Auld lang syne. Second series

In Short

This memoir gathers the author's recollections of his Indian friends, correspondents, and intellectual allies, offering a defense of Indian philosophy and religion. Rather than describing physical travel—which he never undertook—he traces his internal journey through ancient texts like the Rig-Veda and his personal encounters with prominent reformers. He details how published Sanskrit works stirred religious controversies in India and inspired reform movements like the Brahmo Samaj. The book endures because it demonstrates a rare model of cross-cultural respect, using personal biography to make complex Vedantic concepts and comparative theology accessible to the general reader.

The Story

The author opens with a contemplative look back across nearly seventy years, arguing that external circumstances and personal friendships shape human life far more than individual willpower does. Having dedicated his scholarly life to Sanskrit literature without ever visiting India, he sets out to write not a standard autobiography, but a record of the Indian thinkers, scholars, and reformers whose intellects and spirits influenced his career. He defends his idealized view of India, asserting that a nation's native philosophy, ancient devotional literature, and intellectual flights offer a far truer portrait of its reality than any physical market or royal court.

He proceeds to explain the intellectual shock that occurred when European scholars published the Rig-Veda. For centuries, orthodox Brahmans had held these ancient hymns as an unapproachable, sacred power. When printed editions circulated freely, it triggered fierce debates among orthodox traditionalists and progressive reformers alike. The author highlights how access to these ancient texts laid the groundwork for modern Indian religious movements. Through personal letters and recollections, he profiles central figures of this transformation, including conservative scholars who debated the text's divinity and reformers who sought a pure, restored faith.

Among these portraits is Nehemiah Goreh, a scholar who moved from opposing Christianity to embracing it, attempting to synthesize Christian faith with traditional Vedantic philosophy. The author also recalls his interactions with Oxford colleagues like Dr. Pusey, who supported publishing sacred Eastern books but stubbornly insisted on excluding Christian scriptures from the collection.

Further portraits highlight individual heroism, such as Anandibai Joshee, a pioneering female doctor whose study of medicine in America challenged rigid social constraints and earned admiration back home upon her tragic early death. The author shares various aphorisms from spiritual leaders like Ramakrishna and presents letter exchanges with unnamed Indian correspondents who pose deep, challenging metaphysical queries regarding the soul, karma, and the origin of the universe.

In its final chapters, the text turns toward linguistic and comparative analysis. The author defends the Rig-Veda against contemporary anthropologists who mischaracterized it as modern or savage, demonstrating instead that its hymns represent an authentic, poetic record of early humanity observing natural phenomena. By analyzing deities like Ushas, the Dawn, and Varuna, the Sky, he illustrates the shared ancestral language and mythic heritage connecting Indian, Greek, Roman, and Teutonic traditions, culminating in the Vedantic vision of a single, unchangeable reality underlying all appearance.

How It Unfolds

A life shaped by friends The author reflects on his long life, asserting that human fate is guided by external circumstances and that writing about one's friends is the truest way to capture one's own identity. He states his intention to focus specifically on his Indian friends and the literature that revealed the country to him.

The arrival of the printed Veda He describes how publishing the printed Rig-Veda sent shockwaves through conservative Indian society, stripping away the exclusivity long maintained by traditional scholars. This widespread availability forced a re-examination of sacred texts and fueled new religious movements.

Spiritual journeys and conversions Through detailed reminiscences, he highlights figures like Nehemiah Goreh, who navigated the difficult space between Indian philosophy and Christian theology. He notes the personal sacrifices and courage required of individuals who followed their spiritual convictions across cultural lines.

Lessons from Eastern wisdom The author shares memorable maxims, parables, and philosophical teachings from spiritual leaders, illustrating how complex truths about the divine, selfhood, and human pride are communicated in simple, profound ways.

Tragic heroism and social progress He recounts the story of Anandibai Joshee, a young woman who broke through cultural barriers to study medicine abroad. Her untimely death united diverse factions in grief and proved that entrenched social prejudices could yield to selfless dedication.

Letters from unknown thinkers Analyzing mail from correspondents across India, the author shows how deeply ordinary citizens engage with fundamental questions of existence, karma, creation, and the relationship between the soul and God.

The poetry of nature's phenomena He translates and examines Vedic hymns to Ushas and Varuna, demonstrating that early religious expressions arose naturally from human awe before light, morning, and the order of the cosmos.

The ultimate unity of Vedantic thought Concluding with philosophical analysis, he explains how Vedantic logic treats the material world as phenomenal, pointing past shifting appearances toward an eternal, unchangeable divine reality.

The People

• F. Max Müller: The narrator and author, a dedicated scholar driven by a desire to bring Eastern literature to Western readers. He seeks intellectual truth through text and correspondence, remaining humble about his own achievements while championing cross-cultural understanding.
• Nehemiah Goreh: An intellectually rigorous Indian scholar who converts to Christianity after initially writing against it. He strives to reconcile Vedantic philosophy with his new faith, living with deep moral conviction despite facing isolation and doubt.
• Anandibai Joshee: A courageous young Indian woman who defies tradition to earn a medical degree in the United States. She wants to serve her country through medicine, but her life is tragically cut short by illness, though her efforts win the respect of both orthodox and progressive communities.
• Dr. Pusey: An influential Oxford scholar and university delegate who supports the publication of Eastern sacred texts. Staunch in his orthodoxy, he refuses to allow Christian scriptures to be published alongside non-Christian works, serving as an intellectual foil to the author's broader comparative vision.
• Râdhâkânta Deva: A conservative Indian leader and correspondent who engages respectfully with European scholars. Though committed to traditional orthodox perspectives, his letters show an appreciation for the academic precision brought to Sanskrit texts.

In Its Own Voice

"Delights are unsteady like lightning, flashing from the midst of a veil of clouds, life is fleeting like a shower from a mass of clouds that have been torn asunder by the wind..."

The text presents this traditional reflection to show the profound Indian awareness of life's temporary nature.

"As from the same gold various ornaments are made, having different forms and names, so our God is worshipped in different countries and ages, and has different forms and names."

This parable illustrates the underlying harmony that the author discovers across disparate world religions.

"The mute lips, and the face wan and wasted and prematurely aged in the fierce battle with sorrow and pain alike convey to her American friends this message, not to be forgotten: ‘I have done what I could.’"

A friend's letter records the quiet dignity of Anandibai Joshee at the close of her brief, heroic life.

What It's Really About

Behind its biographical sketches and textual analyses, the book argues for the fundamental intellectual and spiritual unity of humankind. The author contends that ancient religious expressions are not primitive superstitions, but humanity's earliest, most natural attempts to understand the divine through the visible wonders of nature. By examining how different cultures name and conceptualize God, he asserts that surface differences in ritual and doctrine cover a shared human search for truth. Furthermore, the work highlights the dynamic nature of tradition, showing how direct contact with historical texts can spark modern religious reform and social movement without destroying a nation's core cultural identity.

Why Read It Today

This book appeals to readers interested in the history of ideas, comparative religion, and cross-cultural intellectual history. Reading it feels like sitting in an Oxford study alongside a brilliant, gentle scholar who is genuinely eager to share his lifework. The narrative moves easily between personal anecdotes, translated poetry, and philosophical exposition, carrying a warm, respectful tone throughout.

Modern readers should be prepared for nineteenth-century academic conventions, including untranslated Sanskrit terminology, detailed discussions of academic disputes, and occasional patronizing Victorian phrasing regarding "childish" early civilizations. However, these period attitudes are balanced by the author's deep affection for his subjects and his defense of Indian character against contemporary Western prejudice. What remains with the reader is a lasting impression of how powerful respectful intellectual dialogue can be, and how much can be learned when one approaches unfamiliar traditions with openness, care, and scholarly rigor.