Sir John George Woodroffe(15 December 1865 – 16 January 1936), also known by his pseudonymArthur Avalon,was a BritishOrientalistwhose extensive and complex published works on theTantras,and other Hindu traditions, stimulated a wide-ranging interest inHindu philosophyandyoga.[3]
Sir John Woodroffe | |
|---|---|
 In 1928. Portrait byLafayette | |
| Born | 15 December 1865 |
| Died | 16 January 1936(aged 70) |
| Nationality | British |
| Other names | Arthur Avalon |
| Citizenship | United Kingdom |
| Alma mater | University College, Oxford |
| Occupation(s) | Lawyer;Orientalist |
| Known for | The Serpent Power |
| Parent(s) | James Tisdall Woodroffe, Florence Woodroffe |
Life
editWoodroffe was the eldest son of James Tisdall Woodroffe and his wife Florence, daughter of James Hume. James Woodroffe was Advocate-General ofBengaland Legal Member of the Government of India, aJustice of the Peace,and aKnight of St. Gregory.John was educated at Woburn Park School and theUniversity College, Oxford,where he took second classes in jurisprudence and the Bachelor of Civil Law examinations. He was called to the Bar by theInner Templein 1889, and in the following year was enrolled as an advocate of theCalcutta High Court.He was soon made a Fellow of theCalcutta Universityand appointed Tagore Law Professor. He collaborated with Ameer Ali in a widely used textbook,Civil Procedure in British India.He was appointed Standing Counsel to the Government of India in 1902, and in 1904 was raised to the High Court Bench. He served there for eighteen years, becoming Chief Justice in 1915. After retiring to England he served as Reader in Indian Law to theUniversity of Oxford.He died on 18 January 1936 in France.[3]
Woodroffe was married to the concert pianistEllen Elizabeth Grimsonfrom 1902.
Sanskrit Studies
editJohn Woodroffe's interest in tantra was sparked due to a court case, in which he felt he suddenly could not focus on the facts of the case. After mentioning this to his assistant, he was informed that a "tantrik sadhu" had been hired to perform a mantra outside the courthouse to "cloud his mind" in favor of the defendant. A constable was dispatched who chased the sadhu away. John Woodroffe said that his mind instantly cleared when the sadhu was stopped.[citation needed]
This event sparked a lifelong interest in tantrik and yoga studies.
Alongside his judicial duties he studiedSanskritandHindu philosophyand was especially interested in HinduTantra.He translated some twenty original Sanskrit texts and, under his pseudonymArthur Avalon,published and lectured prolifically onIndian philosophyand a wide range ofYogaandTantratopics. T.M.P. Mahadevan wrote: "By editing the original Sanskrit texts, as also by publishing essays on the different aspects ofShaktism,he showed that the religion and worship had a profound philosophy behind it, and that there was nothing irrational or obscurantist about the technique of worship it recommends. "[4]
John Woodroffe's Sanskrit tutor and "guru" who he retained in order to study tantra, first insisted that he sleep on the floor, or he would be unable to pronounce the Sanskrit properly, due to over-rela xing of the neck. He promptly had his bed removed, and replaced it with a thin mat.[citation needed]
John Woodroffe's Sanskrit studies led him to become even more precise in his Sanskrit than most native speakers, leaving him in a position to translate the most difficult Sanskrit texts.[citation needed]
Woodroffe was initiated into a yoga lineage similar to that of Lahiri Mahasay, now publicized as kriya yoga.[citation needed]
Woodroffe was believed by his "guru" to be the reincarnation of two somewhat famous persons from Indian history.[citation needed]
His choice of the name Arthur Avalon was due his initiation into the western equivalent of eastern tantra, the secretive Celtic religion which worships in secret within many British Churches, which has Arthur, with the nine sisters of Avalon in place of the ten incarnations of Vishnu, the nine incarnations of Durga, or the ten Mahavidyas as within other tantrik systems.[citation needed]
Mahānirvāṇatantraṃ
editWoodroffe translated the Mahānirvāṇatantraṃ from the original Sanskrit into English under hispen name,Arthur Avalon: a play on the magical realm ofAvalonand the young later-to-be,King Arthur,within the story-cycle of tales known generally asKing Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table;specifically according to Taylor (2001: p. 148), Woodroffe chose the name from the noted incompletemagnum opus,the painting 'Arthur's Sleep in Avalon' byBurne-Jones.[5]Moreover, Taylor (2001: p. 148) conveys the salience of this magical literary identity and contextualises by making reference towestern esotericism,Holy grail,quest,occult secrets,initiationsand theTheosophists:
"This is quite important to know, for here we have a writer on an Indian esoteric system taking a name imbued with western esotericism. The name at any rate seems to hint at initiations and the possession of occult secrets. The Arthurian legends are bound up with the story of the Holy Grail and its quest. This was a symbol of esoteric wisdom, especially to Theosophists who appropriated the legend. Anyone who named himself after King Arthur or the mystic isle of Avalon would be thought to be identifying himself with occultism, in Theosophists' eyes."[5]
Bibliography
editHis writings (published under his own name, as well as Arthur Avalon) include:
- Introduction to the Tantra Śāstra,ISBN81-85988-11-0(1913).
- Tantra of the Great Liberation (Mahānirvāna Tantra),ISBN0-89744-023-4(1913).
- Hymns to the Goddess(1913).
- Shakti and Shâkta,ISBN81-85988-03-X(1918).
- The Serpent Power,ISBN81-85988-05-6(1919).
- Hymn to Kali: Karpuradi-Stotra.Luzac & Co., London. 1922.
- The World as Power,ISBN1-4067-7706-4(1922).
- The Garland of Letters.ISBN81-85988-12-9(1922).
- Principles of Tantra (2 vols)ISBN81-85988-14-5.
- Kularnava Tantra (Introduction by John Woodroffe).ISBN81-208-0972-6(1965).
- Kamakalavilasaby Puṇyānanda.
- Bharati Shakti: Essays and Addresses on Indian Culture.
- India: Culture and Society.
- Is India Civilized? Essays on Indian Culture.
Arms
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See also
editReferences
edit- ^India, Select Births and Baptisms, 1786-1947
- ^1881 England Census
- ^abc"Obituary: Sir John Woodroffe".The Times.18 January 1936. p. 14.
- ^T.M.P. Mahadevan, foreword to; Arthur Avalon,Garland of Letters,Ganesh and Company Madras, 6th ed. 1974 p iii.
- ^abTaylor, Kathleen (2001).Sir John Woodroffe, Tantra and Bengal: 'an Indian soul in a European body?'.SOAS London studies on south Asia. Illustrated edition. Routledge.ISBN0-7007-1345-X,9780700713455. Source:[1](accessed: Monday 3 May 2010), p.148
- ^"Grants and Confirmations of Arms, Vol. G".National Archives of Ireland. 1863. p. 364.Retrieved5 February2023.
Further reading
edit- Shakti and Shakta,by John Woodroffe, Published byForgotten Books,1910.ISBN1-60620-145-X.
- Hymn to Kali:Karpuradi Stotra,by Sir John Woodroffe. Published byForgotten Books.1922.ISBN1-60620-147-6.
- Hymns to the Goddess,Translated by John George Woodroffe, Ellen Elizabeth (Grimson) Woodroffe, Published byForgotten Books,1952 (org 1913).ISBN1-60620-146-8.
- Mahanirvana Tantra,By Arthur Avalon, 1913,ISBN1606201441.
- Sir John Woodroffe, Tantra And Bengal- An Indian Soul In A European Body?,by Kathleen Taylor. Routledge, 2001,ISBN0-7007-1345-X.
External links
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