Talk:Max Arthur Macauliffe

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Was there any formal engagement of Max Arthur Macauliffe in the Theosophical Society? His (?) contributions to the Theosophical Review (Th_Rev y1898 v22 April p176 - The Japji of the Sikhs (hymn) -- tr M Macauliffe) and the Theosophist (Theost y1881 v3 October p11 - Buddhistic Thought in Modern Poetry -- M Macauliffe) seems to be suggestive of it. Do you know more?

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Max Arthur Macauliffe - never a Sikh

He was never a Sikh. His work represented a great deal of scholarship and effort - but it was all as a loyal servant of the British Empire. He wrote in "The Sikh Religion, its gurus, sacred writings and authors" Vol 1:

"But the Sikh does not do so: he devotes his head, body, and everything dear to him to preserving the influence of him whom he once makes his master. A Sikh who shows the least sign of reluctance to go, or goes with an expectation of remuneration, when called upon by his benefactor the King-Emperor to fight His Majesty's enemies, no matter how strong they may be, will be condemned by the Gurus.'

He presents a "prophecy" from somewhere:

"When it was represented to Guru Gobind Singh that a Muhammadan army would eventually come to overpower his Sikhs, he replied, 'What God willeth shall take place. When the army of the Muhammadans cometh, my Sikhs shall strike steel on steel. The Khalsa shall then awake, and know the play of battle. Amid the clash of arms the Khalsa shall be partners in present and future bliss, tranquillity, meditation, and divine knowledge. Then shall the English come, and, joined by the Khalsa, rule as well in the East as in the West. The holy Baba Nanak will bestow all wealth on them. The English shall possess great power and by force of arms take possession of many principalities. The combined armies of the English and the Sikhs shall be very powerful, as long as they rule with united councils. The empire of the British shall vastly increase, and they shall in every way obtain prosperity. Wherever they take their armies they shall conquer and bestow thrones on their vassals. Then in every house shall be wealth, in every house religion, in every house learning, and in every house happiness.'

It is such prophecies as these, combined with the monotheism, the absence of superstition and restraint in the matter of food,.."

It is needless to say that the "prophecy" is completely bogus. We have Guru Gobind Singh's own writings (such as Chandi Charitar Ukti Bilas), including an autobiography (Bachittar Natak), and works of his close associates such as Chaupa Singh. It is unthinkable that he would have made this prophecy.

Malaiya (talk)

The claim that Macauliffe converted to Sikhi is unsupported by reliable sources, Macauliffe himself doesn't admit to this in his "The Sikh Religion." The only reference is a dubious blog post which is repeated thrice as a reference. Tagging as unreliable. Puck42 (talk) 20:21, 12 November 2020 (UTC)[reply]

While there isn't a formal consensus on Macauliffe's faith, the general view is that he had left Punjab as a Sikh and died as one. This is supported by Harbans Lal who notes "Mr Macauliffe started as a Sikh Research Scholar and died as a Sikh, boycotted by the members of his own service and race" in his book, "The Western Gateway to Sikhism: The Life and Works of Max Arthur Macauliffe".

Furthermore, upon his death, his own servant sent a mail to Kahn Singh Nabha, a contemporary Sikh scholar, and noted his recital of the Japji Sahib prayer in the lead up to his death.

Lastly, Lal also notes that after Macauliffe's death, the local townsfolk initially refused to bury his body in the cemetery because it was "only for Christians". It's unclear if his body was eventually buried there, but it's likely since England would have only recently legalized cremations.

So, it's definitely not "unsupported by reliable sources", but I suppose it is debatable. AnyBurro9312 (talk) 09:37, 27 October 2024 (UTC)[reply]