Theos-Talk Archives (August 1996 Message tl00168)

There is a very interesting article on "How The Voice of Silence Was
Written" by Boris de Zirkoff. Boris was HPB"s grand nephew and was the
editor of the collected works. The article appeared in AT Nov/Dec 1988.
HPB's own preface indicates that the VOS was from the original work Book of
the Golden Precepts. However there is a very interesting letter that HPB
wrote to her sister Vera P de Zhelihovsky in Feb 1890 wherein she says:

        "They are grand aphorisms, indeed, I may say so, because you know I
did not invent them! I only translated them from Telugu, the oldest South
Indian dialect. There are three treatises, about morals, and the moral
principles of the Mongolian and Dravidian mystics. Some of the aphorisms are
wonderfully deep and beautiful. Here they have created a perfect *furor*,
and I think  they would attract attention in Russia, too. Won't you
translate them? It will be a fine thing to do."

The above was published in The Path, New York, Vol X, December 1895, pp. 268.

It is very interesting to note that HPB did not know Telugu. Then how did
she translate? What occult/psychic method was used? These are very
interesting questions. I do not know if any one will ever know.