The sun., 1882-08-20
The War in India.


The War in India.
1t is somewhat strange that the columns
of THE Sun should be the decisive battle
ground of a theosophical war now raging be-
tween two parties whose headquarters are
nearly half the circumference Of the globe
away. Nevertheless, that Is the case; and as
this luminary shines for all, including primi-
tive Aryans and Yoga adopts, we have given
place to certain communications from Bom-
bay relating to the controversy between
Hierophant OLCoTr and Madam BLAvATsKY,
formerly of the Eighth avenue in this town,
on the one side, and ON the other, the renown-
ed Pandit, the Swami DAYANAND SARAswATI,
at whose feet the Eighth avenue theosopho-
mores went to sit.
About three months ago we printed a letter
from Mr.. II. BURzURGEE Of Bombay at
tacking the good faith Of Hierophant
OLcoTr and his venerated female COM
panion Documents were submitted show
ing that the American Herophant and
the Russian woman approached the Swami
with professions of the utmost humil-
ity and reverence. Permit us to give
you the name of our Teacher, our Father,
our Chief" the Hierophant wrote to the
Swami. I'VE will try to deserve by our ac
tions so great a favor. We await your orders
and will obey" But 1t is alleged that after
the Hierophant and the Russian woman had
profited by the Swami's instructions-pre-
sumably after they had learned all that he
had to teach-they went back on that rev.
erend Pandit. They spoke derisively Of the
Swami DAYANASD SARAswATI; they repu-
dated him and his society, the Arya Samaj (;
they denied that they had ever recognized
him as their spiritual germ" they for
swore allegiance; they even assumed to set
up for themselves, and to intimate that a
Madison avenue or Eighth avenue theoso-
phist stood as near the fountain head of adept
lore as any early Aryan whoever-the Swami
DAYANAND or anybody else. 1t was at this
stage Of the controversy that the venerable
Swami publicly denounced Hierophant Oh
ooTr and his Russian companion as liars
and cheating jugglers."
The documentary evidence on this point
| submitted to us several months ago by Mr.
| BURZURGEE made out pretty black case OF
| ingratitude on the part of the New York the
| osophists now in India. We do not see that
| 1t breaks the force Of those documents to as
sert as our correspondents NosTERwAUGEE
| CoYAGEE and B. o. BURZURGEE assert this
morning, that H. BURzURGEE is foolish
youth whose headstrong disposition and
neglect of school studies have long caused
| pain and modification to his family" II
BURzURGEE may be an undutiful son and an
idle, good-for-nothing nephew; but that has
nothing to do with the written utterances of
Madam BLAvATsKY and the Hierophant
and it was upon the strength Of these writ
ten utterances that the younger BURzURGEI
made his charges.
Nor does the Hierophant's position seem
to be helped by long defensive statement
writtenb by him and published in Madam BLA
vArsKY's paper, the Theosophist. The Hero
phant claims that he and his Russian com
| panion are not liars and cheating ju9glers. y
He offers in evidence the certificate OF Mr.
JwALA PRAsADA of Maerut, who testiaei
that In his opinion certain occult phenomenG
produced by Madam BLAvATsKY at the
bungalow of Mr. BABU CHEDI LALL il
August, 1879, "were produced through tn,
agency of real Yoga power, and not that o
clever conjuring." He also brings TO the stanC
| Mr.. NJ. RAMAsAwMY NAIDU Of Nellore
Mr.. RAGooNATH Row Of Madras, Mr.. BIsHE,
LALL, NJ. A., Of Bareilly, Mr.. AMRITALAL ID
Of Jeypore, and other Indian theosophists
who testify to his good character and disinter
estedness. The Herophant finally produces a
letter from Malor-Gen. ABSER DOUBLEDAY
U. s. A., certifying to his purity OF motives
and ardent desire to benefit humanity" But
these certificates, after all, do not prove that
the Swami is wrong. or that the alleged mir
acles wrought by Madam BLAvATsKY ar,
produced by real Yoga power.
The question that really interests thu
American friends OF the Hierophant is entire
ly apart from any personal controversy be
tween him and the venerable Pandit to whom
he turned few years ago for instruction il
practical magic. Has the Hierophant mad
any progress in mracle-working since h
left New York ? Has he become an adept il
the nmost mysteries? While he was still
resident Of the Eighth avenue, he had full
faith in the capacity Of an industrious the
osophist TO attain. through contemplation
initiation, and u strictly virtuous life, tn
power OF defying and overcoming what ar,
generally accepted as the laws OF nature
He believed in levitation, for example, bu
when we invited him to illustrate his faitl
by stepping out of an upper window OF tn
Tribune tall tower he was fain to admit tina
there was height OF adept science which h
had not yet attained, and to master whic
q journey to the Himalayas was necessary
! Nor were we able to discover that NadaI