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Baksheesh and Brahman: Asian Journals-India
After ten years of intensive study of Indian art and philosophy, Joseph Campbell, at 50, finally embarked on a journey to India. Searching for the transcendent (Brahman), he found instead stark realities: growing nationalism, religious rivalry, poverty, and a prevalent culture of what he called “baksheesh,” or alms. This journal chronicles the disillusionment and revelation that would change the course of Campbell’s life and study, and his transition from professor to counterculture icon. Balancing Campbell’s astute explorations of mythology and history are his often amusing observations of a sometimes frustrating alien culture and his fellow Western travelers. This account also includes personal photographs, specially commissioned maps, and illustrations redrawn from Campbell’s own hand.
400 pages, cloth
First published January 1, 1995
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210 people want to read
About the author
Joseph Campbell
426 books6,188 followersJoseph Campbell was an American author and teacher best known for his work in the field of comparative mythology. He was born in New York City in 1904, and from early childhood he became interested in mythology. He loved to read books about American Indian cultures, and frequently visited the American Museum of Natural History in New York, where he was fascinated by the museum's collection of totem poles.
Campbell was educated at Columbia University, where he specialized in medieval literature, and continued his studies at universities in Paris and Munich. While abroad he was influenced by the art of Pablo Picasso and Henri Matisse, the novels of James Joyce and Thomas Mann, and the psychological studies of Sigmund Freud and Carl Jung. These encounters led to Campbell's theory that all myths and epics are linked in the human psyche, and that they are cultural manifestations of the universal need to explain social, cosmological, and spiritual realities.
After a period in California, where he encountered John Steinbeck and the biologist Ed Ricketts, he taught at the Canterbury School, and then, in 1934, joined the literature department at Sarah Lawrence College, a post he retained for many years. During the 40s and '50s, he helped Swami Nikhilananda to translate the Upanishads and The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna. He also edited works by the German scholar Heinrich Zimmer on Indian art, myths, and philosophy. In 1944, with Henry Morton Robinson, Campbell published A Skeleton Key to Finnegans Wake. His first original work, The Hero with a Thousand Faces, came out in 1949 and was immediately well received; in time, it became acclaimed as a classic. In this study of the "myth of the hero," Campbell asserted that there is a single pattern of heroic journey and that all cultures share this essential pattern in their various heroic myths. In his book he also outlined the basic conditions, stages, and results of the archetypal hero's journey.
Throughout his life, he traveled extensively and wrote prolifically, authoring many books, including the four-volume series The Masks of God, Myths to Live By, The Inner Reaches of Outer Space and The Historical Atlas of World Mythology. Joseph Campbell died in 1987. In 1988, a series of television interviews with Bill Moyers, The Power of Myth, introduced Campbell's views to millions of people.
Campbell was educated at Columbia University, where he specialized in medieval literature, and continued his studies at universities in Paris and Munich. While abroad he was influenced by the art of Pablo Picasso and Henri Matisse, the novels of James Joyce and Thomas Mann, and the psychological studies of Sigmund Freud and Carl Jung. These encounters led to Campbell's theory that all myths and epics are linked in the human psyche, and that they are cultural manifestations of the universal need to explain social, cosmological, and spiritual realities.
After a period in California, where he encountered John Steinbeck and the biologist Ed Ricketts, he taught at the Canterbury School, and then, in 1934, joined the literature department at Sarah Lawrence College, a post he retained for many years. During the 40s and '50s, he helped Swami Nikhilananda to translate the Upanishads and The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna. He also edited works by the German scholar Heinrich Zimmer on Indian art, myths, and philosophy. In 1944, with Henry Morton Robinson, Campbell published A Skeleton Key to Finnegans Wake. His first original work, The Hero with a Thousand Faces, came out in 1949 and was immediately well received; in time, it became acclaimed as a classic. In this study of the "myth of the hero," Campbell asserted that there is a single pattern of heroic journey and that all cultures share this essential pattern in their various heroic myths. In his book he also outlined the basic conditions, stages, and results of the archetypal hero's journey.
Throughout his life, he traveled extensively and wrote prolifically, authoring many books, including the four-volume series The Masks of God, Myths to Live By, The Inner Reaches of Outer Space and The Historical Atlas of World Mythology. Joseph Campbell died in 1987. In 1988, a series of television interviews with Bill Moyers, The Power of Myth, introduced Campbell's views to millions of people.
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
January 12, 2023
This is a book I had wanted to read since long. I have been a fan of Joseph Campbell’s books and passages on mythology, which have a lot of extremely important life lessons. This book, while in parts has Campbell’s wisdom, is largely a huge disappointment. This book was assembled based on notes Campbell took on his trip.
A trip to India was something Campbell was keen on, having studied the philosophies, including in collaboration with Heinrich Zimmer and Jung. In India, he is received and accompanied by Swami Nikhilananda, who was closely associated with the ‘Ramakrishna Mission’. India represents a culture shock for Campbell, a poor country which has only recently won its freedom, and is recovering from the bloody aftermath of the partition. He finds widespread poverty, as a result of which he finds many beggars on the streets seeking alms (baksheesh). More than anything he is taken aback and frustrated by the Anti-American sentiment he sees in the media, politicians and even common people. He concedes that America’s support to Pakistan has pushed India to the other side with Russia, but argues that India with its culture & democratic aspirations should realize that she does not belong there. He further adds that it is trade with America which benefits India and not Russian diplomatic support or arms. This is simplistic and Campbell refers to criticism of American foreign policy as ‘Anti-Americanism’. He admits though that people are largely very nice to him but the criticism of America is too much for him to take and also fouling his mood. He also feels that there are many arrogant Americans in business visiting India and trying to make money and making things worse.
In the initial sections of the book especially, there are critical comments about a lot of things – a lot of it is understandable, some of it is not – and is largely mood-based rambling. He quips that “India is a most interesting but least enjoyable country” – that I can actually understand. However, he makes comments that he is not seeing good looking women in India, recent temples are garish, there is no decent food or place to eat etc. The saree as a dress he says felt like a good surprise when seen occasionally in the US, but with lots of women wearing them should be regarded as a flop. There are also wise remarks & inferences regarding poor economic models, corruption, the continuity of civilization & culture despite many invasions & occupations. He laments that India should rightfully be borrowing aspects of scientific temper, governance from the west and fuse it with its strengths in culture but is not doing that.
As his stay progresses and the initial shock wears off, he has good things to say about places and people. He finds Benaras a good example where the new (such as modern universities) compliments the ancient (such as the ghats & temples) well. He also likes his trips and stays in Orissa, Madras/Chennai, Gwalior, Bangalore, Bombay/Mumbai, Allahabad, Calcutta, Pune etc. By the time he is in Mumbai & then Pune after a few weeks, he now writes that the sarees are ok, maybe because it is worn differently in some places! He also praises the social work done by Ramakrishna Mission. The visit of his wife Jean Erdman for some dance recitals is also a welcome change.
It is evident that Campbell landed in India largely unprepared. He gets a chance to meet S Radhakrishnan, at that time the Vice President but extremely well-versed in philosophy & comparative cultures & religions, but wastes the opportunity by discussing politics for the entire time. There are many interesting meetings he has but finds few with whom he can talk about deeper aspects of Hindu thought such as ‘Brahman’. Most follow the path of Bhakti/Devotion and do not enter into deeper philosophical discussions. Had Campbell been prepared, I am sure he would have found many he could have more intellectual conversations with. There are, of course, passages of brilliance. The incremental progress of the Indic religions – Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism is outlined well. He also abstracts how Hinduism provides a open path from Bhakti to Brahman; to the deeper spanning mind and body very well - Brahman-Sakti-Yoga-Rasa-Purana-Puja. The concept of Brahman (divinity is in everything) he discusses as profound and it has the ability to unite not only humans but view ourselves as part of a whole, but feels there is almost no understanding of it among the masses and nobody is trying to educate them either. We have variations of this in other cultural contexts such as ‘Love thy neighbour’, and modern progressive societies say ‘All equal before law’.
Campbell regards his meeting Krishna Menon as the best part of his trip, as he outlines the deeper aspects of Hinduism and Vedanta. He is also happy he got to meet Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru (through the book he is very critical about his support for Russia and communist nations & his economic policies though) and had a friendly talk with him. At the end when he is ready to leave India for Sri Lanka, since he has now stayed over 182 days, he is asked to pay some tax based on the money he brought into the country. This again gets him to be irate, though finally he gets away without paying anything as some days could be considered exempt.
I have no issues with Campbell’s critical comments about India, as I regard him as a well-meaning grandfatherly figure. The problem though is that this is among the most poorly edited books I have read recently, and is a set of day-to-day ramblings. When Campbell edited and published the work of Heinrich Zimmer in ‘The King and the Corpse’ for instance, he wrote it as a cohesive whole. I am sure Campbell would not have wanted it published in this form.
A trip to India was something Campbell was keen on, having studied the philosophies, including in collaboration with Heinrich Zimmer and Jung. In India, he is received and accompanied by Swami Nikhilananda, who was closely associated with the ‘Ramakrishna Mission’. India represents a culture shock for Campbell, a poor country which has only recently won its freedom, and is recovering from the bloody aftermath of the partition. He finds widespread poverty, as a result of which he finds many beggars on the streets seeking alms (baksheesh). More than anything he is taken aback and frustrated by the Anti-American sentiment he sees in the media, politicians and even common people. He concedes that America’s support to Pakistan has pushed India to the other side with Russia, but argues that India with its culture & democratic aspirations should realize that she does not belong there. He further adds that it is trade with America which benefits India and not Russian diplomatic support or arms. This is simplistic and Campbell refers to criticism of American foreign policy as ‘Anti-Americanism’. He admits though that people are largely very nice to him but the criticism of America is too much for him to take and also fouling his mood. He also feels that there are many arrogant Americans in business visiting India and trying to make money and making things worse.
In the initial sections of the book especially, there are critical comments about a lot of things – a lot of it is understandable, some of it is not – and is largely mood-based rambling. He quips that “India is a most interesting but least enjoyable country” – that I can actually understand. However, he makes comments that he is not seeing good looking women in India, recent temples are garish, there is no decent food or place to eat etc. The saree as a dress he says felt like a good surprise when seen occasionally in the US, but with lots of women wearing them should be regarded as a flop. There are also wise remarks & inferences regarding poor economic models, corruption, the continuity of civilization & culture despite many invasions & occupations. He laments that India should rightfully be borrowing aspects of scientific temper, governance from the west and fuse it with its strengths in culture but is not doing that.
As his stay progresses and the initial shock wears off, he has good things to say about places and people. He finds Benaras a good example where the new (such as modern universities) compliments the ancient (such as the ghats & temples) well. He also likes his trips and stays in Orissa, Madras/Chennai, Gwalior, Bangalore, Bombay/Mumbai, Allahabad, Calcutta, Pune etc. By the time he is in Mumbai & then Pune after a few weeks, he now writes that the sarees are ok, maybe because it is worn differently in some places! He also praises the social work done by Ramakrishna Mission. The visit of his wife Jean Erdman for some dance recitals is also a welcome change.
It is evident that Campbell landed in India largely unprepared. He gets a chance to meet S Radhakrishnan, at that time the Vice President but extremely well-versed in philosophy & comparative cultures & religions, but wastes the opportunity by discussing politics for the entire time. There are many interesting meetings he has but finds few with whom he can talk about deeper aspects of Hindu thought such as ‘Brahman’. Most follow the path of Bhakti/Devotion and do not enter into deeper philosophical discussions. Had Campbell been prepared, I am sure he would have found many he could have more intellectual conversations with. There are, of course, passages of brilliance. The incremental progress of the Indic religions – Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism is outlined well. He also abstracts how Hinduism provides a open path from Bhakti to Brahman; to the deeper spanning mind and body very well - Brahman-Sakti-Yoga-Rasa-Purana-Puja. The concept of Brahman (divinity is in everything) he discusses as profound and it has the ability to unite not only humans but view ourselves as part of a whole, but feels there is almost no understanding of it among the masses and nobody is trying to educate them either. We have variations of this in other cultural contexts such as ‘Love thy neighbour’, and modern progressive societies say ‘All equal before law’.
Campbell regards his meeting Krishna Menon as the best part of his trip, as he outlines the deeper aspects of Hinduism and Vedanta. He is also happy he got to meet Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru (through the book he is very critical about his support for Russia and communist nations & his economic policies though) and had a friendly talk with him. At the end when he is ready to leave India for Sri Lanka, since he has now stayed over 182 days, he is asked to pay some tax based on the money he brought into the country. This again gets him to be irate, though finally he gets away without paying anything as some days could be considered exempt.
I have no issues with Campbell’s critical comments about India, as I regard him as a well-meaning grandfatherly figure. The problem though is that this is among the most poorly edited books I have read recently, and is a set of day-to-day ramblings. When Campbell edited and published the work of Heinrich Zimmer in ‘The King and the Corpse’ for instance, he wrote it as a cohesive whole. I am sure Campbell would not have wanted it published in this form.
December 12, 2010
I know, it appears that it took eight months to read this one -- well, it did take me that long! I pecked away at it until today, when I finished it.
Campbell's journals are fun to read, being a journal-keeper myself. Very enlightening and informative on ancient India, as well as the politics of the time (1954 - 1955). --From A Reader's Journal, by d r melbie.
Campbell's journals are fun to read, being a journal-keeper myself. Very enlightening and informative on ancient India, as well as the politics of the time (1954 - 1955). --From A Reader's Journal, by d r melbie.
August 18, 2007
For anyone who has enjoyed Campbell's work, this and the companion book on Japan are must reads. These diaries capture his thought at a crucial time for him and you experience the way he worked through ideas. Also, he's a great writer and in a way, this is a bit of a travelogue.
May 20, 2015
Really enjoyed the book. A very human but insightful view of a brilliant man trying to reconcile myth and religion with the culture of the time. The process was as interesting as the insights gained. A man I would like to have known, I think.
April 20, 2008
The master of mythology studies travelled India for a year as a young man, and this is his journal.
September 7, 2019
I usually skip introductions but this one was worth reading as it explains Campbell’s disillusionment with India of its day and the poverty he witnessed something he apparently was not prepared for (as it was written in 1954, so long before one could easily find out the info in advance). Also explains how the editors decided to edit Campbell’s extensive journal entries, which at times are pretty dense.
The book would be a good resource if you are studying Joseph Campbell’s material, but his entries could have used more editing and I lost interest here and there along the way. He almost obsessively provides too much detail, including diagrams of what he saw. (Thomas Merton’s “Asian Journals” or Allen Ginsberg’s “India Journals” are far more interesting). Towards the end Campbell started getting more comfortable being in India, which helped make the material more readable.
The book would be a good resource if you are studying Joseph Campbell’s material, but his entries could have used more editing and I lost interest here and there along the way. He almost obsessively provides too much detail, including diagrams of what he saw. (Thomas Merton’s “Asian Journals” or Allen Ginsberg’s “India Journals” are far more interesting). Towards the end Campbell started getting more comfortable being in India, which helped make the material more readable.
October 13, 2016
This journal deeply humanized Joseph Campbell (who before I saw only in an academic light) for me in a way that his counterpart journal, Sake and Satori, did not (not that it was the intended purpose). In this book, we see his confusion, his anger, his disdain, as well as his joy, contentment, and bliss during his time spent in India. Married well with these feelings are his thoughts, which are on lovely display throughout his diary. There are many, many thought-provoking passages that remind me of my need to study Hinduism on a more in-depth level. As one of the richest spiritual traditions in the world (arguably the richest) - this coupled with my general ignorance about many of its tenets and writings - many things went right over my head - which is likely a good thing. I learned, and was both fascinated and humbled.
Seeing ideas, thoughts, and feelings develop over time hearkens back to my experiences abroad, and helped me make sense of a great many of my fondest (and least fond), recurring memories.
Seeing ideas, thoughts, and feelings develop over time hearkens back to my experiences abroad, and helped me make sense of a great many of my fondest (and least fond), recurring memories.
July 9, 2017
After reading most of his academic work and essays, it was very enjoyable to see the private side of Joseph Campbell. This journal gives insight to his personal beliefs and personality, showing his human side - sometimes flawed, sometimes beautiful. We also get to see him developing ideas and framework for Masks of God II: Oriental Mythology. An absolute must for JC fans.
June 19, 2012
Had some good points of interest but not people oriented enough for me.
January 9, 2025
Got to about page 20 when I realized that I had read this before. Oh, well, it's Joseph Campbell and I know that my perception of the book will have changed since the last time I read it and will find something new that I didn't see before. I was right on both counts.
May 22, 2022
Despite Campbell’s naïveté and intellectual limitations, this gives a good overview of U. S. - India intellectual relations in the mid fifties.
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March 3, 2024Stumbled upon this Joseph Campbell book while researching more into his personal beliefs and history, and ended up reading half the book.
Huh. I'm not quite sure how I feel yet.
Huh. I'm not quite sure how I feel yet.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews