''The Aryan Path'' was an Anglo-Indian

theosophical Theosophy is a religion established in the United States during the late 19th century. It was founded primarily by the Russian Helena Blavatsky and draws its teachings predominantly from Blavatsky's writings. Categorized by scholars of religion a ...

journal published in

Bombay Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' financial centre of India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Mumbai is the second-m ...

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

, between 1930 and 1960. Its purpose was to form "a nucleus of universal brotherhood of humanity, without distinction of race, creed, sex, caste or color; to study ancient and modern religions, philosophies, and sciences, and to demonstrate the importance of such study". The magazine's first editor was B. P. Wadia. It was published on a bimonthly basis by a group called the Theosophy Company, which distributed copies of the magazine to

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

."The April Reviews", ''The Spectator'' magazine. 9 April 1932 - (p. 530)

History and profile

''The Aryan Path'' was founded in January 1930. In its first edition, a writer named "Shravaka" emphasised that

so much "original" writing is done today, so much "self-expression" is indulged in that, in the glamour that is raised, the chants of the Gods remain unheard. One of our tasks is to bring home the truth that it is not derogatory to respect the old age facts of the science of the soul.

''The Aryan Path'' was published in English on a monthly basis. The journal contained a variety of articles on Hindu and Buddhist spiritual traditions, as well as essays on English literature, Ruskinian socialism, aesthetics and science. The journal's contributors included C. E. M. Joad,

John Middleton Murry John Middleton Murry (6 August 1889 – 12 March 1957) was an English writer. He was a prolific author, producing more than 60 books and thousands of essays and reviews on literature, social issues, politics, and religion during his lifetime. ...

A. E. Waite Arthur Edward Waite (2 October 1857 – 19 May 1942) was a British poet and scholarly mystic who wrote extensively on occult and esoteric matters, and was the co-creator of the Rider–Waite tarot deck (also called the Rider–Waite–Smith o ...

Ramananda Chatterjee Ramananda Chatterjee ( bn, রামানন্দ চট্টোপাধ্যায়) (29 May 1865 – 30 September 1943) was founder, editor, and owner of the Calcutta based magazine, the '' Modern Review''. He has been described as th ...

, Edmond Holmes,

Max Plowman Mark Plowman, generally known as Max Plowman, (1 September 1883 – 3 June 1941) was a British writer and pacifist. Life to 1918 He was born in Northumberland Park, Tottenham, Middlesex. He left school at 16, and worked for a decade in his fath ...

, J. D. Beresford, Hugh I'Anson Fausset, Hugh de Sélincourt, Humbert Wolfe and Gertrude Emerson Sen. The March 1930 issue carried an essay on

reincarnation Reincarnation, also known as rebirth or transmigration, is the philosophical or religious concept that the non-physical essence of a living being begins a new life in a different physical form or body after biological death. Resurrection is ...

Algernon Blackwood Algernon Henry Blackwood, CBE (14 March 1869 – 10 December 1951) was an English broadcasting narrator, journalist, novelist and short story writer, and among the most prolific ghost story writers in the history of the genre. The literary cri ...

. The March 1932 issue carried the article "

Goethe Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (28 August 1749 – 22 March 1832) was a German poet, playwright, novelist, scientist, statesman, theatre director, and critic. His works include plays, poetry, literature, and aesthetic criticism, as well as tr ...

and the East" by Otto Schrader, described by ''

The Spectator ''The Spectator'' is a weekly British magazine on politics, culture, and current affairs. It was first published in July 1828, making it the oldest surviving weekly magazine in the world. It is owned by Frederick Barclay, who also owns ''The ...

'' magazine as "timely and interesting". Black American scholars such as

Alain Locke Alain LeRoy Locke (September 13, 1885 – June 9, 1954) was an American writer, philosopher, educator, and patron of the arts. Distinguished in 1907 as the first African-American Rhodes Scholar, Locke became known as the philosophical architect ...

and William Harrison also contributed to this journal. The magazine ran several articles criticising

racism Racism is the belief that groups of humans possess different behavioral traits corresponding to inherited attributes and can be divided based on the superiority of one race over another. It may also mean prejudice, discrimination, or antagonis ...

. After 1933 the magazine received considerable correspondence concerning the rise of

Nazism Nazism ( ; german: Nazismus), the common name in English for National Socialism (german: Nationalsozialismus, ), is the far-right totalitarian political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) i ...

, which the journal strongly opposed. In 1938 ''The Aryan Path'' ran an article condemning fascism and Nazism by

G. D. H. Cole George Douglas Howard Cole (25 September 1889 – 14 January 1959) was an English political theorist, economist, and historian. As a believer in common ownership of the means of production, he theorised guild socialism (production organised ...

. In 1952 ''The Aryan Path'' ran a series of articles on the Bon religion of Tibet by

René de Nebesky-Wojkowitz René de Nebesky-WojkowitzAlternatively, he is listed as René von Nebesky-Wojkowitz in some of his publications (see Bibliography, nos. 2, 7, 20) (29 June 1923 – 9 July 1959) was a Czech ethnologist and Tibetologist. He is mostly known for h ...

.Dan Martin, ''Unearthing Bon Treasures: Life and Contested Legacy of a Tibetan Scripture Revealer, With a General Bibliography of Bon''. Brill, 2001 , (pp. 390-391). The articles of this journal have been quoted in discussions about race relations, Indian civilization and English literature. ''The Aryan Path'' ceased publication in 1960.

References

External links

WorldCat record
{{DEFAULTSORT:Aryan Path 1930 establishments in India 1960 disestablishments in India Defunct literary magazines Defunct magazines published in India English-language magazines published in India Literary magazines published in India Monthly magazines published in India Magazines about spirituality Magazines established in 1930 Magazines disestablished in 1960 Mass media in Mumbai Philosophy magazines