, or iu b etter
words, to terrestrial life ra th e r th a n to spiritual things.
W h a t would happen if tho occult sciences were in the
hands of rogues ? Th ey would n o t use them to advan­
tage, honor, and progress, b u t as instrum ents of vengeance,
corruption, and iniquity.
I f we will with a determ ined mind advance, if we wish
to render ourselves useful to ourselves and our brothers,
morally, intellectually and physically, we m u s t propose
to guide our actions, our thoughts, our will in all an d for
all, and follow th e precepts which our honorable Society
prescribes to us. This obedience, however, m u st n ot be
blind nor mechanic, b u t rational and dignified. We m u st
obey so far ns th e orders, injunctions and counsels agree
with our reason and are proportionate to our moral anil
intellectual means. A nd no more is asked of us.
T h a t in order to approach the sublime and magnificent
tem ple of T ruth, it is necessary to consent to sacrifices,
privations and efforts, every one will admit. In or­
der to embellish the soul with tru th , and enrich it with
knowledge, zeal, diligence and firm will are necessary.
Allow me, m y dear Brothers, to m ake to myself an ob­
servation which I do n o t consider useless, which is,
th a t however trifling a th in g m ay be, y e t it cannot be
obtained here below w itho ut a n effort.
This granted, is it ever possible for us to attain the
notion of wisdom and t r u th w ithout doing all th a t lies
in our power to ascend to tho su m m it of th a t m ountain
where they reside '( Can over th e sun of justice and
progress im p art his b enig n a n t rays to hu m anity if wo
do not destroy vice, if we do not popularize virtue, if we
do not disperse the gloom of ignorance, prejudice and
superstition { Do we n ot see how m any difficulties are
conjured u p against us in the official religion, in th a t
science which immovable will sta n d still on its platform of
matter, decked w ith rottenness, with doubt in its soul and
with th e hypocritical mask of bold certainty ( Shall wc bo
disheartened ? Shall we be terrified or stopped by threats,
hy mockery, by scorn, or by sarcasm ? No ; a hundred tim es
over I say, no. T hou gh our num b er is not now great,
though our intellectual faculties be limited, though th e
p a r t of action be restrained, we shall well make u p this
deficiency by being firm, immovable, compact, and united
as the Romans were ; and thus wc shall render ourselves
strong.
L e t us bind ourselves, to g e th e r therefore,morally, and if
we wish to be something, let us have faith in th e future
of H u m a n ity and in the necessary progress of it, and th u s
we shall render ourselves more worthy of the happy idea
to which we have consecrated ourselves. L e t us n ot be
terrified a t th e sight of th e fatigue, difficulty, hardship,
privation and sacrifice. L e t us call to mind the words of
D a n te iu his c h a p te r xxiv. of the Inferno :—
“ Disse il Maestro, i-.he scggcmlo in pinrna
“ In fama non si vion, ne sotto coltio : ’
L e t us mirror ourselves iu th e example of th e lovers
of hum anity. L e t us im itate them. L e t us follow their
footsteps in th e ir firmness, in the ir bravery, in th e ir con­
stancy in despising persecution, mockery, calumny, ami
torture.
I t is true t h a t we, an d .specially myself, are so insigni­
ficant th a t we are not w orthy of th e chance of being like
those clever masters of progress, but, if we will, wo may
still do good. L et us m a k e ourselves useful by spreading
t h a t light which is communicated to us. Let. us not
lim it ourselves to words. L e t us add to them th e power­
ful teaching of facts, and if we cannot be exemplary, let us
not, a t least, g’ive cause for scandal. Let us begin by cor­
recting our defects, by extirpating our evil tendencies from
our hearts. L e t us a d a p t ourselves to a life of temperance
and activity.
Offended, let us forgive ; offenders, let us ask pardon.
L et us love justice for ourselves as well as for others.
L e t us h a te and combat every undeserved privilege in our
own favour or of others.
 L et us promote p o pu la r education and m ake it obliga­
tory, nnd particularly so a inong women, tliat we may
em ancipate th e m from tlie thraldom of priestcraft.
Lot us protect th e orphans : let us defend tho interest
of th e weak and of the widow.
L e t us shake off pride. L e t us exclaim with a gcne-
rous cry against prostitution, debauchery, ill-conduct— the
consequences of materialism and superstition.
L et us fight against th e death penalty and let us
d e te s t the infamy of war, and more so the right of the
.strongest. Let us join in defending those who protect us,
controlling nevertheless the im m oderate exigencies of the
demagogues
“ O and th e revolutionists who behave in th e way*
in which they do with had motives.
Let us acknowledge the expansive nnd universal love,
n o t only for humanity, b u t also for all creation, because
all e ith e r by silent or expressed love (he w hat it may)
ten ds to th e unity of the .Supreme Love. Let us place
th e brotherhood of nations as th e tirst of our wishes
(desires) and let us hasten th a t holy (blessed) moment
when th e whole of m a n k in d will be gathered in one
fold and will have b u t one shepherd.
Let us p art with and forsake vanity, crime, and pas­
sions; may our views be serious, wise, humble, m odest and
dignified. Acting in this way wc may hope to live with a
free conscience, confident (as we shall be) of having n e g ­
lected nothing in our power to rend er ourselves useful.
Courage, brothers, let us push on. Let us begin by
trying to purify our souls by restraining our passions. Let
us subject b ru te to man, sense to reason, and interest to
duty. L e t us lay aside all hatred or rancours if there be
an y among us, or against any one of our other brothers
in hum anity, and if we have done wrong voluntarily or
involuntarily, let us compensate. L e t us become th e men
of duty, anil let us keep ourselves always on th e right,
side of our rights. L e t th e sacred (ire of Love be a l­
ways b u rn in g in our hearts. L e t us be worthy of it, and
tho S u p re m e A rc h ite c t will recompense us according to
th e efforts wc have made in try in g to progress.
1 conclude, my dear Brothers, by begging your kind
forgiveness for th e trouble I may have caused you with
these few and poor expressions ; supply my deficiencies
with your intellect. Correct m e freely on those points on
which I m ay have gone astray, and 1 shall feel t h a n k ­
ful to you.
Brothers, I shall not fail to be your in te rp re te r before
the M other Society to express to h e r our gratitude, and in
your name also I shall thank her for th e high lavour bes­
towed upon us and make the sincere vows for th e pro­
sperity of H u m a n ity and for all th e Branches of our So­
ciety.
NOTE HY 'I'HE EDITOH.
T he inaugural addresses of th e respective presiding
officers of th e Io nian and Bom bay Branches of th e Theoso­
phical Society, which app e ar side by side in th e present
.number, so well illustrate its policy of m u tu a l tolerance
a n d confraternity, th a t we bespeak for each a careful read­
ing. H e re we see th e Ita lia n th in k e r moved by th e same
lofty aspirations for individual perfection and th e h a p p i­
ness and e n lig h te n m e n t of mankind, as th e Parsi th in k e r
of Bombay. A nd though th e one conceives of th e First
Cause, or Deity, quite differently from th e other, whose a n ­
cestors from tim e immemorial have worshipped th e Sun as
a visible type of Hormazd, yet a common religious feeling
moves th e h eart of each, and a common instinct makes him
see th e way upward towards the tr u th brigh ter and clear­
er by th e light of Theosophy. Ours is not- an atheistical
society, though it does contain atheists ; nor is it a C hris­
tia n one, even though our brother Dr. Wyld, P resid en t of
tho British Theosophical Society, would have us accept
Je s u s ns th e most divine personage th a t ever appeared
am ong men. O u r Fellows are of th e most varied opinions
and each has a right to claim respect for liis ideas as he
is bound to respect those of his brothers. W o have
presidents who are severally Christian, Deist, B u d ­
dhist,, H in du and A t h e i s t ; none dogmatizers, none claim­
ing to bo wiser or more infallible than th e other, yet each
taking th e o ther by the hand, calling him brother, anil
helping him and being helped in th e divine quest after
knowledge. N o r are all, or even a large minority, students
of occult sciences, for rarely is th e true mystic born. Few,
a l a s ' have they over been who so yearned after the dis­
covery of N a tu r e ’s secrets :is to be willing to pursue that
hard and unselfish course of study : and our own century
can show fewer th an any of its predecessors. As to t,lie
secrets of the Theosophical Society, when we mention the
masonic-like signs of recognition, and the privacy’ secured
for the handful who do m ake th e ir experiments in psy­
chological science, all has been said. T h e P arent Society
is, in one word, a Republic of Conscience, a brotherhood
of men in search of th e Absolute T ru th . As was sulli-
eiently explained in our opening October number, every
one of us professes to be ready <o help th e other, whatever
the branch of science or religion to which his personal
predilections may lead him.
IN A U G U R A L A D D R E S S B E F O R E T L IE B O M B A Y
T H E O S O P 1 IT C A L S O C I E T Y .
15Y K H A R SE D .II N. S E E R V A I, VIC’E -P H E S ID E N T , 1*11 ESI DENT,
l> ro le n t.
A t the first m eeting und er our new C harter when we
e n ter upon our duties .as members of the Bombay Theoso­
phical Society, it seems necessary th a t we should begin
with forming a clear idea, as far as possible, of what we
arc as Theosopliists. All the members m u st have a t some
tim e or other set th is question to themselves, and answer­
ed it more or less satisfactorily to themselves. In the
first nu m ber of th e T h e o s o p h i s t two elaborate and high ­
ly learned articles we devoted to th e two questions,
“ W h a t is Theosophy,” and “ W h a t are tho Theosopliists.”
B u t the vastness of th e questions and th e great learning
t h a t is necessarily employed in answering them and above
all th e ir param ou nt importance to us, m ake it very desir­
able th a t we should have, a t th e outset of our course of stu­
dies, a free ami patient discussion and criticism on th e sub­
ject. I now lay before you what I understand. My views
are of course not authoritative. I p u t them forward as I
have them, to be discussed and criticized, so th a t in the
end, each one of us m ay have a sufficiently clear and de­
finite understan ding as to w hat is Theosophy and what
are the Theosopliists.
F rom th e subjects that Theosophy deals w ith and
criticizes, as far as we have had tbe opportunity of observ­
ing, we see th a t it covers the whole ground occupied by
Religion, Philosophy and Science. I t has som ething to
say by way of confirmation or correction to each of these.
I f it said nothing more than w hat Religion, Philosophy and
Science teach us, Theosophy would be useless. B u t as
we will see in the sequel, it says a good deal more than
each one of these em bodim ents of truths, or all of them
combined, tell us. Covering them all u nd e r its wings,
it corrects th e faults and errors of each one and leads them
on far beyond th e ir p re se n t position. W e will, therefore,
understand very clearly Theosophy as a whole, if w’e con­
sider it separately in its relation with Religion, with Philo­
sophy and w ith Science.
T he question, therefore, th a t we have to begin with is—
W h a t is Religion ? N o word seems to be more familiarly
used th a n th e word religion, and I should th in k no word
is more indefinitely understood than this. I f we look at
the different systems which are known u nd e r the name
of religion, and see w h a t functions they are intended to
perforin we find t h a t a t tho base of all the huge accumu­
lation of rituals, ceremonials and observances, there is one
avowed object common to all religions— w hether they arc
claimed to be revealed or n atural religions— they have all
one object, viz., to convey the will of God to man. They
tell w hat m a n should believe and do ; and the only reason
advanced for w hat he is required to believe and do is
t h a t God so wills. Tho religious, therefore, contain a code
of morality which has the auth ority of the command of
God, and givo an authoritative declaration as to w h at God
is and w hat is his relation to man and to the universe. Iu
th e infant state of tho humun mind such authoritative
declarations are not <|uestioued. R a th e r they are needed,
aro reverentially accepted and devoutly followed. Religion,
therefore, at this stage of tlie hum an mind, serves an impor­
ta n t purpose. B u t ns tlio hu m an mind grows to m aturity,
w ha t was sufficient for its childlike capacity ceases to be
so. I t is disinclined to receive things a t second hand, if
i t can look a t them directly and g e t nt n rational convic­
tion of their tru th or otherwise. Instead of being con­
te n t with receiving things ou a u th o rity as it did in its
feeble infant state, it begins to speculate and employ its
reason lor discerning w hether things are as they are said to
be and why they are so. H e re is th e beginning of philoso­
phy. H erein is th e first germ of scepticism. I f reli­
giousness means duty to hold beliefs on authoritative!
declaration, to hold them irrespective of facts w hether
reason suppoits them or not, in short to disallow to reason
th e rig ht to ju dg e of beliefs which religion inculcates,
th e n we may say t h a t with th e beginning o f philosophy
irreligiousness begins.• T h e idea of religion in th e o rth o ­
dox sense coincides with the era of ignorance. For the
th in k in g m an religion m ust be philosophised or for him
philosophy is religion. This necessity is recognised by the
heads and representatives of religious systems, as it has
been felt by the free-thinking laymen. Some philosophers
like St. Augustine, construct a system of philosophy to
confirm and establish the teachings of the religion they
profess. Others more independent, see insuperable diffi­
culties philosophically to arrive a t any knowledge about
God, the soul, its existence and survival after death, the
universe as a whole and its relation to God. As long as
m an believed w hat was ta u g h t to him, on w h a t he consi­
dered th e divine authority, these questions presented
to him no difficulty. N o t because his reason solved those
difficulties, b u t because he cared not to employ his reason.
H e was satisfied to take for g ra n te d w hat was told to him
and there the m a tte r ended. In such a jwssive sta te we
m igh t happily remain if our m ind never emerged from
this childlike state of contentm ent. B u t every day t h a t
goes, carries us forward in the course of advancem ent. I t
is the characteristic of man to be inquisitive of all the
subjects th a t come within th e range of his thoughts. T he
successes th a t he has achieved iu some d e p artm e n ts of
knowledge m ake him bold and confident of atta in in g
success by following the same rational method of investi­
gation in all directions. T h e m an of science joins with
the free-thinking philosopher to wage war against the
claims of religion. Accept on faith, says religion, the
tru th s which philosophy cannot reach aiul science cannot
penetrate. Nay, say philosophy and science, to accept
tru th s upon faith is an unintelligible phrase. W e are
votaries of truth, b u t tru th is not tr u th unless our un d e r­
standing can accept it. W hile religion stands a t one ex­
treme, science iu th e he a t of th e controversy rushes to
the o ther extreme. In its investigations iu th e material
universe, science day after day m akes wonderful discoveries
aud traces the uniform agency of constant laws in th e midst
of endless diversity. I t views nothing as providential.
All th e phenom ena iu the universe it will trace to their
physical causes. I t forms mental science and moral science
on the physical basis. I t views religion as mere dogmatism,
philosophy in its transcendental speculations, as vague
and dreamy ; science alone can furnish man w ith positive
knowledge and more im portant still, useful knowledge.
T he physical universe adm its of being brought under
direct observation, experim ent and verification, and the
great trium ph of all this is th a t it enables m an to bring
about certain events in the future and predict th e m under
given conditions with perfect precision. T he 'subjects of
religion and philosophy inasmuch as th e y deal with the
non-material universe, and as they, therefore, do not adm it
of these tests, are not worth the while of man to waste
time and trouble upon. They are mere superstitions,
bequeathed to us by the old ignorant Past. T h ere is
nothing for m an to know beyond m a tte r and w hat m a te ria l
d a ta will lead him to. Thus, science drags us forcibly into
materialism. T hus arbitrary and dogmatic religion, in ­
complete and incom petent philosophy, aud audacious
science all combine to destroy the most cherished and th e
most ancient of our belief's, destroy all our spiritual in tui­
tions. W h a t can rescue us from this sad sta te ? I answer,
Theosophy.
T he world has been prepared for Theosophy in our
times by w hat are known in the W estern world as spiri­
tual phenomena. These phenomena staggered theconfidenee
and positiveness of science. Books and journals are full
of well-authenticated events which occurred in violation
of all the physical laws known to and accepted by science.
H eavy things would bo seen swim ming about iu th e air in
violation of the law of gravitation, c a n ie d by some u n ­
seen or unknow n being or force. Beings of more or less
intelligence would m anifest themselves at spiritual seances
and declare themselves the spirits or ghosts of those who
had lived aud died iu this world. They would represent
themselves sometimes as dead friends, a t others as dead
relatives or a.s q u ite strangers, and converse with the p e r­
sons assembled, ou diverse matters. All those who clung
to the belief iu th e existence and im mortality of the sou),
b u t whose scientific education showed them th a t there
was a want of data on which th e belief could be logically
founded, all these naturally rushed to these events as the
most welcome evidences they so much wanted. All ghost
stories were raked up and fondly read and re-read to see
liow far they were authenticated. B ut there was one
weak point. These spiritual intelligences, as we may call
th em , th a t held converse with men in this fashion may he
e ither the spirits or ghosts of the departed or may he
beings of a different order from ourselves. Below man we
see myriads of anim ated existences. Innum erable as these
are, they do not exhaust all possible existences nor fill th e
whole universe. Beings of an order and nature different
from ours may people the vast universe about ns and tho
spiritual phenom ena we witness may be due to th e ag e n c v
of these beings. T his view came to be supported by th e
fact that in m any cases the guests from th e unseen u n i­
verse exhibited intelligence and capacity far below those
of men they personated. In many cases they were below
even the average intelligence of mankind. Often they
talked most silly and ridiculous and even false and
contradictory things. Often they betrayed a mischievous
delight iu deluding th e ir hu m a n interrogators. Nay,
further, the sensitive persons called the mediums, through
whom they manifested themselves, in a num ber of cases
deteriorated in constitution, character, aud morals. T he
intercourse w ith these denizens of the unseen world
seemed in g re a t m any eases to be a n ything b u t in­
structive ami elevating. All these considerations lead
to tho conclusion th a t it is very improbable t h a t these
visitors of ours are the spirits of departed men,
b u t th a t thoy arc some independent beings. Even in
cases where the communications nro sensible and true
it is as much possible th a t our interlocutors are the in­
d ependent beings who are well disposed and b e tte r in­
formed, as th a t th ey are th e spirits of the departed. At
any rate it is not certain th a t th e beings who com m uni­
cate with us a t th e seances are the spirits of the dead.
A nd thus these spiritual phenomena as they are called do
not furnish us with d ata th a t can prove to us with certain­
ty the existence of soul and its immortality. Vet these
spiritual phenomena have gained one great point against
th e materialism of science. They establish beyond doubt
th e existence of forces or beings which do not obey
the laws of matter, and have nothing in common with
the material world. To distinguish these, therefore, from
the material we may designate them as th e spiritual
bengs or agencies. This is, indeed, an immense gain and
deals a death-blow to materialism.
These spiritual phenomena, however, are but scattered
unconnected facts, and so long as they are such, our know­
ledge of the spiritual universe docs not am ount to much
 j u s t ns our knowledge of th e physical universe did not
a m o u n t to much till we raised tlie knowledge of mere
facts to scientific knowledge. W e are said to possess
scientific knowledge in any particular d e p a rtm e n t of
N a t u r e when we have succeeded in u n itin g th e sc atter­
ed facts under the highest possible generalizations or com­
m on laws, ami have acquired th e power to predict future
events under given conditions, and to bring about the
e ve n ts when we can arrange the necessary conditions and
control th e laws. Can we raise to a science the phenom ena
of modern spiritualism > Can we c a n y our knowledge
beyond th e phenomena to th e laws which’ these p h e n o m e ­
na obey ? Ami, knowing the laws, do we know how to
control th e m and so produce th e p henom ena n t will ? I f
we enn, then we have raised modern spiritualism to the
dignity of science. And Theosophy does that, Tlie a d ­
vanced Thco.so|)hist can produce at will all the pheno­
m ena th a t occur at spiritual seances. W hile modern
spiritualism is a mere collection of phenomena. Theoso­
phy is the science of these phenomena, or, in short,
the science of spiritualism, d o in g beyond these ph e­
nomena, it has a close and intim ate view of the spir­
itual universe th a t lies behind them, and of its laws,
its influences, and its beings. '.I'hose who are familiar with
th e phenomena of clairvoyance are aware th a t by the
will of the mesmerizer th e p a tie n t is thrown into such n
deep sleep, or trance ns it is called, thnt th e body is in
every respect, n corpse, the soul of the p a tie n t is released
from th e body, its vision is immensely enlarged, and as if
tim e and distance nre 110 im pedim ents to it, in nn instant
it ranges over th e most distant places, till by th e will of
the operator th e soul returns to tlie body which thus b e ­
comes reanimated. W e th u s see the duality of m a tte r
and spirit in man. T he more our spiritual self is freed
from th e control nnd w eight of th e m aterial self, the
greater is our freedom from physical im pedim ents and the
greater becomes our capacity for knowledge and for work
in th e universe. T he true theosophical mystic acts upon
these facts. His aim is to subdue his physical n a tu re and
its wants and desires to the utm ost limit possible, and
develop th e spiritual nature to th e highest extent possible.
In proportion to liis success in doing this, th e m igh tier
m an he becomes. And you can easily im agine th e immensi-
tyofknow ledge aud power th e highest Theosophist possesses,
who has succeeded in gaining a complete m astery over his
material, or as it is more significantly expressed animal,
nature, who has developed his spiritual self to such an
ex te n t t h a t he is thoroughly spiritualized, who is wholly
a spirit or spirit-man. H e has by internal development
gained all th e powers th a t the freed soul manifests in
cases of clairvoyance, and, starting from what we know of
the powers of a mesmerizer, we may say he is to the
mesmerizer in his command over th e outside world what
a full-grown, perfectly-developed, aud healthy man is to an
infant j u s t born.
Many details of a rg u m e n t and fact can be supplied, d e ­
tails which th e I si* Unveiled so copiously furnishes and
which Colonel Olcott nml M adame Blavatsky have often
bro u g h t to our notice, to throw more light on th e conclu­
sions we have arrived at. T h e existence of soul in man,
its independence of our physical organization, hence its
survival when death altogether separates it from th e body :
the existence of th e spiritual universe, th a t as by our physi­
cal powers and knowledge we can operate upon th e physi­
cal universe, so by our soul powers and knowledge we cnn
opernte upon th e spiritual and also upon th e physical
universe, t h a t the d e p a rtm e n t of spiritual knowledge is
ns much capable of scientific treatm ent and study as the
dep a rtm e n t of physical knowledge— these are for us well
established and proven facts.
O u r position then in respect of science is this. W e
accept all th a t it has discovered and knows about th e
m aterial world, b u t when it says t h a t th ere is nothing
besides m atter, n othing besides what, it already knows,
we join issue with it. W e enlarge and extend the ju r i s ­
diction of science aud bring within its m ope th e spiritual
universe. From th e data which the spiritual science fur­
nishes, philosophy is b e tte r able to speculate 011 the con­
stitution of th e universe, its relation with God, upon soul
and its future destiny. Before, philosophy stood nghnst
in the presence of the mysteries it cannot lathom ; helped
by Theosophy it soars beyond the mysteries. •
Before, philosophy stopped before the veil of Isis unable
to lift it u p ; Theosophy rends this veil asunder and ushers
philosophy forward. Subjects which being so long mys­
terious to philosophy, religion claimed as its own and
dogmatized upon, nowcom elegitim ately within the province
of philosophy. Ot what use is it for religion to be dogmatic
when the tru th s it asserts come within the capacity of ph ilo­
sophy to criticize, accept or reject, Religion then is the
name for the highest conclusions of philosophy. So much
of its old dogm atism as coincides with these conclusions is
accepted, th e rest of course rejected. F o r th e ignorant
these conclusions m ay stand as dogmas ; tlie thoughtful
know where to look for th e basis of them and can know
how they are arrived at. Such tru th as lies in them being
b e tte r understood, the various religions again in their
tu rn command the respect and adherence of all honest
thinkers. W e perceive, therefore, how religion, philosophy
and science, have all and each of them been advanced and
elevated by Theosophy. So far as we have proceeded, we
are in a position to conclude th a t Theosophy is the
spiritual s c ie n c e ; Theosophy is the perfected and com­
pleted philosophy ; Theosophy is th e religion for the
thoughtful ; Theosophy furnishes the only reliable and
tru e dogmas th a t m ay constitute tlie religion for the
ignorant or the masses. .
Form erly religion, philosophy nnd science, although
each claimed to be the possessor of truth, y e t p re­
sented the anomalous spectacle of being vehemently hos­
tile to one another. Now Theosophy has introduced h a r ­
mony and concord am ong them all. Theosophy brings
peace in the realm of thought.
N ay more— in proportion as we rise from particulars to
hig her and fewer generalizations from which to deduce all
th e facts th a t fill th e world, our knowledge is perfected
and complete. In science we see this process carried out
to a certain extent. T h e highest geneializations of science
denote the g re a t advance th a t has been made from p a rti­
cular facts. B u t these generalizations which are accepted
as the ultim a te tru th s by the sciences to which they be­
long, nre again b u t particulars in relation to one another,
and with reference to th e hig her tru th s which m ay be
discovered to cover th e m all. To ascend to these higher
tru th s which combine u n d e r th e ir sweep the tru th s which
the various sciences finally stop at, and to m ake one
great science of all these sciences, is the province of p h i­
losophy. B u t so long as philosophy was no t strengthened
by the spiritual d a ta and science nanow ed itself into
materialism, philosophy was incapable of performing this
grand function and its pretensions to do this were not
tolerated. Philosophy transformed into Theosophy does
all this. Theosophy th u s is th e science of sciences, it is
th e highest science.
W h e n we have m astered this highest science and philo­
sophy, we will have become Theosopliists of a high, if not
the highest, order. A t present, logically satisfied th a t there
lies the most im po rta nt field of knowledge before us, we are
waiting a t th e threshold, till in good time we may bo p e r­
m itted to cross it. How we are to qualify ourselves for
this high honour, and w h a t th e aims are for which we
wish to a tta in th e highest theosophical knowledge and
powers, are them es of superlative importance and interest.
I have already ta ke n much space and occupied much of
your time. These topics, therefore, we may reserve for
some future time. I have, therefore, to conclude, t h a n k ­
ing you for th e patience and good-will with which you
have borne with me so long.
IT IS EASY TO A D V ISE A PEBSO N, BUT HOW D IFH C U L T
to receive, u n d e r similar circumstances, th a t same advice
from a nother ! W o arc so prone to believe t h a t what
we accept is truth, and th a t those who cannot Bee
with our eyes are all wrong.
 A W O O D E N GOD.
HY COL. UODEUT 0 . IN G E S O L L .
W ashington ', Mnrcli 27.— To-day Messrs. W right,
Dickey, 0 Conner, and Murch, of th e select comm ittee
on th e causes of the present depression of labour, p re ­
sented th e majority special report upon Chinese im m igra­
tion.
l'hese gentlem en are in great fear for the future of our
most holy and perfectly au thenticated religion, and have,
like iaithful watchmen from th e walls and towers of Zion,
hastened to give th e alarm. T h e y have informed Con­
gress th a t “ Joss has his tem ple of worship in th e Chinese
quarters in San Francisco. W ith in th e walls of a dila­
pidated structure is exposed to th e view of tho faithful
the god of the Chinaman, and here are his altars of wor­
ship. H ere he tears up liis pieces of paper ; here lie offers
up his prayers ; here he receives his religious consolations,
and here is his road to th e celestial land.” T h a t “ Joss is
located in a long, narrow room in a building in a back
alley, upon a kind of altar th a t “ he is a wooden image,
looking as m uch like an alligator as like a h u m a n b e i n g ;”
th a t the Chinese “ th in k th ere is such a place as heaven
th a t all classes of Chinam en worship idols;” th a t “ the
temple is open every day a t all h o u r s t h a t “ the Chinese
have no Sunday th a t this h e ath en god has “ huge jaws,
a big red tongue, large white teeth, a half-dozen arms, and
big, tiery eyeballs. A bou t him are placed offerings of
m eat and other eatables—a sacrificial offering.”
N o wonder th a t these members of th e com m ittee were
shocked a t such an image of Coil, knowing as they did
th a t
TH K ON I.Y T H U E GOD
was correctly described by th e inspired lunatic of Patinos
in the following words :—
“ And there sat in the midst of th e seven golden candle­
sticks one like u n to the Son of man, clothed with a
garm ent down to th e foot, and girt ab ou t th e paps with
a Ogolden Ogirdle.
• H is head and liis hairs were white like
wool, as white as snow; and his eyes were as a flame of
fire ; aud his feet like unto fine brass as if they burned in
a furnace ; and his voice as the sound of m any waters.
A nd he had in his right hand seven s ta r s ; and out of his
m outh went a sharp two-edged sword ; and liis counte­
nance was as the sun shineth in his strength.”
Certainly a large m outh filled w ith white teeth is p re ­
ferable to one used as the scabbard of a sharp, two-
edged sword. W hy should these gentlem en object to a
god with big fiery eyeballs, when th e ir own D eity has eyes
like a flame of fire V
Is it not a little late iu the day to object to people
because th e y sacrifice m eat and o th e r eatables to th e ir
god { W e all know th a t for thousands of years the
“ real” God was exceedingly fond of roasted m e a t ; th a t
he loved th e savour of burning Hesli, and delighted in
the perfume of fresh, warm blood.
The following account of the m ann er in which the
“ living God” desired th a t H is chosen people should sacri­
fice, tends to show th e degradation and religious blindness
of th e Chinese :
“ Aaron therefore w ent unto the a lta r and sIcav the calf
of the sin offering which was for himself. A nd th e sons
of Aaron brought th e blood unto him. And he dipped his
fingers in the blood and p u t it upon th e horns of the
altar, and poured out the blood a t the bottom of th e altar ;
b u t the fat and the kidneys and the caul above the liver of
th e sin offering he b u r n t upon the altar, as th e Lord com­
manded Moses, and th e flesh and the hide he b u r n t with fire
without the camp. A nd he slew the b u r n t offering. And
Aaron’s sons presented unto him th e blood which he
sprinkled round about the altar. . . . And he brought the
meat offering and took a handful thereof and b u r n t upon
the altar. . . H e slew also th e bullock and the ram for a sa­
crifice of a pence offering which was for th e people. A nd
Aaron’s sons presented unto him th e blood which he sp rin ­
kled upon th e alta r round about, and the fat of the bullock
and of the rain, the rump, and th a t which covereth tho
inwards and the kidneys, and th e caul above the l i v e r ;
and they p u t th e fat upon th e breasts and he b urnt the
fat upon th e altar. And th e breast and th e right shoulder
Aaron waved lor a wave offering before the Lord, as Moses
commanded.”
If the Chinese only did something like this, we would
know th a t they worshipped the " living ” God. T he idea
th a t the suprem e head of th e “ American system of reli­
gion ” can be placated with a little m eat and “ ordinary
eatables ” is simply preposterous. H e has always asked
for blood, and has always asserted th a t without the shed ­
ding of blood there is no remission of sin.
T he world is also informed by these gentlem en th a t
“ the idolatry of the Chinese produces
A D EM O R A LISIN G K 1T K C T UPON o l’lt A M K ltlC A N YOUTH,
by bringing sacred things into disrespect, and making
religion a th e m e of disgust and contempt.”
In San Francisco there are some th re e hundred th o u ­
sand people. Is it possible th a t a few Chinese cun bring
“ our holy religion ” into disgust and c o n t e m p t ' In th a t
city there are fifty times as many churches as Joss houses.
Scores of sermons arc uttered every week ; religious books
and papers are as plentiful as leaves in autumn, and
somewhat drier ; thousands of Uibles are within the reach
of all. And there too is th e example of a Christian city.
W hy should we send missionaries to China if we can­
not convert th e heathen when they come here ? W hen
missionaries go to a foreign land, th e poor benighted
people have to take tlieir word for the blessings showered
upon a Christian p eople; b u t when the heathen come
here they can set: for themselves. W h a t was simply a
story becomes a demonstrated fact. T h e y come iu con­
tact with people who love th eir enemies ; they sec th a t
in a Christian land men tell the truth : tha t they will
not ta k e advantage of strangers; th a t they are ju s t and
patient, kind and te n d e r ; th at they never lesort to force;
th a t they have no prejudice on account of colour, race,
or religion ; th a t they look upon m ankind as b re th re n ;
th a t they speak of God as a universal lather, and are
willing to work, and even to sutler, for the good not only
of th e ir own countrymen, b u t of the heathen as well! All
this the Chinese see and know, and why they still cling
to the religion of th e ir country is to me a m a tte r of
amazement.
W e all know th a t the disciples of Jesu s do unto others
as they would th a t others should do unto them, and th a t
those of Confucius do not unto others anything th a t
they would not th a t others should do unto them. Surely
such people ough t to live together in perfect peace.
ItlSIX G W IT H THK S l ' l i J KCT,
growing heated with a kind of holy indignation, these
Christian representatives of a Christian people most
solemnly declare th a t :
“ A ny one who is really eiidowo'! with a correct know­
ledge of our religions system, which acknowledges the
existence of a living God and an accountability to Him, and
a future slate of reward and punishment, who feels th a t
he has an apology for this abominable pagan worship, is
not a fit person to be ranked as a good citizen of th e
American union. I t is absurd to make any apology for
its toleration. I t n i i i s t .b e abolished, and the sooner th e
decree goes forth by th e power of this government th e
b ette r it will he for th e interests of this land.”
I take this, the earliest opportunity, to inform these
gentlemen composing a majority of tlie committee, th a t
we have in the United States no “ religious system ;” tha t
this is a secular government, T h a t it has no religious
creed ; t h a t it does not believe nor disbelieve in a future
state of reward and p u n is h m e n t; that it neither affirms
nor denies the existence of a “ living G o i l a n d tha t th e
only god, so far as this governm ent is concerned, is the le­
gally expressed will of a majority of the people. U n der
our flag (lie Chinese havo the same rig ht to worship a
wooden god t h a t you have to worship any other. Tito
Constitution protects equally the Chinch of Jehov ah anil
the bouse of Joss. W hatever th eir relative positions may
bo in heaven, they stand upon a perfect equality in the
U n ite d States.
T H IS GOVKRNMKNT IS AN IN I'ID l'.I, COVK1IN.MKNT.
W e liave a constitution with Man p u t in and (!od left out;
and it is the glory of this country t h a t we have such a
constitution.
J t may be surprising to you th a t 1 have an apology for
pagan worship, y et I have. And it is the same one th a t
1 have for the writers of this report. I account for both
by th e word supers! tl ion. W h y should we o b j e c t to their
worshipping God as they p lease? I f th e worship is im ­
proper, the protestation should come not from a committee
of congress, b u t from Cod himself. I f he is satisfied, th a t
is sufficient. O ur religion can only be b r o u g h t into con­
te m p t by the actions of those who profess to be governed
by its teachings. T his report will do more in th a t direc­
tion than millions of Chinese could do by burn in g pieces
of paper before a. wooden image. I f you wish to impress
th e Chinese with th e value of your religion, of w hat you
arc pleased to call “ T h e American system," show them
that Christians are b e tte r th au heathens. Prove to them
th a t w hat you are. pleased to call th e ‘' living (iod” teaches
higher anil holier things, a. g ra n de r and p u re r code ol
morals than can be found upon pagan pages. Excel these
wretches in industry, in honesty, in reverence fo r parents,
in cleanliness, in frugality, and above all by advocating the
absolute liberty of hum an thought.
Do not tram ple upon these people because they have a
different, conception of things about which even this
com mittee knows nothing.
(Jive them the same privilege you enjoy, of m aking a
God after their own fashion. And let them describe him
as they will. Would you be willing to have them remain,
if one of their race, thousands of years ago, had pretend­
ed to have seen (.iod, and had w ritten of him as follows:
“ T here went up a smoke o ut of his nostrils, and fire out
of his m outh devoured ; coals were kindled by it, . . .
and he rode upon a cherub and did fly?’’ W h y should you
object to these people on account of their religion ? Your
objection has in it the spirit of h a te and intolerance. Of
t h a t spirit th e inquisition was horn. T h a t spirit lighted
th e fagot, made the. thumb-screw, put chains upon the
limbs, and lashes upon th e backs of men. T he same spirit
bought and sold, captured and kidnapped hu m an b eings;
sold babes, and justified all the horrors of slaveiy.
Congress lias nothing to do with the religion of the
people. Its members are not responsible to God for the
opinions of their constituents, and it may tend to th e hap­
piness of the constituents for me to state t h a t they are
in no way responsible for the religion of the members.
Religion is an individual, not a national m a tte r. And
where the nation interferes with the rig h t of conscience,
th e liberties of the people aro devoured Ivy the monster
superstition.
I f you wislt to drive out the Chinese, do not m ake a
pretex t of religion. Do not pretend t h a t you are ttying
to do God a favour. .Injustice in li i s nam e is doubly d e ­
testable. T he assassin cannot sanctify his dagger by fall­
ing on his knees, and it does not help a falsehood if it be
uttere d as a prayer. Religion, used to intensify the
lint red of men toward m en under the pretence of pleasing
God, has cursed the world.
A portion of this most rem arkable report is intensely
religious. There is in it almost th e odour of sanctity ;
anti when reading it one is impressed with th e living piety
of its authors. B u t on th e twenty-fifth page th ere are a
few passages th a t
MUST 1’AIN T il JO 11KA UTS OK TR U K HHL1KV KRS.
Leaving their religious views, th e members immediately
betake themselves to philosophy and prediction, L isten:
“ T h e Chinese race and th e American citizen whether
native-born or who is eligible to onr naturalisation Ians
and becomes a citizen, arc in a state of antagonism. They
cannot and will not ever m eet upon common ground, ami
occupy together the same social level. This is impossible.
The pagan and th e Christian travel different paths. This
one believes in a living God, that, one in the type of mon­
sters and worship of wood and stone. Thus in the reli­
gion of th e two races of man, they are as wide a p a rt as
the poles of th e two hemispheres. They cannot now nor
never [sic] will approach the same religious altar. The
Christian will not recede to barbarism, nor will th e C hi­
nese advance to th e enlightened belt [whatever it is] of
civilisation. . . . H e cannot be converted to those
modern ideas of religious worship which have been ac­
cepted by Europe and crown the American system.’’
Christians used to believe th a t through their religion
all th e nations of th e earth were finally to be blest. In
accordance with th a t belief missionaries have been sent to
every hind, and untold wealth has been expended for
what has been called the spread of the gospel.
I am almost sure th a t I have read somewhere tha t
“ C hrist died for all men,” an d th a t “ God is iio respecter
of persons." I t was once ta u g h t th a t it was th e du ty of
Christians to tell to all people the “ tidings of g re a t joy.”
I have never believed these tidings myself, b u t have al­
ways contended th a t an honest m erchant was the best
missionary. Commerce makes friends, religion makes
en e m ie s; th e one enriches, and the o ther im poverishes;
th e one thrives best where the tru th is told, the other
w here falsehoods are believed. For myself, I have but
little confidence in any business, or enterprise, or invest­
ment, that, promises dividends only after the death of the
stock-holders.
But
I AM A.SI1AMl-Ji
th a t four Christian statesmen, four members of congress
in the last q u arte r of th e nineteenth century, who serious­
ly object to people on account of theirreligiousconvictions,
should still assert th a t th e very religion in which they be­
lieve— aatl the only religion established by the living
God-head of th e A m erican system— is not adapted to the
spiritual needs of one-third of the hum an nice. I t is
amazing th a t these four gentlemen have, in the defence
of the Christian religion, announced the discovery t h a t . i t
is wholly inadequate for the civilisation of m ankind ; th a t
the light of th e cross can never penetrate the darkness of
China ; “ that, all the labours of the missionary, the ex­
am ple of the good, th e exalted character of our civilisation,
make no impression upon the Pagan life of the Chinese ;”
and th a t even th e repo rt of this committee will not tend
to elevate, refine, and christianise the yellow heathen
of the Pacific coast. In the name of religion these gen­
tlemen liave denied its power and mocked a t the e n th u ­
siasm of its founder. Worse th an this, they have predict­
ed for th e Chinese a future of ignorance and idolatry iu
this world, and if th e “ American system” of religion is true,
hell-fire in the next.
F or th e benefit of these four philosophers aud prophets
I will give
A FF.W KXTRACTS fro m T llH W R IT IN G S OK ('ONFUCIUM ,
th a t will in my j u d g m e n t compare favourably with the
best passages of their r e p o r t :
" My doctrine is th a t man m ust be tru e to th e princi­
ples oi liis nature, and the benevolent exercise of them
toward others.
“ W ith coarse rice to eat, w ith w ater to drink, and with
my bended arm for a pillow, I still have joy.
“ Riches and honour acquired by injustice are to me b u t
floating clouds.
“ I h e m an who in view of gain thinks of righteousness;
who in danger forgets life, and who remembers an old
agreement, however far back it extends, such a m an may
be reckoned a complete man.
 “ Recompense injury witli justice, and kindness with
kindness.
“ T here is one word which may serve as a rule ol' prac­
tice lor all one’s life : Reciprocity is t h a t word.”
When the ancestors of the four Christian congressmen
were barbarians, w hen they lived in caves, gnawed bones,
and worshipped dried snakes, the infamous Chinese were
reading these sublime sentences of Confucius. W hen the
forefathers of these Christian statesm en were h u n tin g
toads to get the jewels out of their heads, to be used as
charms, the wretched Chinese were calculating eclipses
and measuring the circumference of th e earth. When
the progenitors of these representatives of th e “ American
system of religion ” were bu rning women charged with
nursing devils, the people "incapable of being influenced
by the exalted character of our civilization,” were building
asylums for the insane.
N e ith e r should it lie forgotten that, for thousands of
years, th e Chinese have honestly practised th e great
principles known as
C1VII. SKKYICIS RKl’On.M
a something that even the adm inistration of Mr. H ayes
has reached only through the proxy of promise.
If we wish to prevent th e im migration of th e Chinese,
let us reform our treaties with the vast empire from
whence t hey came. For thousands of years th e Chinese
secluded themselves from the rest of th e world. T hey did
not deem the ('h ristian nations fit to associate with. Wo
forced ourselves upon them. We called, b u t with can­
non. T h e English battered down the door in the names
of opium and Christ. The infamy was regarded as another
trium ph for the gospel. At last, in self-defence, th e Chinese
allowed Christians to touch th e ir shores. T h e ir wise men
their philosophers protested, and prophesied th a t time
would show th a t Christians could not be trusted. This
report proves th a t th e wise men were not only philoso­
phers but prophets.
T reat China as you would England. K e e p a treaty
while it is in force. Change it if you will, according to
the laws of nations, b u t on no account excuse a breach ot
national faith by pretending th a t we are dishonest for
Coil s sake. (C/ticngv D aily Timex.)
MiTli'INf; Tin: !SAI> f a c t ok THK IMI'KXIUNC D is s o lu ­
tion of the “• Sanskrit T ex t Society,” founded at London in
],S((f), thro ugh the exertions of th e late Professor Gold-
stucker, Professor A lbert W eber, the learned S anskrit
Professor a t the University of Beilin m ournfully asks the
E ditor of the Times :
“ Can it be possible th a t am ong th e h un dre ds and
thousands of English gentlem en who have sp ent a large
part of their lives in India, in what one often hears called
‘ the most splendid service in the world,’ a sufficient n u m ­
ber cannot be induced to support a society founded for
the purpose of m aking available to European scholars the
a uthentic documents for Indian literary research . . . .
A m om ent’s reflection would have induced Professor
W eber to spare himself the trouble of ask in g such a
question. W hat proportion of th e English gentlem en
who take up an Indian career care one rap about Indian
. history or authentic documents ! How many real schol­
ars have developed in the Indian branches of service
since Jo h n Company’s first ship arrived ! C le a t names,
doubtless, there are to be recalled, b u t when the entire
list is written, w hat percentage docs it embrace of the
educated, even highly educated, men who have been to
I n d ia ? If tbe professor were to poll th e civil and m ili­
tary branches of the public service to-day, he would find
tha t not one per cent, even of the lusty young chaps fresh
frorti the scholastic forcing-houses would trouble themselves,
w hether or not the Sanskrit language itself, to say n o­
thing of th e Sanskrit T ex t Society, were extinguished
to-morrow. Badminton, lawn-tonnis, flirtation, racing, p ig ­
sticking, billiards, and the bubbling peg interest them,
aud there is always plenty of money to support clubs and
th a t sort of thing. But Asiatic literature, Aryan religion
or philosophy— these are not th e ir ‘ fad and out of all
these thousands upon thousands who have passed across
the Indian stage, few have turned their backs upon fashion­
able pleasures and sought their happiness in study. A t
Kandy, Ceylon, for instance, in th e English library which
stands ju s t opposite th e Dalada Maligawa temple, among
the collection of some 7 ,0 0 0 volumes there is, or was a
few weeks ago, just one book on the Buddhists or th e ir
religion— Sehhigentweit’s observations in Tibet. T h a t tells
the story ; and Professor Weber need not waste time in
wondering th a t such societies as th e one he names enjoy
so precarious a ten ure of life. If European scholars would
show a more respectful and fraternal disposition towards
th e ir native Asiatic contemporaries th e case m ight be
different. A nd if th e ‘ enlightened In dian princes and
gen tle m e n ’ whom he mentions in the same letter to the
Timex could see th a t their patronage of such learned bodies
would secure them as m uch consideration with the rulinir
race as do th e ir subscriptions to m onum ents and giving of
entertainm ents, no doubt their aid would be generously
afforded.
T H E M E D A L <)!•' 11 u X o U R .
The undersigned regrets to say th a t neither of the very
few essays sent iu for competition for th e Medal of H on ou r
founded by the General Council is of sufficient m e iit to
entitle it to th e bestowal of so high a dignity. To award
this medal for any paper b u t one strictly complying with
th e first of the conditions announced in the Resolution of
Council of May •">, viz., th a t " T he Essay shall be of a
high merit,” would perm anently lower its value iu th e
estimation of the Indian public as a national prize worth
contending for. It. cannot be admitted for a m om ent
I hat the failure to elicit high-class essa vs is due to any lack
of ability am ong our Indian thinkers. The true reason is
doubtless a too modest estimation of personal ability.
Under this conviction, therefore, th e General Council de­
cides to renew the offer of th e medal and diplomas m e n ­
tioned in the Resolution of May, and appeal to all who
love India and reverence her ancient glories to aid our
Society in this a tte m p t to infuse a new life into the n a ­
tional literature. And as u nder the previous arrangem ent
I lie em in ent juro rs selected were, debarred Ibr competition,
it has now been decided that the undersigned shall judge
ot th e respective m erits of competing essays ; availing
himself as occasion may require of the help of non-compe­
ting native scholars who may consent toaid him in render­
ing a just and im partial award.
F or th e information of the public, it is announced (hat
donations ot ancient coins to be melted into the Medal of
Honour have already been made by distinguished patrons
of learning iu the N o rth-W estern and Eastern provinces
ot India. T he following is the generous contribution of Ran
B ahad ur Mannibhai Jasbhai, Divan of Cutch :— Ten
kories, old coins found in ( 'utcli and supposed to be about
I 2 0 0 years old ; ten kories, llao Tam achiji’s reign, com­
menced Sam vat 1711.— A.D. I (>.">.i ; lifty small coins— old
coins found in Cuteh, and supposed to he about 800 years
old ; live kories, Rao ltaidlianji I.’s reign, commenced
Sam vat 17-2.— A.D. I(i(i(i; five kories, Hao l.aklipatji’s
reign, commenced, Saiuvat. l!S()!S. — A.D. I 7 ”>2; five kories,
llao Desn'ji I.’s reign, commenced, Saiuvat 177’).— A. D.
I71U ; five kories, Rao Pragji or Pragmalji I.’s reign, com ­
menced Saiuvat 17 -VI'.— A.I). lli!)<S; seven koiies, Rao
Khengarji I.’s reign, commenced Saiuvat KiOo— A.D.
I .>40 ; ten kories, Rao Bharaji or Bhannalji I.’s reign,
commenced S am vat 1042.— A.l).
Essays of the character described in the notice published
in the I'llKosovii 1s t for March, April and -May, will be
received at these H ead-quartcrs until December 1st, LS<S0,
and ju d g m e n t given by or before March I, 1881. Tho
lmmc of (lie a u th o r m u st in no case be attached to an
essay, b u t placed in a closed envelope accompanying the
same and bearing upon the outside a mark or m a rk s sim i­
lar to those written upon the essay.
By order of the Council,
H k n k y S. O l c o t t ,
President of tlie Theosophical Society.
lleud-quarters, T. S.
Girgaum, Bombay, J u n e I , LS.SO.
N A N G A B A liA OF G W A L IO R .
HY A lU'.TIKKU COM M ISSIONKI) i l l U T A H V O F F IO K It.
In a corner of the parade ground of M aharaja Scin dias
force, th ere lived an ascetic callcd (from his always keeping
him self stark naked) “ N ang a Baba.’ T h e Maharaja tried
in many direct and indirect ways to get his parade cleared
of the cottagc of the Babu, b u t hu would not budge. Ho
(N anga Liuba) had a few flowering plants set o u t abou t his
cottagc. f t was a place of resort for all classes of people.
Jn th e year iHOo, our regim ent, th e Kith B. C., under the
command of Colonel Je n k in , had to spend the usual term
a t the M urar cantonm ent* E very now anil then the holy
man wa.s waited upon by regimental men, ono Soblia
Singh sowar (a Sikh and a native ol H osh yarpur district
in tlie Punjab) being among th e number, lie used to go
unnoticed every nig ht with a musnulc (goat skin) full ol
water to irrigate tho plants attached to th e hermitage.
Tlie locality has a very scanty supply of water. T h e Bn ha
knew well Soblia S ingh s devotion, b u t in order th a t 110
one m ig h t suspect th a t he possessed psychic powers, he
used to ask his waiters-ou— " 11/(0 irrigate# m y plant*
every night (" _
One night as tlie sowar was as usual w atering the
plants, N a n g a Baba, simply to unveil the m a tte r and
to properly r e p a y Soblia Singh s services, came o u t of liis
“ k u ti ” (cottage) and said— “ W ho is among my plants dis­
turbing th e m in th e peace of th e n ig h t? ’ Soblia Singh,
as if thunder-struck, sat down quietly where lie was. On
approaching near,“N a n g a B a b a ” addressed h im — “ O, Soblia
Singli, tliou hast done a great service to me.” T he la tte r
did not say anything, from awe and reverence. T he h e r ­
m it th e n returned to his cottage ; Soblia Singh followed
him and sat down in a corner, deeply filled with a sincere
love for th e holy num. T h a t nig h t and th e following day
and n ight passed, but Soblia Singh would not, rath er could
not, leave the place. The following morning, N an ga Baba
desired th e sowar to go to his regiment. The man sh ru g ­
ged his shoulders aiul said (after coming to himself, as till
then lie wa.s in a peculiar sta te of m ind)— “ Yes, Baba, 1
will go to the regiment once for all, as yesterday I had
my ‘ athpohriu' d uty (i.e., hours’ regular duty of
horse and man) which I neglected. N o sooner will .1 go
there than I shall be sent to the custody of the stand-
guard, and the p u n ish m en t I will g e t cannot be b u t hard
under the present military law.” A fter a little talk with
the hermit, he silently went to the chhnori and u n ­
noticed entered his com partm ent ( tlera). As lie entered he
asked his joriilar (fcllow'-horseman, who lived in th e
samo com partm ent) Dalel Singli, sowar, as to w ha t h a p ­
pened in his absence, and w hether lie was on th a t account
reported to the officer iu charge by the H e a d Dafledar.
Dalel Singh was astonished a t the question. Calling
him a maniac, lie said th a t scarcely an hour had passed
since his (Sobha’s) retu rn from his “ u th p a h ria ” d u ty and
pu ttin g off his uniform, &c„ and then asked him what he
now m eant by m aking such foolish enquiries ? Sobha Singh
was not a little surprised a t his fellow’s remarks, and ob­
served th a t it was poor fun for him to joke in a m a tte r
of such importance. Dalel Singh, being frightened and
taking his colleague for a lunatic, ran u p to his immediate
superior and reported the case. From all this, Sobha Singh
* A b o u t t l u e o m iles fro m Gwalior.
found t h a t som ething had happened during his absence,
and a ttrib u te d it to the hidden powers of Nanga jBalw.
W h e n tin; troop Ilisaldar was informed of this matter, he
sent for th e sowar and m any men gathering round him,
they were anxious to hear what- th e m atter was with the
poor Sobha. W ho could say what was working in this
m a n ’s m ind ? A fter a long while and repeated questions,
Soblia Singli told the whole story to the bystanders. All
were surprised to know' th a t Sobha Singh’s athparia
was not performed by himself, but. by some body else.
Sobha Singh tendering his resignation, the case was re­
ported to the C om m anding Officer. But, despite every effort
of m ilitary men, the sowar did not withdraw his resignation.
A fter receiving his discharge from th e regiment, he
went directly to N a n g a Baba, and presented him all the
money lie had. T he h e rm it addressed him in the follow­
ing words— “ Thou hast, come at lost" ; and returning his
money, he gave him Rs. '>00 more and ordered him to go
direct to his house, w h e re a fte r celebrating th e nuptials of
his two daughters, lie should give himself up to the contemp­
lation of th e D eity i n his own way. T he lioly m an added
th a t there was 110 necessity for his returning to Gwalior, and
t h a t hereafter lie was to be the most revered ascetic of his
native country.
We hear th a t Sobha Singh from th a t tim e always lived
only u n de r th e shelter of a b lan ket stretched over a bamboo
stick. T he people of Hoshyarpur, Jalandhar, and other
districts of th e Punjab, not being prone to leave fakirs and
other holy men to themselves, thronged to his D arshana.
Sobha Singh became a perfect ascetic by a single glance
of N a n g a B a M of Gwalior— not less b u t rather more
revered than even his “ g u ru .”
AVo are informed th at N an ga Biibu left his house of
clay some three or four years ago.
Will any of your learned correspondents kindly answer
a query suggested by th e above narrative, viz.— W h a t was
the person or form t h a t appeared and performed the duty
for Sobha Singli I By w hat name may we call this
wonderful phenomenon ? * N am astc !
M. B. V.
Moradabad, 8 th J u n e 1880.
----- — ------
A FF.W WKKKS ni'.l’OKK (It/ll PARTY LEFT Foil CEYLON",
we were honoured with a visit from Mr. Ganewh AV. Joshi,
the renowned patriot, whose death is now mourned by ull
India. H is friendly talk and expressions of hope th a t our
Society m ig ht prosper, arc among our happiest recollec­
tions. A short time beforo th e uutimely occurrence of
his death, we received from him a very friendly le tte r
together with a vernacular copy of his rcccnt discourse
on “ Salvation,” delivered in the temple of Vishnu at
Poona. T he discourse began with th e quotation of a
verse of T u k a ra m ’s wherein th e company of santa* (adepts)
is given a higher value than wealth, happiness or even
salvation. Various quotations front T u k a ra m and others
were made. I t is 011 the whole, an earnest- and able pa m ­
phlet. Coming so sho rt a tim e before his death it will, we
hope, be treasured as a m onu m e nt of his virtues and m ake
his name rem em bered by posterity. We respectfully offer
our sym pathy to his family, and wish his friends every
success in the patriotic work of reform he has left behind
him to be finished by them.
* lly tlio nam e !{•*no or R>po. An Aryan ought not to
n«ed ask th a t. W c know of a case in Europe, related to us l\v th e ecu*
tlcinan himself, w here a m an was in a tran ce or scnii*trauco sta te for thirty*
nix hours—one day ami two nights. During this in to rral ho app eared —or
jtecmod to his pupil* to nppenr - a t College as usual am i continued a lecturo
ho had be»?un th e previous clay ; taking up th e th re a d cxnctly where it had
boon dropped T he gontlcm nn would n ot believe his pupils’ assurances of
this fact until 1hoy showed him the note-books in which, as custom ary, thoy
had preserved mem oranda of tho College lectures to which thvy listened.
Who can tell w hether th e teach er who lectu red while tho gentlom an was
unconscious was his physical body, anim ated by another intelligence, or
his MuyaKi J l u p or “ double," a c tin g independently of tho conscious*
lie n of his physical brain? And thU very gentlem an, to whom th is num ­
ber will be sent, will, we prom ise, be m ightily interested to tho guard*
m ounting story of Soblm fttogb, —Kd,
 PUZZLES FOR TH E P H IL O L O G IS T S .
HY KAM CHANDHA UAPITJI JA D H A O JtAO, l'.SQ.
I i i th e May T h e o s o p h i s t is ail article in connection with
the monogenistic theory of prior residence of one common
anccstral Aryan family in Central Asia, discussed under a
similar heading in th e March number.
T he w riter appealing to th e science of language, lays
the g reatest stress on philology, and presumes th a t the
mere existence of a few S a n sk rit words in some of tlio
W estern (European) languages is a sufficient evidence to
w arrant th e conclusion th a t an A ry an family once lived
nt a tim e as out of memory, in C entral Asia, and thence its
detachm ents marched into Europe, Persia and India. H e
does not, however, a t te m p t to explain th e other points
which such a conclusion, if a t all adm itted, involves,
b u t leaves them to be answered byjsome abler w riter than
himself, whom he invites to join him in th e field of dis­
cussion.
As the above conclusion is shown to be th e result of
philology, let us seo on w hat evidences and testimonies it
is based.
So late as an hundred years ago, the students of languages
throughout Europe believed th a t the H ebrew was th e
most ancient tongue of all th e world. This was th e lan­
guage of the Jewish nation, th e language in which was w rit­
ten the old Testam ent, or t h a t p a rt of the Bible which
speaks of the creation of the world and th e genesis of
mankind. T he H ebrew was. therefore, looked upon us
the method of speech given directly by God to man a t his
creation, and consequently th e earliest spoken language.
I t was supposed t h a t as mankind increased in numbers
and separated into different tribes and nations, the Hebrew
was split up, and transformed into various dialects, and
thus was th e p a re n t of all th e languages of th e earth. The
story of tho Tower of Babel and tho confusion of tongues
goes in harmony with this version.
Since the introduction of the study of Sanskrit into
Europe, th e van being led by th e late Sir William Jones,
one of the ju d g e s of th e H igh (Joint of Judicature a t
Calcutta, who lived at the close of the eighteenth c en­
tury, a change gradually glided in. T he European scholars
reaching the g ra m m a r and vocabulary of S anskrit and find­
ing a resemblance betw een some conimon-plaee words ol
Sanskrit and of some of th e E uropean languages, began to
form queer ideas, th a t the Europeans, Persians and H i n ­
dus belonged prim arily to one Aryan family, which
once lived in C entral Asia, and hail S ansk rit for th eir
tongue ; a theory diametrically opposed to the outgivings
of 11i.story, chronology, mythology and geography am ong
every nation on th e face of th e earth.
To strengthen th e above theory or to invest it w ith t.he
character of fact and tr u th , strange conjectures, clothed
in th e garb of History, are b ro u g h t forward: to-wit, th a t
the Aryan tribe, (Hindus) q u ittin g th e ir ancestral abode
iu Central Asia, crossed th e H in d u Kush, and traversing
the H im alayan snows southwards, settled themselves on
th e banks of th e five rivers which w ater the great tract,
which derives its name P u n ja u b therefrom, and that, ever
since th e H in dus liave called th a t region their home ; and
it i.s said th a t before th a t time, they lived in more northern
regions w ithin th e same precincts with the ancestors of
Greeks, Italians, Slavonians, Germans and Celts as m em ­
bers of one great family.
N e ith e r the Europeans nor the Hindus, nor any other
nation un der th e sun ever possessed, nor so much as had
even the faintest knowledge of this strange tradition, nor
do th e nursery tales which are said to have been carried
from the East, whisper such a story. I t is nothing b u t
a varnished tale utterly undeserving of the name of tra d i­
tional history.
T he words in the E uropean languages which are said to
correspond with those of Sanskrit, are as follows :— *

E nglish. S ansk hit. Z f.nu. G iieei:. I.ATIN. G othic . S lavonic. IlllSIT.

Pi tar.............. Palnr.............. Pater.............. Athuir.

Mother................ Malar............. Matnr............. Meter................ M a li.............. Mnthair.
Hratal’........... Plintlria.............. Brotliar. . . . a . 15rat ............. Brathair.
Svasar........... G anhar......... Svistnr ......... b’estru............ Si ur.
Dahitnr.......... Diiglulhnr..... Thugnter............ Danlitar........ (Litli) Dukle. Dear.
Father-in-law.... Ilekuro.^.............. S va ih ra ......... Svckri...........
Mother-in-law... Svnsru........... Svekroj ........
Son-in-law.......... Gainbros............. Guner.,..........
Daughter-in-law o. 11. u. snur S noclia.........
Brothcr-hi-law. Dner & niseifos. Levir.............. a. s. tiicor... Lilh-ilewers.
(Nanandur )... Yulos.................. 0. BohemSelva
P e e u ..............
Ox & Cow......... Go.................. Govjad ......
Ox ... Ukshan.......... Ukhshnn........ Hus.....................
Staora.......... Xu tiros................
Heifer................. Stnri..............
A spa........... . Hippos................
S p a ................ Kuou ................. Sobuka .........
A v i ................
Cult’ ....... Vasta.,........... Italos.................. Vilnius..........
C a p e r............
Su (Knru)..... ITs........................
Xoiros................
Mush..............
Fly ............. Makshiku..... Makhslii.......
Klien................... It us................
Wild animals, some of which were known to th e A ryans before they separated and which happen to live both iu
Asia and Europe, the Bear and th e Wolf.
Uikshii ....... Arkos ................ Lith, Loky-s.
Wolf................... V r ik u ............ Lukes ................ Do—wilkas.
Sarpa ............ Serpens..........
N o t k . — T he above awkward or crude forms seem to havo been adopted by th e a u th o r for the purpose, of coinci­
dence between th e words of th e European languages aud those of the S an sk rit which ought to have been, in fairness,
written as .Pitra, Huh'C, lik m tra , c'jv\
• Ctiij-s from (i Goi'innn W oikslio)), by Pruf. Mux Miiller, Vol. II, inures 2‘J, 41 & E>2.
 It is hardly necessary to point o u t th a t almost all the
above words (and any other which aro comparatively few),
are of little or 110 importance, being m erely common­
place, or household words, usually in th e m outh of even
tlie common people and were; so, when Sa n sk rit was the
prevailing or spoken language. Tlicir introduction into
th e European languages was merely accidental at, a tim e
w hen Greece and other nations of Europe were indigenous
tribes, more or less iu a state of barbarism having indi­
genous dialects of their own as history conclusively de­
monstrates.
T h e very corrupt forms, as diverse as are the lan­
guages in which these words stand, as l.lie above table shows,
and the absence of a legion of oth er S a n s k r it words iu
the. European languages, wliieli are formed mostly of terms
of peculiar European origin and formation, n eith er a p ­
proaching nor bearing affinity to th e Sanskrit, words even
in roots and derivatives, nrc tangible evidences going iu
perfect harmony with w hat I say,
Words being exchanged like c u rre n t coins and rarities,
Hnd th e ir way into the languages of various countries,
b a v inO
" intercourse and commerce with each other. The
Aryan and the non-Aryan groups of families, as they arc
called, have in their languages a n u m b e r of words belong­
ing to each other, as will be shown hereafter.
As early as K,;'>()() years before the ( 'hristian era, the
Aryans of India (H indus) were in direct com munication
with the Egyptians ; and .’{,.")(!() years ago when Joseph
reached Egypt, th e Indians were in free communication
with the Israelites. This fact holds good even with the
period of Tadinas III. and of the Pharaohs.
T he Periphis, the book of Genesis, th e writings of
Zanarus, centuries before th e birth of Christ, and even our
great epics, Itamavan and Mahahharut, tin* dates of which
have been calculated and fixed at .‘i,:t00 years by E u ro ­
peans according to th e ir own fancy, (hough, according lo
tb e A ryan chronology, they go far l>cyond th a t period, and
are replete with evidences of the Hindus having na v i­
gated the open seas and of th eir having held communication
with Europe, Persia and other parts of th e globe, includ­
ing Greece and Home as well as t he regions of Arctic
Ocean. (Vido Mahabharata, Hook 14, which n arrates the
exploits of the mighty J’andu Princes in connection with
tho vl.v/mvf M ed ia — the llorse sacrifice performed by them
to signalize th e Universal power anil dominion acquired
by them.) . Hainan, bat fa, betid, buggy, bungalow, calico, coolie,
W e aro told th a t fhe Aryan family which lived in C e n ­
tral Asia, ■were a civilized people; and th a t th eir religion
was th a t of th e Yedas. T hey had chariots, hoi'ses, ships,
boats, towns and fortified places before the separation took
place. T h ey were, therefore, not nomads. To this Professor
Max Midler adds th at the younger branch of th e family left
first and emigrated into Europe while the elder and the
olilest remained together for some time, and then the former
separating, they went into Persia. T he oldest quitted
its ancestral abode last of all, for a new home in India.
T he inference to be drawn, then, is that the old home
was nltandoncd by every soul, and left to become a dreary
and a desolate desert, as we now find it.
On this concluding portion of the theory, I need not
a t present offer any rem arks b u t reserve them f o r a future
and appropriate occasion.
T h e Rig-V cda is considered hy E uropean scholars as th e
real Bible of the ancient faith of th e Vedic llishis, and
the oldest book of t he Iiiilo-Eiirapi'au i'am ih/.
Now th e hym ns of the Kig-Vcda teem with such words,
as Indra, Agni, Varuna, Savitri, Suryn, Ravi, Vayu, Mit.ra,
Mariit, Ashwins, Rudra, Prithvi, (illrata, Soma-ras, Ap-
Nadi-soma (the king of the world) l ’ra ja p a ti—Adit i. Swar-
ga, Visve-Dcva-Vasus— Purohit Rushes and to which may
be added th e words above-mentioned, viz., chariots, horses,
ships, boats, forts, Ibrtilied places aud several others.
T he philologists do not show w hether any of th e above
words exist in any of the European languages. They
must, certainly be traceable somewhere t h e n 1, if, in
reality, detachments after detachm ents ol th e Aryan
family did. as alleged, march from th e old H om e-country—
Central Asia— into Europe, to conquer and colonize that
region. T h e existence of th ese words in the European
languages is th e more probable since Professor Max Miiller
atiirms that, the verv word Vet la exists in the Creek ami
the English languages, and identifies it with Oitla in the
form er anti 1ri*i\ irixiloin am i irit in the latter. B ut the
non-existence or absence of such words as above, must
absolutely go to sh ake th e very foundation of this fondly
cherished theory anti upset it altogether.
To deduce conclusions from common-place words, the
verv significance ami the determ inative power of which
lead to n different, inference is merely to form fanciful
theories which can hardly shine before facts ami truth.
T here are a n u m b e r of words belonging to vaiious lan­
guages which have welded into English and finally form
now part anti parcel of th a t language, simply owing to the
intercourse and commerce which th a t g re a t nation m a in ­
tains with o th e r countries of the world, as the list, given
below shows. (A dam ’s Elem ents of the English Language.
Pages 11 and 12). .
Ifi’hreir.
Abbey, abbot, amen, behemoth, cabal, cherub, ephod,
goheuna, hallelujah, hossana, jubilee, leviathan, manna,
sabbaoth, sabbath, seraph, shibbaleth, pharisaie, rabbi.
A ruble.
Admiral, alchemy, alcohol, alcove, alembic, algebra, al­
kali. almanac, amber, ambergris, arrack, arsenal, artichoke,
assassin, a tta r, azim uth, cadi, caliph, camphor, carat, cara­
van, caravanserai, chemistry, cipher, civet, coffee, cotton,
crimson, dam ask, damson, divan, dragoman, elixir, emir,
fakir, firman, gazette, giraffe, harem, hazard, jar, lake,
lemon, lime, lute, magazine, m am eluke, mattress, minaret,
mohair, monsoon, nioslem, mosque, mufti, mummy, n a ­
bob, nadir, na p h th a, nartl, opium, ottoman, saffron, salaam,
scullion, shrub, sirono, sofa, sultan, syrup, tabor, talisman,
tamarind, tam bourine, tariff, vizir, zenith, zero.
Persian.
Azure, balcony, barbican, bazar, eneck, mals, chess, tler-
viso, emerald, hookah, howdah, indigo, jackal, jasmin,
kaffir, lilac, musk, orange, pasha, pawn, saraband, scimitar,
sepoy, shawl, sherbet, simoon, taffeta, tiffin, turban, p ara ­
dise.
H industani.
cowrit1, dimity, jungle, lac, loot, mullag-atawny, mitslii,
pagoda, palanquin, pariah, punch, pundit, rajah, rupee,
sandal (wood), sugar, suttee, toddy, shampoo.
M ai 1 nj.
Amuck, bamboo, bantam , cat lily, caoutchouc, chintz,
cockatoo, creese, curry, gaml>ogc, godown, gong, g u t t a ­
percha, junk, mango, oran-outang, rattan.
( Imii'Hi'.
Boliea, congou, hyson, nankeen, pekoe, satin, soy, tea.
Turkish.
Hey, chibouk, chouse, janisary, kiosk, sash, tulip, seraglio.
From a philological point of view let us suppose, for
a moment, and for a rg u m e n t’s sake, th a t from some n i l -
foreseen circumstances, th e present communication be­
tween th e E a st anti th e West ceases (which may God
forbid b u t continue for ever) and history becomes destroy­
ed and forgotten, and then after a tinit* the communication
is renewed, as a t p re se n t: would the philologists th a t
may th e n turn up, be justified in deducing and th e ir
adm irers in upholding th e conclusion, th a t all the above
nations once livetl u nder one roof, as members of one great
Aryan family, in a central region and thence after separat­
ing, th e Malayas anti the Chinese emigrated, first of all,
iuto Malacca and C hina, next, the. Persians and th e Hindus,
following in the wake of th eir brothers, proceeded
to Persia and India, and the English, tho eldest branch,
q u ittin g tho old-country last of all, crossed the waters
of th e Red Sea and th e English channel and finally
settled in B ritain !
 Such a conclusion, though apparently w arranted, would
y e t in origin be absurd and ludicrous.
In d ia has always been th e very repository of th e Vedas
and th e H indus holding them dearer th a n life, saved the
scripts from the blazing fires of tyranny and oppression
which succeeded th e abominable anarchical reign of tho
Moslem fanatics aud slaves, who invaded India, and whose
constant endeavours were steadily directed towards the
suppression and annihilation of the H indu religion. If,
therefore, the Europeans had ever belonged to the great
Aryan family and known th e Vedas as th e ir birth-right,
if they had curried the texts with them ut tho tim e ot their
emigration from Cential Asia into Europe, it becomes a pro­
blem which demands solution a t the hands of the philolo­
gists, how and under what circumstances, th e Europeans
could have irrecoverably lost th e Vedas so as to leave no
traces behind.
I t is likewise a marvel and a mystery that, the Euro­
peans should have never known any th in g of th e Vedas,
or th a t they should, hardly a century ago, have been so
completely ignorant as to who th e ir ancestors were, what
th eir religion was, and whencc th e y came.
The Vedas have only been lately obtained from India
by European scholars. Now India is the very cradle of
civilization, language, religion and literature of the
ancient Aryan race from which emigrations may have
flowed into Europe from tim e to time. T his in
conjunction with the fact of th e H in dus having had
free communication with E urope by sea led to S a n s­
krit words, tew as they are, being intermixed with those of
European dialects whilst in a barbarous state, a fact which
is established beyond doub*, by the suggestive evidences
of folklore, most of t he tides and stories, fables and t radi­
tions, cu rren t iu Europe, Persia and o ther countries, all
of which hail their origin in India. Tho efforts of philology,
therefore, however strenuous in th a t direction, can hardly
succeed iu metamorphosing a vague theory i n t o . real
Simon Pure, but must ever remain as they arc?— a hollow
farce.
T he im putation t h a t the Aryans wero lam entably defi­
cient iu philological knowledge, betiftys a sad ignoianee
of th e Aryan literatu re on the p a rt of th e writer. Very
little may have been known of the Hindus, but this is no
proof tha t they themselves knew little. Besides.it may bo
asked w hat a meagre knowledge of philology has to do
with the silence of the Vedas about oth er countries. Per­
haps, my opponent confounds philology with geography i
Last, b u t not least, is th e story of the deluge. The
intent of its introduction in a potential mood is a p p a r e n t­
ly to expose its absurdity, a t this fitting opportunity.
However, let us hope th a t with th e high progress,
which Philology, like other scieuces, is said to have made,
archaelogical ami geological surveys of th e regions said to
have been once the residence of the great Aryan fa­
mily, in Central Asia, inay be begun at once. The
favourable results of the excavations will, no doubt , settle
this great question, interesting and im portant as it is, both
to Europeans anil Hindus. If, perchance, there be a fai­
lure, it can be reconciled with the a rg u m e n t that the
current of the river Oxus having turned in th e direction
in which tin; buildings and fortified places stood, the im ­
petuosity of the waters uprooted and washed away the
antique relics.
The following extract from an interesting work* which
has ju s t apiniared, shows the spirit in which th e Philolo­
gists interpret stories which come in th e ir way :—
“ As the ]M>sition of th e (iautainas am ong the Sam an
schools is uncertain, it will, of course, be likewise in­
advisable to make any a tte m p t at connecting them with
the historical period of India. T he nocossiry of caution
in this respect is so obvious, th a t 1 should not point it
out, were it not th a t the D liaram uxhattra contains one
word, the occurrence of which is sometimes considered
to indicate the terminus aijito for th e dates of Indian
• fi*ere«l Wok* of tlio KrtStj veiled by Professor Mux lliillcr.
Introduction png? I. VI* * ' I lunajrtGh.
works. T h e word to which I refer is Yavana. G autam a
quotes IV., 2 1 , an opinion of some, according to which
a Y a n in a is the offspring of a Sndrn malo and a Kshat-
riya female. Now it is well known that, this name is a
corruption of the Greek Jatiov, nn Ionian, and th a t in
India it wa.s applied in ancient times, to the ('reeks, and
especially to Bacti'ian and Indo-Bactrian (ireoks who
ruled in the second century, B.C., over a portion of N o r­
thern India. A.s there is no historical evidence to show
th at the Indians became acquainted with the Greeks be­
fore the invasion of Alexander in the fourth century,
B.C., it has been held th a t works containing th e word
] arami cannot have been composed before .'>00 B.C.
B ut irrespective of the consideration that the text of
our ])hui'm<t.shuHtra is not trustworthy enough to allow
its date to bo ascertained by a single word, Ihe reason­
ing itself ou which the determ inative power of the word
Yaraiia is based is not beyond doubt, as it is applied to
a person who to ju d g e from his name was not a Greek iu
tin; ancient inscription of Riulradaman at Gunagadh.”*
Note hy the author.
‘‘ The person alluded to is Asoka’s Lieutenant, the \ n -
vanuriin 'I'uxhasjm who appears to have boon a Persian, for
th e inscription see Ind. Ant. Vol. II., page 2.’>7.”
The Aryans (Hindus) not only knew the word Yavana,
centuries before the invasion of Alexander the Great, but
also the very people, who were so named. The word re­
peatedly occurs in the great epic Mahdbhi'tral, \'e., as
will be seen from the following extracts.
1 may add here that, the Pandavas were in Greece where
are still retained traces of their foot-prints. Vm'oi'l.'a
Jnilin in <ieeeee anil truth in .Mi/thiilm/i/. Pages IHOto
I GO. ' “
The Philologists may again startle us by saying some­
tim e hereafter, that the H indus were never acquainted
w ith the word “ Aryan," until after they had casually
heard of the (Ireek historian of that n a m e , who wrote a
history of India called fm /ira A n/iina, a work which is
still extant.
Extracts.
" I n the . l i lijiiirra of th e Maliiihharat (verses (>(».”>().)
Gaudharva a t A iju n a ’s request proceeds to relate the
ancient, story of Vasishtha (Vusishthnni. Al'hynniim /mrd-
nnni) and to describe the cause ot enmity between that
Unshoe and Vishvamitra. It happened tha t the latter
who was tin! sou of Gadlii, Iviug of Kauyakubja, (l\a-
nonj) and grandson of Kansika, when out, hunting, came
to the hermitage of Vnshistha, where lie was received
with all honour, entertain ed together with his a ttendants
w ith delicious food and drink, and presented with pre­
cious jewels and dresses obtained by the sago from his
wonder-working cow, the fnltiller of all desires. The c u­
pidity of Vishvamitra is aroused on seeing this beautiful
animal (all of whose fine points are enunieiated in the
legend) and lie offers Vashishtha a hundred million cows,
or liis kingdom, in exchange for her. But. Vashishtha's
. . • . i •
re.ply is that, he, is unable to part with her even for a king­
dom. Vislivamitra then tells him, that, lie will enforce
the law of th e stronger, li(J(i.'>. I am a Kshatriya while
tliou being a .Brahmin, thy functions are austere fervour
and sacred study. How can there bo any vigour iu Brah­
mins who are calm and self-rest rained ( Since tliou dost,
not give up to me, in exchange for a hundred millions of
cows, tha t which I desire, I shall not abandon my own
class characteristic ; 1 will carry awav tho cow by force.
V ashishtha confident, no doubt, of his own superior power,
tells him to do as he proposes without, loss of time. Vish­
vam itra accordingly seizes th e wonder-working cow ; but
she trill not move from the hermitage, o * tlmim'h
n beatent with
whip and stick, and pushed h ither and thither. W itness­
ing this, Vashishtha asks her, what he, a patient Brahmin
can do < She demands of him why lie overlooks tho
violence she is subjected to. Vashishtha replies : Force is
the strength o f Kshatriyas, patience that o f Brahmins. As
V«>l. II.,
patience possesses me, go if thou pleasest (<1676 Kshal-
triydn am balaui teno Jlra/iiiidiidnin Kuhatna balam / K s h o ­
uld nuun hhajatr i/am idt //ninydliii y a d i vorhate) . Tlio cow
enquires if he means lo abandon lier ; as, unless lie. for­
sakes her, sin* can never be carried off by force. She is
assured by Vashishtha th a t lie does not forsake her, and
t h a t she should remain, if she could. Hearing theso words
of her master, the cow tosses her head alolt, assumes a
terrific aspect, (li(i.SO) her eves become red with mgo, she
litters a deep bellowing sound, and puls to flight the en ­
tires army of Vishvamitra. Being (again) beaten with a
whip aud stick, and pushed hith er and thither, she be­
comes more incensed, her eyes are red with anger, her
whole hotly kindled by her indignation, glows like the
110011-day sun, she discharges showers of firebrands from her
tail,creates Pahlavas* from the same m em ber Dravitlas and
Sakas, Yavanas, Sabarns, Kanehis. Sarabhas, Paundrns,
Kiratas, Sinhalas, Vasas ami other tribes of armed warriors
from her sweat, urine, excrement, 5rc., who assail Vish­
vamitra s army, and put. it to a complete rout.”
“ It appears to be the opinion of Manu, th e great
authority in all m atters regarding the H indu religion nnd
institutions iu their full development, that, there was no
original race of men except the four castes— Brahmins,
Kshatriyas, Vaishyas nnd Shudrns— ami th a t all other nn-
tions were derived from these. Ilis own words are these :
Jh'aliniana/i. A ,'hnttrii/ti, I nisi/ax trai/o I'nrna/i illijalni/a/i !
rhaturt/ndi iknjatis tu Sm /rn m ult lit pinir/iauiiih Three
castes, th e Brahman, the Kshntriya, ami th e Vaishya, are
twice horn ; t h e fourt.h, the Sliudra, is once horn, and there
is 110 filth." On th<* last clause of this verse K ulluka
Blmlta annotates th u s — I ’aurhdiuah p m ia r ranio nash
fimikinta-ja/nitnn tu asratura vail niata-pilra-jali-vi/atIrllia.
ja ty - a n tin v f vod, n n vuniatvan j A j/n m rim j n l y - n v / n -
ropailestih .-•auln- sdiiivy-in-nharionnlh<ih There is 110
fifth caste, for caste cannot, be. predicated of the mixed
tribes, from th e fact that, like mules, they belong (0 ano­
th e r species distinct from that- of e ither of their parents,
nml this reference, which is mmle in tliu ttastras to castes
other than th e lour, is merely for the sake of convenience
nnd in conformity to common usage.”
“ I 11 verses 4!l and 44 it is stated, Satialtaix In knija-
lopad inia/t Kxhnttriya ja h u /ah j Vrlslialalraia <jatah
lake b ra h m n m u la r nanena cha j P a a n d r a k a s rhodra -
draridah K a m lk ja h Yarm tah S a la h j P arm la/i l'a h ln -
vas C h iv « h A iratah Dnrudah Kh asn h j" The. following
tribes of Kshatriyas have gradually sunk into th e state of
Vrishalns (outcastes) from th e extinction of sacred rites,
nml from having 110 communication with Brahmins, viz.,
Patmdrakas, Otlras, ])ravidas. Kambojas, Yavanas, Sokas,
Paradas, Pahlavas, Chinas, Kiratas, D nradas and Klinsas.
“ T he sam e th in g is aflirmed in the Mahabhiirat, Anu-
snsanaparvan verses 2 I O ; i F . S akah Y a v a n a - K a m b o j a s
la s tah K sh a ttriya ja la y a h I rinhalalvn 111 jxiriffiiluh brah-
v u t n n n « m a d n r s a a a / D ra vid a x cha K o lin .d a s cha J’u-
lindas ch'tpy Uttinamh / K o l h a r p a h Muhixhakas lax I11/1
K x h a ttr iy a - ja ta y a h i t y a d i / These tribes of Kshatriyas,
viz., Sakas, Yavanjis, Kambojas, Dravidas, Kalintlas, Pulin-
das, Usinaras, Kolisarpas and Mahishakas, have become
Vrisalas from seeing 110 Brahmins. This is repeated in
verses 2 1 0 8 -!) where th e following additional tribes are
named : Mekalas Latns, Konvasiras Saundikas, Darvas,
Chauras, Savaras, Barbaras and Kiratas, and th e cause of
degradation is, as in verse 2 1 0 1 1 , restricted to the absence
of Brahmins.”
“ The Yavanas are saitl in th e Mahablmrata Adiparvan * more th an once to Moscow and other towns, to cure wealthy
Section 8 f>, veise to be descended from Turvasu, th e
Vaibhojas from Druliyu and t.lu: Melecliha tribes from
Ann ( Yadov tu Yudavah j u t as '/'itrvaso)' Yaritnnah Stnri-
tah D ruhyoh sutax tu Vaihhnjah aims tn Melvchha-jata-
yah.) Is it m eant by this t h a t the Yavanas are not to he
reckoned among the Melechhas ? T h e ir descent from
Turvasu is not, however, necessarily in conflict with tin.*
• Pehlvi wan llio Onni’t laiicrimtro of Poi-xia, the iinmc <lorivc'l from tlio
above sourcc
assertion of tho authorities above quoted that they nro
degraded Kshattriyns.”
“ I shall not. a tte m p t to detormino who the Yavanas
and other tribes mentioned in th e te x t were.” Muir’s
S anskrit Text p. Vol. I, pages :$!)(), 480 and 482.
N o tw ith sta n ding all the argum ents anil circumstantial
evidences adduced above, I would have submissively bow­
ed to the statem ents of the philologists, hail it not been
for th e kind warnings thrown in our wav by tlm T hkoso-
rm s T in its num bers for October and March Inst, pages S
and l.’tC respectively ; th e former not only challenges
Professor Max Muller, b u t asks th a t distinguished scholar
to withdraw liis s ta te m e n t th a t the Bible (tho old Testa­
ment) may be older than the Vedas. Let us wait for tho
result of this pleasant controversy.
I 11 conclusion, I m u st express a hope tlm t the Theoso-
phists will not misunderstand me anti th in k th a t 1 am
biassed in any way in raising questions nnd doubts. Mv
sole motive is to elicit tru th and only th e truth, whieii
lies buried deep in tliu debris of time, like a brilliant g e m
in a heap of rubbish.
R U SST A X S U P E R S T I T T O X S.
In tho article entitled “ W a r in Olympus,” ( T i i k o k o i ' I I I S T
for November 1870) an allusion was made to a grontrowthcu
waging in Russia, betw een th e defenders nnd ndversaries
of the modern m ediumistic phenomena. One of the most
rabid assailants of the spiritists has long' been M. Eugene
Markof. a well-known contemporary Russian critic. No
one was ever more bitingly sarcastic or combative against
what he called tlio “ modern superstition." The Russian
press are now having a lau gh a t his e.xjHMise. In an incau­
tious moment, he suffered him self to be betrayed into an
admission of some wonderful phenomena th a t had come
iiiuler his personal knowledge some years ago. Treating, in
th e Golo*, of tho various superstitions of the Russian
peasantry, he says that, to th em the " house-spook” (do-
vio ro i) or “ house-keeper” (h oiy aen e ) —as this familiar
spirit is also called, “ has as perfect an objective reality,
as tho living persons about, him. In it the peasant puts
his trust, and takes it into consideration iu every domestic
-n flair.” . . T h en comes this confession :— “ I well rem em ­
ber th a t in my early manhood there was a learned old man,
Stepan Andreyevich, celebrated far anti wide in all our
neighbourhood, and even far beyond its boundaries. Before
the magical achievements and occult powers of this son of
tho village deacon, before his weird knowledge anti pro­
phecies, our people literally prostrated themselves. Ho
was not regarded as a practitioner of black art, b u t as a
benevolent magician ; he was simply credited with the
performance of the most astounding miracles. H e would
see and describe to others events transpiring m any miles
off; lie prophesied th e day of his own death, and that of
various well-known landowners in our neighbourhood ; at
a single word from him, a whole pack of wild dogs, that
were tearing after a carriage, fell dead in their tracks ; at
Orel, he evoked, a t her prayer, tho shade of a widow's de­
ceased husband, and discovered where ho had hidden some
im po rtan t family papcre. As forall m anner of illnesses, it
was as though lit! drove them away with a wave of his
hand. I t was positively said th a t one lady had paid him
17,000 rubles for curing a case of lunacy ; anti it was
alleged with like positiveness that he had been taken
invalids. Hysterical diseases yielded to a single touch
or even glance of liis. In our own house, he relieved an
obsessed woman, by simply causing her to drink twelve
bottles of some infusion of herbs. T he obsessed creature
would feel beforehand th e approach of Stepan Andreyevich ;
she would be thrown into terrible convulsions and scream
loud enough to be heard in th e village— ‘ he comes, lie
conies
As if th e above wore not wonderful enough, M. Markof
cites nn instance which has q u ite recently come u nder his
own observation, anti in which lie places a faith ipiite
refreshing to behold in h o uncompromising an . opponent
of every thing smacking of " superstition.” This is what
he tells us : " In my cattle-yard, th e re is a superb young
bull, purchased by me IVom a very wealthy breeder. This
bull had no progeny, strange to say, and 1 , believing it to
be th e keeper’s fault, rated him soundly for it. T he in­
telligent vioujih would only doll’ liis cap, and w ithout re­
plying, shake his head w ith an air of total disagreement
with my opinion.
" Eh ! Master, m aster !” lie once exclaimed, with an e x ­
pression of deep conviction. “ Did you not purchase the
bru te fr o m a w ealthy peasant ? How then can you ever
expect th a t he should breed ?”
The fact is th a t a popular superstition in Russia assures
th a t no rich breeder trading in tine cattle will ever sell a
beast unless it has been m ade previously barren by the
niagic means of the “ word” (a spell, or meittrttin). And M.
Markof, th e g re a t opponent of spiritualism evidently shares
iu this superstition since he adds th e following profound
reflection.
“ There are sutlicieiitly strong reasons to believe tha t
such exorcisms and spells are not merely limited to a
' word’ but too evidently in m any a case become ‘ a deed.’ ”
T H E D E C A D E N C E OF P R O T E S T A N T
C H R IS T IA N IT Y .
D oubts have been expressed by Asiatic friends :us to
the tr u th of our assertion th a t Protestantism was fast a p ­
proaching the crisis of its fate. Y et it needs only to visit
any P rotestant country to satisfy oneself of this fact. W e
find copied with approval into one of the must rabid
organs of the Roman Church— the Catholic- M irror— au
editorial article from the N ew Y ork Timex, a leading
American newspaper peculiarly devoted to th e interests
of an orthodox P rotestant public, containing the following
significant warning :
T h e P ro testa n t clerg y ilo n o t seem to b e awaro o f tlio form id ab le
w arfare w h ic h is n o w w a g in g a g a in st rev ea led relig io n . T lic
d efen ces w h ich w ere etfectiv o a g a in st th e n o isy a r tille r y o f P ain e are
u se le ss a g a in st th o n o iseless anil cea seless Mapping au d m in in g w ith
w h ich R a tio n a lism a tta c k s th e m . O rth odox P r o te sta n tism s h u ts
its e y e s to th e fa c t th a t scien ce and litoratu ro arc in th e h an d s o f its
en em ies It refu ses to |iercciv e th a t th e g ro u n d on w h ich it sta n d s
is slip p in g from u n d e r its fe e t ; th a t G erm an y, w h ich , a t th e call o f
L u th er, accep ted th e in fa llib le Book in p lace o f t h e se lf-sty le d
in fa llib le C hurch, h as n ow rejected th e B o o k , an d th a t th e n ew
reform ation, w h ich reform s C h r istia n ity o u t o f e x is te n c e , is sp rea d ­
in g all o v er th e P r o te sta u t w orld .”
T he result will, according to tho Time*, accrue to
the profit of the Romish Church. It foresees, iu fact,
th a t the latter may become “ far stronger th an she has
been a t any time since the Reformation.” Certainly the
sudden outbreak of bigoted fervour over th e pretended
“ miracles” in France and, more recently, Ireland, and the
growing perversions of Anglican priests and laity show a d e ­
cided drift in the direction indicated. Men in the mass do not
think b u t feci, arc emotional rather than rational, and go
by flocks and swarms to th a t ’religion which most appeals
to the emotions and imagination and least to the reason.
T h a t the whole area of l’rotestantdom is now ready to e m ­
brace some new faith which seems more consoling th an
Protestantism and more reasonable than Romanism, is so
palpable aud undeniable th a t uo well-informed, disinte r­
ested observer will gainsay the statem ent. This convic­
tion induced the founders of our Socicty to organize for the
quest after primitive truth. And it makes some of us
believe th a t the auspicious hour has come for the B ud ­
dhists to begin preparing for a new propaganda of B u d ­
dhism.
A NK.YT I'A M l’H M IT C o .N T A lN IM i T ill-; IIVK-1,AW\S O F T ilK
L ank a Theosophical Society, our Scientific Blanch, at
Colombo, Ceylon, lias been receited.
N O T E S O N T IIE liE E J M A N T R A S .
11V lt.VJA SVAMA HANK AH H<>V 1UIIADOOH, C.S.I.,
Vice-!'resident of the Thcoiophicut Socicty.
Does any one of your numerous readers know th a t the
Beej Mantras, (i.e., secret names f jr the gods of the H in ­
du Aryan pantheon,) have a very close relationship with
the appellations, the Mabomedans use for th e D eity in
their prayer ? W h a t a remarkable coincidence ! Even
the Mahomcdau term “ Allah,” applied to th e Suprem e
Being, is ta k e n iu the same sense by th e Vedas of the
Aryans. I would cite a su tra of th e A tharva Veda,*
compiled in th e “ Sabda-K alpa-D rum a.” f
j-}
aft m iO T r I
S# 'Ci
^ : i s f a r c f t ' T r 5i«rrc f a f r : | a i tf r
5^0 ^ 3 W TOTsTSM ^
i ^
'•c. ftra ira I anfr
sfiR g a s ? : ( ? ) sijT I
sifap n f p m *rrcr q ^ c r : anfr
f^ q P m usrr
: i ?^r qm t ? c ? i w
a m srnar sCr s h r q s n
t t I 3 ^ W *[-
a irfr : i
I
Did not the g re a t prop het of Islam, flourish long after
Atharva Y eda I A tharva preceded even Zoroaster and
Sak ya S ingha B udd ha ; and it is certainly beyond all
doubt, th a t th e Vedas a n te d a te Koran Sheriff. T hen it
would not be wrong to say, tha t the Mahoniedans are
not so foreign to us, as we aud they imagined. They
seem to be an offshot of ours, like the Zoroastrians aud tbe
Buddhists. W h y then should they call us kafhrs or non­
believers, and hate us ! T he following illustrations will,
I hope, repay perusal.
The Mahoniedans say, “ Karcem ” Allah (God that
creates), spelled K — r— ee— m ; and our word “ kreem,”
a bcrj m untra is used to signify Adya Maliakali, (the e te r ­
nal Being personified as a female). Adya means original,
first of ali. Again the word " Kalcem" used by th em to
m ean k ind-hearted, and applied to the S uprem e Being is
spelled K — 1— ee— m. Ours is “ Klecm,” the beeja, for
Vasudev Krishna (Alm ighty personified as a male). T heir
word “ Raheem Allah” which means God, the reliever
from distress, is spelled r— h— ee— in. Ours is
" Rheem” hee/a from Doorga (tbe Supremo Power personi­
fied as a female), meaning the power th a t removes all
grief. These words, 1 believe, are used in the daily prayers
by a largo num ber of Hindus who follow the hint ran and
the tm ru u n , and are as well used universally by all M a­
bomedans alike, tbe only difference being that the for­
m er pray in Sanskrit nnd the latter in Arabic. T he le t­
ters of the alphabet in thi- principal words used iu tb e
prayers, (I mean those applied to (Iod), are the same with
a slight difference in th e ir pronunciation. I believe a n u m ­
ber ot things will still be found on a careful examination
of these matters. Resides a few minor points, idolatry is
th e only th ing of importance, that is taken objection to.
• A learned P andit to whom thi» interesting ev>ay wns r<ul»mittcd has not
W en able to tiud th is |ms>a£c in tho A tharva Veda. Will our con trib u to r
kindly refer us to th e book am i chapter from which th e •{notation is m ade *
T here i* undoubtedly inuenuity .-hoivu, however, in tracing th e rcsemblaneo
between tlie ihimsxi^cm in tho !*cej M antras and the Arabic words ill «iue$tiou#
T h e atte m p t V*ill interont philolo^'Wl*. -Kn.
+ Sabda-kulpa-druuia, compiled by iUiyx Sir Kadhr.kanth Dev, cf Cal­
cutta*
Well, wliat is idolatry after all ? Is it not merely a figure
ol' speech, a personification, intended only to lielji a ready
conception, and a vivid realization ot tlie th in g to be m e d i­
tated upon { All this alleged idolatry is nothing more
than a simple and a natural result of deep and profound
earnestness of the heart nf a true lover of God, denom i­
n ated a Yogi. W hen the object is gained, this false idea
of personification is immediately vanquished and the real
tr u th revealed, even as the flower, concealing hy its petals
th e germ of fruit w ithin withers and falls off’, directly the
real substance within is developed and grown even as
the dolls which an infant girl personifies, pets, and talks
to, but. which are cast away as the sobered mind deals more
with realities.
Idolatry is merely a laipand- or an imagination. List
me ask who was ever without it ; to put a nam e is no­
thing moro or less than a halpand, so to say th a t (Jod is
like, fire, air., light, \ -c., is a halpiuid. For instance, who
told us th a t God’s name is (Jod This is simply a Ldil-
p in id in itself. T h en the difference is f liat the idolaters
create a. (/(oor//. or booth, or a h o dy-kalpaiitt, and th e so-
called non-idolators m ake a word or nam e kulpand. none
can do without it. Cannot this little difference be tolera­
ted ! Cannot the so-called idolaters be freed from the
unjust charge of blasphemy ! L et our educated brethren
(our Mahomedan brethren especially) th in k about it,
and let them teach these broad and catholic principles to
th e ir public prcachers, so th a t th e y m ay again preach
these tolerant doctrines to masses telling them that it is
sinful to hate each other for distinctions w ithou t a differ­
ence. W hat wonder then, that, w ithin a short tim e the
universal brotherhood may be established 1! T h u s a highly
desirable object will be acquired. I beg to press this
point- chiefly on the atten tion of our Moslem brethren. I
believe the great. Mogul Emperor, A k b a r Shah, understood
this truth, and, therefore, respected equally the Moulvies
and th e Pandits.
I t is said of the sacred books, t.liat th e last book is tha t
revealed to Mahomed, th e earliest, of them known to
A dam are now extinct. T h a t the Vedas were really the
earliest of the scriptures, is a fact, a d m itte d by the g r e a t­
est think ers of the time. W hy should not, therefore, the
Vedas be regarded as those lost books of A dam ?
T h e g re a t prophet of Islam condemned the people of
H in d u sta n for tlieir idolatrous mode of worship. It may
be, that, we were partially to blame, as we can conceive
that in his time the Hindus were really in a degenerated
condition, e ith er with regard to their mode of worship, or
in th e principles thereol, and their tru e Yogis or learned
m en were not accessible to that, g re a t prophet-. So his
conclusion was unconsciously based on a misconception.
The H ind us never really came, nor should they have
ever come, u nde r the term of idolaters. They are and
were always tru e believers in monotheism, b u t they wor­
shipped tho A lm ighty through a mode oika/pand. which
is named idolatry, the rest of the men doing the same
by some other mode of hulpan u which, though, was not
denominated idolatry.
L e t the whole world join in one universal brotherhood,
and in the same assemblage pray to th e Lord according
to the prayers of t.he Mohimnn shloltl :—
o 'O c.
“ 0 Lord ! .M en reach thee through various straight and
circuitous ways according to their varying choices. l i n t
still Thou art in all cases the only goal of men. even as
the sea is the goal of rivers (coming through different
channels).'’
11AV10 liKC'KI VKD KlloM liljlt ISIIOTJI Kit, MU. I'lCl’KU
Davidson of Scotland, a MSS. of g rea t interest which will
be published by us in three or four m on th ly instalments.
I t is an account by the late Dr. Price, of Guildford, of bis
successful experiments on th e artificial manufacture of the
pu rest quality of gold.
ASTRO LO G Y.
One of the most devoted among our English Tbeoso-
phists and, a t the same time, one of the best of men and
of friends, writes th a t he is devoting great attention to
the stu d y of Astrology. “ 1 am trying,” lie says. “ to
collect statistics in proof of Ptolemy's rules which shall ho
absolutely incontrovertible. . . . W e arc striving for no­
thing less th a n to show th a t a great deal of what is boast­
ed ns modern ‘ progress ’ is, in fact, retrogression. W hen
th e facts of Occult Science are once fairly recognized, there
m u st 1m; such a revolution in speculative and scientific
opinion as will have incalculable consequences.” In an o­
ther letter lie says “ I wish you would get some N ative
astrologer to give me a judgment- on m y horoscope. I
would pay a n y th in g reasonable. I w an t to see wherein
their judgm ent, and methods differ, if a t all, from ours in
th e West. I wa.s born in December 23, 1.S3.S, about "> v.M.
in O'Mi West- Longitude from Greenwich (London) and
o l '1,7 N o rth L a titu d e ; Hi 0 *18’ of Cancer rising in the
la titude of birth."
We ask as a personal favour th a t some one of our friends
in India or Ceylon who are com petent astrologers would
calculate this nativity, ami send the result to ns with a
m em orandum of his charges, if any. I t is a g re at mis­
take to suppose that th e educated m en of Europe and
A merica take no in terest in this a ncicnt scicnce of the
stars. Only tin; o th e r day we received a similar enquiry
from a G erm an Baron, and th e last American mail brought
a request for information from a ]>ersoh who has been
engaged in this study for many years. W e have some
learned Oriental astrologers in the n u m b er of our Fellow s:
let such do th e ir plain d u ty in the premises.
S T O N E T H R O W I N G B Y ' S P I R I T S ."
In th e J u l y n u m b e r we reprinted from th e fla ili/
Chronicle an account of recent stone-throwings a t l ’lum-
stead, England, by some mysterious agency. Am ong other
cases reported in the English papers is one at Cookstown,
near Belfast, Ireland, vouched for by the D a ily Tcleyraph,
and th e Belfast News Letter. The missiles, in this i n ­
stance, fell under the very eyes of th e police w ithou t
their obtaining the least clue. Tho Spiritualist cites an o ­
th e r similar incident as having happened at Beckham iu
broad daylight despite every precaution of the police to
entrap an y trickster. T h e editor says t h a t Mr. William
H ow itt once collected a whole bookful of in stan ces. T h e
thing is well known in India, and th a t our friends in
Europe may have the d a ta for m aking comparisons, we
will be glad if our readers will report to us cases t h a t can
be au th enticated hy respectable witnesses.
.A 111tf ITI I Kit T il K O S ol'l 11ST SlK iU K STS ONK OK Tl [ K TEK-
s e sta n d most satisfying definitions of the word miracle t h a t
we have seen. “ Would it not be w oith while” he asks “ to
explain th a t ' miraculous’ only means our ignorance of
causes, and th a t in denying miracles we only intend to
deny phenom ena tneajuible o f any rational explanation
irlm lerer; not pheno m ena far transcending explanation ac­
cording to commonly known and adm itted laws and ag e n ­
cies of n ature ? ” For lack of understanding the broad
distinction we draw between the Impossible and the U n ­
familiar iu physics, we have often been bitterly criticized
by opponents. These have even charged us with inconsis­
tency in denying the possibility of miracles, while a t tliu
same time affirming the reality of occult, phenomena of au
identical character. O u r quarrel is with the assumption'
tha t w hatever phenomenon is strangeand unfamiliar, must,
ipso facto be ascribed to supernatural agency, hence be
miraculous. I h e world is too old now to he driven or
cajoled into th e belief t h a t anythingw hatevercau happen or
ever did happen outside natural law,
 TH E NUM BER SE V E N AND O U R S O C IE T Y .
T hu thoughtful rciului must hnvo pondered well over the
mysterious im port th a t the n u m b e r .SVr<-« seems to have
always hail am ong th e ancients, a* succinctly epitomized
in uur J u n e number, as well as the theory of cycles, dis­
cussed iu tho J u l y issue. I t was th e re stateil th a t the
German scientists are now giving a tte n tio n to this m a n i­
festation of the numerical harm ony ami periodicity of the
operations of N ature. A series of statistical observations,
embracing some centuries of historical events, tend to
show' th a t the ancients m ust have been perfectly aware of
this law when constructing th e ir systems of philosophy,
in fact, when statistical science shall have been fully p e r­
fected, as it seems likely to be, there will be constantly
increasing proofs th a t the evolution of heroes, poets, mili­
tary chieftains, philosophers, theologians, g re a t merchants,
and all other remarkable personages is a.s capable of m a ­
thematical estim ate upon the basis of tho potentiality of
numbers, as the return of a comet by th e rules of astro­
nomical calculations. The comparatively modern system
of life insurance rests upon tho calculated expectancy of
life on the average a t certain ag e s ; and while noth in g is
so uncertain as th e probable longevity of au y single in ­
dividual in a community, nothing is more certain than
th a t the probable life-chance of any one person in the mass
of population, can I k * known on th e basis of th e general
average of linnian life. In fact, as M. de Cazeueuve, in
the Journal tin Magnclisiue, ju s tly observes, the law of
numerical proportions is verified in every d epartm ent of
the physical sciences. We sec it iu chem istry a.s the law
of definite proportions and multiple proportions ; in physics,
as the law of optics, acoustics, electricity, &c. ; in m inera­
logy, in th e wonderful phenom ena of crystallization ; in
astronomy, in tliu celestial mechanics. Well may the
w riter above-quoted remark : Physical and moral laws
have so infinitely num erous points of contact th a t if we
have not as yet reached the (mint where we cmi dem on­
strate their identity, it is none the less certain th a t there
exists between them a very great analogy."
We have a tte m p te d to show* how, by a sort of common
instinct, a peculiar solemnity and mystical significance
lias been given th e N u m b e r Seven am ong all people, at
all times. It now remains for us to cite from tlie ex­
perience of the Theosophical Society some facts which
indicate how its power has manifested itself with us.
Continually our experiences have been associated with
Seren or some combination or multiple of it. And il
must be remembered th at in not a single instance was
there any intention th a t th e num ber should play a part in
our affairs ; but, on the contrary, what happened was in
many cases exactly th e reverse of wliat we desired. It was
only the other day that we began to ta k e any note of the
striking chain of circumstances, and somo have only been
recalled now at the moment of writing.
Tin; two chief founders of our Society were the Presi­
dent, Colonel Olcott, and the Conductor of this Magazine.
W hen they made each other’s acquaintance (in 1 <S74) the
ollice number of the former was srven, the house num ber
of th e latter *m*iiteen. T he President’s In au gural Address
before the Society was delivered N ovem ber I?, I!S7’> ;
the llead-quiirters were established in the-fW i street ; (the
up-town streets iu N ew York are all designated by n u m ­
bers), and Colonel ( Mcott’solHee was removed to 71 I iroad way.
On the 177// December 1N7!>, our delegates to India sailed
for London : the voyage, owing to storms aud fogs, lasted
fcYiv/iteen days ; on th e 17th January, LS.SO, we left Lon­
don for Liverpool to tjike the steam er for Bombay, g o t on
board the next day, but lay all night iu the Mersey, and
o utlie Itttli— the «c'«'/iteenth day from our landing in
England, we got to sea. On March 2— M-rci/tccn days
after reaching Bombay— we removed to the bungalows
whern we have ever since been living. <)n the 23rd
March, th ir ty -fiv e ( / X a) days after landing, Colonel
Olcott delivered his first public oration on Theosophy, a t
Framji Cowusji Institu te, Bombay. J u l y 7, th e tirst
P ro s p e c tu s a n n o u n c in g th e in te n d e d f o u n d a tio n o f t h e
T iik oso PH Ist was w ritten ; on the '2.7/h September, th e
lirst “ form” was made up a t the printing-oHiee, and on
October 1— our 2 2 7th in India— the magazine appeared.
B u t we anticip ate events. In the beginning of April,
last year, Colonel Olcott and th e Conductor of this Maga­
zine went to the N.-W . Provinces to m eet Swami D a y a ­
nand, and were absent from the Hcad-quarters thirty-sei’m
days, and visited .'even different cities during th e trip. In
December of ( hat year we again went northward, and on
the 21 at ( 7 x 3) of th a t month, a special m eeting of the
Society of Benares P andits was held to g reet Colonel
Olcott and elect him an Honorary M ember in token of
the friendliness of the orthodox Hindu pandits for our
Society— a most im po rtan t event.
Coining down to the Ceylon trip, we find on consulting
the diary th a t our party sailed from Bombay May 7,
tho steam er sta rtin g h e r engines a t 7'7 A..M. W e reached
P oint de Gallo on th e 17th. A t the first m eeting iu C ey ­
lon of candidates for initiation, a group of . w n persons
presented themselves. A t Panadu re seven were also ini­
tiated first, th e evening proving so boisterous and stormy
th a t the rest could not leave their houses. At Colombo
fiiui'te.eii ( 7 x 2) were initiated the first night, while a t
the preliminary m eeting to organize tin: local branch tem ­
porarily, there, were twenty-.>rm/. A t Randy nctM-utnvn
comprised the first body of candidates. R eturning to
Colombo we organized the “ L a nk a Theosophical Society,”
a scientific branch, on the \7th of tlie month, and on the
evening when the Panadure branch was formed, thirty-five
names ( 7 x o) were registered as fellows. Seven priests
were initiated here during this second visit, a n d a t B e n t o t a
wlieic we tarried to organize a branch, there were again
xei'rn priests adm itted. T h irty-five ( 7 x •">) members
organized the M at.ua branch : and here again the priests
taken into fellowship numbered seven. So, too, at. Halle
tw e n ty -s m ’/! persons were present on the night of th e
organization— the rest being unavoidably absent ; and a t
W elitara the num ber was t iventy-one, or three tim es seven.
Upon counting up the e ntire num ber of lay HuddhisLs in ­
cluded iu our seren Ceylon branches th a t are devoted to th e
interests of th a t faith, we find our mystical num ber seven
occupying tho place of units, and what adds to th e sin­
gularity of the fact is th a t the same is the case with the
sum-total of priests who joined our Parent Society.
O ur septenary fatality followed ns all throughout the
return voyage to Bombay. O f the Delegation two m e m ­
bers having O urgent
© business,’ took an earlier steam er from
Colombo, th u s reducing our num ber to seven. Two more
fully intended to conn* home from Galle by tin; vessel of
the 7th July, but ns it turned out, she did not, touch there
and so, perforce, our band of seven came together on tho
1 2 th — the lifty-*rm»f/« day after our landing. T h e sea
voyage from <’ey Ion to Bombay may be said to begin upon
leaving Colombo, since the run from Galle to tlmt port is in
Ceylonese waters. From friends-—five lay men and two priests
— again seven— who came aboard at Colombo to bid us
farewell, we learned th a t th e J u ly 'I’ll K<>soi*ll 1ST hail reach­
ed there, and being naturally anxious to see a copy, u r ­
gently requested tha t one should l>e sent us to look at, if
jiossible, before •”> o’clock r. M., th e hour a t which it was
thought we would leave port. 'I'liis wa.s promised us, and
after our friends left, we watched every craft tha t came
tiom shore. Kive o’clock came, then six aud half-past six,
but no messenger or magazine for us. A t last, precisely, a t
seven, one. little canoe was seen tossing in the heavy sea
that wa.s running, she approached, was alongside ; on her
bows, painted o n a white ground was the Num ber Seven,
a man climbed over the ship’s rail and in his hand was
the pa]ier we were waiting tor! When th e anchor was
up and the pilot’s hell rung Ibr starting the engines,
two of our party ran to look at. the ship’s clock : it stood
a t xeveit m inutes past 7 i*..M...........
At Tutticorin, Mr. Padshah, one of our party, went ashore
as his desire was to return by rail to Bombay, so as to seu
Southern India: th e littleb o a t in which he went ashore we no­
ticed, after she had got clear from thecrowd of craft alongside,
b o re thy num ber forty-fcri'M. Going down the coast on our
 outwind voyage, our steamer touched at /uurlei-n (7 X 2)
ports : cilining homo our vessel, owing to tho monsoon
w eather ami the heavy surf along tin; M alabar • 'oast,
visited only ,n w i. Ami, finally, as th ou gh to show us tha t
our soptenatc destiny was not to hi; evaded, it was a t exactly
,-rrrn o’clock— as the log of th e S. S. Ohnmla shows—
when we sighted th e pilot oil Horn ba y harbour, at, 7"2i
tho bell rang to slow down the engines, at, 7 '\7 the pilot
stepped on th e “ bridge” and took command of t h e ship,
nmi a t !)'."!7 our anchor wa.s dropped otf the A]»o)lol$mider.
and our voyage was th u s ended on the 2+tli of Ju ly , tho
.soventv-wf.,»,Mi//» day idler th e one on which wc had sailed
for (.'nylon. T,o a.scriltc to mere coincidence this strange ,
if not altogether unprecedented, concatenation of events
in which tlio .Number Seven was, as tin; astrologers m ight
call it “ in tho ascendant,” would be an absurdity. The
m ost superficial examination of th e doctrine of chance
will suffice to show th a t. And. if, indeed, we must ad m it
that, som e mysterious law of numerical potentialities is
asserting itself in shaping the foi l lines of the Tliooso-
phical Society, w hither shall w" tu rn for an explanation
but. to those ancient Asiatic philosophies which were built
upon th e bed-rock of Occult Science {
.1 T l t U A T l S E O N T H K YOU A P H I L O S O P H Y .
u v N. 1’A l 't , U.H.M .C., SUH-ASsSlSTANT SUHGKON.
W hen in America, and Europe, wo affirmed upon tlie
autho rity of the testimony of eye-witnesses tho i|iia s i.'
miraculous physical endurance of certain ascetics in India,
our statem ents won; invariably received by the genera)
public with incredulity ; and sometimes by physicians, and
m en of science with contem ptuous sneers. Some of tic;
m ost humouristie articles, ever printed in the N ew York
newspapers, were written sit our expense upon this text.
W hen wo mentioned th at we. had personally known not,
only professional j ’a i-ii't and ■<(iniiyn*ix, but private Ja in s
who u n de r th e inspiration of fanaticism would abstain from
b re a th in g for over twenty-two m inutes, till they bro ught on
a, dead trance, while others would last for over forty days
an d yel. survive, our evidence was regarded as little better
than th a t of a hopeless lunatic. N aturally, therefore, such
an experience made us very guarded, and a t last we came to
speak with great diffidence upon the subject a t all, except
with good and trusted friends. Knowing what gigantic
strides biological science was making, wo th o ug ht it could
not bo long before some scientific e xp erim en t would turn
up, which would prove the possibility of such phenomena
and wrest, from sceptical science th e confession of its pre­
vious ignorance, f t now seems th a t we were not to be
disappointed.
A lic u te r’s telegram from N ew Volk, dated A ug ust 7,
apprised the world of tho following stupendous event :—
•' l>r. T innier, w lio an n ou nced liis d iu b c iic f regard in g m edicid
th e o ries a b o u t sta r v a tio n , d e c la r in g In: cou ld 1iv<* for fo rty d.i^s
w ith o u t food, and w lio began licre L is se lf-im p o se d ta sk on tin;
U stli .tu n e. co m p leted it to-iln.V, h u t i* em a cia te d an d exlim m li-d. ’
A t once the idea occurred to us th a l the time had at
last arrived to make the world acquainted with certain
facts which, before Dr. T a n n e r s courageous experiment,
would have been most assuredly classed by the ignorant
as fictions along with other facts that, have heretofore
appeared in our journal, but, a lthough supported by t r u s t ­
worthy evidence, been ranked by the sceptics its incredible.
These facts are discussed in a small pamphlet, published
at. Benares thirty you in ago hy au A nglo-lndiau doctor,
which, on account of its subject being so distasteful to the
incredulous, failed to a ttr a c t th e a ttention of men of science
a t that time. It. is through the obliging kindness of the
venerable Pandit Lakshnii N arain Vyasa, of Allahabad,
th a t we are enabled to reproduce for tho instruction and
gratification of our readers, from th e copy in his posses­
sion, this, Dr. Paul's, excellent monograph on the Yoga
.Philosophy. Though written so long ago, aud, of course
containing none of th e more recent speculations of science,
y et this work has a distinct value as an honest attempt to
explain from the standing-point of a medical man, the
reason tor this, tliiit, or the oth er of the Yogi’s stages tit
discipline; which, as wo have shown, have been repudiat­
ed as “ scientifically'’ impossible, lint, as wo cannot say
tliiit in every case th e autho r has succeeded in making
himself or his facts clearly understood, we venture to 'ac­
company the te x t with commentaries. And this with the
double object iu view of silencing at once tho malicious
accusation th a t our Society is no b etter than a school of
“ magic.’’ the word being used to signify ridiculous su per­
stition and belief in Hupvvnatu I'alium and of preventing our
readers from receiving wrong impressions in general.
W e are glad to say t h a t the eighteen months passed by
us in this country, and the twelve-month existence of our
jo urnal have not been fruitless in experience. For during
this period, we have learned at least one most iui)iortaut
feature pertaining to th e actual state of Hindu society.
W e find th a t the. latter comprises two distinct, par­
ties, one, th a t of th e free-thinkers, nil denying, sceptical,
iind wholly materialistic, w hether of th e Bradlaugh party,
or the “ modern school of thoug ht the other, orthodox,
bigoted, full of th e unreasoning superstitions of the Ihnh-
minical schools, and believing iu a n ything if it only tallies
with one or the other of th e P im m " * . Both th e nee pin*
vfr.ro. of exaggeration and, as the .saying goes, " each more
Catholic than the Pope,” w hether the latte r is represent­
ed by Bradlaugh or the Caste Almighty, th e most inflexible
of gods. T he few honourable exceptions go b u t enforcing
the general rule. .
T he Theosophical Society— whatever any inimical paper
may say— knew why it was wanted in India, and came ju s t
in tim e to place itself between th e above-named parties.
O ur journal, its organ, has from the beginning pursued the
distinct policy of lending a friendly car to both these parties,
and bidding its t ime to have its full say. By doing so it has
puzzled many, given offence to a few—through no malice
or fault of ours, th ou gh— b u t afforded instruction, wc
hope, to such as have had the wit to understand its
policy. And now th a t th e end of the year is reached wc
mean to commence our intended series of explanations
by rep rintin g J)r. Paul's treatise, from mouth to month,
with :i com m entary upon th e te x t as before stated. A t
the same time the criticisms of all persons learned in the
Yoga upon e ith er Dr. P a u l’s views or our own arc invited.
— £'</. Theos.
Comment .— This Treatise nmiiily relates ’to tlie practice* of
the H atha not tlie Jlaja, Yoga,—tlioti^li the author lias devoted
to cacli a distinct chapter. Wo will nolice the great difference
between the two later on.— I'./l. Them.
A in't ion’s P uki ' ack.
T he present Treatise contains th e theory and practice
of the Yoga, one of th e six systems of doctrine held by the
Hindus. '
T he Yoga treats of Various processes, by which the
H ind u Kcstatici acquire tin; power of abstaining from
eating and b re a th in g for a long time, and of becoming in­
sensible to all external impressions.
T he H ind u mystics (yogis) who practise yoga, retire
into .subterranean re tre a ts (guphaf, they abstain from com­
mon salt, and are extrem ely fond of milk, on which they
cliieHy liv e : th e y are nocturnal in their habits, keeping
retired in the d.ay; they are slow in their motions, and
torpid in their m a n n e r s ; they eat iind walk during the
night. They practise two postures, term ed Padmtisaiia,
and Siddhasana, with a view to respire with the least pos­
sible frequency. '1 hey also dread the rapid ch. uges and
inclemencies of the weather.
W h e n th e yogis are able to practise th e above quiescent
postures for the period of two horn's, thev co m m en ce to
practise Pniiniyama, a stage of self-trance which is charac­
terised by profuse perspiration, tremblings of the system,
and a sense of lightness of the animal (economy. They
next practise P ra ty a lu u a , a stage of self-trance iu which
 th e y liave the functions of the senses suspended. They
th e n practise Dli/irana, a stage of self-trance in which .sen­
sibility and voluntary motion are suspended, and th e body
is capable of retain in g any given posture, the m ind being
saiil to be quiescent in this stage of .self-trance.
The Yogis, after attaining the stage of D hdrana (cata­
leptic condition), aspire to what is term ed Dhyana, a stage
of self-trance in which they pretend to be surrounded by
flashes of eternal light or electricity, term ed Ananta-jyoti,
(from two Sanskrit words signifying endless or all-pervad­
ing light), which they say is th e universal soul. The
Yogi's iu a slate of Dliyana are said to be clairvoyant. The
J)hyuna of the Yogis is th e Turyd avastlm of th e Vedan-
tists— the ecstacy of the Physicians, th e self-contempla­
tion of the German meameriser.s, and tho clairvoyance of
the French philosophers.
Sam adhi is th e last stage of self-trance. I n this state
the yogis, like tho bat, the hedgehog, th e marmot, th e
hamster, and the dormouse, acquire th e power of su p p o rt­
ing tho abstraction of atmospheric air, and th e privation
of food ami drink. Of samadhi or hum an hybernation
there have been three, cases within th e last twenty-five
years. T he first case occurred in Calcutta, the second in
Jesselmere and the third in th e Punjab. I was an eye­
witness of the first case.
Of samadhi there are two varieties, term ed S am prajna
nnd Asamprajria. Colonel Townsend, who could stop the
motion of his h e a rt and arteries a t pleasure, and could die
or expire when he pleased, and agaiu revive, was a ease of
S am prajna samadhi.
The Jesselmere, the Punjabi, and tho Oulcuttu yogis,
who assumed a death-like condition by swallowing the
tongue, and who could not revive of them selves a t pleasure,
were cases of Asamprajna samadhi, as th ey were all resus­
citated by others who drew the buried tongue out. of the
fauces and restore*I it to its normal place.
(*11 account of th e real obscurity of tho n a tu re of tho
Yoga philosophy, anil of my u tte r ignorance of the S a n s­
krit language, in which all the standard works on Indian
mysticism are written, I must crave some indulgence if I
have failed to do full justice to th e subject of self-trance as
practised by the cold-blooded and hyb ern atin g philoso­
phers of the East.
A TK KATISK OX T IIK VO(iA l ’H I l.O S u l'H Y.
H kkouk entering on th e consideration of th e elements
of hum an hybernation or Yoga, it m ay not be altogether
uninteresting to give a full account, of the n a tu re of the
expired air, which the Sanskrit auth orities term Pn'uia.
T he expired air contains more caloric and more watery
vapour, is more elastic, and is of less specific gravity than
t he inspired air. T h e average te m p e ra tu re of the expired
air is fJ!)- ;> I*’.
T he average q u a n tity of w atery vapour expired in 21
hours by an adult, in tem perate climates, is 7 ,Hill ,2 2 2
grains. The bulk of carbonic acid in the 1 0 0 parts of the
expired air, varies, according to different authorities, as
shown by the table following:—
AuthuvUieg. Aceratje jiercenluye o f car­
bonic acid by volume.
Prout................................ H* 4f>.
Coathupe,.......................... 4‘ 02.
Thompson.......................... 4‘ 10.
Vierordt,............. .............. 4‘ 334.
B ru n n e r and Valentine, 4. 3<S0.
T he q u a n tity of carbonic acid evolved du rin g the day
is greater than what is excreted during th e night.
For every 12 volumes of carbonic acid evolved during
flic day, 10 are exhaled during th e night. T h e q u a n tity
of carbonic acid evolved in respiration is considerably in ­
creased after a full meal. Hence, moderation in d ic t, te r m ­
ed Mitaharu, i.s recommended to persons who practise th e
suspension of the breath. Sequiu found th a t when lie was
in a state of repose, and fasting, he vitiated only 1 ,2 1 0
cubic inches of oxygen, while, during digestion, this bulk
was increased to between 1,800 nnd 1,900 cubic inches.
W ith a view to expire less carbonic acid, many iakirs
fast during the day and take one moderate meal during
the night. These aro called Naktabhoji.
Exerciso increases th e a m o u n t of carbonic acid in the
expired air in a given time. Aware of this fact, tho ancient
H ind u philosophers prescribed slow movements to such as
wanted to exhale less carbonic acid.
Yogis aro recommended to move .slowly in order to re n ­
der th e ir respiration less frequent.
TRiMTMRATUHK.
H um an beings deteriorate a greater q u a n tity of air in a
cold th a n in a warm medium ; th a t is to say, th e y exhale
moro carbonic-acid iu a eolil atm osphere than in a hot,
one. H ence th e Yogis are recommended to dwell, liko
th e burrowing animals, in subterranean re tre a ts wliich are
rem arkable for possessing a uniform temperature. T he
nearer tho te m p e ra tu re of the external air is to the animal
heat, the less is the q u a n tity of carbonic acid iu th e ex­
pired air. Hence the ap pe tite for food a t the equator is
less keen than in the. polar regions. T he appetite for food
is in proportion to tla- q u a n tity of carbonic acid exhaled
during a given tim e. I n a confined atmosphere less car­
bonic acid is evolved than in th e free ventilated air.
H ence a Yogi delights to live in a guph a (subterranean
cell) having a small door which is blocked up with clay by
liis assistant.
i.O U ii s i'U A K iM :.
The amount of carbonic acid exhaled in a given lime is
greater in loud speaking th a n iu a state of silence. Hence
a Yogi is recommended to practise Mauuavrata,— ta c itu r­
nity, or the vow of ,s ilence.
M ISN'T A I. I.AJiCM/lt.
Mental labour diminishes tho q u a n tity of carbonic acid
in the expired aii1. 11once t lie Yogis aro recommended to
a\oid physical exertions, ami to engage in meditation.
■MK STA L AliSTUACTION.
W hen the mind is abstracted from its functions th e
am ount of carbonic acid is lessened. H ence the Yogis are
recommended to fix their sight on tho tip of the nose or
upon the space between th e oyc-brows. These peculiar
tu rns of the axes of vision .suspend the respiratory move­
m ents and generally produce hypnotism. This process is
termed T ra ta ka in Sanskrit.
KKST.
T h e q u a n tity of carbonic acid exhaled in a given tim e
is less in a state of rest th an in one of exerciso. Hence
the Yogis are recommended to sit in the two tranquil and
quiescent postures termed th e Siddlulsana and Kanialasana
of which a circumstantial account will be given while tre a t­
ing of hum an hybernation.
T h e longer th e state of rest i.s continued the less is tlio
q u a n tity of carbonic acid evolved from the gradual decrease
of the num ber of respirations. This is b e tte r illustrated
by the following paragraph quoted from a standard work
on N atural History.
“ In a specimen of Ijombus terrestris, which remained
nt. rest for abo ut half an hour, the respirations had b e ­
come deep and laboured, and were continued regularly at,
about, fifty-eight p e r m inute. A t the expiration of one
hundred and forty minutes, during which tim e th e insect,
remained in a state o! repose, the respiratois wen; only
forty-six per minute. A t th e expiration of a hundred and
eighty m inutes the respirations were no longer percep­
tible,’’
 As tlio respirations are fewer in a given time, iu persons .lames the Hermit, 10-1- ; Arsenins, tu to r of fhe Emperor
of sedentary habits, th e desire for food is proportionally Arcadius, 120; Simon tlie Stylite, 112; and Roniauld,
loss keen. O w ing to this circumstance, individuals load­ 1 2 0 . These persons took but. very little food. Cassian
ing a s e d en ta ry life aro subject lo an infinite variety of assures us thnt, th e common rate, for 24 hours, was 12
diseases. A studious man d i g e s t s bailly because. lio ex ­ ounces of bread and a sufficiency of pure wafer.
hales a very small q u a n tity of carbonic acid, owing to tlio analysis, 1 2 ounces of broad will be
diminished numbin' of respirations d e p e n d e n t on intense
m ental application and on a sta te of repose. Water, — 2 M0 + ( {rains.
Milk diet is well suited to sedentary habits, and g e n e ­ ( 'arbon, — 1:>:w. s do.
rally supersedes th e em plo ym en t of purgatives, emetics Oxygen, —- I ">24 do.
and cordials, which aro in such general vogue in th e tr e a t­ Hydrogen, — 2 0 r.. 2 do.
m ent of diseases arising from sedentary habits. N itrogen, --- 72 do.
Salts, — 120 do.
IN F L U E N C E OK D ltY N E SS AN1) M O IS T U R E ON ’N IK E X P IR E D From th e above analysis of th e food of the fore-men­
AI It. tioned long-lived individuals, it appeal's th a t they con­
H u m a n beings exhale! more carbonic acid in a dry a t ­ sumed a little more than 1500 grains of carbon in 2+
mosphere th a n in a moist one. hours, and that, they respired less than six times per
m inute, as shown by th e table following:—
INKLUF.NCH OK HRICMIT o l ’ PLACES.
T he exhalation of carltonic acid is greater at tin; level
of tlie sea th a n 011 mountains.

IN F L U E N C E OK RA D IA TIO N A N D V A PO R IZ A TIO N ON T ill'.

E X P IR E D AMI.
On being exposed to th e open a ir in a carriage or 011
the deck of a ship, hum an beings exhale more carbonic
acid than usual, from the more active radiation nnd eva­
poration from th e animal economy.
IN F L U E N C E OK CO N D U C T O R S A N D N O N -CO N D U CTO RS OX
'I'llH E X P IR E D A ll!.
W hen we are surrounded hv non-conductors, we exhale
less carbonic acid, if th e atm osphere lie cold, than when
surrounded by conductors:. Hence dealers in metallic
utensils consume more food du rin g tb e winter. A true
Yogi is directed not to touch metals of any description.
Tt m ay be observed that, hybom ating anim als are covered
with non-conductors during th e ir long hybernal sleep.
H ence th e more warmly we are clad, the less is th e q u a n ­
tity of carbonic acid evolved, and the less, consequently, is
th e d e m and for food.
IN F L U E N C E O F T IIE D R IN K IN O O F C'01,11 W ATER OX Ti l K
F .X I'lltK D AI It.
Those who are accustomed to drink large q uantities of
cold water, exhale more carbonic acid than those who
drink a small q u a n tity of the liquid. A. Yogi is recom­
mended to t a k e a small q u an tity of w ater to quench his
thirst. 1 have known a native to abstain altogether from
wator, and to m aintain sound health a t th e same time.
IN F L U E N C E OF A L C O H O L IC LIQ U O R S OX T H E E X P IR E D A ll!.
T he use of alcoholic liquor causes a considerable dim i­
nution in the am ount of carbonic acid given out. T he
Aghoras, a sect of H ind u fakirs, consume a large q ua ntity
of alcoholic liquor in tho course of th e 2-1 hours.
Comment.—The Aghorns, or Aghom Pnntlin enn hardly be
fairly compared will) or even be P aid to follow any Yoya sys­
tem at all, not. even the Ilntlia Yoga. They are notorious for
their filthy habits : cat carrion of various kinds, ami, in days
o f old, were even necuscd of devouring human flesh ! These
persons certainly made spirituous liquors their habitual drink,
and miliko real Yogis, extorted alms ami used their .system a s
n men' pretext for milking money. Ited need to n few miser­
able and disgusting wretches, they wero fiually suppressed, and
have now disappeared.— E d. Th.
IN F L U E N C E OF W E IG H T ON THK E X P IR E D A ll!.
Persons who arc heavy exhale more carbonic acid than
those who arc comparatively light. H ence th e Yogis e x ­
te n u a te their systems, restrain th e ir passions, and subdue
t heir vicious natures, by a pai'simonions use of food. Abst i­
nence favours longevity, by diminishing th e waste of,
m atter. With frugal fare, St. A ntho ny lived 10-1 yea re ;
.V TO. is a . 10- 4 3 ! . 1- 7 1943. <17.
12. ■1- 10. I.V (HWS. I- 2.'.0. 2708- 18.
42. :!• :i. * 21. l.-.fi. I- oo«. 4 f.0 l- n .
48. 2- I). 140-1. ■12- l.M>. O- 8 8 ). TiH ]■ US.
O.
fit!. 21128. 79' (*">(». n- 82:?. 14772 22
A bstinence dim inishes fhe num ber of respirations; it
diminishes the waste of body ; it promotes longevity.
According to the H in d u Rishis, whatever prolongs the
interval (Kuniblmka) promotes longevity. T he ' term
Kumblm ka means the interval between an inspiration
(puraka) and an expiration (rcehaka.) The terms Puraka,
K um bhaka, and Uechaka are frequently met with in al­
most all the sacred writings of the Hindus. T he object of
the puraka, (the inspired air) is called Apana, and t h a t of
the rechaka (the expired air) is called I’rana. T h e cessa­
tion of an expiration constitutes death, and the retent ion
of th e same, life. T h e suppression of expiration consti­
tutes Primayaina, a practice by which the H indu pretends
to acquire ashfaisiddhi (eight consummations), and to over
come death. It is the daily practice of tho Brahman
mendicants who aspire to hum an hybernation or Yoga.
Comment,— liumnn byltei iinlioii belongs to tho Yoga system
nnd may be teimcd one of its many results, but it cannot bo
called “ Yoga,"— I'd. T/i.
T h e stoppage of th e respiratory m ovements (Pranflya-
maj, or rather the prolongation of the interval (Kumblia-
ka) has a rem arkable effect upon th e q uantity of carbonic
acid in th e expired air. Yierordt has made four series of
experiments, in order to ascertain th e e xte nt of this in­
fluence upon the q u a n tity nf carbonic acid evolved from
fhe lungs. In th e first series, he shut his mouth, and held
his nose from 2 0 to (if) seconds, the longest period he
could continue th e experiment, anil then made th e deep­
est possible inspiration. In th e second series, he made
the deepest inspiration possible, and then suspended (lie
respiratory m ovements for a longer or shorter time, at
th e term ination o f which he made the deepest expiration.
T his experim ent he was able to prolong to 70, 5»0, and
even 1 0 0 seconds. •
I n th e third series, he m ade an ordinary inspiration
before suspending th e respiratory movements, anti after
this suspension had continued for dilVorent periods up to
:«) seconds, lie m ade an ordinary expiration. T he fourth
series of experim ents which he performed was to ascer­
tain tlio period of time, after th e stoppage of th e respira­
tory movements, when tbe percentage of carbonic acid
becomes uniform in tlic different parts of the lungs anil
a i r ; and this, be found, took place after 40 seconds.
H e lias arranged the results of the first, three series of
experiments, in several tables, exhibiting th e diflerenee
betw een the percentage and absolute q u a n tity of carbonic
aeiil gas in th e expired air, at. different periods after the
suspension of the respiratory movements, under the cir­
cumstances mentioned, and when the respiratory move­
m ents proceed in th e normal manner. In tbe first series
of experiments, th e percentage of carbonic acid in the ex­
pired air, after th e respiratory m ovements had been .sus­
pended 2 0 seconds, was higher by l - 73 th a n when these
movements were normal. B u t th e absolute q u a n tity of
carbonic acid evolved from th e lungs had diminished by
2 - (i42 cubic inches, and a t the end of oo seconds its p e r­
centage had increased 2. 32 ; b u t its absolute q u an tity had
diminished to the extent of 1 2 ' 382 cubic inches per minute.
W hen the respirations are 3 in nu m b e r per m inute, the
percentage of carbonic acid may be reckoned o. 83, and
the absolute q u a n tity of the gas in the expired air, 5-33,44">
cubic inches in a m in ute.
W hen there is but one respiration per m inute, the per­
centage of carbonic acid in tlic expired air may be reckon­
ed at <)• 42, ami the absolute q u a n tity of carbonic acid,
I - 1)581 cubic inches per minute.
In the second series of experiments, w here the deepest
possible inspiration preceded, and the deepest possible ex­
piration followed th e suspension of th e respiratory move­
ments, th e above q u a n tity of carbonic acid evolved from
the lungs tor th e first 15 seconds, was somewhat more thau
what there would have been, had these m ovem ents p r e ­
ceded. B u t after this it began to diminish ; and when the
respiratory m ovements had been suspended for 0 "» seconds,
it was diminished to the extent of I4- 0 7 8 cubic inches.
A t the end of 100 seconds the percentage of the carbo­
nic acid was 3' 08 above the normal q u a n tity in ordinary
respiration. In th e third series of experiments, th e carbo­
nic acid in the expired air a t the end of 30 seconds, was
1 . o.ia per cent above the normal qu antity. W hen the
respirations were 2 in num ber per minute, the percentage
of carbonic acid in the expired air was .v (!.">.
T he normal num ber of respirations per m in u te is 1 2 :
the average bulk of each expiration is 30" 5 English cubic
in c h e s ; and the normal percentage of carbonic acid i s 4 'l ,
by volume.
From the above experiments it is evident th a t tho a b ­
solute q ua ntity of carbonic acid evolved from th e lungs iu
a given time, is less in retarded th a n in normal expira­
tion, and that the percentage of carbonic acid is gre a te r iu
retarded thau iu normal expiration.
The exhalation of carbonic acid from th e lungs is m a te ­
rially diminished by the inaudible and frequent repetition
of certain words, such as Om, Bain, Ac. &e. T he inaudible
pronunciation of Om, the sacred triliteral monosyllable,
diminishes th e absolute q u a n tity of carbonic acid in the
expired air of a given time. This constitutes th e Ja p a of
Pranavu (or Om). Next, to abstinence, J a p a ranks in im­
portance. A Dandi who repeats Om twelve thousand
times every day, in an inaudible voice, generally lives
upon a small q uantity of food.
Comment— T hus we find In Iliis firs I. portion o f iheT reatiso n full
vindication o f tlio Imbils o f tlio Hindu ascetics— nay those even
o f tlio Christian saints o f every period, from the tirst century
down to our own day*, as we w ill prove. And hence the laugh
o f the ignorant, tiie sceptic and the materialist at w hat seem s
to them tho most absurd o f practices is turned against tho
jokers. For we now see, that i f au ascetic prefers a subter­
ranean cave to the open fresh air ; takes (apparently) the vow o f
silence and meditation ; refuses to touch money or anything
metallic ; and, lastly, passes his days iu wlmt appears the most
ludicrous occupation o f all, that o f concentrating his whole
thoughts on the tip o f liis nose, he does this neither for the
take o f playing an ainiless comedy nor y et out o f mere un­
reasoned superstition but as a physical dt«;iplinc based ou
strictly scientific principles. M ost o f the thousands o f fakirs,
gosseius, bnyraguis and others o f tlic mendicant order w ho
throng the villages and religious fairs o f India iu onr present
age, may be and undoubtedly are w orthless and idle vagabonds,
modern clowns im itating tho great students of the philosophic
njics o f tin: past. And, thero is but little doubt that, though
they ape the postures and servilely copy the traditional custom*
of their nobler brethren, they understand no more why thoy do it,
than tlio sceptic who laughs at them. liu t if we look closer at
the origin o f their school aud study l ’atanjali’s Yo/ja Yulya —
wc w ill lie better able to understand and hence appreciate, their
seem ingly ridiculous practices. I f the ancients were not. as
w ell versed in the details o f physiology as arc our physicians o f
the Carpenteriau modem school,— a question still sub judice—
they may perhaps be proved on the other hand to liave fathomed
this science iu another direction by other methods far
deeper than tho former ; in short to have made them selves
belter acquainted with its occult and exceptional laws than we
are. T hat the ancients o f all countries were intimately ac­
quainted with wlmt is termed iu our days “ hypnotism ” or solI-
mesmerisation, the production, in a word, o f voluntary trance—
cannot be denied. One o f many proofs is found in tho
fact that the sumo method described here is known ns a
tradition and practised by tho Christian monks at Mount
A thus even to this very day. These, to induce “ divino visions ”
concentrate l.lieir thought* and fix their eyes ou the navel for
hours together. A number o f Russian travellers testify to such
an occupation iu ihe (Ireek convents, and writers o f other
nationalities who have visited this celebrated hermitage, will
bear out our assertion ........
H aving made clear this tirst point and vindicated the Hindu
Y ogis in tho name and upon the authority o f modern science, wo
w ill now leave the further consideration ou the .-abject to our
next number.— I'd. Th.
( T o he continual.)
HOW T H E Y FAST IS IN D IA .
HV A M A It ATI 11 M lillll’AT. MAN.
.The Shravaks, a sect of th e Jain s of India, are in tho
habit ot lasting annually during tin; holy week of Pnchosan.
T he fast of the week is observed by different persons iu
several different ways, according to the power one may
possess of enduring it. T he less pious live on one meal si
day for the week. O thers fast aud cut alternately. Tlio
more pious abstain from food for one, three, five, or eight,
days successively. A veiy few, under a religious vow made
before a priest, give o ut a.s their determination to carry on
the fast for th irty days, provided the state of their health
should p e rm it th e starvation without material injury to
life. They proceed by instalments, so as to terminate tho
fast at, regulated periods of five, eight, ten, fifteen, or tw enty
days according to circumstances. Those who determine on
a m onth commence tiie fast on such a date tlmt. the thirty-
first day may fall on the 5th of Bhadrapndu, a day sacred
to the Risliis or ancient sages of India. On this day tlio
fast, is broken and gruel of boiled Moong (Pliascohus
Mungo) is chosen for tho break-fast. This i.s followed by
a soft pudding of whcat.cn Hour, and a small quantity of
boiled rice, unt.il t.lie usual diet- is resumed in the course
of fifteen or tw enty days.
D uring th e fast, boiled water cooled down, is taken ml
libitum, to which iu certain cases some infusion of ehireta
is added when nausea, and vomiting occur. Daily ablu­
tions are performed, and a visit to the temple made regu­
larly as long as the streng th permits. A female devotee,
aged forty-five years u n d e r a fast, lor thirty days is said to
have performed her daily ablutions, carrying a p itcher of
water on her head to the temple in the vicinity of her
house w ithou t much effort on her part. She died five
months alter the observance of the fast, of an attack uf
fever. As a rule, deaths do not occur during the fast; but
a Shravak, aged fifty-three, has within bis recollection t wo
instances, both of female's, who died idler the last, of th irty
days, within fifteen or twenty days respectively, u n d o u b t­
edly from the effects of starvation.
 A ease of abstinence extendin'; over tilty-eig ht(lays is l>. T he following table shows th e num ber of cases,
on record ; ami in view of wliat may be seen among the treated, cured, an d not cured and th e approxim ate time
•lain Shravaks, Dr. Tanner, of Minnesota, in achieving liis required for the ernes.
forty days’ starvation, only proved th a t in tlie m a tte r of T aulk N o . I.
lnnnan endurance which lias been known am ong Asiatics
from tim e immemorial— though th e blind and groping
Cured.
doctors of Knrope and America appear to have overlooked
Ihe fact.
Iind he determ ined lo carry on tho experiment Varieties
Nn. of R e m n rk x .
until life ceased, the scientific interest, would be cer­ Scorpions. .■a 2 :-a s j-g £ j
tainly great, inasmuch as it would determ ine the fact, — 2 •a------!-S 'M i|-S, J ! 3_!
at least in a single i n s t a n c e , of the possible duration z t 2 2 1i = 1 "
3
of life without, food aud water in a hum an body su b ­ 5J= v 'C 5
jected to self-willed starvation. A nd it is to be borne in
mind, tlmt self-imposed starvation with some object, in 1 l’l.ick wMirpion. 107 82 l!i 1 l mu 4
view, scientific or religions, must, differ in its effects from
o White scorpion. ■jo3 138 78 in is .'.47 <;
involuntary starvation caused by e ith e r disease, ship-wreck
or other circumstances. In th e one case complete rest :i Otlier kind*. 20 IS 1) 2 29
t* t.
of mind is secured, preventing un due waste of tissues,
whereas in the other, th e troubled mind nnd efforts to 4 Kind not known u:> 82 30 O J* 114 l
obtain food causing rapid waste of tissues, would m aterial­
ly hasteu the fatal termination.
Total............ 801 (>20 13(5 III 18 703 n

O F F IC IA L IU :P O R T U P O N A S C O R P IO N This table shows a very large percentage of cases cured.

Of the 804 cases treated, only 11 cases failed to g et relict,
P O IS O X A N T I D O T E . while 7!W cases have obtained relief from suffering. This
shows a percentage of 08.(1 of th e total cases which were
M ADE TO TH K IIAHOI1A COVKIINM KNT HY T H K C IIIK F M K DI- cured, against only 1.4 per cent, of cases th a t failed.
CAL OFKICK.K OK T H K KTATK.
Pcirm tagcfi n f cured:
In tlie m onth of F eb ruary 1870, a certain root, reputed to
bo an antidote for scorpion stings, was given to me by Kao Black !)(i.2 W h ite 08.!)
Bahadur J a n a rd a n Snkharam Gadgil and also officially ( )ther kinds 1 0 0 . Unknown 00.1
sent for trial by H is Excellency the Dewan Sahib with Total !l8 .(i N o t cured 1.4
bis m em o: dated the 2 1 st, F ebruary 187!), and endorsement
No. 287 dated the 28th of the same month. This root, These results cannot b u t bo considered very satisfactory.
has received a very fair and extended trial upto this date, The cases mentioned above were reported upto the end of
and as it has shown very satisfactory results, it seems Jun e . A fter this, some cases have occurred. T hey are
desirable to publish the same. tabulated below as an addendum to tho first table.

2. T here are a thousand an d one antidotes for tho cure Cnrt'tl.

of scorpion stings, but. some of them are not readily pro­
curable, and others which can be procured or arc nt hand,
do not generally produce the wonderful effects which are Variot.ioK 5 1—u 5 C _
generally attributed to them. This root has many a dv an­ ■>f -S O JS X lieninrks'
4J C
a f
tages over such reputed antidotes inasmuch as, ( 1 ) it is
Mr
—
easily procurable, ( 2 ) the m anner of using it is very simple fix
(H) it can be preserved for a long time, and (4) the result* 5 u
accruing therefrom are generally of a very satisfactory
nnture. lilnck scorpion. 1 1
:t. The loot, in question wa.s several times tried by Rao
Wliitc scorpion. 40 10 •10
B ahadur J a n a r d a n Sakharam Gadgil before it. wa.s brought
forward as an antidote, and thus used publicly. Mr. Gadgil Other kind*.
wa.s kind enough to lend me some pieces and 1 had several
opportunities of te sting its efficacy, and I must, iu justice Kind not known
to tlio man who first gavec1 it to Mr. Gadgil.
f o ■t confess . th. a. t 1
had very seldom any reason to be dissatisfied with its
Total. -18 nr, 12 I 48
results.
4. Being thus impressed with it.s real efficacy, ltao
Bahiulur .Tanardan Sakharam Gadgil and myself thought T he total of th e two gives in all 8">2 cases.
of giving it a more e x t e n d e d trial, and in view thereof 7. There is one point which Ibclieve should be m ention­
pieces of the root wore sent to all th e hospitals and dis­ ed in connection with these cases, and th a t is t h i s : Although
pensaries in His H ighness’s territoiies. w ith instructions the root rapidly causes the pain in the limb or part stu ng
for its use in rases of scorpion stings. R egular registers to disappear, still in a few cases th e pain is located to the
were kept at. all these institutions and m onthly returns sting for some tim e and it obstinately sticks to it for a few
were received from all. Many eases have been reported hours more. T he application of the rubbed root even
by tin; different medical officers and subordinates. A sometimes fails to remove this localized pain : B ut this was
sta te m e nt of these cases is attached hereto. observed only in seventy-eight cases, (ride statement, No. II)
5. From the s ta te m e n t it will be seen that in all 804 th a t is, in abou t nine p er cent, of the cases treated. The
cases were treated with this root a t the several institutions. failure may bo owing to want of perseverance either on
The kinds of scorpion are also mentioned in it and the the: part of the patient or the operator.
cases have been tabulated accordingly. T he chief varie­ S. As the root produces such remarkable results, it is
ties were ( 1 ) the black, ( 2 ), the white, (X). the other kinds, necessary th a t the n am e of th e tree be made known.
and (4) those that’were not known. From a Botanical Examination, of the plant which was
 shown to 1110 us yielding tlio root, I believe it belongs to
tlie natu ral order— Lcguininosce.—
Sid>-o)'iler,
Miinosu’.
Botanical name, Sesbaniie Egypticeca, M arathi name
R ^ h sjlfl (white slievri w ithout thorns.)
Guznltlii (Sandesri).
( Tamil 3nr%'i(T»; (Kdranchembai.)
F ro m tlic j Malayalam (Kedangu.)
u sefu l p la n ts
! Telegu
(Suiminta.)
o f In d ia liy
C olon el II. Bengali (Vayijayanti.)
D rury. Hindi ^cT (Jait.)
. ITrdu ( Ravaseen.)
9. T here are two species of this, ( 1 ) bearing w hite
flowers, and ( 2 ) bearing yellow Mowers. (I) T h e white is
1 of 2 kinds, (n) tlie root of th e one has n red b a rk and the
inner structure of it is white. It is also heavy, and the
flowers are smaller. T his is not so efficacious as the other
variety, (b) T h e other has largo flowers. T h e root is
covered with yellowish w hite bark and the in ner struc­
ture is yellow. T h e root is lig h te r th a n th e first kind.
This is most efficacious, both when fresh and dried. (2 )
T h e yellow species yields roots which are equally effective
w hen fresh ; when dried th e y are not so efficacious.
10. As the roots were indiscrim inately supplied by
Mr. N a te k a r who originally gave the root it was not prac­
ticable to ascertain the relative value of each of them in
the experim ents above noted.
11. The tree is a large perennial one without thorns,
with oblong linear obtuse and compound pinn ate leaves.
T he leaflets are from ten to eighteen in pairs ; flowers
large (white or yellow) in oxillariz Eaccmes ; calyx five
cleft, in appearance somewhat like th e flowers of the aca­
cia ; legumes linear, slender, much contracted between
the seeds.
12. T he root of this tree is th e p a rt th a t is used as an
antidote for scorpion stings. The o th e r parts of the tree
are also useful, especially the leaves, which are used as
applications iu rheumatism.
fit. If, may be desirable to m ention th a t Mr. N a t e k a r
believes th a t tho degree of efficacy depends also on
the tim e when th e root is cut off' from th e tree, l i e
says th a t the root should be cu t when th e sun begins to
decline, say after 3 r.M . Healso considers th a t it is be tte r
to cut them on Sundays th a n on o th e r week days. I u all
Sanskrit works it is advised to cut vegetables in this way.
P erhaps towards evening the circulation of th e sap
throughout all parts of a tree is more equalized.
14. T he root is cut out from the tru e or false roots
into small pieces about three or four inches in length. I t
is washed clean and th e n used. T h e mode of using it,
although very simple, may appear unscientific. Passes aro
made with the root from th e extrem e p a rts ol' the body
up to which the pain may have extended to the part
where the scorpion has indicted th e sting. Tho root
should be moved slowly over the affected p a rt w ith one
end directed close to the skin of th e part, but not touch­
ing it, say about one-fourth of an inch distant from tin;
surface of the integum ent. Reverse passes should not be
made. After a few m in utes’ passes, the pain becomes lo­
calized to the spot whore th e sting is inflicted ; the root
should then be held over it till the pain disappears.
15. I f the pain a t or near the sting docs not disappear
or lessen soon, the root may be rubbed with w a ter on a
hard substance aud a small qua n tity of it appliod over
the sting. I f this should cause the pain to spread through
the limb or p a rt stung, instead of causing it to disappear,
it should be got rid of by means of the passes of the root
described above.
Hi. Iu very severe case;-, an hour is required to bring
down the pain to the part stu ng and hence perseverance
is necessary, both on the part of th e person stu ng and the
person m a k in g th e passes. Sometimes when the root
gets dried, it fails to produce th e desired results. I t should,
therefore, be moistened before being used.
17. T h e inoitut< operiintll of this root cannot a t this
stage of inquiry be thoroughly explained. Physiology
and T herapeutics m aintain th a t th e action of medicinal
agents always takes place on the hum an economy through
th e blood w h e th e r they are used internally or applied lo­
cally, in whatever form th e medicine may be used; bu t
the mode of action of a d rug as described above is not
. . ® 1 » •
yet recognized, and hence it may appear to th e profession
to be ai'ainst
O the known facts of science. B u t whatever
may be said of this, it is quite certain th a t it pnxluces
satisfactory results. One additional fact may be here
noted. W h en the root is bro u g h t nearer th e skin of the
affected part, the pain is intensified and a sensatioji is felt
as though some discharge is tak in g place through the
part. This sensation is lessened as soon as the distance
between th e root and th e skin is increased.
18. I have contented myself with th e statem e n t of
facts as found by experiments. 'I’lie rationale m ust be
determ ined by the profession. Dr. Shamsoodin J. Sule-
man has been good enough to analyse the root and to com­
municate to me th e result. The following substances
have been found in it :—
Iron. Soda.
Calcium. Silica.
Magnesium. Sulphuric acid.
Fluorine. Carbonic acid.
Chlorine.
Potash.
Fluorine seems to be an unusual element in a vegetable
drug, l i e has also performed some experiments with the
root with a view to ascertain w hether it possesses any
electric or m agnetic properties, and has come to the con­
clusion th a t it manifests neither.
lft. I have had occasion to treat about a hundred cases
myself with the root and in only two of the cases I found
it failed to cun;.
2 0 . Mr. (Jadgil’s opinion about its action is equally
favourable. It is attached hereto.
2 1 . There aro some communications from different
persons about its efficacy. Copies of these are attached
to this paper.
22. Some people, say th a t the relief from pain may be
due to the effect, of imagination, and that any other root
or any other substance used in a similar way mav prod nee
the same results. This is met bv the fact that roots of
the same variety, b u t not of the same species, failed to effect
any cure and th a t other roots used similarly also failed.
2 .S. W ith these facts and observations 1 place th e root
before the profession and the public.
24. 1 hope th a t those who will use this root will favour
me with an y observations th a t may occur to them.
(Signed) IfiiAi.uiiANimA Iyiusiixa .
Burmin, l(Jth Ainiiinl, 1SS0.
My experience of tho. root which cures the scorpion sting
entirely accords with the results arrived a t by Dr. Bhalchan-
dra, Up to th is time, more than four hundred eases have
been cured a t my house, and almost every day new patients
come iu. 'Phi! average tim e of cure is half.-in hour from
the commencement of the passes. I recollect no case ot
positive failure, the euro being only a question of time.
Some obstinate cases taxed my patience or that of my men
for about an hour and a. hall' each, but there was always
success at the end, and m any a patient that came actually
crying went away smiling. I had occasion to test th e
efficacy of the root in my own person, for I had a. scorpion
sting lately. T he pain soon diminished under the p;isses
and wits localized in th e wound ; in about half an hour 1
could resume my office work. One th in g is worth noting—
whereas the scorpion sting produced an intense burning
sensation in the pa rt stung, the passes by the root had th e
effect of producing a perceptibly cool sensation round about
the sting us a preliminary to the extinction of the puiu iu
 :s i s
I lie wounded pail. It is for l.lio Medical Profession to as­
certain tlio •ia>»h'.x (>prrav'l.i. of tliu antidote.
I .sent tliu aiitidoto to (liu leading officers and others iu
this city, ami have received replies from m ost of them
about their experience in llio matter, wliich replies 1 have
sent to Dr. Blialchandra. Only two of them say tlm t they
ilid nut, find the root efficacious, whereas all others testify
to its greater or less efficacy. Even these two cases of
failure are useful, for they dispel the idea that th e curative
virtue is not in the root hut in the p a tie n t’s imagination.
A had or a very old root fails to effect euro, b u t a good and
iresli root is found to reliexe pain iu a rem arkably short
time.
( « • ! .) J a n a iu ja n S a k iia k a m
DJl. TA S S E . l l A S I ) T H E V E D I C D O V T J tJ N E
A B O U T FASTS.
IIV IIA u n A II A l H i t .lA V A H h A N
Cwiiici/lor o f thT bcusophicul Society.
Mow th a t Dr. T ann er’s forty days’ fast is exciting public
attention in America and Europe, it may not be inoppor­
tune to notice tlio Vedic doctrine <>11 th e subject of tlio
capability of tbe hum an body to bear fast, and the theory
on which it is founded. In tin: Chhaudogya U panishat of
the Sainveda, sixth Prapathaka, thero is a dialogue be ­
tween Svetaketu aud his father on the subject. The
following is a free rendering of it, as explained by Slian-
karacharya in bis Bhashya on th e Upanishat.
The father says to the son— “ T h e food wliich a human
being eats, becomes transformed a lte r various processes
into three substances, viz., the heaviest p a r t of it, becomes
Jurcs, the middling part of it becomes//e.1*//, and the nicest
part of it l>ecomes the mini/. T h e water which is drunk
becomes transformed into three substances, viz., the heavi­
est part of it lK’Comes urine, tlio middling p a rt of it b e ­
comes blot*/, and the nicest part of it becomes tbe jm iuii,
th a t is, tin; vital breath. Tho substances in which th e
elem ent of fire predominates, such as oil, ghee, &<•., when
taken into the human system, become transformed into
throe substances, viz., the heaviest part of it becomes tho
boHi’x, th e m iddling part of it becomes th e hrain, and tho
nicest part of it becomes the n i l or th e organ of speech.
Therefore, Ob son, the mind consists of food, the pnina,
or vital breath, of water, and tbe rtik, or oigan ol speech,
of tiro." T h e son says :— “ Oh father, explain the same
again by an illustration,'’ to which th e father thus replies
■—“ dust, as when the curd is churned, tho nicest part rises
111>and becomes butter, so the nicest part of the foot I
which is eaten rises up (is sublimated ') nnd becomes the
mind. The nicest part of the; water which is drunk, rises
up and becomes the p n in a or vital breath. T he nicest
of those things in which tho elem ent of lire predominates
rises lip and becomes vvk or the organ of speech. T h e re ­
fore, Oh son. the mind consists of food, tho prttiiu of
water, and the viik of tire.” The son says:— “ Explain,
Oh father, the same subject still further.” Tho father
thereupon proceeds:— “ This hum an being has sixteen
capacities or degrees, which wax or wane according as the
mind receives strength or is deprived of strength by the
accession or the deprivation of the nicest part of eaten
food. If you w ant to know this by actual experience, take
no food for fifteen days. You may d rink w ater as much
as you like : as th e p r u n a or th e vital hi oath consists of
»rater, you will die if you do not, drink water.” T he sou
accordingly ate no food foi lift eon da vs, and o i l tho six­
teenth ilay, he approached his father, and said “ AVImt
shall 1 say now t” T he father said— “ R epeat the Rik
Yaju, and Sam Vedas wliich you have, studied." T he son
said— “ Oh father, I do not recollect them .” T he father
th e n said to him — “ J u s t as a glow-worm-like ember, which
remains out. of a large lire th a t was kindled, is not. able to
bu rn much iu th a t state, so only one out of th e sixteen
degrees o f y o u r miml is now remaining, and, th e a 'f o r e , y o u
T Jt E '!' H E O S O P H I M T [September, 1880.
are not able to recollect the Vedas. Follow my advice and
von will again know everything. You should now re­
commence to eat.” Tho son did so, ami then again ap ­
proached his father. The father asked him to repeat ami
explain the. Rigveda, <tr., and he did repent and explain
everything th a t wras" asked. W hereupon tho father said
to him, “ Oh son, just a.s when tho glow-worm-like ember
out of the largo lire when fed by (dry) grass, glows again
into a large fire and is then able to burn a great deal, in
the same manner, ono out of your sixteen degrees wa.s still
existing, and when it was fed by food and thus made to
grow, you then could recollect the Vedas. Thus then. Oh
son, the mind consists of fowl. t h o j m u i a or th e vital
breath of t rater, and tho vul; or the organ of speech of/m.'."
O a i x s i i .,
As Dr. T anner has now finished his self-imposed ordeal,
ho will probably let the world know w hether ho found his
memory or other mental faculties impaired or affected,
and w hether he found it necessary to d rink water, &c.#
T H p; IhlM O U ItK D IIA15U PKAUY CHAMJ M ITT1IA , K. T . S.,
S. LiA I K i l I., I,I..H „
of Calcutta, has sent us a copy of his latest publication,
a tract bearing the title of “ S tray T hou gh ts on Spiri­
tualism,'’ in which in his peculiarly succinct and nervous
style he has epitomized much useful information upon th.;
spiritual part and life of man. Few f o r e ig n e r liave so
perfect a command of idiomatic English, and few Indians
have laboured so long and devotedly to fan th e embers of
patriotic feeling in the hearts of th e ir countrymen. We
take it a.s a high compliment that lie should say, as he
docs in this pam phlet, th a t our magazine “ should l>e read
by every native of India, as th e object of the Thcosophi-
cal Society is to unfold the hidden treasures of Indian
lite r a tu r e /’
D A VI D K. D ir m .E V , KKQ„ M. I)., AX A.MKIUCAN PH Y SIC IA N
and Surgeon of ability and learning, and a Councillor of
the Theosophical Society, who has recently tak en up his
residence at Bombay, and who contributed to our A ugust
num ber au interesting paper upon Solar Volcanoes, has
begun a course of illustrated lectures upon the H u m a n
Eye, before th e Bombay Branch of our Society. The
introductory discourse was exceedingly interesting. Dr.
D udley is a g rad ua te of the New York University and
the Now York College of Physicians and Surgeons, two of
tin; most famous among American schools of medicine and
surgery. A t the la tte r ho was a fellow student with the
lamented Dr. Doolittle.
WK AUK. IN D K H T E l) TO T IIK K IN D N K SS UK HA I.V A NTH A< )
Vinayak Slmstrce, Es<|., of Shastroo Hall, Bombay, for the
following interesting E.rtrort fr o m the ( 'Immoloifiral,
(modern) To Iilex o f the Enci/rlaptnl to. M etropolitan a, C abi­
net. Edition of 1 8 ’>7, page liNO.
“ 18 1 * * * * * T * *
An Arabian philosopher at Bassora transmutes, by means
of a while powder, from melted pistol bullets into a piece of
gold, of the same weight, and valued at ninety piastres,
in the presence of M. Cohpihoun, A cting Resident.”
I>r. T anner 'li<t um; w ater tlirwiy(lioiil liis long fast. -E d. 'i'll.
ta b u : ok c o n t e n t s.
Tapp. . , I’11*®-
• liir .S>-cnml Y e n r ................... T h e D ecad en ce o f I’ro te st-
T lic Spr.'tul of B u d d h ism in mit C h r istia n ity .................... P.Oil
W rxti'iii C o u n tr ie s ......... 2!MI N o te s on th e ]!eej M a n tra s. 3(l!l
Ailcliv.su n f t h e P r e sid e n t o f A stro lo g y .................................. .‘510
tlio Ionian T h eosop liieiil S to n e-tliro w iii” l>y ‘‘S p ir its’’ 1)10
I’.inni'li a t C orfu ................. 2!)7 N u m b er .Seven anil our
Inau gu ral A d d ress b efore S o ciety ........................ a il
tin' Dm nhiiy T h eosop h ical A T r e a tise on tiie Y o g a
S o ciety .................................. 2:18 P h ilo s o p h y ............................ 312
A W' oimIi‘11 ( i o d ........................ :m i H ow th e y f a s t in I n d ia ........ 310
The Medal nf H o n o u r........ :io:i O fficial report upon a S co r­
Niiii”ii IJiil'ao f<!\v.-ilior........ :J04 p ion p o iso n a n tid o te ......... 316
Puzzles for th e Philologists. :io5 D r . T a n n er and th e V ed ic
Russian SuiN'ixtitions ........ .TON D o ctrin e ab ou t Pai»t* . . . 318
P rinted n t tlio P i t u by II. Cnrvotjee & Co., nnd |'iiMitilicil by
thcTlieosoi>liicnl S ociety, n t No. I Of*, Oirgnum Back Rond, Bombay.
 NAMES OF CONTRIBUTORS.
l ’AUli
Admirer. An (of tlie Madras Yogi S a b hap atty Swami) 145
Admirer. Au English (of th e late Brahmacliari B av a) '>0
Angudram Sliastri. S r i ...................................................... 117
Hal Sliastri. P a n d it.............................................................. 18
Bannerji, Nobin K. B a b n ...................................................... 123
Banner of L ig h t.................................................................... 222
Barada K a n ta Majumdar,............................................... 17H, 244
Bates It................................................................................ 27, 129
Bbagwandaa Manmohandas ............................................. 1 7 8
Bisvas Amritlal .................................................................... 278
Blavatsty 11. P. 1 8 , 40, 159, 1 0 2 , 1G3,170, 224. 277, 279
Brahmachari Bawa, the late,.................................... 230, 247
Buck E...................................................................................... 235
Buddhist. A u In d ia n ........................................................... 20
B ulw ant T rim bak ................................................................ 40
C handau G o p a l,.................................................................... 250
Cldiatre N ilk an t K ............................................................70, 205
Commissioned Military Officer ......................................... 304
1). K. M................................................................................ !)0 , 190
Dadoba Pandurang, Rao B a h ad u r......... 131, 183, 211, 248
Dalvi. D in a na th A tm a ru m ,.................................................. 25
Dayanaud Saraswati, Swami................................... 0 , 0 0 , 151
l)e. Atnritalal, Babu, ........................................................... 184
Deshmukh Gopalrao Hari, llao B ahadur,................ 212, 240
Dudley, D. E„ M. D ............................................................. 281)
Editorial— 1, 2, 5, 7, 8 , 25, 20, 30, 32, 33, 34, 35, 31),
42, 54, 57, 58, 00, 02, 05, GO, 77, 79, 81,
83, 84, 8 8 , 93, !)5,100, 101,103, 100, 107,
108,111,117, 111), 125, 131, 1 32,133,137,
140,142, 144, 147, 1 50 ,15 1 ,1 0 3 , 1 0 5 ,10(i,
178,180,181, 1 8 5 ,1 8 7 ,1 8 9 ,1 9 0 , 191,190,
199, 202,207, 212, 214,218, 220, 221, 222,
223, 220,228,229, 230, 232, 233, 234, 240,
241, 242, 254.258, 200, 2(51, 202, 271, 273,
277, 279, 283, 284, 289, 292, 295, 29(5, 298,
3 0 8 ,3 0 9 ,3 1 0 ,3 1 1
E — A — C ou nt ................................................................. 1 0 0 , 2 0 0
EtVendi, A T u rk ish .................................................................. 152
Exam iner, Colombo (Ceylon)............................................... 288
F. T. S . - ................................. .................................... 3 1 ,4 4 , 84
Fudeyef N. A. H e r Excellency,.................................... 30
Flammarion Camille ........................................................... 174
F o r e s t e r ..................................................................................52, 93
(Judg'd Jan a rd a n Sakharam, lla o B a h a d u r ............. 68,318
Girdharlal, Babu ..................................................................... 117
Gordon Alice ......................................................................... 100
Gracias M................................................................................. 205
Gray. Rev J ............................................................................ 141
dunanaudc. Rev. Mohottiwati ......................................... 43
H. H. D .................................................................................... 104
Holbrook M. L. D r.............................................................. 251
Ingesoll, Col. II. (!................................................................... 301
.leliliofsky, V. P..................................................................245, 271
K. P. B................................................................................ 70, 250
K. Venkatu N a r a s a y a ........................................................... 253
K anitkar Goviud, W .............................................................. 144
Kirby, W. F .............................................................................. 285
Lawyer. A H indu ................................................................ 170
Lyeskof, N ic o la s ..................................................................... 249
Mallery. Garrick, Colonel .................................................. 157
Martin, 1). S .............................................................................. 280
Massey, C. C......................................................................... 03, 137
I'.UiK
Medical Man. A M arathi...................................................... 315
Mcdical Officer of the Baroda S tate ............................... 310
Melmoth. T he W an d erer...................................................... 1 12
Mitra, A ...................................................................................... 222
Mitra, Asu Tosh, Babu ...................................................... 284
Mitra, Peary ('h an d ............................................................18, 2 8 0
Mitra, Prammla D a s a ............................................................13, 8 8
Moses, W. S t a i n t o n ............................................................... 198
Naoroji, Dorabji, K„ Khan Bahadur ...................... 194, 274
N arm adashankar L a ls h a n k a r ............................................. 209
Officer. A Russian ............................................................... 73
Olcott, H. S .................................110, 143, 213, 221, 204, 303
1*................................................................................................... 25
P. T. Terunanse, Rev............................................................. 199
Padshah, Sorabji Jam aspji ................................................. 135
Paladin Andrew, D r.............................................................. 30
Pandit. A N a t i v e ................................................................... 12
P an d it S h a n k a r Pandurang, Rao Bahadur ......................... 50,
Pundits. T he Society of Benares.......................... 201, 289
P and urang Gopal, D r..........................74, 114, 108, 237, 207
Paravastu V enkata Rangacharia, Arya Vara Guru, Sri. 87
l ’arsi. A young ............................................................................... 51
Pas«[iialc Menelao ................................................................. 297
Patriot. Au In d ia n ................................................................. 113
Patvardhana, V. R ................................................................... 158
Paul, N . C ................................................................................... 312
1‘io n e e r................................................................................. 217, 2!»2
P rarth an a Samaj. A member o f .......................................... 255
P a r k ............................................................................................ 109
Raja A. Theosophist of Bengal........................................ 230
R aja Syam a S a n k a r Roy Bahadoor ............................... 309
Ramchandru Bapuji Ja d h a v R a o.................................. 101 305
Ram Das Sen, Babu ..........................................................05, 234
Ram Misra Sliastri ............................................................... 158
R attan Chand, Lalla .....................................................,40, 175
ltelujio I ’liiloMijihital J o u rn a l............................................. 194
Royal Geographical Society. A Fellow of ...................... 2 0 1 .
S. J. P ..................................................................................... 112, 185
Sudhura|ia Brahmo Sam aj.................................................... 255
Siikharam Arjun, D r............................................................... 180
Samarthadan, M u iish i........................................................... 9H
Sandyal Krishna India, B ab u ............................................. 1 2 0
Sankdhar, B. P ......................................................................... 170
Seervai Kharsedji N ...................117, 134, 105, 179,193, 2 9 8
Smerdis, llillarion ................................................................ 95
Soeolis, 1). S .............................................................................. 2 2 0
Strong, D. M., Major, .....................................................239, 285
Sumangala, Rt. Rev. H ................................ 43, 122, 144, 2 1 L
Sun. N ew Yui'lc ..................................................................... 197
Surya Naiayan, P an d it ................................................201, 287
Swami. A.................................................................................... 92
Syed Mali mood, Esi|............................................................... 130
Telang Kashinath T rim b a k .................................. 71, 89, 203
Temple W illiam ..................................................................... 130
T r u th S e e k e r ...................................................................... 80, 270
Tzerotelof A., Prince ........................................................... 230
W ilder A le x a n d e r............................................................. 108, 218
Wimbridge, E......................................................................................20
Wyl.l George, M. D. (E d in .)................................................... 213
Y a r k e r J o h n ............................................................................... 114
Zahed-Levy, Professor........................................................... 177
 THE THEOSOPHIST
VOLUME II. OCTOBER 1880 TO SEPTEMBER 1881.
TH E A S IA T IcT oT O L A iT M A G A Z IN E .
conducted by h . p . bla v a tsk y .
U N D E R T H E A U S P I C E S O F T H E T H E O S O P H I C A L S O C IE T Y .

Til 1CProprietors have pleasure in iinnouncing th a t this useful and popular periodical will begin its Second
V olum e with th e issue for October 1880. All yearly subscriptions for tho F irst Volume will expire with tb e nu m b er
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tofore. Tlie same rates will be charged as b e f o r e ; and the price being barely large enough to cover th e cost of produc­
tion, no credit can or will be given in any case.
As a guarantee th a t th e Proprietors will fully perform every engagem ent th e y call attention to th e fact th a t they
liave given th e ir subscribers to th e F irst Volume 318 pages of reading m a tte r instead of th e 240 pages promised.
This is equivalent to sixteen full m onthly num bers in a twelvemonth. T h e magazine has also appeared prom ptly
nt the beginning of each month, and will continue to do so in future.
T he Second Volume will be even more interesting th an t h e first, contributions having been engaged ftom some
of th e m ost e m in e nt Asiatic, European and American scholars. T h e magazine will, as hitherto, be the tru e and u n ­
daunted friend of t h e Asiatic people and champion of their ancient philosophies and religions. Its projectors ask the
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I SI S UNVEI LED:
A M A S T E R - K E Y TO T H E M Y S T E R I E S , O F A N C I E N T S C I E N C E A N D T H E O L O G Y . By H . P. B L A ­
V A T SK Y , Corresponding Secretary of th e Thcosophical Society. 2 vols. large royal 8vo., of about 1400
pages, cloth extra, Its. 2 5— reduced from Rs. 30.
. Opinions o f L m d im j Journidt).
“ Tliis monumental work * * * about everything relating to magic, mystery, witchcraft, religion, spiritualism, which would bo
valuable in an encyclopedia.”— XuriU American lteview.
“ It must be acknowledged that she is a remarkable woman, who lias read more, seen more, aud thought more than most wise men.
H er work abounds in quotations from a dozen dilt'erent languages, not for the purpose of a vain display of erudition, but to substantiate her
peculiar views, * * * her pages are garnished with foot-notes establishing as her authorities some of the profouudest w riters of the past.
To a large class of readers, this remarkable work will prove of absorbing interest. * * * * Demands the earnest attention of thiukers, ami
m erits nn analytic reading.”— Ilonton Evening Tramcript.
“ The appearance of erudition is stupendous, lieference to and quotations from the most unknown aud obscure writers in all lauguagcs
abound, interspersed with allusions to writers of tho highest repute, which have evidently been more than akimmed through.”—»V. Y. In ­
dependent.
“ An extremely readable and exhaustive essay upon the paramount importance of re-establishing the Hermetic Philosophy in a
World which blindly believes that it has outgrown it.”—lY. 1'. World.
“ Most remarkable book of tho season.”—Com. Advertiser.
“ To readers who liavo never made themselves acquainted with tho literature of mysticism aud alchemy, the volume will furnish tho
materials for an interesting study—a mine of curious information.”— Evening 1'ost.
“ They give evidence of much and multifarious research ou the pui'L of the author, and contain a vast number of interesting stories.
I’ersous fond of the inarvollous will find in them an abundance of entertainment.”—X. J". San.
A marvellous book both in m atter and manner of treatment. Some idea may be formed of the rarity aud extent of its contents
when the index alone comprises tifty pages, and we venture nothing in saying that such an index of subjects was never before compiled by
any human being. • * • But the book is a curious one aud will no doubt lind its way iuto libraries because of the unique subject m atter
it contains, * * * will certainly prove attractive to all who are interested iu the history, theology aud the mysteries of tho ancient world.”—
Daily Graphic.
‘‘ The present work is the fruit of her remarkable course of education, aud amply confirms her claims to the character of an adept iu
secret science, and even to the rank of a hierophant iu the exposition of its mystic loro.” Y. Tribune.
“ One who reads the book carefully through ought to know everything of the marvellous and mystical, except, perhaps, the passwords.
‘ Isis’ will supplement tho Anacalypsis. Whoever loves to read Godfruy Higgins will be delighted with Mum. Blavatsky. There is a great
resemblance between their works. Both have tried hard to tell everything apocryphal aud apocaly'ptic. I t is easy to forecast tlie recep­
tion of this book. W ith its striking peculiarities, its audacity, its versatility, aud the prodigious variety of subjects which it notices aud
.handles, it is ono of the remarkable productions of the century.”— .V. 1'. Herald.
“ Iu nothing does Madame Blavatsky show her wonderful ability in a more marked degree than iu her use of the Kii'dish language.
H er stylo is singularly vigorous, perspicuous aud piquant. Her scholarship is varied and comprehensive. In metaphysical** k e e n n e s s shy
«hows a power that few writers of our day have attained to. We doubt if .Mrs. Ljwas (Gjorge Elliot), can b.: called her equal in this respect.
Her critical insight is also most remarkable. I t seuuu more like au intuition thau the result of study, ami yet th a t she has been a pro­
found student the authorities referred to in her work abundantly show. From the specimens we have seen of its pa''es wo can vouch for
its absorbing interest, aud for the streu rth and fascination of the style.”— Epis Suri/eant. °
" We do not hesitate to express the opinion that she has made a gallant and iiiaasurably successful olfort at elucidating tho most,
absorbing and importaut problems life can furnish. If tho veil of Isis has not indeed baeu swept away, at least so many of tlio folds have
been fenjoved that we are afforded u partial insight iuto the mysteries and splendors of the Goddess. If our author b;LS not achieved au
unquestioned triumph, where such a result would have beeu specially gratifying, she has a t least the consolation of knowim' th a t she has
'surpassed all her predecessors iu A task, complete fa a u re to ac hieve which would have involved no humiliation. She has produced a uninue
work, and it will become a classic."—Sacramento Record- Union, 1
 WHAT
THE PRESS
AnOL'T
THE THEOSOPHIST,
" . ...It will supply n long-full national w a n t— th a t of some
orirjt.it through which native scholars could m ake them -
sefves felt in the European American worlds of thought.
N o H in d u need shrink from comparing th e intellectual
m onum ents left by his ancestors with those left by the
progenitors of any W estern people. T h e world has never
produced b u t one Vedic philosophy, and th e tirst to fathom
tlie nature of the h u m a n soul were th e llishis. Since the
T iik o S o p h ist carefully abstains from politics, and its plan
is o n e of a Universal Brotherhood, it should be welcomed
by every sect anil people throug ho ut th e world. Ami as
it recognizes the A ryans as the fathers of all religions and
s c ie n c e s , H indus owe it their enthusiastic su pp ort.”— The
A m rila B a za r P atrika, (Calcutta) S e p te m b er 11, 1870.
■<........Though it takes th e reader ofl and far away Irom
the beaten paths of W estern classics, few can afford to
u nderrate the indications of thorough scholarship and
eclectic philosophy w ith which several articles^ of this
num ber are replete.”— B o m b a y R eview a n d I n d i a n A d -
verti#cr, October 4, 1870.
........ T h e present nu m b er is well g o t u p and contains a
num ber of excellent articles ou th e subjects of Theosophy,
Spiritualism, &c..............T he journ al promises to achieve
m uch success and prosper.”— ln d v - P r a k a s h , (Bombay)
October 6 , 1879.
........ T he new periodical will probably obtain an e x ­
tensive circulation amongst th e N atives.”— Statesman,
(Calcutta) October 7, 1870.
■■........ W e have no space to do jus tic e to all th e articles
in th e present n u m b e r of the T iik o s o p h is t. T h a t it is a
credit to its promoters, no one will be disposed to deny.
T he get-up is excellent for a Bombay press. T h e TilKoso-
p iiis t should tind many readers."— The I n d i a n Spectator,
(Bombay) October 12, 1870.
■>........ [t is needless to point o u t t h a t a m onthly m aga­
zine under her (Mine Blavatsky’s) auspices cannot but
become a periodical of strong in terest for th e large and
varied public lyiug between th e two religious extrem es—
atheistic materialism on the one side and sim ple orthodoxy
on the oth e r.— T he P io n e e r, (Allahabad) October 11,1870.
" ........W e can only say this much h ere th a t th e issue to
h and fully m ee ts th e expectations t h a t were formed of
it as to the m a tte r it would contain. W c wish every suc­
cess to th e journ al it so richly deserves.”— X u tire Opinion,
(Bombay) October 20, 1870.
“ ...... .The T hkosophist made its appearance, jus pro­
mised, on th e 1st of this month, an d any one whose curio­
sity lias been aroused by the mission of Madame Blavatsky
and her friends from America, may find much to interest
them in a perusal of the varied contents of the new
m agazine..........”— The Tim et o f India, October 15, 1870.
........There is a tone of elegance and scholarship about
th e whole of this periodical, which almost leads European
renders to envy it. The translations of th e Indian sacred
documents given have the adv antag e of being revised
by H in du s and th ere is, accordingly, a decidedly Oriental
aspect to th e whole work, which contrasts with th e .attempts
certain Gorman speculators have m ade to see th e Vedas
through th e spectacles of Vatorlaud if n o t of Vater. All
students of Oriental lore who have derived th eir ideas
from the current philological treatises, which are, in fact,
chicHy mere dilutions of Schleicher, m u s t peruse this work
for tl lemselves, and, if th e y have patience, will bo able
to understand for themselves how some H ind us accept all
the sacred writings of th e East. A periodical of this
nature beiii" published a t the present m om ent must a ttra c t
some atte n tio n on th e p a r t of the intelligent Hindus, who
(at least some of them ) have not been altogether ground
d o w n un d e r the Mahomcdan religion of . th e East. Still
there is not a word iu this paper which is offensive to any
class of theologians. To show th a t it is a thoroughly
le a r n e d p ro d u c tio n , i t is m e r e ly n e c e ss a ry to in d ic a te t h a t
t h e n a m e a p p e a r i n g o n tlie c o v e r a s c o n d u c to r is th a t o f
H . P . B la v n ts k y , tlie e r u d i t e a u t h o r o f “ Is is U n v e ile d ,'’
a n il o n e o f t h e g r e a t e s t liv in g O r ie n ta lis ts . W e w ish t h a t
th e T h k o s o p iu s t d id h o t c o m e o u t a s f a r o ff a s B o m b a y .”
P ublic Opinion, (L o n d o n ,) N o v e m b e r 1871).
y
" .........I t is s o m e w h a t s t r a n g e t h a t t h e Y o g a p h ilo so p h y
w ith it s m y s te r io u s r ite s , w h ic h h a d a lm o s t d ie d in In d ia ,
a n d w h itfh e v e r y e d u c a te d n a tiv e w a s t a u g h t to rid ic u le ,
s h o u ld re c e iv e h e lp fro m t h i s , u n e x p e c te d ip ia r te r , a n d
p ro m is e to ris e a g a in to b e a d i s p u t e d q u e s t io n .............. B u t
w h a te v e r su c c e s s t h e j o u r n a l m i g h t a t t a i n in a r r e s ti n g th e
p ro g re s s o f m a te ria lis m , o r in g a in in g o v e r a d v o c a te s to its
c a u se , i t is n o n e t h e less c e r ta in , t h a t i t s h a ll p ro v e on
o th e r g r o u n d s e m i n e n tl y u s e fu l to o u r c o u n tr y m e n . T h e
la r g e h u m a n i ty i t b r e a t h e s in e v e ry c o lu m n , th e U n iv e rs a l .
B r o th e r h o o d i t a d v o c a te s , a n d t h e s y m p a th y i t e x te n d s to
a ll c la s se s o f p e o p le c a n n o t b u t m a k e i t p o p u la r a n d a t th e
s a m e t i m e u s e f u l........ ” — Native Opinion, N o v e m b e r HO, '
1879.
“ .............I t is a la rg e , w e ll- p r in te d j o u r n a l, fu ll o f i n t e r e s t ­
in g r e a d in g ,.m u c h o f i t , c o n tr ib u te d b y n a tiv e s o f In d ia , .
a n d a ff o rd in g a n in s ig h t in to th e r e lig io u s t h o u g h t o f th e
fa r E a s t . . . ”— The Spiritualist, (L o n d o n ) O c to b e r 3 1 , 1 8 7 0 . 1
" W c g r e e t o u r c o n te m p o r a r y a s a n o b le foe, a n d •
.
w ish i t a ll s u c c e s s in t h e d o m a in o f u t i l i t y .......... ”— The
Philosophic Inquirer, (M a d ra s ) J a n u a r y 1 1 , 1 8 8 0 .
“ T h e T h k o s o p iu s t h a s n o w o u tliv e d t h e n e c e s s ity for
a fr ie n d ly n o tic e fro m i t s o ld e r c o n te m p o ra rie s . B u t w e
h a v e t a k e n s u c h in t e r e s t in i t fro m t h e b e g in n in g o f its
c a re e r, i t h a s so w ell ju s ti f ie d o u r in te r e s t, t h a t w e n e e d
llo e x c u s e fo r r e t u r n i n g to i t fo r th e fo u r th tim e . T h e
c u r r e n t ( J a n u a r y ) n u m b e r is te e m in g w ith to p ic s o f p e c u lia r
v a lu e to t h e I n d o p h ile in scieiice, a rt, a n d p h ilo so p h y , ,
w h ile to h im w h o ‘ r e a d s a s h e ru n s ,’ its c o lu m n s o p e n u p
fre sh a v e n u e s o f t h o u g h t w h ic h , lik e so m a n y n e w d is - ’
c o v e rie s, fill h im w ith g la d s u r p r is e s a n d te n d to e x p a n d ”
h is n a rr o w v is io n . I n t h i s r e s p e c t t h e e s ta b lis h m e n t o f th o .
T iiK o so rH lS T m a r k s a n e w e ra iu th e h is to r y o f m o d e r n
A r y a v a r t ; a u d e v e r y t r u e A ry a n h e a r t w ill b e a t in u n is o n .
w ith th i s e x p re s s io n o f o u r s in c e re h o p e t h a t th e T h k o -
SOI’IIIST m a y h a v e a lo n g , p ro s p e ro u s a n d u se fu l c a r e e r . . . ”
B o m h tiy Reriew and, In dian Advertiser, J a n u a r y 1 7 , 1 8 8 0 .
" T h e F e b r u a r y n u m b e r o f t h e T h k o s o p iu s t h a s j u s t ' 1
b e e n p u b lis h e d , a n d i t is p e r h a p s th e m o s t in t e r e s tin g for
t h e lo v e rs o f m y s tic a l lo re o f a n y o f t h e s e r ie s .............. " .
The B o m b a y Gazette, F e b r u a r y 3, 1880.
" I t s li s t o f ‘ a d d itio n a l s u b s c rib e r s ’ th r o w s a halej o f g o ld e n
h e a lt h o v e r t h e c o lu m n s o f th i s m o n t h ’s T iik o s o p iiis t .
T h is is s a tis f a c to r y . ‘ T h e f e a s t o f g o o d t h i n g s ’ with*-1
w h ic h t h i s lu s ty c a t e r e r m o n th ly p ro v id e s t h e p u b lic h a s 1■
re c e iv e d a c c e ss io n o f s t i e n g t h a n d s a v o u r fro m a P a rs i a n d
a M o s le m c o n tr ib u to r . T h is to o is s a tis f a c to r y ........." —
B o m b a y Review and Indian A d v e r tis e r , F e b r u a r y 7, 1 8 8 0 . .»
“ ......... T h o b u s y T h e o s o p h is ts h a v e a lr e a d y c re a te d a
w id e in t e r e s t iu t h e i r d o i n g s . . . ”— The H a r b i n g e r o f Ligllti
( M e lb o u r n e ) , M a rc h 1, 1 8 8 0 . ^
“ ......... A s re g a r d s t h e o b je c t iu v iew in c o m in g t o In< li;i|'
w e c a n n o t se e t h a t a n y o t h e r r e s u lt b u t g o o d c a n co in ®
o f h o n e s t e n d e a v o u r s to b r in g a b o u t a b e tte r , a closel
in tim a c y in th o u g h t , w o rd a n d a c tio n b e tw e e n t h e v a rio ii
ra c e s t o b e fo u n d in t h e E a s t, e s p e c ia lly b e tw e e n t i l
g o v e rn in g a n d t h e g o v e rn e d . W e b s lie v e m o s t sin c e re f
t h a t b y fa r t h e la r g e r p o rtio n o f t h e e v il t h a t is a t w o m
in o u r p o ss e ssio n s in t h e E a st, m a y b e a t t r i b u t e d to t n |
w id e g u l f w h ic h s e p a r a te s t h e E u r o p e a n fro m t h e N a tiv r f*
— The Ceylon Tim es, J line 5, 1 8 8 0 . •, . . ■
“ T h e T hkosopiust for M ay is hipidly increasing u s
m e r its a s a h ig h - c la s s li te r a r y o r g a n ......... W c m a r v e l a t tK e
b e a u ty a n d a c c u ra c y w ith w h ic h th is m a g a z in e is e d ite d .-
P u b lic O p in io n , (L o n d o n ), J u n e 1 2 ,1 8 8 0 . .
L
 /Ocreativ
^com m ons
Attribution-NonCom m ercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported

Y o u are free:

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 i x — to ad ap t th e w o rk

U n d e r th e f o llo w in g c o n d it io n s :

CD
A ttrib u tio 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 rc 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 .

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S h a re 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 ith th e u n d e r s t a n d in 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 ts — 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 tic 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 .