Subba Row Medal

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In December 27-29, 1883, during the Convention of the Theosophical Society at Adyar instituted the Subba Row Medal, to be awarded to any Theosophical writer producing the best essay on any of the following subjects:

Medal awarded to Mary K. Neff
Reverse side of medal
  • Aryan Occult Science and Philosophy
  • Buddhist Esoteric Philosophy
  • Chaldean Esoteric Science and Philosophy and Zoroastrianism
  • Jewish Kabbalah and Esoteric Interpretation of the Christian Religion

A fund was established that year to cover the costs of creating a mold and striking the medals. Over the years the medal was no longer awarded for essays, but for major contributions to the body Theosophical literature. The design of the medal shows the Hindu goddess Saraswati on the reverse side, symbolizing knowledge, arts, and music.

In 1891 it was resolved "that the medal be awarded at each Annual Convention to the author of the most valuable contribution of the year to theosophical literature, either by translation into English or by original composition."[1]

Recipients

Year Recipient
1885 P. Srinivasa Rao
1888 Helena Petrovna Blavatsky for her articles on "The Esoteric Character of the Gospels"
1895 Annie Besant for her Convention Lectures of 1894
1896 Alfred Percy Sinnett
1897 C. W. Leadbeater
1898 G. R. S. Mead
1899 William Scott-Elliot (W. Williamson) for The Great Law
1900 Bhagavan Das
1906 Théophile Pascal; medal presented at Third Federated European Congress in Paris
1909 Rudolf Steiner
1911 Jiddu Krishnamurti for At the Feet of the Master
1912 F. Otto Schrader
1913 Curuppumullage Jinarājadāsa
1923 Purnendu Narayan Sinha
1924 Ernest Wood
1925 J. J. van der Leeuw
1934 Helena Fedorovna Pissareva for The Hidden Sense of Life
1935 George S. Arundale
1936 J. Émile Marcault
1938 Josephine Ransom
1939 Darab Dinsha Kanga
1940 Edward L. Gardner
1941 Hirendranath Datta
1942 James Cousins
1943 Bhikku Āryāsaṅga
1945 Mary K. Neff
1946 G. Srinivasa Murti
1949 L. W. Rogers
1951 N. Sri Ram
1952 Elizabeth Preston
1954 Geoffrey Hodson
1955 Rohit Mehta
1956 Clara Codd
1975 I. K. Taimni
1976 E. Lester Smith
1981 Boris de Zirkoff
1990 Virginia Hanson
1995 Geoffrey A. Farthing
1995 Hugh Shearman
2010 Joy Mills
2013 Radha Burnier
2014 John Algeo
2020 A. T. Barker[2]

Additional resources

Notes

  1. "Mr. L. W. Rogers Honored," The American Theosophist 38.3 (March, 1950), 62.
  2. Anonymous, "About the Subba Row Medal," Theosophy in Australia 64 (March, 2000), 20.