India As The Homeland Of Jesus

Aravinda Das

nov 2000 - HKF 263

Everyone thinks that modern Christianity is purely based on the teaching of Jesus, but this is not so. Jesus was actually a pure devotee of God and simply preached love for God, virtue, compassion and universal brotherhood. Most of the teachings which form Christian theology today are due to subsequent elaborations, especially by Paul, who established Christianity as an organized religion. Of the four "official" Gospels, only two were written by direct disciples of Jesus (John and Matthew), the other two were written 60 and 160 years after Jesus by disciples of disciples (Luke and Marc). The other official scriptures of Christianity are the Acts of the Apostles, the Letters of Paul and several books and commentaries written a long time after the death of Jesus. Many other Gospels and books written by direct disciples of Jesus are presently not accepted by the Church, and therefore are called apocryphal, "not recognized".

Paul was not a direct disciple of Jesus and he did not even meet him once. He was an orthodox Jew, and in the beginning he was even persecuting the followers of Jesus, who preached reform and purification of the Jewish religion. One day, while travelling on the road to Damascus, Paul "had a revelation" and he decided to become a Christian and establish Christianity as a major religion. He then started to preach and write many letters and "Acts of the Apostles" which became the basis for Christian theology. After him, many other people in the course of time added and subtracted teachings even from the two Gospels of the original disciples of Jesus, and the Bible itself, in order to convert more and more people and to strengthen the power of the Christian community.

Jesus was born in Palestine (Israel) about 2000 years ago, in a Jewish family who was deeply devoted to spiritual life and compassionate healing work, and by tradition was vegetarian and abstained from intoxicants, alcohol, etc. Since early childhood he had a strong inclination for spiritual life, and many miracolous anecdotes are told about his divine powers and compassion. At the age of 12 he left home to attend spiritual discourses on holy scriptures in the Jewish temple, where all the scholars and priests were astounded to hear such elevated philosophical explanations from such a young boy. His parents took him back home and tried to engage him in family life; many people came forward to offer their daughters in marriage to young Jesus, but he did not want to marry, so one night he fled and joined one of the numerous caravans of merchants going to India.

Ancient Israel had many contacts with Indian culture. In the Bible it is written that King Solomon had sent ships to the east and they came back after 3 years bringing gold, monkeys, peacocks (these words in Hebrew are the same of Tamil language). Even before King Solomon, contacts between Israel and India had been continuing since very ancient times, starting from Adam and Noah, as explained in the Bhavishya Purana. Moses, the great prophet of the Bible (equally honoured by Christians and Muslims, who derive their religions from Hebraism) had visited Brahmavarta in India (situated between the rivers Sarasvati and Drishyadvati) where the Jewish people were connected in many ways. When Moses led the people of Israel out of Egypt, where they had been enslaved, they travelled for 40 years and it seems that they resided for some time in Brahmavarta before settling back in Palestine. Many commentators of the Bible even think that actually Brahmavarta was the "Promised Land" that God had wanted to give to Israelis, but because they had shown lack of faith in God, they were denied residence there. In Bandhipur, about 60 kms from Srinagar, near Wulgar lake, there is the famous "tomb of Moses", and in the same area many villages have Hebrew names.

Brahmavarta, in the center of the Kashmir region, was a major holy place in ancient India, where six Manus, Prajapati, Kasyapa, so many others sages had appeared. Even today Kashmir is described as a Paradise, all those who visited there have seen it is a beautiful and very fertile land. During the long history of Israel the Jews have faced many wars and several times they have been dispersed in foreign lands, like Mesopotamia and Babylon. In about 700 b.C. the original 12 tribes of Israel (who had followed Moses out of Egypt) were again dispersed and fled to Afghanistan, Pakistan and Kashmir, and it seems that one tribe chose to reside there. Still today, the cultural traditions of that area are quite similar to those of Israel.

The following is an extract from the Bhavisya Purana, regarding the connection between Israel and India (especially Brahmavarta, Kashmir).

Pradyut, son of king Chemak, started a yajna to kill all Mlecchas, who had killed his father. Mlecchas are a race of wild tribes who do not follow vedic scriptures and are known as Har, Hun, Barbar (Mongols), Gurund, Sack, Khas, Yavan (Greeks), Pallav, Romach (Etruscans), all Khar who lived in different places in China and Assam and islands in the middle of the oceans.
Kali became very disturbed and, together with the widows of the Mlecchas who had been killed, started a sacrifice; the Lord appeared and said "Vishnu Kardam has already produced Adam and Habbawati for the propagation of Mleccha progeny, so you should not worry". Since that time the Aryans became weaker and the Mlecchas began to gain strength. Sutji said: "The Mleccha kingdoms will gain strength 8200 years before the end of Dvapara yuga (i.e. from 11200 b.C.).

Adam was self controlled and constantly meditating on his soul. He and his wife Habbawati lived in Praden (Eden) which measures 4 square krosas and is situated on the east side of a great forest which was given by God Himself. He was sitting under the sin tree while looking at his wife, when Kali took the form of a snake and approached him. By defying the order of Vishnu, she ate the Ramaya fruit which leads to the wordly path, and after falling from their original position they both covered themselves with Udumbuh leaves. In due course they begot Sutawa sons who became the progenitors of the Mlecchas.

His age has been told as 930 years; he sacrificed fruits to the fire and went to the heavenly planets after his death. The most famous of his sons was Swet and lived 1200 years.

His son was Anuh (Enosh) who lived as long as his grandfather, after him, his son Mhallal ruled for 895 years. His son Varada (Rihad) lived for 908 years and established a town named after him. His son Hanuk worshiped Vishnu, lived in virtue and offered fruits in the fire, so he went to heaven with his body after ruling for 365 years. He was called Mleccha, as learned scholars explain that the dharma of the Mlecchas are devotion to Vishnu, fire sacrifice, non violence, austerity, sense control. (verse 40-42)
His son Motichal ruled for 970 years, his son Lomak had a son called Nuha, who rules for 500 years. He had 3 sons: Sim, Sham and Bhaw (Japith).

Nuha (Noah) was a worshiper of Vishnu, who meditated on the mantra Soham. Once Vishnu came in his dream and told him: "Dear Nuha, hear My words. Seven days from now there will be a devastation. Get on a boat and save your life and other people as well." Nuha built a strong boat which was 300 hands long and 50 hands wide and 30 hands high, and accommodated all living creatures on it.
Along with his family members, he entered the boat and started meditating on Vishnu. Sent by Mahendra, the Samvarta winds showered rains for 40 days, the whole land was flooded with water, the four oceans met and became one ocean only, except for Vishala Badrinath, where Suta Goswami came to live from Naimisharanya with 88000 sages who came there to recite vedic hymns. Nuha was also there with his family.

All sages prayed to Vishnu and His maya:

"We pray to Mahakali, Revati, Kamaksya. We are extremely afraid of the great winds, the thundery storms and the devastating currents of water. Please save us from this great danger." The Devi was pleased and the rains subsided. Within one year the land emerged again; Nuha with his family left the boat and began to live in the place of the Himalaya called Shishina, where the boat was harboured.
In this chapter the descendents of Nuha have been described, together with their languages and kings Sim, Ham, Yakul, Jubhra, Magul etc., and the rulers of Greece, Elishtaalish, Katti, Hattaiti, etc.
Shukunji said: "Please tell us more about the future, now that the flood waters are still there."
Suta said: "The Mleccha called Nuha has worshipped Vishnu and God was very pleased with him, therefore He blessed his progeny; He also created the language called brahmi which was different from that of the Vedas. So Nuha changed the names of his sons and established countries for them: Midi, Greece, Stoovlocetas, Tirat, Jumradesh, Cannabjash, Rifat, Tarjarusaye, Elish, Techlich (Israel), Kitti, Hitaiti.
His second son Ham begot four sons: Kush, Egypt, Kuj and Cannoi. Kush has six sons: Hawol, Sarvatoragam, Sattabati, Nimruh, Mahabal, and their sons were Colon and Sinrorak, Akad, Babun, Rasana, Deshak.

After a long trance, Suta Goswami continued to describe the dynasty of Sim, who became the king as he was the eldest. Sim ruled for 500 years. His son Aksand ruled for 420 years, his son Singhal ruled for 408 years. His son Ibratasya ruled for 408 years, too, and begot Raumamadhari, who followed in the footsteps of his father. His son was Nuhur, who lived for 160 years and vanquished many enemies. His son Tahar became king after him, he begot three sons: Aviram, Horan and Nuhur.
The Mleccha language is not favoured by goddess Sarasvati like the sanskrit language.
Suta Goswami performed his morning duties and then sat down again with the sages, who requested him to explain about the current kings.

Suta said: "Now 3000 years of Kali yuga have passed, and at this time king Sankha is ruling in Avanti. The Mleccha population began to increase after 2000 years from the beginning of Kali yuga and colonized the Earth. In Brahmavarta, Moses the guru of the Mlecchas had resided on the auspicious bank of river Sarasvati. His teachings influenced the whole world.

With the advancement of Kali yuga Deity worship and the language of the Vedas perished, while the languages of the Mlecchas expanded in four main languages with 400,000 sub branches.
These main languages are: the language of Braj, the language of Maharashtra, Greek and Gurundica.
Those cities which were regarded as holiest are now becoming dens of violence; this land of Aryans is now filled with pirates, thugs, tribals like Bhils and moron and foolish people. Even those who are wise are following the life style of the Mlecchas and in this land of Aryans only evil is residing.
In ancient times Lord Ramachandra brought back to life many apes, who had been killed in the war with Ravana: their names were Biket, Brazil, Jal on Gal, Barnil, Singhal, Java, Sumatra. Previously Ravana had abducted a pregnant Devangana, who gave birth to a daughter. Sri Ramachandra offered this daughter to them and gave them the Jullandar island, inhabited by Gurunds (offspring of the cow Nandini). The descendants of Biket resemble in face to apes, they are very good at heart and they trade with India. They are truthful, self controlled, devoid of anger and are worshippers of the Sun.
After King Vikramaditya there were many kings in their eighteen kingdoms and the Aryans were politically weak, then the Sakas invaded India through the valley of the Sindhu and the Himalayan route, looting the land and abducting Aryan women, then returned to their homeland. The grandson of Vikramaditya, Saliwahan, became king and conquered China and Taitir, Bahalik, Kamrup (Assam), Romaj and Khus, redeeming the lands around the bank of the Sindhu.

Once King Saliwahan was travelling on the mountains in the middle of the Hun land, and he saw a very auspicious person, of white complexion, with a strong body, and wearing a white cloth. He asked: "Who are you?"

He replied: "Know me as a son of God born from the virgin. I am the scriber of the religion of Mlecchas and I have established the path of truthfulness."

The king inquired: "What are the principles of your religion?"

He replied: "I have come as a Messiah to restore faith and conduct which had declined in the Mleccha countries. Having overcome the fear of evil I have been baptised by a Mleccha and thus obtained the position of Messiah. O conqueror, now hear what religion I have established among the Mlecchas.
By making one's heart pure and by giving some attention to the purificatory ablutions of the body, one should remain established in japa with strict discipline. Human beings should speak the truth and perform this japa with full concentration. One should carefully worship the Sun, who is fixed and stationary like God and attracts and control all living entities who have a flickering nature. O king, because of these teachings the Messiah has been destroyed. I captured the image of God in my heart, since then my name has been known as Isha Messiah."

Besides the area of Kashmir which was particularly linked with Jewish ancestors, at the times of Jesus there were other Jewish settlements in India, especially in Kerala and in the area of Bombay. At that time Puri was a famous holy place in India. At first Jesus came to Puri and stayed a few years, then he went to South India, Varanasi and Kapilavastu (the birthplace of Buddha). On his way back to Palestine he visited Mathura, Kashmir and Taxilia (important city of Ashok empire and a very famous center of Buddhist culture). After travelling for 18 years, Jesus returned to Palestine at the age of 30 and started preaching love for God, spiritual progress, purification and reform of Jewish religion, encouraging people to return to its original principles. Many people were attracted by his teachings and personal charismatic presence, and soon his large following started to worry the political authorities.

Palestine has been conquered by the Roman Empire and therefore was a colony. Jewish kings still existed (like Herod) but were subject to Rome. The Jewish priests were very powerful and they had political power in the form of the Sanhedrim. The caste of priests and scholar was divided in many sects and groups (Pharisees, Sadduceus, Essenes, Samaritans, etc.) according to their service in the Temple of Jerusalem and their philosophical school.

According to the Jewish scriptures, many prophets had announced he coming of a Messiah, a powerful divine leader who would become the savior of Israel and give freedom to his people. The contemporaries of Jesus saw this Messiah as a political leader, a rebel chief who would lead insurrection against the Roman conquerors. Especially in Galilee, there were many rebels who wanted a revolution to free Israel, so the Roman conquerors and also the Sanhedrim were very careful not to allow any direct confrontation which would bring to open war and destruction.
The Jewish scriptures foretold that the Messiah would be crucified. Jesus knew about it but he was not scared, and he went on preaching. In the Gospels we read that Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus were both Essenes, doctors and members of Sanhedrim and knew everything about the local politics, so they could arrange to help Jesus as much as possible. The political authorities had decided that Jesus was to be eliminated in order to avoid war with Rome and internal civil war, but Jesus was arrested in a favourable moment, on Easter (Paschah) Friday, an important national holiday, when the Jewish religious law enjoined that crufied people had to be taken down the cross before the beginning of the Sabbath. In Jewish culture the day goes from sunset to sunset (about 6 pm), so according to the plan, Jesus remained on the cross for about 3 hours only, while usually dying on the cross took a few days, mainly because of tetanus, exhaustion, etc.; usually to end the sufferings of the crucified people their legs were broken, so that the weight of the body would cause excessive compression on the rib cage and quick death by suffocation. While Jesus was on the cross, he was administered some medicated vinegar, after which he collapsed, apparently dead. Immediately, he was removed from the cross and put in the tomb cave of Joseph. Joseph of Arimathea had just purchased a cave in Calvario, very near to Jerusalem, and Nicodemus also brought to the cave 100 pounds of medicines, especially myrrah and aloe (43 kgs.) Still today in Middle East there is a medicine called "ointment of Jesus", a powerful tonic and restorative which is also very effective for external use against wounds and sores, which is made with 10 to 12 ingredients, including myrrah and aloe. After only 36 hours, Jesus left his "tomb" and started travelling again, then he met his disciples and gave them instructions before leaving for "the sky". In Hebrew language, the same word is used for very high mountain, sky and heaven.