John Woodroffe

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Sir John Woodroffe (born December 15, 1865 , † 1936 in France ; also known under his pseudonym Arthur Avalon ) was a British judge in India and law professor at the University of Calcutta .

Life

John Woodroffe is the eldest son of Sir James Tisdall Woodroffe, Advocate-General of Bengal , and his wife Florence. He studied law at University College , Oxford . In 1890 he accepted a position as a lawyer in Calcutta . He was appointed professor at the University of Calcutta . In 1902 he became an advisor to the Indian administration and two years later a judge at the Calcutta High Court . In 1915 he was appointed president of this higher court. After returning to England, he taught Indian law at the University of Oxford . After his final retirement he lived in France, where he died in 1936.

Act

John Woodroffe was interested in Hindu philosophy and studied Sanskrit . With the help of an Indian teacher he immersed himself in the teaching of Tantric Shaktism and published several papers on it under the name Arthur Avalon. His best known work is the book The Serpent Power , published in 1918 , which deals with Kundalini and the doctrine of chakras .

Books by John Woodroffe

  • Shakti and Shakta (1918)
  • Principles of Tantra (2 volumes)
  • Kamakalavilasa
  • Introduction to the Tantra Śãstra
  • Mahanirvana Tantra (Tantra of Great Liberation)
  • Hymns to the Goddess and Hymn to Kali
  • The World as Power
  • The Garland of Letters
  • Bharati Shakti: Essays and Addresses on Indian Culture
  • India: Culture and Society
  • Is India Civilized? Essays on Indian Culture

literature

  • Arthur Avalon (aka Sir John Woodroffe): The Serpent Power. The development of creative powers in people. Verlag Barth, Weilheim 1961. Third edition: OW Barth bei Scherz, Munich 2003, ISBN 978-3-502-61044-1 .

Web links

personal data
SURNAME Woodroffe, John
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Woodroffe, Sir John; Avalon, Arthur (pseudonym)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION British judge and jurist
DATE OF BIRTH December 15, 1865
DATE OF DEATH 1936
Place of death France