Nobin K. Bannerji

Babu Nobin Krishna Bannerji (also known as Nabin K. Sarman Banerjee) was an early Theosophist in India and President of the Berhampore Branch. He served as Deputy Magistrate and Deputy Collector, and Manager-General of Wards’ Estates in Moorshedabad, Bengal.

He was a chela of the Masters of Wisdom, and the "Adhi-Bhoutic Brhatru Theosophical Society" in 1882. He was one of the chelas that signed the "Protest" to Mr. Hume's article published in The Theosophist in Sept., 1882, p. 326.

In 1881 he wrote "To the Editor of The Theosophist" a letter entitled "Are dreams but Idle Visions?" which was commented upon by H. P. Blavatsky.

Seeing a Mahatma

He gave this account that was recorded in the Hodgson Report:

1.
On the occasion of the seventh anniversary [convention of the Theosophical Society], in 1882, one evening before the anniversary celebration, at about 7 p.m., I was sitting in the balcony of the headquarters in Bombay, in company with Norendra Nath Sen, Mohini, Madame, Ramaswamier, and several others. We were talking when Madame said, "Don’t move from your seat until I say," or something to that effect. This made us expect that something was about to happen. Some were standing near the railing of the balcony, others were seated a little back. After a few moments those standing near the rails saw something, and made some remarks which induced the rest of the party, excepting myself and Norendra, to get up and go towards the rails, and look at the object. We didn’t stir, as nothing further was said by Madame, but kept turning our heads in expectation of seeing something. But we didn’t perceive anything. Some four or five minutes after, we inferred from the remarks made, that the others had seen some luminous astral figure walking to and fro below the balcony on the side of the hill. It was not pitch dark. Objects could be seen at a distance, but not distinguished clearly.
2.
The same party with the addition of Mr. Ghosal were sitting together on the north extremity of the bungalow facing the sea, at about 7:30 p.m., when some remark of Madame’s made us expect to see something immediately. Shortly after we saw a form standing on a rock close to the adjoining bungalow, about 10 yards distant. The light was about the same as on the previous occasion. There was no tree near and the figure could be seen clearly. The figure was dressed in a white flowing garment, with a light coloured turban, and a dark beard. The figure was that of a man of apparently ordinary size, but I could not recognise who it was. From my description Colonel Olcott recognised one of the Mahatmas. He mentioned the name, which we afterwards found to be correct, as Madame and Damodar corroborated it. The figure seemed faintly luminous, but I am unable now to recollect any further details concerning its description. The figure gradually vanished, and for a minute or two afterwards the place where it had been seemed to be gleaming with a milky brightness. The rock itself has some date and other trees upon it but the spot where the figure appeared was bare. The figure was standing still when we saw it.

Online Articles

• Extracts from Addresses Delivered by the Late Babu Nobin Krishna Bannerji and Babu Sarendranath Sen

Additional resources

• "How a Chela Found His Guru" Five years of theosophy: mystical, philosophical, theosophical, historical and scientific essarys selected from The Theosophist" (Adyar, Madras, 1894), 281. Available at Google ebooks.