A teacher in Benares
Arundale’s mother died at his birth in 1878. His aunt Francesca adopted him, and her involvement with the Theosophical Society brought its teachers into his life at an early age. After studying at St John’s College, Cambridge, he went to India at Annie Besant’s invitation. He taught history at the Central Hindu College in Benares, now Varanasi, and later became its principal.
In 1920 he married Rukmini Devi, who went on to establish Kalakshetra and became a major figure in Indian dance. His own work extended from education to the organisation of young Theosophists. In 1934 he succeeded Besant as the Society’s third international president, a position he held until his death in 1945.
Education as a spiritual practice
Gods Finding Themselves, the first volume of Gods in the Becoming, appeared at Adyar in 1936. Its title expresses a teacher’s conviction: for Arundale the pupil’s future spiritual life was already present in potential. Nirvana approaches consciousness through experiences he interpreted in Theosophical terms. The enlarged 1927 edition carries forewords by Besant and C. W. Leadbeater, placing his account within the circle that had shaped his education.
