Vol 3 Page 60

THE BRAHMO LEADER AND YOGINISM

[The Theosophist, Vol. II, No. 6, March, 1881, p. 132]

A correspondent asks what we have to say with respect to the following paragraph, which he professes to have copied from the Indian Mirror, the organ of the Brahmo Samaj, of January 23, 1881:—

the Theosophists who are now in India profess to bring back those days of Yoga in which holiness was combined with the power of doing supernatural things. We were a little amused to hear the other day of their strong belief that the leader of our movement, whether he will confess it or not, does really possess the occult powers, being a man of Yoga himself. Fortunately for India, those days are past recall. The world will survive supernaturalism of all sorts, and the only miracles which will be believed in are those which result from the extraordinary moral forces and strong resolves of the human will directed by injunctions from the divine spirit above.

Page 61

We have only to say that some one has apparently imposed upon the good nature of our Brahmo friends. Such an idea as that of Mr. Sen’s being a Yogi never entered the head of any theosophist whom we have heard express an opinion about that gifted Bengali orator. If he is responsible for the reflections indulged in by the writer of the paragraph upon the general subject of supernaturalism, à propos of miracles and the Theosophical Society, we deeply regret that one of such talents should so grossly misconceive us and our beliefs. The more so, since he claims direct inspiration from God, and presumably should be able to get at the truth. If there is one thing more than another that our Society’s Founders do not believe in it is a miracle, whether as a disturbing effect in the laws of matter, or a special divine commission to any individual. There never was a time, in our opinion, when holiness or sinfulness “was combined with the power of doing supernatural things.”