Theos-Talk Archives (February 1998 Message tl00239)

WAD-BB1 (wad-f7)
Continued from Part 6 of 7

The living Power of Theosophy must become the
power by which we live.

			W. E. Whiteman

Extracts from a Talk Given at the I.I.W.C. in 1981 by
Jehanghir M. Tijoriwalla, Bar-at-Law, of Bombay at Bangalore.	Oct. 16th., 1981

This day marks the birth-centenary of Bahman Pestonji Wadia.

He worked in the cause of labor and the Home Rule Movement of India,
leaving plain Theosophical traces on all causes he espoused.  This he did
through the Theosophical Society, then for thirty years thereafter he lived
and labored for the Cause of Those whom Theosophists call The MASTERS, and
in whom they recognize the successors of the ancient and far-distant Rishis.

B.P.'s student days took him up to the "matriculation examination."
Thereafter, for a short time the young B.P. worked for an English firm, but
resigned when he found that service in its business house meant at times a
deliberate departure from the Truth, on occasions when business interest
demanded it.

Sometime, during the ninety of the last century, he received a present of
the two volumes of THE SECRET DOCTRINE written by Mme. H.P.Blavatsky.  The
fates act sometimes thus.  This birthday present gave his life a fresh and
more profound orientation.  As he read and studied his soul awakened to
deeper purposes for living.  He deliberately chose H.P.B. as his guru.  His
daily contact with THE SECRET DOCTRINE remained unbroken throughout his
life.  Did She not speak to him, guide and admonish him through the pages
of her book?  Her body had died in 1891, but to him, She lived, She was a
Living Force.

Looking around for a suitable organization through which he might channel
his efforts he could find none better than the Theosophical Society.  To
its venerable President Founder:  Col. H. S. Olcott he made application,
was accepted and worked thereafter in the Bombay Branch of the T.S.
Shortly after Col. Olcott's death he went to work at Adyar.

The plight of the laborers in the Buckingham and Karnatic Mills textile
mills came to his attention when a delegation of these called upon Mrs.
Annie Besant, asking for assistance.  She asked him to attend to that for
her, as her delegate.  Having espoused with success the cause of the
laborer, B.P. observed India now found itself involved in the fortunes of
Britain engaged in World War I.  India had been promised a gradual
increment in political responsibility by the English rulers.  When this was
shelved, Mrs. Besant indignantly launched the Theosophical Society behind
the Home Rule Movement in an effort to secure the implementation of those
promises.

Addendum on Mr. W. Q. Judge		1894-96

As an aside to this narration of the work and life of BPW it becomes
necessary to write of the events in 1894-1896 involving Mr. Judge, Mrs.
Besant and Col. Olcott after the death of HPB, so that the perspective is
clear and some understanding of what Mr. Wadia found out is had as of
1919-1922.

BPW determined that in 1894-6 Mrs. Besant, and Col. Olcott, were the prime
cause of a serious problem caused by their misunderstanding of Mr. Judge's
stand and function for Theosophy.  He was accused by them ( Mrs. Besant
taking the position of a "prosecutor)" of fraudulently imitating or copying
the Masters' handwriting when providing them with certain "messages" which
came from Them.  Mrs. Besant and other recipients admitted that the content
of the messages was not being questioned, only the fact that they seemed to
be written in scripts that were used before H.P.B. died.  She, of course,
was no longer there to use them.  This was a puzzle.  How did Judge figure
in this ?

The original founders of the T S, in 1875, being more interested in
spiritualism, rather than in philosophical and religious investigation,
soon dropped away from membership in the T.S.  Only HPB, WQJ AND Olcott
remained steadfast until their death to the work of the Masters and to
Their Cause.

In terms of time it should be remembered that Mrs. Besant had contacted HPB
and Theosophy late in 1888, or 13 years after the T.S. was established.
This occurred because  after she had been asked to review The Secret
Doctrine she was so struck by the wisdom to be found therein, that she
determined to meet Mme. Blavatsky.  Shortly thereafter she joined the T.S.
in London (May 1889).  As she was an accomplished thinker and writer, and
as her sincerity in adopting the Theosophical outlook and life was evident,
Mme. Blavatsky asked her to assist in editing her magazine Lucifer as
co-editor.

Mrs. Besant had only had about two and a half years experience in the T.S.
in this incarnation, before HPB, her teacher, "died."  Whereas Mr. Judge,
and Col. Olcott had been in it, and with HPB since the outset, or 19 years
earlier, when in 1894, accusations against Mr. Judge were made public by
Mrs. Besant and Col. Olcott.

Mr. Judge stated openly at that time, that he was in frequent touch with
the Masters and that the said messages were Theirs and not his;  nor had he
written them.  He offered to prove this, but none of the accusers took him
up on this offer to demonstrate, as history reveals.  [ Both HPB, WQJ and
others had, earlier, published a number of articles in Lucifer and The Path
concerning the rationale of letter "precipitation"--how a "matrix"
impressed and long established in the electro-magnetic substance of the
astral light could be repeatedly used to save psy6M3 hic energy--in sending
new communications.  Such a matrix did not extinguish with the "death" of
any one person, but could continue to be used, as in these cases, where
another person might be used as the focus for that work to be done, as,
apparently, Judge was so used.  It was the context and the content, as well
as an interior code impressed in the "message" by the sender which
certified to its authenticity.  No "seal" or other external physical
appearance could be used by unconcerned parties to make a determination of
its authenticity.  These criteria alone would not serve an inquirer in
verifying the genuineness of the letters, or other artifacts, precipitated
from the astral light.  It may be recalled that earlier, suspicions had
been entertained in HPB' life time of the genuineness of certain letters
from the Mahatmas, like the "Prayag letter."  She, and Damodar K. Mavlankar
had been the targets of such suspicions by Sinnett and Olcott.]

Judge had warned Col. Olcott in advance that in his esteem, an attempt in
the T S to make a ruling on such a question would establish a "belief in
Masters" as a dogma of the T. S.--which specifically disavowed any
dogmatism.  On this point the "Judicial Committee" convened by Col. Olcott
in London in July 1894 agreed;  the "charges" against Judge were dropped,
and amity was ostensibly restored.  The membership of the T S  were sent a
report by Col. Olcott entitled "On the Neutrality of the T S."  For some
unfortunate reason this setback rankled with those who had made themselves
accusers of Mr. Judge.  These accusations were renewed in the beginning of
the next year, 1895 with increased rancor.

Col. Olcott. on Sept. 7th 1895 excommunicated, in effect, the whole
American Section of the T.S., which had, by his, Col. Olcott's earlier
suggestion, [see his letter written in 1893  addressed to W. Q.
Judge--quoted in Canadian Theosophist, 1923, Vol. 4, p. 1, and March 15th
p. 11.] reconstituted itself at its Annual Convention held in April 1894,
"The Theosophical Society in America," in full fraternal association with
all Theosophical Societies anywhere.  This excommunication goes against the
first object of the Society: brotherhood.

End of Part 7 of 7
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