Occult Science in India and Among the Ancients

Occult Science in India and Among the Ancients by Louis Jacolliot was first published in 1875. The book was written at a time when reliable information about Hinduism was just beginning to reach the West. Jacolliot was exploring the origins of Western esoteric traditions in the East. The highlight of this book is his travelogue detailing encounters in India with a fakir who vividly demonstrates his siddhis (yogic powers).

Additionally, there is an extensive discussion on Kabbalah and its connection to Eastern mystical beliefs. As a diffusionist, Jacolliot believed that many Western esoteric traditions, particularly Egyptian, Jewish, and Christian, originated in India.

The author was a French lawyer who served as a judge in India and Tahiti before becoming a prolific writer. Though he had some knowledge of Sanskrit and did some casual translations of the Laws of Manu, Jacolliot was not an academic.

He extensively quotes a text called the 'Agrouchada-Parikchai,' which seems to be a mix of the Upanishads, Hindu law books, and elements of Freemasonry.

This translation by William L. Felt was first published in 1919.