Stead and Maskelyne THE vexed question of spirit communication has become a subject of permanent public controversy in England. So much that is of the utmost importance to our views of the world, religion, science, life, philosophy, is crucially interested in the decision of this question, that no fresh proof or disproof, establishment or refutation of this genuineness and significance of spirit communications can go disregarded. But no discussion of the question which proceeds merely on first principles can be of any value. It is a matter of evidence, of the value of the evidence and of the meaning of the evidence. If the ascertained facts are in favour of spiritualis

On Translating Kalidasa THE life and surroundings in which Indian poetry moves cannot be rendered in the terms of English poetry. Yet to give up the problem and content oneself with tumbling out the warm, throbbing Indian word to shiver and starve in the inclement atmosphere of the English language seems to me not only an act of literary inhumanity and a poor-spirited confession of failure, but a piece of laziness likely to defeat its own object. An English reader can gather no picture from and associate no idea of beauty with these outlandish terms. What can he understand when he is told that the atimukta creeper is flowering in the grove of kesara trees and the m

The Stress of the Hidden Spirit THE world is a great game of hide and seek in which the real hides behind the apparent, spirit behind matter. The apparent masquerades as real, the real is seen dimly as if it were an unsubstantial shadow. The grandeur of the visible universe and its laws enslaves men's imaginations. "This is a mighty machine," we cry, "but it moves of its own force and needs neither guide nor maker; for its motion is eternal." Blinded by a half-truth we fail to see that, instead of a machine without a maker, there is really only an existence and no machine. The Hindus have many images by which they seek to convey their knowledge of the rel

Yoga and Hypnotism WHEN the mind is entirely passive, then the force of Nature which works in the whole of animate and inanimate creation, has free play; for it is in reality this force which works in man as well as in the sun and star. There is no doubt of this truth whether in Hinduism or in Science. This is the thing called Nature, the sum of cosmic force and energy, which alone Science recognises as the source of all work and activity. This also is the Prakriti of the Hindus to which under different names Sankhya and Vedanta agree in assigning a similar position and function in the Universe. But the immediate question is whether this force can act in man independent

ONE Things Seen in Symbols WHAT is dhyāna? Ordinarily, when a man is absorbed in thought and dead to all that is going on around him, he is supposed to be in dhyāna. Or concentration of the whole thought on a single object to the exclusion of every other, is called dhyāna. But neither of these ideas corresponds exactly with the whole truth; they represent only particular stages of the process of meditation. Dhyāna is a wide term covering a number of processes which rise from ordinary attention to nirvikalpa samādhi. The distinguishing feature of dhyāna is that it puts out a steady force of knowledge on the object of knowledge. When this process is successful,

Hathayoga THE evolution of man has been upwards from the body to the spirit and there are three stages in his progress. He bases himself upon the body, rises through mind and soul and culminates in spirit. And to each stage of his evolution belong certain kinds of sādhanā, a particular type of Yoga, a characteristic fulfilment. There was no aeon in man's history, no kalpa to use the Indian term, in which the Yoga was withheld from man, or fulfilment denied to him. But the fulfilment corresponded to his stage of progress, and the Yoga corresponded to the fulfilment. In his earlier development, he was realising himself in the body and the divinity of the body was his fulfilment.

A PROPOSED WORK ON KALIDASA* CHAPTER I Kalidasa's surroundings CHAPTER II Kalidasa and his work The Malavas — the three ages, Valmiki...Vyasa... Kalidasa...— surrounding circumstances — materialism and sensuousness...the historic method...psychological principles of criticism... variety of Kalidasa's work...probable chronological succession of his works CHAPTER III The Seasons CHAPTER IV The House of Raghu; its scope and outline; nature of the poem; descriptive epic of later Hindu civilisation; its limitations. Qualities of verse, diction, similes. Description. Sentiment; pathos and eloquence. Relative merits of

Social Reform REFORM is not an excellent thing in itself as many Europeanised intellects imagine; neither is it always safe and good to stand unmoved in the ancient paths as the orthodox obstinately believe. Reform is sometimes the first step to the abyss, but immobility is the most perfect way to stagnate and to putrefy. Neither is moderation always the wisest counsel: the mean is not always golden. It is often an euphemism for purblindness, for a tepid indifference or for a cowardly inefficiency. Men call themselves moderates, conservatives or extremists and manage their conduct and opinions in accordance with a formula. We like to think by systems and parties and forget

SECTION SIX THE BRAIN OF INDIA THE time has perhaps come for the Indian mind, long preoccupied with political and economic issues, for a widening of its horizon. Such a widening is especially necessary for Bengal. The Bengali has always led and still leads the higher thought of India, because he has eminently the gifts which are most needed for the new race that has to arise. He has the emotion and imagination which is open to the great inspirations, the mighty heart-stirring ideas that move humanity when a great step forward has to be taken. He has the invaluable gift of thinking with the heart. He has, too, a subtle brain which is able within certain limits to ca

FOUR His Versatility WHENEVER a literary man gives proof of a high capacity in action people always talk about it as if a miracle had happened. The vulgar theory is that worldly abilities are inconsistent with the poetic genius. Like most vulgar theories it is a conclusion made at a jump from a few superficial appearances. The inference to be drawn from a sympathetic study of the lives of great thinkers and great writers is that except in certain rare cases versatility is one condition of genius. Indeed the literary ability may be said to contain all the others, and the more so when it takes the form of criticism or of any art, such as the novelist's, which proceeds pr