Quotes:Bhashyacharya, Nadaduri

Zirkoff, Boris

Bhāshyachārya, Pandit N.. Outstanding Sanskrit and Oriental scholar of the early days of the Theosophical Movement. He was born at Sriperumbadur, Chingleput District, near Madras, India, in April, 1835, and died at Madras, Dec. 22, 1889. On his father’s side, he came from a long line of Visishtādwaita philosophers and teachers, and was related to Sri Rāmānujāchārya. His Brāhmanical thread ceremony was performed in his seventh year by his own father. He studied the Yajur-Veda, rhetoric and general literature under various scholars, completing his studies in modern Sanskrit literature in his 14th year. He married in his twentieth year, and in his 24th left Madras for Conjeeveram to study Vedānta under a famous ascetic. He was soon employed by the Board of Examiners in the Civil Service to teach young civilians, and while in this capacity learned Hindi, Telugu, Canarese, Marathi, Bengali and Persian, as well as some Arabic—Tamil being his mother tongue. His acquaintance with Sir Walter Elliot and others laid foundations for his Oriental research, and spurred him to a thorough study of English. In 1863, he was for a while assistant to the Sub-Collector of the Cuddapah District. Returning to Madras, 1869, he became acquainted with J. Pickford, Prof. of Sanskrit in the Presidency College, who was largely responsible for his study of the Vedas. In 1870, he joined the Bar in the District Court of Cuddapah, practising law until 1887, when diabetes made it impossible to continue. After some misconceptions concerning the aims of the Theosophical Society, he joined it in November, 1886, during a visit of Col. Olcott to Cuddapah, for the purpose of organizing a Branch at the Pandit’s own suggestion. In 1887, he 407 settled at Adyar and became engaged in the preparation of his Visishtdwaita Catechism, the first English work on that philosophy. It was in 1886 that the Pandit went, at the request of Col. Olcott, on a tour of inspection of various Native Libraries, bringing back with him a large number of valuable MSS. He donated his own library to the Oriental Department of the Adyar Library, and wrote and lectured extensively on behalf of the Movement. (Vide for further details, The Theosophist, Vol. XI, Suppl., February, 1890, pp. xcv-xcix.)

Pandit Bhashyacharya was acknowledged as one of the most learned Sanskritists in India; a great linguist; an orator equally at home in four languages; a man of courageous disposition, an enlightened reformer, and an ardent Theosophist who gave up a lucrative profession to devote himself gratuitously to the work of the Theosophical Society.

On the subject of his writings, special mention should be made of his two scholarly essays contributed to the pages of The Theosophist: “The Age of Patanjali” (Vol. X, September, 1889, pp. 724-740; with additional notes on the Yavanas, in Vol. XI, January, 1890, pp. 218-223), and “The Age of Sri Sankaracharya” (Vol. XI, November, 1889, pp. 98-107; January and February, 1890, pp. 182-185, and 263-272 resp.). He also translated Light on the Path into Sanskrit.

Although he never met H. P. Blavatsky, the Pandit had a very high regard for her knowledge and integrity, and remained unaffected by the various attacks against her. It is stated by those who knew him that he had conceived the idea of interpreting with the help of H. P. B. the ancient Indian writings in the light of esoteric truths, and greatly regretted her absence from Adyar. An early death made it impossible for him to carry out this plan.

Source: Boris de Zirkoff, «H. P. Blavatsky Collected Writings», vol. 9, pp. 406-407