Theos-Talk Archives (December 1993 Message tl00086)

This one could use input from all of you-- Jerry, Jerry, Eldon,
Nancy in particular.

Today I'm sending a book proposal to SUNY Press for a sequel to
the book they have in production. The tentative title is The
Chelas: Disciples of Theosophical Masters. I have some unused
manuscript material on two thirds of the characters, either
from In Search of the Masters or stuff never published. Here's
the theme: capsule biographies of about 7 pages each on figures
identifiable as chelas of the Masters in the first book.
Either evidence of direct relationship or relationship through
HPB suffices for inclusion, but no post-HPB chelas unless there
is independent evidence of historical connection. Here's the
table of contents: Introduction, Helena Petrovna Blavatsky.
Chapters 1-24, Henry Steel Olcott, William Quan Judge*,
Muhammad Abduh, Adib Ishaq*, Damodar Mavalankar, Godolphin
Mitford*, S. Ramaswamier, T. Subba Row*, S. Krishnaswami
(Babaji D. Nath), Prince Harisinghji Rupsinghji, Keshava
Pillai, Mohini Chatterji, Norendro Nath Sen, William T. Brown,
Franz Hartmann, Charles W. Leadbeater, Anagarika Dharmapala,
Annie Besant*, Mirza Reza, Prince Esper Ukhtomskii, George
Ivanovitch Gurdjieff, Isabelle Eberhardt, Mirra Alfassa
Richard, Alexandra David-Neel. Conclusion: Jiddu
Krishnamurti. (Asterisk identifies characters on whom I
currently have nothing written). Any suggestions from you all
about who to include and leave out? Needless to say, the
Olcott, Besant, Gurdjieff and Krishnamurti sections will be
twice as long as the others. Throughout, the theme will be
"How was this person's life transformed by the Master/Chela
relationship as mediated and defined by Theosophy?"