‘Jesus’ the ‘Ishā’ and ‘Christ’ the ‘Kshatriya’

– Prof. Bal Ram Singh

While on a visit to India these days, I see quite a bit of Christmas decorations from the airport to the markets. More than a religion it has become a tradition in India to celebrate Christmas. Religious conflicts aside, cultural celebrations of all the sections and regions of the world society need to be recognized and celebrated with full respect and appreciation. If one can find additional reasons to supplement such celebrations, so much better.

With children we celebrated Christmas culturally in the United States, and decorate it with Devī-Devatā decorations instead of Santa Clause. Further, since it is also a celebration with light, we actually installed the Christmas tree on the Diwali Day, and kept until Makar-Sankranti January. Diwali has assumed a major international dimension for a variety of reasons, including its similarity with Christmas lights and exchange of gifts, and it being celebrated at the White House as well. Some think it is a form of appropriation of Christmas for Diwali. Well, in that case the Christmas tree and even the Christmas itself is a misappropriation of the Pagan celebration of Winter solstice that they used to celebrate to welcome winter by worshipping the evergreen Balsam Fir (the Christmas) tree.

In fact, for Indians it is not that difficult to appropriate Jesus Christ, Jesus being pronounced as ‘Ishā’, and similarity of Christ and Kṛṣṇa. sage – one which excited his audiences.

According an article at PBS.org, “although his message was proving popular, the claim of his disciples that Jesus was the son of God offended many people. What’s more, his ideas were revolutionary and threatened to undermine thousands of years of social tradition.”

Jerusalem, where Jesus once visited, was under the Roman rule. In around 33 AD, Jesus traveled to the city of Jerusalem for the Jewish ceremony of Passover. There were thousands of pilgrims from around the world and the temple provided services for them to change their foreign money or buy animals to sacrifice. Jesus was furious. He believed that trade like this corrupted the holy site. Roman authorities were upset with him, arrested him, and crucified him in public, to show their brutality against those ever opposed. His fault was that he sided with the masses who were being oppressed.

Did Jesus have any Indian connections? Of course, he did. A book by Holger Kersten clearly suggest Jesus was in India for several years, learning and practicing yoga in Kashmir. In addition to yoga, he may in fact learned tradition of standing up to oppression of people. Traditionally, those people are referred to as kshatriya in India, and what Jesus did in Jerusalem no less heroic and principled.

In fact, his behavior perfectly matches with the values of kshatriya described in Sṛīmadbhagvat Gīta-

शौर्यं तेजो धृतिर्दाक्ष्यं युद्धे चाप्यपलायनम् |
दानमीश्वरभावश्च क्षात्रं कर्म स्वभावजम् ||18.43||

śhauryaṁ tejo dhṛitir dākṣhyaṁ yuddhe chāpy apalāyanam
dānam īśhvara-bhāvaśh cha kṣhātraṁ karma svabhāva-jam

Valor, strength, fortitude, skill in weaponry, resolve never to retreat from battle, large-heartedness in charity, and Ishwara (tranquil in all condition) characteristics, these are the natural qualities of work for Kshatriyas.

The word, kshatra, comes of ksha = to destroy, and tra = oppressed. A kshatriya unshakingly will stay the ground, as was also demonstrated by Jesus Christ, thus making him naturally a kshatriya worthy of support by all. This revelation about Jesus Christ may sound far fetched but in reality, is very close to his behavior and determination. It may be worthwhile for Christians to follow the Jesus characteristics, rather than trying to convert people to their camp.

This description reminds me of an incident of my own encounter with an evangelist in my university who used to deliver goods from receivables. Francis Boetello was always hanging around with international graduate students trying to give them a Bible or entice them to a Church visit. One day I walked into the laboratory even as Francis was talking to students. As I entered the lab, a student told Francis jokingly “why don’t you convert Dr. Singh and we will all follow?” “So, Dr. Singh, what do you think?” I asked, “think of what?” Francis said, “think of Jesus Christ?” asked Francis turning towards me. “Jesus Christ was a great man, I am his ardent follower”, I replied. “So, you are a Christian?” Francis uttered hesitatingly. I said, “Sure, following Jesus Christ does make me a Christian, as much as following Newton makes me Newtonian.” Not convinced of my assertion, Francis continued with his inquiries further. “What church do you go to?” asked Francis. “What church did Jesus Christ go to?” I shot back, and Francis looked quite puzzled at this but continued his query by saying, “O, so you read Bible on your own“. “What Bible did Jesus Christ read?“, I asked Francis. He was completely at a loss. “How can you be a Christian without going to Church or reading a Bible?” he muttered shaking his head in exasperation. “Francis, I am not a Churchian or Biblian, I am a Christian“. By then Francis seemed to be in a daze, simply gazing at me. Acting professorial and assuring him of my genuine intentions I began. “Look, Jesus Christ was concerned about others passionately. He stood up for his principles against all odds. He was willing to die for his principle of serving others. He did not hate even those who killed him, and wished them well“. Francis nodded at each of my statements about Jesus Christ. “I think those principles are worth following for anybody“, I added. “Why do I need a Church or Bible to follow them?” By then Francis seemed accepting, albeit reluctantly.

Similarly, I am asked many times about religions in India, my own religion, and my opinion of Islam, especially after 9/11. At the Center for Indic Studies, we had much emphasis on Indic traditions, some ancient, some modern, and occasionally discussions about other traditions within India.

An Indian perspective based on the guṇa and karma to accept people’s inclination may actually be a healthy way to lead the life. And, Jesus Christ’s actions prove beyond any doubt for his kshatriya inclination!

Prof. Bal Ram Singh, President, Institute of Advanced Sciences, Dartmouth, USA

The Emerging Trends of Philosophy about Life

-Ms. Manju Acharya

“The only true wisdom is in knowing that you know nothing”

-Socrates, Greek Philosopher

According to this statement by Socrates, the father of all philosophies, it is said that “knowledge is incomplete, knowledge is infinite, ever changing and endless therefore we are constantly exploring this world to learn and thus to arrive at a conclusion”. Hence, Philosophy is the study of Life, it begins with life and ends to learn its purpose. This study is the work of wisdom, meaning an understanding of people with critical mind, who were inquisitive to explore the world around them, who were busy in knowing the unknown. Interestingly, this ever-changing world is found very mysterious and all their work remains incomplete as the quest to know is constant. All the great scholars, religious teachers, saints and spiritual guides failed to arrive at a single theory or doctrine about the Life and how it should be lived, to be happy. The Ultimate goal of human beings is to be happy and successful in life.

The Greatness of Sṛīmadbhagvat Gīta

Great western philosophers established different theories, which were later followed as ways of Life, we may say these led to different cultures the world over. Among all great Indian philosophies, the holy book, Sṛīmadbhagvat Gīta prescribes solutions to all our problems and the purpose of this life through the dialogues between Sṛī Kriśnā and his friend Arjuna, which are considered the best source of knowledge, examined and experienced by not just great religious leaders but also scientifically proven as well. It is therefore the teachings and ideologies prescribed in Sṛīmadbhagvat Gīta that are being treated as the guide to lead a life that is full of happiness and contentment, and which is one of the purposes of our life.

(Source of Image : https://iskcondesiretree.com/photo/virat-roop-of-shri-krishna)

Accordingly, lack of right knowledge is the cause of all evil. Indian philosophical systems acquired Ignorance as a cause of all pain and worldly pleasure. This notion is followed by our society for many years.  Therefore, the more you are informed the better your life shall be.

Information Technology as a source of Knowledge

Our life’s success basically depends on how well we are informed about the world. Gone are the days when men were dependent upon social gathering or religious textbooks which were the guide to lead a successful life. Now, is the age where information is the need of people, we are continuously struggling to get informed, receive knowledge as fast as possible to lead in the constant human race. Fortunately, with the availability of science and technology, the information is available to all human beings through different sources, by spending minimum resources and efforts.

We are presently living in a world of information technology. We wake up with our smart phones or other digital devices loaded with enormous number of news, information and knowledge on all issues, including spiritual, health, financial, political, entertainment, education, and career. The availability of information and knowledge is easier than anything else that a man needs to survive. It is because the area of knowledge has evolved so much that it appears to be impossible for the consumption of the human mind’s capabilities. This technical upgradation is also the result of human mind to enhance the scale of knowledge.

Many philosophers hold certain convictions with confidence, that human wisdom begins with the recognition of one’s own ignorance. It is not the unexamined life that one should value. Knowledge should be based on logic or reasoning about themselves rather than rely on the judgment of others. Hence, reliability of information and knowledge is again raising many questions in the minds of today’s generation. There are chances of receiving misleading information by unknown sources. With the emergence of social media, it has become all the more challenging to depend on the reliability of information from many search engines, such as Google and others. Thus, the increasing dependency on these tools could be a major threat to human societies. It is more destructive and harmful for this generation. On one hand where we need to advance in science and technology to make our lives convenient and successful, on the other hand, it may lead to destructive ideas to destroy human societies. 

Purpose of Philosophies and Present Time

The classical Indian philosophical schools aim to attain the ultimate goal of life which is said to be the achievement of pure happiness, it is more for constructing a good environment and lives of human beings worthy of their sole purpose.

According to the assumptions of today’s generation in the modern society, everyone is free to form their own ideologies based upon different sources of knowledge, received by them in different situations and circumstances they are facing. It is more often seen that the ideology of others does not help to deal with current lifestyles, we are poised for challenges in every field of life.  Life cannot be guided by other’s ideologies. Good action is the result of a right knowledge and is a matter of habit to be logical and ethical, it is said that “contentment comes when we put our best effort in doing any action and action with gratitude”. At the same time according to some “No one desires evil, no one does wrong voluntarily. Evil is the result of Ignorance”. Therefore, knowledge is the source of all happiness, knowledge based on logical thinking and without failing in your prescribed duties.

Unfortunately, dependence on ancient philosophical theories is at the verge of extinction. This is primarily due to the emergence of different trends in acquiring knowledge and its sources. A natural phenomenal fact remains that life’s complexities are on rise in today’s world. Hence the decisions in every circumstance can’t be examined and judged on a specific doctrine. As human mind is seeking happiness, in all its endeavors, love, romance, beauty, comfort, name and fame. They need to follow the path on which they may lead to reach the desired goals. It is therefore the right path which we need, either from our own sources or guided by the teachers and ancient philosophers.  

Our society’s growth by and large depends upon the knowledge acquired by today’s generation. Therefore, source of information needs to be checked before it is made available for circulation in the social media. The practical problem our generation is facing is the scale or standards to examine credibility of right knowledge. Verification through any researched sources is impossible, because of non-availability of reference books and texts and lack of time, in a fast-moving world where the information travels faster than any other thing from one corner of the world to another, the tools used are easily available.

Artificial Intelligence is a new scientific tool. They are becoming a major threat for misleading young minds, as these are the impediments to arrive at an ethical, logical decisions. Situation is grim to think beyond all these scientific advancements and go back to our roots and knowledge prescribed in our ancient text books which are authentic, tested and logical. We used to rely on the knowledge resulted from researches of thousands of years of work by scholars, found solutions to deal with problems arising in living a life full of contentment and peace. Science and technologies have created many other platforms for our societies to disagree and create conflicts. Resulted in, human societies are waging war against different communities the world over.  

(Source of Image : https://ictasaplatformforchange.wordpress.com/2017/02/09/first-blog-post/)

We may say that we are loaded with so much of news, information and knowledge of all kinds, without any relevance. Human mind in this situation is likely to get confused about the authenticity and reliability of the knowledge. This is alarming and do not see an end in present scenario, the race is on. Think before you follow, delete what is not necessary. Create what is good for others after analyzing on all standards if possible use references of qualified and trusted people. Make minimum use of digital devices for spreading unwanted information, be selective.  

The ultimate aim of philosophy was to minimize problems in dealing with different aspects of life and provide a convenient method to human beings to follow and use them in their lives, there is an overall evolution in growing schools of philosophies, the world over for many known reasons for human minds. The unmeasured capabilities of human minds are the problems and also exploring solutions to deal with them. The endless debate between ‘Right’ and ‘Wrong’ is still a cause of destruction of human societies. Many unanswered questions are constantly giving opportunities to destructive mentality to ruin the World. There are many areas where rethinking and researches are required to have more philosophies about Life. 

Ms. Manju Acharya, Retired Public Relations Officer, Govt. of India