Table Of Content

D A Q C C U L T SC IENC E IN IN I M A O N G T HE AN C IE N T S “ , M YST IU INIT IA T IQ NS AND T HE , 5 5 5 1 11633 Y 01? 3 112 11113 2 11 L O U IS J A C O L L IO T . M T BANSL A'I‘ED FRO T HE ERENC B BY W IL L ARD L FEL T . K ONL ' ' W N RK E Y O M W JOHN L OVEL L C O PANY . , 14 AND 16 VESEz ST REET . . P R E F A C E . W will lay asid for the prese t our inqui ies into E e n r , , th e general subj ect of the primitive civili ations of the far z East and the people wh have s ru g from the Brahminic o p n , stock in the old world i order to publish the res lt of n u , such researches as we have been able to make during o ur , . long residence in India in to the subj ect of occ lt science u , , and th practices of those wh o have been initiated into e the sect of the Pitris which is Sanscrit fo spirits or r an , estral shades o . This is neither a doctrinal book nor a work of criticism . We called upon to decide either for or agai st t are n o n , , th belief in spi its eith er m di tiw or m wm whi ch e r e a ap g , , w held by all who had been i i tiated in the temples of as n antiquity which i to day the keystone of the phi losoph s - , ical and reli ious i struction of the Brahmins d which t g n an o , many of our Western thinkers d scientists seem inclined an to assent . Bei g neither an advocate of this belief nor the opposi e t n , , are on that account b etter able to write its history w e , , . An arden t partisan woul d have been t credulous and o o , A woul d have taken everythi g upon trust rabid oppo n . nent woul d ha e made it his business t disparage and v o disc edit i t r . We shall gi e the words themsel es d set forth thi ngs v v an , i A CE v PREF . as they actually were we shall interpret an d explai the n ; which is the philosophi cal com di m of the Hindu spiritists we shall tell what we pen u ; saw with our own eyes and shall faithfully re ord such c , explanations as we received from the Brahm in s . We shall pay particular attention to the phenomena which the Faki s produce at will which some regard as r , the manifestations of a superior intervention d others an , t look upon as the resul of a shrewd charlatanism . Upon this point we have but a wo d to say r . The facts which are simply m agnetic are indisputable , extraordi ary as they may seem n . As to the facts which are purely spiritual we were only , able to explai those i which we participated either as n n , actor or spectator upon the hypothesis that we were the , — victims of halluci ation unless we are willi g to admit n n n that there was an occult interventio . We shall describe things j ust as we w them with out sa , taki g sides in the dispute n . These doctrines were known to the Egyptians to the , Jewish Cabalists to the people of Finland to the school , , of Alexandria to Philo and his disciples to the Gauls and , , to the early Ch istians and as in the case of the Hi dus r n , , , they set them apart for the use of those who had been ini i d As for the ancient Chaldeans the practice of t t a e po pu . , lar ma ic and sorcery seems to have been the utmost limit g ‘ of their attainme ts in this di ection n r . m They have also given birth to a pec liar syste of u moral philosophy whose place in the general scale of the , metaphysical spec lations of m anki d we shall take occa u n sion to point out . g f f dd ON th e evenin be o re th e uneral sra h a is to take plac e o r on the , f g dd d day itsel h e who ives th e sra ha sh o ul with all due respect in , , , l B m it t t th h i h th whi h h b l d v e a eas ree ra ns suc as ose c ave een a rea y , d m ti en on e . B b d dd T he rahmin wh o has een in vite to th e sra h a of the spirit of th e d d ld ld d ec ease sho u be entire m aster o f hi s senses He sh o u n o t rea th e . d p ly S i t b t it i l w t th i ti whi h sacre cr ures u o n rec e n a o o n e e nvo ca on s c , , , ld l k y it i hi fﬁ t tt h h d i wi b wh m th m s s o ce o u er as e s o u o e se y o e cere o n , , , p f d i m s er o r e . M T h t l whi t i th i bl t t m th B hm 'm wh e an ces ra e n e fn/ a e s a e acco p any e ra z o , , m h b i i t d th wi th th m d é ‘d fm d a ve een nc e ey go e u n er a n a rz n (an 000 0 , , M — plac e by their 81216 when they sit do wn ( ANU bo ok iii slo cas 187 . , . , 188 l g l y g d l F tim i t th i i i th i m t l or a on e prev o us o e r a n as e e r o r a enve ope , p d l k th l whi h h ti i t i th whi h i h bit th e sou s c ave rac se v r u e e ose c n a e — , — m d bo ies of Sanyassis an d Vanasprathas Anchtmitce amd C’mobz’ ao qm’re the faoulty of cm m sz’nn ’th wuls tkat hm c gm bafora to the m g g m a a that is a si n that the series of th eir transmi ratio n upo n earth — w is en ded (T he words of the an cient Bagm tta quo d in the Prom of . , . R m mb m ly v th i G d th i e e er y so n ere s o n o ne o e so ere gn , , , p pl g B ld m t d i i f thi d th t th h mi h as er an r n c e o n s an a e ra n s s o u . , p l l y y w h i Him i t b t th t thi i m t whi h ors n secre ; u earn a so a s s a s er c , ld l d lg — g h b t th h d th wi t h m s o u n ever e revea e o e vu ar er z o er se rea ar m b f l W d k b th B hmww ay o a yo u or s sp o en y e ra . . t o