John Woodroffe
Sir John Woodroffe | |
|---|---|
| Died | 16 January 1936 (aged 70) Beausoleil, Alpes-Maritimes, France[3] |
| 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 |
Sir John George Woodroffe (15 December 1865 – 16 January 1936), also known by his pseudonym Arthur Avalon, was a British Orientalist whose extensive and complex published works on the Tantras, and other Hindu traditions, stimulated a wide-ranging interest in Hindu philosophy and yoga.[3]
Life
Woodroffe was the eldest son of James Tisdall Woodroffe and his wife Florence, daughter of James Hume. James Woodroffe was Advocate-General of
Woodroffe was married to the concert pianist Ellen Elizabeth Grimson from 1902.
Sanskrit Studies
John 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.
This event sparked a lifelong interest in tantrik and yoga studies.
Alongside his judicial duties he studied Sanskrit and Hindu philosophy and was especially interested in Hindu Tantra. He translated some twenty original Sanskrit texts and, under his pseudonym Arthur Avalon, published and lectured prolifically on Indian philosophy and a wide range of Yoga and Tantra topics. T.M.P. Mahadevan wrote: "By editing the original Sanskrit texts, as also by publishing essays on the different aspects of Shaktism, 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-relaxing of the neck. He promptly had his bed removed, and replaced it with a thin mat.
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.
Woodroffe was initiated into a yoga lineage similar to that of Lahiri Mahasay, now publicized as kriya yoga.
Woodroffe was believed by his "guru" to be the reincarnation of two somewhat famous persons from Indian history.
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.
Mahānirvāṇatantraṃ
Woodroffe translated the Mahānirvāṇatantraṃ from the original Sanskrit into English under his
"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
His writings (published under his own name, as well as Arthur Avalon) include:
- Introduction to the Tantra Śāstra, ISBN 81-85988-11-0(1913).
- Tantra of the Great Liberation (Mahānirvāna Tantra), ISBN 0-89744-023-4(1913).
- Hymns to the Goddess (1913).
- Shakti and Shâkta, ISBN 81-85988-03-X(1918).
- The Serpent Power, ISBN 81-85988-05-6(1919).
- Hymn to Kali: Karpuradi-Stotra. Luzac & Co., London. 1922.
- The World as Power, ISBN 1-4067-7706-4(1922).
- The Garland of Letters. ISBN 81-85988-12-9(1922).
- Principles of Tantra (2 vols) ISBN 81-85988-14-5.
- Kularnava Tantra (Introduction by John Woodroffe). ISBN 81-208-0972-6(1965).
- Kamakalavilasa by 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
References
- ^ India, Select Births and Baptisms, 1786-1947
- ^ 1881 England Census
- ^ a b c "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.
- ^ ISBN 0-7007-1345-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. Retrieved 5 February 2023.
Further reading
- Shakti and Shakta, by John Woodroffe, Published by Forgotten Books, 1910. ISBN 1-60620-145-X.
- Hymn to Kali:Karpuradi Stotra, by Sir John Woodroffe. Published by Forgotten Books. 1922. ISBN 1-60620-147-6.
- Hymns to the Goddess, Translated by John George Woodroffe, Ellen Elizabeth (Grimson) Woodroffe, Published by Forgotten Books, 1952 (org 1913). ISBN 1-60620-146-8.
- Mahanirvana Tantra, By Arthur Avalon, 1913,ISBN 1606201441.
- Sir John Woodroffe, Tantra And Bengal- An Indian Soul In A European Body?, by Kathleen Taylor. Routledge, 2001, ISBN 0-7007-1345-X.
External links
- Sir John Woodroffe's representations of Hindu Tantra University of Colorado
- Woodroffe
- Works of sir John Woodroffe Sacred texts
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