It was the year 1957. I was then a pre-university student at the Madras Christian College (MCC) in Tambaram, Chennai, India. It was here in MCC that I first heard about the Theosophical Society located in Adyar, a suburb of Chennai.Theosophy's esoteric teachings fascinated me and aroused my curiosity about spiritual matters. Soon I began to develop great respect for Madame Blavatsky, the Founder-President of the Society, and other early leaders, especially C. W. Leadbeater and Annie Besant.
Annie Besant (1847 - 1933) was no ordinary woman. She was a social reformer, free-thinker, orator, writer, and nationalist leader of exemplary courage and foresight. She joined the Theosophical Society in 1889 and served as its President for more than 25 years from 1907 until her death at the ripe old age of 86 years.
About six years ago, I began to re-read some of Besant's books, which I had bought in the sixties and seventies. One particular passage in her "Esoteric Christianity" is worth sharing with you. Talking about the nature of God, Besant says:
"He shows His splendour in the sun, His infinity in the star-flecked fields of space, His strength in mountains, His purity in snow-clad peaks and translucent air, His energy in rolling ocean billows, His beauty in tumbling mountain-torrent, in smooth clear lake, in cool, deep forest and in sunlit plain, His fearlessness in the hero, His patience in the saint, His tenderness in mother-love, His protecting care in father and in king, His wisdom in the philosopher, His knowledge in the scientist, His healing power in the physician, His justice in the judge, His wealth in the merchant, His teaching power in the priest, His industry in the artisan."
"He whispers to us in the breeze, He smiles on us in the sunshine, He chides us in disease, He stimulates us, now by success, now by failure. Everywhere and in everything He gives us glimpses of Himself to lure us on to love Him, and He hides Himself that we may learn to stand alone."
"To know Him everywhere is the true Wisdom; to love Him everywhere is the true Desire; to serve Him everywhere is the true Action. This self-revealing of God is the highest Revelation; all others are subsidiary and partial."
You can gather more information about Annie Besant and the Theosophical Society from the following websites.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Annie_Besant
1 comment:
I am a j mithra, music teacher, MCC Campus school, MCC, Tambaram.....I am working on a project to show how the campus turned from a barren land into a tropical dry evergreen forest.. Would you mind sharing your experience about the campus greenery and when the lake was dug and the flora and fauna of your time in college... I would appreciate if you could share some pictures of MCC campus if you have.. Our school is planning to do a documentary of MCC flora and fauna to be presented to MCC college as a birthday gift for the 175th year to be celbrated from January next year
Regards,
a j mithra
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