Paul Brunton – A tribute

Dr N K Srinivasan 2nd Dec 2010

Paul Brunton [1898-1981] was a mystic and philosopher who had intimate contact with
Indian mystics, philosophers and sages of different hues. He is best known for his book:
“A Search in secret India “, pub in 1934. This book brought him international acclaim .It
was also responsible for introducing Bhagwan Ramana maharshi ,the sage of
Thiruvannamalai ,South India [near Madras or Chennai] to world audience.

His life is full of several twists and turns till he settled down to formulate his own
philosophy, much influenced by the Advaita philosophy of Hinduism. While he could not
assert with great scholarship in Hindu scriptures, PB absorbed much of this philosophy
and the approach of Bhagwan Ramana for his own spiritual progress and to write with
remarkable clarity. In later years he wrote about “OVERSELF’ – a term he used to
denote the equivalent of Brahman or paramatman of Hindu saints/philosophers.

He traveled and lived in India for the greater part of the years between 1930 to 1947. In
all, he made three long trips to India. Besides the search he made in several places for
yogis/mystics/saints, he was influenced by three great masters: Bhagwan Ramana, in
Thiruvannamalai {Arunachala} , Atmananda Krishna Menon in Kerala and Shri V
Subramanya Iyer, the Royal Guru for the Maharaja of Mysore, at Mysore.
Much study has been made of his learning from these masters in a recent Ph D thesis of
Annie Cahn Fung, Univ of Paris ,with a translation into English.[1994] I have gathered
much information from this work.

PB’s first illumination came from Bhagwan Ramana. The certainty of the soul or atman
permeating one’s body and guiding it was felt by PB during his first stay with the
Bhagwan. The light kindled thus had to be kept up---by further self-enquiry and
meditations following Raman’s teachings.

A little bit of background of PB’as life is relevant here. PB was born a jew ,of east
European descent. His original name was Raphael Hurst, but he would take many
pseudonyms.
He studied in England. He had mystic experiences and explored occult sciences. He was
also a member of Theosophical Society for a few years. This society provided a window
into the wisdom and concepts of Indian metaphysics. He admired H P Blavatsky, though
he was soon disenchanted with the tenets of this society and the murky dealings with
secret societies and adepts in Tibet and elsewhere. He sought a more transparent, logical
enquiry into Truth.

He became a free-lance journalist at the age of twenty one in 1919.He started a book
store in London, published a magazine for some time—all these ventures were failures.
When he landed in India in 1930, he was taken to many places and saw several yogis and
saints. He was certainly impressed by the pious, serene nature of Master Mahasay in
Calcutta—a foremost, householder disciple of Sri Ramakrishna Paramahansa and the

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author of “Gospel of Ramakrishna”. He had his stint of visits to several sadhus in
Varanasi, including the miracle worker Vishudananda. {Both Master Mahasay and
Swami Vishudananda are described later by Paramahansa Yogananda in his
“Autobiography of a Yogi.”

PB also had an encounter with Meher Baba near Nasik [in Ahmednagar] . PB could not
fully understand this Baba who was in turn a disciple of Upasani maharaj [Sakori] and
the well-known saint/mystic Shirdi Sai Baba who is venerated by millions of devotees
today. PB called Meher Baba a charlatan. PB was still immature at that time. He could
not see through the ‘paranoidal’ persona or mask of Meher Baba. Meher Baba was a
highly evolved soul in his own way and though his teachings may not be easily
understood or followed, PB still praised the Baba for his insightful writings in an
alphabet board since the Baba observed silence for nearly 40 years.

PB then moved to South India where he met a few local yogis and then met
Shankaracharya of Kanchi mutt [Abbey] who directed him to Bhagwan Ramana in
Thiruvannamalai. He met Ramana in 1930 for the first time. Again he came back to him,
after traveling to Mumbai and canceling his ticket on boat to London. This was in
1931,when he spent several weeks with the master.
He became ill due to long fever ,perhaps malarial. He spent the next two years in writing
in a quaker village near London , his major book “A search in Secret India which was
published in 1934.

“ A Search in Secret India” became a successful book. Many westerners learnt abut the
ascetic life and deep teachings of Hindu sadhus and saints. This book introduced Ramana
in western countries and even in distant Russia and other places. Many Indians also came
to know about Ramana through this book.

It should be noted here that by this time ,a small ashram has begun to grow around this
sage in the foothills of the sacred hill of Arunachala, that is since 1927 when Ramana
moved downhill. Many foreigners were visiting the Maharshi starting with F W
Humphreys ,a police officer of a nearby district. Several articles have already appeared
about the Bhagwan, but it was given to PB to write several chapters in his book for
detailed information. This indeed is a very sensitive account of his learning from the
master: Ramana Maharshi.

He returned to the Ashram of Ramana in 1935 and wrote a book “ A Message from
Arunchala. “ which was published in 1936. It is reported that he stayed for some time in
a cottage there along with early devotees who had built small cottages around the ashram.
Many foreigners came to stay in this tropical village at the foot of the hill: Major
Chadwick, S S Cohen, a Russian jew, Arthur Osborne among others. Many visited for a
few weeks, including Douglas Ainsle, Pramahansa Yogananda, Lucy Cornellson
,Somerst Maugham, Maurice Friedman among others.

His wanderlust took him to the Himalayas, to Tehri-Garwal where he built a retreat for
himself. He pondered over philosophical issues and also much of metaphysics from

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Hindu view points. He formulated his own approach to Vedanta that would appeal to the
Western seekers. He would spend many hours in silence and meditation in the sylvan
surroundings of snowy Himalayan mountains. He kept a journal and published another
book—“A Hermit in the Himalayas.”

Then he made an acquaintance with the Maharaja of Mysore who had read his books. The
Maharaja, Krishna Raja Wadeyar ,was one of those forward looking maharajas, interested
in Hindu philosophy and its spread in western nations. He was much influenced by the
work of Swami Vivekananda in the west. In PB, the maharaja found a fit person to write
about Vedanta and spread in the west. Fortunately for PB, the maharaja had a personal
guru or teacher V Subramanya Iyer, a pious philosopher steeped in Hinduism and its
metaphysics—Advaita Vedanta. In 1937, PB came to the palace of the Maharaja in
Mysore and listened to the lectures of Subramanya Iyer. As a royal guest, PB was treated
very well. He even spent several months in the summer retreat nearby and in the hill
station at Ooty, frequented by wealthy Britishers.

Maharaja of Pithapuram, a small princely state in east coast near Kakinada, was a modern
ruler with interest in education and Indian philosophy. He invited PB to spend several
months at Pithapuram.

In 1938, he again spent three months with the Maharishi in Thiruvannamalai

[Arunachala]. He made short trips to Cambodia and Thailand to study Theravada
Buddhism. In 1939, he was again at Arunachala at the feet of his revered master.

This stay with Bhagwan was short, only for three months and was his last stay at the
ashram at Arunachala. The situation became deplorable at the ashram due to local
intrigues [‘politics’] which were brewing in the last three years. Many devout foreigners
and Indians were sent out, perhaps instigated by the then manager of the ashram who
was titled “sarvadhikari” or supreme controller. This manager was none other than the
younger brother of Bhagwan Ramana [who took later sannyas or monastic vows and was
named Swami Niranjanananda. [He came to Ramana when Ramana was residing at
Skandashram in the hill...Bhagwan’s mother was also with him at that time.]

Apparently Bhagwan was passive and a mute witness to the happenings around him. PB
was shown the door after some acrimonious dealings in the local press. Please note that
the country was still under the British rule and world-war II had started in Europe. In
early April 1939 PB left Arunachala for ever. He never met his master again even though
he stayed in India for eight more years. [Ramana attained mahasamadhi or final exit in
1950.]
PB spent rest of the years in Kerala with Krishna Menon [Atmananda] or with the
Maharaja of Mysore , in th e company of Subramanya Iyer. Krishna Menon was a
traditional Vedanta scholar, interpreting according to Sankara’s tradition. Such scholars
lay more emphasis on scriptural study and less on mditational approach.

Subramanya Iyer, on the other hand ,was a modern scholar, with science background. He
could expand on the neo-vedanta as propounded by Swami Vivekananda in the west.

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Many young monks of Sri Ramakrishna Mission , founded by Swami Vivekananda in
Calcutta, resided at the RK Mission ashram at Mysore. They were taught regularly by
Subramanya Iyer. One prominent monk of this time was Swami Siddheswarananda who
later headed the RK Mission at Paris. PB befriended this swami. The swami was also a
frequent visitor of Ramana .Therefore PB had a fruitful time to expand his horizons of
scholarship. The Maharaja wanted PB to “carry the best that India has to give –our higher
philosophy’ to the west. PB wrote a magnificent book , “ The Quest of the Overself” and
dedicated the book to the Maharaja. Unfortunately for PB, the Maharaja died in 1940 at
the age of 56. { It may be mentioned in passing that Sir S Radhakrishnan, the great
philosopher and future President of India was a junior professor at Mysore University and
had some training under Subramanya Iyer.]

Subramanya Iyer toned down the pure metaphysical approach and instead encouraged
intuitive perception and yoga in his lectures. PB was greatly influenced by this approach
which he carried on in the ensuing years.

The crisis at Ramansramam and the passivity of Bhagwan towards this crisis and his
indifference to the gruesome world war events were criticized by many intellectuals
,including Subramanya Iyer.
PB returned to London sometime in 1947, the year of India’s independence from British
rule.
His later life
He returned to London , to pursue his writing work. The last book he wrote was “The
spiritual crisis of man.” published in 1959.His reputation as an authentic guide for
eastern mysticism and yoga with western ,scientific orientation was firmly established.
Many offers were made to him to found an ashram or institution or school or at least a
journal to propagate his teachings. PB rejected all this. He would never become a guru in
the classic sense.May be his experiences with ashrams in India put him off to found one.
His would be a one-man mission with personal touch for sincere seekers, besides his
books.

Then PB disappeared quietly. His disappearance was so complete that many thought he
was no more. Obituaries appeared in major newspapers!
But in 1960 , he surfaced in Switzerland where he would remain for the rest of his life.
He wrote extensive notes in notebooks. These were published in 1983 as “the Notebooks
of PB” by Larson publications --- a set of 16 volumes.

PB developed a coherent philosophy ,combining the eastern mysticism and wisdom and
the western concepts of religion and divinity. He introduced the theory of karma, central
to Hindu approach ot life, but not in the fatalistic sense, but purely as the effect of one’s
past actions, in this birth or from previous births. His soul-reinforcing thoughts and
philosophy brought solace to thousands of his readers during the turbulent years of World
War II with devastation all around. Over the years, he had thousands of followers of his
philosophy. A foundation in his name was established in New York.
PB gave no short cuts or promises of instant realization or nirvana nor forays into occult
powers with secret societies and far away adepts; but with introspective journey into

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one’s own soul. Much he had learnt from Bhagwan Ramana in this approach, but
delivered in simple straight language without cluttering with Sanskrit terms.

He wrote: “ A world civilization will one day came into being through inward
propulsion and outward compulsion.”