The Vedic Schism
Somewhere in the third millennium BC a great conference was held on the slopes of the Himalayas to discuss a problematic Vedic injunction which was… Read More »The Vedic Schism
history
Writings related to General History. See also: Prehistory and Modern History.
The Art of Writing in India
Part I Though the art of writing was known to the ancient Vedic sages, it was used extensively only in the inscriptions of the Indus… Read More »The Art of Writing in India
Unbroken Chain of Oral Tradition
Didactic ballads and folklore are the most precious remnants of a glorious culture that disappeared from the surface of our globe many centuries prior to… Read More »Unbroken Chain of Oral Tradition
Rajput and Brahman in Buddha’s Day
The understanding of Buddhism by Western scholars is in general marked by certain limitations. To begin with, they are inclined to lay too much stress… Read More »Rajput and Brahman in Buddha’s Day
Kshatriya and Brahman
In the Pali Suttas the teachings of the Buddha are conveyed, not in philosophical abstractions, but in lively narratives with a picturesque background of Indian… Read More »Kshatriya and Brahman
The Antiquity of India
In previous articles on Primeval Man,1 we have tried to outline and develop a view of the unfolding of history, in the light of our… Read More »The Antiquity of India
India, Mother of Nations
It is a hundred years now since Schopenhauer foretold that India and the genius of India would produce an effect on the spirit of western… Read More »India, Mother of Nations
Aryan Origins and the Primeval Savage
In discussing the question of Indian Chronology, and the almost inextricable confusion it had been thrown into by the conjectures of the first generation of… Read More »Aryan Origins and the Primeval Savage
Indian Chronology
“It holds through all literature, that our best history is still poetry. It is so in Hebrew, in Sanskrit, and in Greek.”—EMERSON. A curious chapter… Read More »Indian Chronology
The Races of Ancient India
Of the Brahmans, white is the color; of the Kshattriyas, red; of the Vaishyas, yellow is the color; of the Shudras, black. There was no… Read More »The Races of Ancient India
The Old Wisdom-Religion
All readers of T. S. [Theosophical Society] literature are aware that the terms Theosophy, Secret Doctrine, and Wisdom-Religion are generally used as synonymous. While such… Read More »The Old Wisdom-Religion
The Kali Yuga
A correspondent is confused on this subject from the statement in What is Theosophy by Mr. Old, that we are in the midst of the… Read More »The Kali Yuga
The Antiquity of Indian Writing
If the negative argument as to the newness of Indian writing is entirely worthless, can we build up any positive argument in its place? Let… Read More »The Antiquity of Indian Writing
The Heritage of the Brahmans
It is said that long ago, in the childhood of the world, the senses were so fine that we could hear the growing of the… Read More »The Heritage of the Brahmans
The Red Rajputs
“It is well known that, from the point of view of the colouring, human races can be divided into four principal groups: white, yellow, black,… Read More »The Red Rajputs
Materialistic Science (A Summary)
In the August number of this Magazine, in an essay entitled “Two Thousand Years Ago,” I endeavoured to show that all that is vital and… Read More »Materialistic Science (A Summary)
Tales of the Ancient Rajputs
There is an old tradition, so old that it has almost died from the memories of men, that veils eventful epochs in the archaic history… Read More »Tales of the Ancient Rajputs
Karma and Ancient Law
Some points in ancient law, which furnish coincidences with the occult doctrine of cyclic progression, and some legal theories which illustrate certain theological dogmas, are… Read More »Karma and Ancient Law
“Two Thousand Years Ago”—A Contrast
The events which preceded the formation of the Roman Empire, just before the beginning of our era, furnish an analogy in some respects to what… Read More »“Two Thousand Years Ago”—A Contrast
Ancient Magic in Modern Science
Paulthier, The French Indianist, may, or may not, be taxed with too much enthusiasm when saying that India appears before him as the grand and… Read More »Ancient Magic in Modern Science
Inscriptions Discovered by General A. Cunningham
7. Buddha’s birth is placed (on p. 141) in the year 643 B.C.. Is this date given by the Adepts as undoubtedly correct? Have they any… Read More »Inscriptions Discovered by General A. Cunningham
Sakya Muni’s Place in History
7. Buddha’s birth is placed (on p. 141) in the year 643 B.C.. Is this date given by the Adepts as undoubtedly correct? Have they any… Read More »Sakya Muni’s Place in History
Philological and Archæological “Difficulties”
7. Buddha’s birth is placed (on p. 141) in the year 643 B.C.. Is this date given by the Adepts as undoubtedly correct? Have they any… Read More »Philological and Archæological “Difficulties”
Was Writing Known Before Panini?
I am entrusted with the task of putting together some facts which would support the view that the art of writing was known in India… Read More »Was Writing Known Before Panini?
Sri Sankaracharya’s Date and Doctrine
8. Sankaracharya’s date is variously given by Orientalists, but always after Christ. Barth, for instance, places him about 788 A.D. In Esoteric Buddhism he is… Read More »Sri Sankaracharya’s Date and Doctrine
The Theory of Cycles
It is now some time since this theory, which was first propounded in the oldest religion of the world, Vedaism, then taught by various Greek… Read More »The Theory of Cycles