Theos-Talk Archives (October 1998 Message tl00054)

SUBJECT:  Theosophy Company's 1987 edition of THE VOICE OF THE SILENCE

Of late, I have spent some time comparing the 1987 edition of the VOICE
published by The Theosophy Company (CA) with the original 1889 edition
of HPB's
classic.  As pointed out in one of my earlier emails, this Theosophy
Company edition (first published 1928) is NOT verbatim with the original
VOICE.  In fact, the TC edition has more than 600 changes and
"corrections".

Here are several examples of these changes:

On p. 73 of the original VOICE, HPB wrote:

>  The "great Master" is the term used by *lanoos* or 
>   chelas to indicate one's "Higher Self."

The Theosophy Company's 1987 edition reads:

>  The "great Master" is the term used by 
>  Lanoos or Chelas to indicate the HIGHER SELF.

As one can see, there are several changes in this one sentence
including deleting a word and adding another.

Again, HPB in the original wrote on pp. 74-75:

>  It stands generally for the 100 years or "age" of Brahma, the
>  duration of a Kalpa or a period of 4,320,000,000 years.

The Theosophy Company's edition reads (p. 5):

>  It stands generally for the 100 years or "age" of Brahma, the
>  duration of a Maha-Kalpa or a period of 311,040,000,000,000 years.

Again, the 1889 edition, p. 78:

>  These mystic sounds or the melody heard by the ascetic . . . .

The TC edition changes this to (p. 19):

>  The mystic sounds, or the melody, heard by the ascetic . . . . 

Again, the original VOICE, p. 87:

>  *Upadya* is a spiritual perceptor, a Guru.

The TC editions reads (p. 49):

>  *Upadhyaya* is a spiritual preceptor, a Guru.

Once, again, the original VOICE reads on p. 82:

>  Bodhidharma called them in China---from whence the names reached
>  Tibet---the *Tsung-men* (esoteric) and *Kiau-men* (exoteric school).

The TC edition changes this passage to read:  (p. 25)

>  The *Bodhidharma*, Wisdom Religion in China---whence the names reached
>  Tibet---called them the *Tsung-men* (Esoteric) and *Kiau-men* (Esoteric
>  school).

On pp. x-xi of the original, one finds the following:

>  . . . (*Bhagavatgita II*. 70). . . .

>  . . . (*Bhagavatgita II*. 27). . . .

The TC edition changes the spelling of this Hindu text and deletes the
numbers 
"70" and "27".

*Also the spelling of numerous Sanskrit words are changed throughout the
TC edition
when compared with the original 1889 edition of the VOICE.*

Over the years, The Theosophy Company has prided itself on 
providing photographic reprints of HPB's original works.  
Notice what this publisher writes in their 1947 edition 
of THE SECRET DOCTRINE:

"With the present printing of THE SECRET DOCTRINE, The Theosophy
Company continues its function of providing students and inquirers
with unaltered editions of the original literature of the Theosophical
Movement. . . . this edition is a perfect facsimile of the original
edition and can be relied upon as such."

And earlier in the same "Publishers' Preface", pains were taken to
point out:

"Besides the original edition of 1888---the only one authorized
by Madame Blavatsky---several other editions of this work have
appeared.  One of these, the so-called 'Third and Revised
Edition' of 1893, is marred by many thousands of alterations, some
of them trivial, some actual mutilations of the original text."

And this preface went on to say the following about another edition
of the SD:

"Except for gratuitous 'corrections' of the author's [Blavatsky's]
Sanskrit scholarship. . . . this edition is virtually an accurate
reproduction of the original text.  Its exact authenticity, however,
cannot be determined without laborious comparison with the original."

How much of this (Theosophy Company's) "Publishers' Preface" could be 
equally applied to their own edition of THE VOICE OF THE SILENCE??!!

Why are there 600+ changes in this Theosophy Company's edition?