HE HAS COME - THE LORD SATHYA SAI BABA - II

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HE HAS COME - THE LORD SATHYA SAI BABA - II

By Patrick Gallivan

CHAPTER THREE

The subject of reincarnation has beset those of the Christian faith for

centuries. Whereas Eastern cultures and religions, have no problem in accepting

this philosophy and making it a part of their lives. As one 13th century Persian

mystic once wrote;

"A stone I died and rose again a plant.A plant I died and rose an animal.I died

an animal and was born a man."

It seems surprising that one can accept the teaching of Life after Death, but

find it impossible to accept that we had lives before this life! Reincarnation,

when properly understood, will appear as a supplement to the principal of

Evolution. Evolution explains the process of life, while Reincarnation explains

the purpose of life. It is man’s purpose to build his spiritual body, by

bringing harmony and balance back into that body. Man, in his seeking is also

creating the chaos which is the discord within himself, his variance with those

laws, his opposition to those laws that are guiding him. He is not a victim of

circumstances. He is a Divine project, within him the Divine Spark, the

manifestation in matter of God. One of these laws is the Law of Nature, which

drives the soul into and out of gross matter like the tide of the ocean,

rising and ebbing, back and forth, in harmony and rhythm. Within this Law, this

timeless rhythm, we evolve and unless we are willing to go in and out of dense

matter we will never learn to transcend matter. When man establishes one life,

he is creating the next. As Sai Baba said, we are today the result of the life

we created yesterday. The life we live today dictates the shape of life we will

live tomorrow.

The Bhagavad Gita stated, for example, "The soul is never born and never dies;

it was not born and will not be reborn; without birth, without end, eternal,

ancient, it is not killed when the body in which it lives is killed. Just as

one casts off old clothes in order to put on new clothes; so the soul casts off

bodies in order to take on new ones."

Sathya Sai Baba brings us back to the fundamental reality, when He says; "What

is man's journey? Where is he going? Why is he continuously reborn? In order to

seek the right path and knowledge of truth. What road should one seek? You

should return whence you have come. That is seeking. You have come from the

Divine Essence, from God, and you must return to Him." Sai Baba also states,

"This is the reason why man is said to be the zenith of creation. This is the

purpose for which he has struggled through stone and grass, tree, bird and

beast. Hence, man should not fritter away the precious prize he has won; he

should not slide back into the beast; he must move forward into Divinity". He

continued, "Each of you has struggled upwards from the stone to plant, from

plant to animal, from animal to man! Do not slide back into the beast; rise

higher to Divinity, shining with the new effulgence of Love." Also,” You have

earned the human body by accumulated merit of many lives as inferior beings and

it is indeed very foolish to fritter away this precious opportunity in

activities that are natural only to those inferior beings." And finally, "Do

not expect to find happiness in the other world; that world too is impermanent.

Once you have exhausted your merits, you will again be cast out of it. Even in

politics, candidates are elected for a term that expires after five years. Each

year that passes shortens the right he earned through the election. In the same

way, the duration of your 'paradise' will depend upon your merits. When these

are used up, you will have to return to the earth."

Man cannot make spiritual growth beyond the growth he has made on earth. It is

the lower ego which is chaining you and preventing you from going into pure

Spirit. In all the universe there is no other planet which has human life, or a

similar life form. Rebirth can never be on other planets or regions of this vast

universe, only upon Earth. Rebirth is unique and limited to this Earth. While

man is on earth he is always striving for balance, but when man has succeeded

in doing this, it will help him go into higher strata of the Astral planes,

when he passes over into Spirit. That is not to say he will not have lost those

preconceptions he holds to on earth, for as he builds on earth, so will he build

in Spirit, meaning, should he not accept the philosophy of Reincarnation on

earth, neither will he accept it when he passes into Spirit. Equally,

strongly held religious beliefs are retained by man.

One's re-entry back into earth is determined by the Law of Karma, otherwise

known as the Law of Cause and Effect; i.e. "As ye sow, so shall ye reap." Karma

is action, and in effect, the working out of that Law, placing into balances

that which had been put out of balance. It is also man's way of transmuting

evil (distorted conscious-ness), into Divine Consciousness.

Since man accrues Karma through experience one cannot call him a sinner, as he

cannot acquire Karma in ignorance, but it is when he changes his mind and sees

through the eyes of the dawning consciousness within, that the discord comes

and Karma is brought into birth. Strictly speaking, Karma is not punishment,

but putting the scales back into balance. So, one cannot say that Karma is bad

or good, it's really the working out of strengths and weaknesses with which we

are born, and which assure success or lead to failure, and are related to the

way we lived previous lives.

Sathya Sai Baba stated in 1981, in a discourse entitled "Vidhya Vahini", the

following confirmation on Reincarnation; "The inescapable destiny of every

living being is the attainment of Fullness. By no means can it be avoided or

denied. Our present condition of incompleteness is the consequence of our

activities during previous lives. That is to say, the thoughts, feelings,

passions and acts of past lives have caused the condition in which we are at

present. So too, our future condition is being built on the basis of our

present deeds and desires, thoughts and feelings. In other words, we ourselves

are the cause of our fortunes and misfortunes. This does not mean that one

should not seek and secure assistance from others for promoting the good

fortune and avoiding the misfortune. Why? Such assistance is very essential for

all, except perhaps

for a small minority. When one gets this help, one's powers are heightened to

supreme levels, one's Consciousness is purified and sublimated, and one's

spiritual progress is accelerated. In the end, one achieves perfection and

fullness."

It has been accepted by most authors on the subject of Reincarnation that the

early Christian church lived by its principal, as documented in the acts of the

Fifth Ecumenical Council, also called the Second Council of Constantinople. It

had also been a fundamental concept of the Egyptian Hermatic and Gnostic

mystery schools, of Persian Mithraism, of Alexandrian Neoplatonic theology and

of the Jewish Kabalists. The Magi, who were the first to see the child Jesus,

and were Persian disciples of Zoroaster, considered reincarnation to be the

tenet of their faith. All these schools taught the immortality of the soul and

the mortality of the physical body. One may ask if Jesus ever referred to

reincarnation, indeed there have been a number of references to it. "And as

they were coming down the mountain, Jesus commanded them, 'Tell no one the

vision

until the Son of man is risen from the dead.' And the disciples asked Him, 'Then

why do the scribes say that first Elijah must come?' He replied, 'Elijah does

come, and he is to restore all things; but I tell you that Elijah has already

come, and they did not know him, but did to him whatever they pleased. So also

the Son of man will suffer at their hands.' Then the disciples understood that

He was speaking to them of John the Baptist." He further said, "This was he of

whom I spake, he that cometh after Me is preferred before Me; for he was before

Me."

John the Baptist was formerly Elijah, while Jesus was Elisha. When John denied

he was Elijah, he meant that he, John, was no longer the great soul, Elijah.

"...and he took the mantle of Elijah that fell from him...The spirit of Elijah

doth rest on Elisha". The role was reversed. Jesus twice identified Elijah as

John. (It is important to distinguish the names; Elijah and his disciple Elisha

is Old Testament spelling, while Elias and Eliseus, is by the Greek translators

for the New Testament).

Origen, an Egyptian from Alexandria, and an early Christian theologian of the

3rd century, was a well-known author and one of the principal proponents of

Reincarnation, taught that "the soul experiences successive lives until

eventually it is fit to enter heaven." He wrote; "Those who need bodies take

them on, and when fallen souls have raised themselves to higher things, their

bodies are again destroyed. In this way they disappear and reappear

continuously."

Around the time of the Second Council, in 553 A.D., the church felt their first

priority was to uproot the so-called heresies within church teachings. It is

worth noting that while the Pope was staying in Constantinople at the time, he

was absent from this Council. The voting was not unanimous, being split in the

proportion of 3 to 2. It was at that time that the Emperor Justinian saw

himself as head of the church, and being vested with both theological and

ecclesiastical learning and authority. He deferred to his wife Theodora for

advice and guidance; she had a great influence on his life and decisions, and

this resulted in his regular

intervention in church affairs. Theodora's origins are rather shady, having come

from a humble family; she became a dancer and was considered a rather free soul!

It is suggested, because of her past life, that she wanted the Law of

Reincarnation cancelled, thus avoiding its consequences. A word by the Emperor

in the Church's ear, was sufficient for it to eradicate all of Origen's

teachings and other doctrines of the early Church, including those of St.

Gregory of Nazianzus, who was bishop of Constantinople in the 4th century A.D.

He asserted that those who accepted Reincarnation were in agreement with the

doctrine of the Resurrection. He also said that the two were united in their

conviction that "the body, whether now or in the future, is composed of the

atoms of the universe." It is sad to conclude that such excisions were foisted

upon the Church and laity;

by those who believed they could avoid the consequences of their actions by

simply canceling the Law!

Let us consider, finally, the words of St. Augustine, who said; "The very thing

which is now called the 'Christian' religion, really was known to the ancients,

nor was it wanting at any time, from the beginning of the human race, up to the

time Christ came in the flesh; from which time the true religion which had

previously existed, began to be called 'Christian', and this, in our days, is

the Christian religion, nor as having been wanting in former times, but as

having, in later times, received that name."

CHAPTER FOUR

Have you ever wondered why, when so much has been written about Jesus's three

year mission with His disciples, while we have nothing about Him from the age

of about twelve, when He seems to have walked in the mists of time, and

disappear, only to re-appear twenty years later, on the banks of the river

Jordan to be baptised by His cousin, John the Baptist? It's not surprising John

did not recognise Jesus on that occasion, as they had not seen each other since

childhood.

We have only the few words of Luke 2:52, "And Jesus increased in wisdom and in

stature, and in favour with God and man."

This enormous gap in Jesus's life makes Him all the more interesting a figure

because of these omissions, and makes the quest for more information about the

most important Being on this earth for the last two thousand years, that much

more vital. Never-the-less a great deal has been written over the years, about

Jesus's lost years, and are available from equally credible sources.

Sathya Sai Baba has spoken of Jesus on many occasions, particularly at His

Christmas discourses, in Prashanthi Nilayam, when many Christians and members

of other faiths, gather from all parts of the world, to commemorate Jesus'

birthday. Sai Baba has said that Christmas is not celebrated anywhere in the

world like the way it is in Prashanthi. Over-eating or drinking, has no place

at this blessed event; this birth of a Christed Being. Baba spoke of Jesus at a

Christmas Day discourse in 1976, "He (Jesus) came to propagate the Omnipresence

of God and His Might and Glory. Mary is the symbolic representative of the

heart of man. Christ is the Joy principal that arises in the heart. That is the

reason why the idea of Immaculate Conception is laid down. That is the reason

also why Mary is pictured with the Child Jesus on her lap." At this point

of the discourse, Swami materialized a medal with Mary and Jesus on one side,

and Joseph on the reverse. This was handed around for those present to admire

and touch. The Divine Mother represents the gentler qualities of human nature,

much needed in the world today. He went on to state, "What the Christmas story

signifies is this: There was a huge aura of splendor illuminating the sky over

the village where Christ was born. This meant He who was to overcome the

darkness of evil and ignorance, had taken birth, that He would spread the Light

of Love in the hearts of men and the councils of humanity. Appearances of

splendor or of other signs of the era that has dawned are natural when

Incarnations happen on Earth. Jesus was to shatter the darkness that had

enveloped the world and the Aura of Light was a sign that announced the event…"

 

Sai Baba stated at a Christmas Day discourse in 1979 that Jesus was born at 3.15

am. on December 28th, and it was a Sunday, in Bethlehem. "The star which

appeared that day appeared only once in 800 years. Its appearance had nothing

to do with the birth of Jesus. There is no rule that when Divine Energy or

Divine Incarnation, descends on Earth, a star has to appear. That's the opinion

of devotees only. But Jesus was a Star of infinite value, spreading brilliance

of infinite dimension. Why posit another less brilliant

glow?"

The Romans celebrated December 25th, every year, as the birthday of Mithra, who

was worshipped by them as the savior of mankind; the festival was called Dies

Natalis Invicti, or the birthday of the unconquered. When the Romans adopted

Christianity, they converted the Mithra festival into the Christian festival of

Christmas.

Jesus was the first born to Mary, who later had three other sons and several

daughters. Although He is known today as Jesus, His parents called Him by the

common name of Yeshi'a (Joshua) meaning "help of the Yahveh." Later the Greeks

made this into "Jesous" and the Romans "Iesus".

Joseph died when Jesus was just ten years old, while the family was still in

Egypt. Sai Baba says that Jesus had "the wisdom of the Word" by the time they

returned from Egypt, at the age of thirteen., and was taken in by the Essenes,

the tribe of Hebrews who lived by the Vedic prescriptions and laws of Ashrama.

Jesus the Nazarene means "Jesus the convert." According to Judaic laws, anyone

who converts away from the Chosen People becomes a Gentile (Sudra). Jesus never

called Himself a Nazarene. He never denied His God. He

knew He was the Christ. Jesus left home around the age of betrothal, usually

after the age of thirteen, as He attracted the attention of wealthy merchants,

who saw this well-informed youth as a suitable suitor for their daughters. He

chose instead to leave home and travel, before such an arrangement could be

made. His mother, Mary, sold many household possessions to help Him on His

journey East by merchant's train. He traveled through Persia, on route to the

Sindh area, in Western India, traveling almost penniless and eating just one

meal a day, arriving there in His fourteenth year, clothed in a loin cloth or

dhoti, much like He wore on the cross. His fame spread, according to legend,

amongst the

Jains, a 500 years old religious group, founded by a young noble-man named

Varadhamana, dedicated to non-violence, peace and love, and practicing celibacy

and vegetarianism, as well as doing good for the poor. Where other religions,

including Judaism at that time, practiced the sacrificing of animals, the Jains

taught that it was the animal qualities within man which should be sacrificed,

not animal life itself. The young Jesus, now referred to as Issa, was being

taught to look at worshipping and perceiving God, in another way, than that

which He was familiar with in His homeland. (Sai Baba said the name should be

correctly spelled "Isa", as in India the Master was known as Isa which when

rearranged is Sai. Isa and Sai both mean "Isvara", God the Eternal Absolute. So

for accuracy, we shall use this spelling). The Jains

will not injure any form of life, indeed they would wear masks and sweep the

floor in front of them as they walked, lest they would kill any insect. He

stayed awhile to study with them before moving on to Puri, to visit the temple

of Jagannath, a Hindu temple carved out of solid rock-face.

Later, as a young yogi, Isa/Jesus went to the ancient city of Benares, known

then as Varanasi, the centre of Hindu learning 2000 years ago, and to Rajhriha,

the centre of Buddhist learning. In these holy cities, Isa continued His studies

as a Buddhist or Hindu monk, assimilating their teachings, which is why there

are similarities between His later teachings and those of Hinduism and

Buddhism. It is written that Isa was a great yogi, meaning that He was adept in

the science of Raja Yoga, and becoming well established in that state of higher

inner meditation

and super-consciousness. Raja Yoga is also called Astanga Yoga or Patanjali's

Yoga having the eight states of discipline, the ultimate being the state of

Samadhi. Because Isa was a master of this science, all the miracles He

performed in public were the result of attaining these yogic levels, these

higher states which are called Siddhis. These powers are acquired over a long

learning period, resulting in one having control over the internal as well as

external nature. One acquires control over the elements as well as control over

life and death. That which is impossible to the ordinary human, is possible to

such a master. Although Isa/Jesus can be referred to as an Avatar, He did not

have the full attributes of One such as Krishna and now Sathya Sai Baba, who

are born with the full 16 Kalas, or attributes. None-the-less, Jesus was a

major

Avatar.

Sathya Sai Baba referred to Jesus Christ, on many occasions, corroborating the

journey which, legend says, Isa took. He said, "At all times Jesus Christ had a

mind which was pure and which was unwavering and selfless. All the work did was

dedicated to the good of the world. In the early days He used to proclaim

Himself as a Messenger of God and would say He had come to serve all the

peoples of the world."

"While calling Himself the Messenger of God, He conducted Himself as the servant

of the people and for twelve years, He was found in meditation. As a result of

His meditation He proclaimed Himself as Son of God. He was moving closer to

God."

"He spent five years in the Himalayan regions of India. After coming to India

and practicing spiritual disciplines He proclaimed, 'I and My Father are One."

"After experiencing this identity with the Father, and proclaiming Himself One,

identical with the Father, He returned to His own country."

As I stated earlier there is nothing about Jesus in the Bible from the age of

twelve years, to the time He was baptised by John the Baptist, at the River

Jordan. Traditionally it is understood that Jesus became Christed at this

baptismal event by the Jordan, when the Holy Spirit descended upon Him in the

form of a dove. However, other sources, including Sathya Sai Baba, state that

Jesus attained Christ consciousness at the age of 26, when He became known as

"Yesu", meaning I am He - He and I are One in Sanskrit. Returning home to

Israel

black; FONT-SIZE: 10pt"> through Tibet, Afghanistan, Persia, and areas of

southern Russia, and arriving when He was about thirty years old. Tiberius

Caesar had reigned for fifteen years by this time, and Pontius Pilate was

governor of Judea, while Herod was tetrarch of Galilee.

Great changes had taken place since His departure almost twenty years earlier.

Jesus commenced His ministry in a land torn apart by strife and high Roman

taxes levied on every household, to support the Roman garrisons and strongholds

in His homeland.

Jesus never felt in any danger from His own people, but the same couldn't be

said of the Romans, as it was unsafe to teach in that land ruled by Roman

terror. The Roman cure for any suspects of rebellion was to seize them, flay

them alive, or crucify them. It was a time of unrest, and as in all such times

in history, spies and traitors were plentiful, with reports of anything

suspicious, like large gatherings, being speedily reported back to the

authorities. It wasn't too long before Jesus attracted the same attention

because of the crowds who gathered to hear His spiritual message.

On the occasion of the Last Supper, it is written that Jesus changed the bread

and wine into His body and blood; this is called Transubstantiation, the most

reverential point of the Mass. Sai Baba explains the true meaning of this

incident as follows, "Jesus said that the bread taken in the Last Supper was

His flesh and the wine was His blood. He meant that all beings alive with flesh

and blood are to be treated as He Himself and no distinction should be made

between friend or foe, we or they. Every- body is His body, sustained by the

bread: every drop of blood flowing in the veins of every living being is His,

animated by the activity that the wine imparted to it. That is to say, every

man and woman is Divine and has to be revered as such."

When the end came for Jesus, He was examined and judged by Pontius Pilate the

Roman governor, on the evidence of spies. Taken by His Roman accusers, Jesus

was tortured and starved for seven days, according to Sai Baba, prior to the

crucifixion. In this weakened state He was forced to drag the cross the long

distance to the site of execution, collapsing with exhaustion many times along

the way.

The site itself was of hard rocky ground, making it impossible to dig holes to

contain the crosses of those to be executed by crucifixion, in that place

called Golgotha; the place of the skull. It has always been my understanding

that the Romans had constructed an elaborate permanent trellis structure on

which the crosses were hung by way of a hole on top of the cross, onto a stout

iron nail. Sai Baba attested to this, and to the fact that Jesus did not feel

any pain on the cross.

There the crucified victim was to hang in the heat of the day, or perhaps

several days, and die of suffocation. When Jesus 'died' at five o'clock, on

that fateful day, the skies darkened, thunder and earthquakes arose, as if

heralding the departure of a Great Spirit from the Earth.

Where the New Testament is our chief source of information about the life of

Jesus, there are other versions of the crucifixion, which differ widely from

the traditional Testament. For example, manuscripts found in Nag Hammadi,

Egypt, inform us that Jesus said, "I did not succumb to them as they had

planned. I did not die in reality but in appearance, and it was another who

drank the gall and the vinegar. It was another, Simon, who bore the cross on

his shoulder. It was another upon whom they placed the crown of thorns. I was

laughing at their ignorance."

Sai Baba has said that Jesus did not die, but slipped into a comatose state. To

the Roman soldiers He would have appeared dead, and consequently they did not

break His legs to induce death, as was the procedure for dispatching the

unfortunates.

The most momentous question now arises; had Jesus not died on the cross, then we

must assume He survived to live on into old age. A few brave writers agreed that

Jesus survived the crucifixion, running counter to the traditional Christian

belief. They suffered for their convictions. So much for freedom of faith!

At this juncture I would like to refer to an anecdote, involving Sathya Sai

Baba, told by a New Zealand lady called Barbara McMalley;

I had gone to Puttaparthi with a friend from New Zealand. We both supported and

encouraged each other, since it was our first visit to India. While I was happy

with everything, my friend had been very much caught up in the suffering of

Christ. She had with her two items she hoped Baba would bless for her, a

crucifix and a black and white photo of the image of Christ from the

10pt">Turin Shroud. Daily we would attend Darshan (audience with the Master),

and on one occasion, Sri Sathya Sai Baba stopped before us. He looked at the

items held out to him for His blessing, and refused to accept the crucifix.

As I watched, spellbound, Sai Baba, with a lift and wave of His hand, drew the

black and white image of Christ from the photo until there was nothing but a

blank sheet of gloss photo paper. By the same token, he then drew up and

through that blank sheet, just as if it were laid in a darkroom developing

tray, the image to be seen today on the photograph; that of the risen Jesus

Christ, in colour. A Christ whose eyes are haunting, so full of love and

compassion are they.

With a blessing for the two women from New Zealand, the Baba went on His way.

Dr. John Hislop, (1904-1995) and author of "My Baba and I", was walking with Sai

Baba, one day, when Baba broke off two twigs from a bush, and placing them on

His palm in the shape of a cross, asked Dr. Hislop what it was. "A cross,

Swami" replied Hislop. Swami blew three times on the twigs, and instantly they

changed into a crucifix about two inches long. Pointing to the silver figure of

Christ, being only 7/8 of an inch in height, upon the cross, Baba stated, "This

was how Jesus really was when He died", and said that the wood was that of the

original cross, and went on to state, "When I went to look for the wood, every

particle of the cross had disintegrated and had returned to the elements. I

reached out to the elements and reconstituted sufficient material for a small

cross. Very seldom does Swami interfere with Nature, but occasionally,

for a devotee, it will be done". This should put a major question mark over the

many claims that pieces of the True Cross continue to exist; here and there

throughout the world.

There are a number of books by Hindu and Muslim authors, which attest to the

Risen Christ, that He did live and travel with His mother Mary, to India. One

such book is worth considering in pursuing this study, "A Search for the

Historical Jesus", by Prof. Fida Hassnain. He quotes an ancient Hindu sutra of

the Nath Yogis, known as "Natha-nama-vali", which gives a unique version of the

crucifixion of Jesus.

Isha Natha came to India at the age of fourteen. After this he returned to his

own country and began preaching. Soon after, his brutish and materialistic

countrymen conspired against him and had him crucified. After crucifixion, or

perhaps even before it, Isha Natha (Jesus) entered Samadhi or profound trance,

by means of yoga.

Seeing him thus, the Jews presumed he was dead, and buried him in a tomb. At

that very moment however, one of his gurus or teachers, the great Chetan Natha,

happened to be in profound meditation, in the lower reaches of the Himalayas,

and he saw in a vision the tortures which Isha Natha was undergoing. He

therefore made his body lighter than air and passed over to the land of Israel

10pt">.

The day of his arrival was marked with thunder and lightning, for the gods were

angry with the Jews, and the whole world trembled. When Chetan Natha arrived,

he took the body of Isha Natha from the tomb, woke him (Jesus) from his

samadhi, and later led him off to the sacred land of the Aryans. Isah Natha

then established an ashram in the lower regions of the Himalays and he

established the cult of the lingam (egg-shaped symbol of the Absolute) and the

yoni there.

Since Jesus belonged to the East, with its Eastern traditions, such writings

should not be dismissed, and could be as important as traditional Christian

Gospels.

An Essene source tells us; Joseph and Nicodemus examined the body of Jesus, and

Nicodemus greatly moved drew Joseph aside and said to him: "As sure as is my

knowledge of life and nature, so sure is it possible to save him". After this,

according to the prescriptions of medical art, they slowly untied his bonds,

drew the spikes out and with great care laid him on the ground. Thereupon,

Nicodemus spread strong spices and healing salves on long pieces of byssus,

which he brought. These he wound about Jesus's body. These spices and salves

had great healing powers and were used by our Essene brothers. Joseph and

Nicodemus were bending over his face and their tears fell upon him and they

blew into him their own breath (artificial resuscitation?) and warmed his

temples.

Nicodemus spread balsam in both the nail-pierced hands, but he believed it was

not best to close up the wound in Jesus's side, because he considered the flow

of blood and water therefrom helpful to respiration and beneficial in the

renewing of life.

The body was laid in the rock sepulchre which belonged to Joseph. They then

smoked the grotto with aloe and other herbs and placed a large stone in front

of the entrance that the vapors better fill the grotto.

Thirty hours had now passed since the assumed death of Jesus. Our brother,

having heard a slight noise within the grotto, went to observe what had

happened. He observed with inexpressible joy that the lips of the body moved

and that it breathed. He at once hastened to Jesus to assist him. Twenty-four

brethren of our Order arrived at the grotto along with Joseph and Nicodemus.

But Jesus was not yet strong enough to walk far, wherefore he was conducted to

the house belonging to our Order that is close by Calvary in the garden."

Sathya Sai Baba attested recently, that Jesus's body was physical, not

spirit-materialized body, at the "resurrection". "The physical! Yes, He

traveled to Kashmir but also to Calcutta and Malaysia."

Both the Hindu and the Essene versions tally in that they imply the survival of

Jesus from crucifixion. The Hindu version refers to miracles, while the Essene

version, in the way herbal/medical treatment was applied. A prescription of an

ointment known as Marham-i-Issa, is recorded in many medical books, compiled by

Christians, the Magi (Persians), Muslims and by the Jews, was known in earlier

times and handed down by word of mouth. The twelve ingredients of the ointment

used on Jesus were;

1. whitewax; 2. gum gugal, also known as balsamo dendron mukul; 3. plumbi

oxidum; 4. myrrh, also known as balsamo dendron myrrh; 5. galbanum; 6.

aristoelchia longa; 7. sub-acetate of copper; 8.gum ammanicum; 9. resin of

pinus longifolia; 10. olibanum; 11. aloes; 12. Olive oil.

These twelve ingredients were first recorded in the Greeks Pharmacopoeia and

copied in later times by others.

There is much written evidence that Jesus did not die on the cross, but, in

fact, lived to a ripe old age. One Muslim text suggests that He lived to one

hundred and twenty five years! It is true that Jesus was revered by the Muslims

as a great teacher and prophet. Indeed, the wife of the Prophet of Islam, Hazrat

Muhammed, said that the Prophet once told her that Jesus, son of Mary, had lived

to this great age.

Jesus was aided in leaving Israel, once again on a journey east, but this time

He had to hide His identity, becoming known as Yuzu-Asaph, when He finally

settled in Kashmir. (He assumed different names when in different cultures,

Isha Natha, by Hindus, Yuzu-Asaph, by Muslims.) He preached His doctrines in

many towns and cities along the way, and many believed in Him, while others saw

Him as a threat.

A Persian dictionary called Farhang-i-Asafiyah, referred to the name Yuzu Asaph

by way of explanation: Hazrat Issa, who cured many lepers, came to be known as

Asaph. He was known as Yuzu, and as He had cured lepers, He came to be known as

Yuzu Asaph, for He not only cured them but gathered them under His merciful

protection.

Jesus traveled with His mother, Mary, His sister and Mary Magdalene on this

arduous journey, staying awhile in Taxila (now in Pakistan) before continuing

to Kashmir. The Gospel of Philip states that, "There were three who always

walked with the Lord: Mary His mother and His sister, and Magdalene, the one

who was called His companion. His sister and His mother and His companion were

each a Mary." The hardship of the journey took its toll on His mother; she died

in a small town now called Muree, named in her honour, 30 miles from

Rawalpindi. Her tomb, at Pindi Point, is an important shrine for Muslims and

Hindus alike to this day, and is called "Mai-Mari-de-Asthan" or the "Resting

place of Mother Mary." She would have been 70 years old.

Jesus' long journey to Kashmir was the fulfillment of a journey He had made in a

previous incarnation, as Moses. On that occasion, after "wandering 40 years in

the wilderness", Moses only succeeded in gazing down from the mountains on to

the valley and lakes of Kashmir, before he died.

Jesus finally settled in Kashmir, often referred to as the Holy Land, where many

of the lost Jewish tribes resided. One interesting, and lesser-known fact, is

that Moses took his people to this Promised Land, and while he never actually

entered it, many of his people finally settled there. So, Moses, Mother Mary

and Jesus are buried in Kashmir.

Madam Blavatsky, founder of the Theosophical Society, and other philosophers,

have claimed, as the result of their research, that King Solomon's Temple and

the grave stone of Moses, are situated just south-west of Srinagar. This temple

dates back to at least 1000 BC., and having fallen into a state of disrepair,

was restored by Raja Gopadatta with the aid of a Persian architect.

Inscriptions were carved as follows;

1) The mason of this pillar is the most humble Bihishti Zagar. Year 54. 2) Kwaja

Rukum, son of Markam, erected this column.3) At this time Yuzu Asaph proclaimed

his prophethood. Year 54.4) He is Jesus, prophet of the Children of Israel.

Raja Godapatta is thought to have reigned from about 50 AD until 109 AD.

The following was recorded by historian, Mulla Nadiri: "At the time of the rule

of Gopadatta, Yuzu Asaph came from the Holy Land up to this valley and

announced that he was a prophet. He exemplified the heights of virtue and

piety, and claimed that he was himself his own message, and had made God

accessible to the people of Kashmir. When the Hindus came to Gopadatta in

indignation, exhorting him to deal with the man, he turned them away."

This area was Hindu in that time, and contains no Hindu graves, because they are

cremated. The Muslims conquered this region in the seventh century AD, and the

monuments of "infidels" were destroyed, while Mary's tomb was spared because

she was one of the "People of the Book", honored by Islam.

One Sheikh Al-Said, who died in 361 AD, referred to a Hindu legend, in which the

Kushan Emperor, Kanishka, who conquered Kashmir, was one day at a place ten

miles north of Srinagar called Wien, -a place noted for its sulphurous springs.

There he met an auspicious man, robed in white, of fair skin, who replied when

asked who he was, that he was Yuzu Asaph come to preach Truth and purify

religion. Kaniska asked what his religion was, and he replied, "O King! When

Truth had disappeared and there was no limit to evil in my country, I appeared;

and through my work the guilty and the wicked suffered, but later I suffered at

their hands."

Further questioned regarding His principles, He replied: "I have come to

establish Truth, Love and purity of heart, and for this I am called 'Isa Masih'

(Jesus the Messiah). Having cleansed the mind, and purified the impure body, man

will find the way to God in the centre of light."

One of Yuzu Asaph's sayings was: "As long as there is light, travel therein; but

keep your good deeds secret, lest they be for the show only. Treat others as you

would like to be treated; shun worldly desires; give up calumny, anger and

back-biting; your minds and actions should be pure and identical." Also, a

saying of Jesus' which was carved on the main gate of the city of Fatehpur, 100

miles south of Delhi, "The world is a bridge. Pass over it, but do not settle

down on it!"

(Sai Baba often stated: "Life is a bridge over a sea of change. Pass over it,

but do not build a house on it.")

It is suggested that when Jesus reached old age, He instructed His disciple

Thomas, to continue His work, and to place a tomb over the exact spot where He

should die. It is a simple tomb, called Rosabal, meaning "Tomb of the Prophet",

situated in the Khanyar district of Srinagar, adjacent to a Muslim cemetery in

which all the graves are orientated in a North-South direction, according to

Muslim tradition. Whereas He is buried in accordance to Jewish custom, being

positioned East-West, feet towards the West and His head to the East. It is

said that colored lights could be seen dancing around the tomb for many years

later.

We must accept that Jesus came for all mankind, not just for those who became

known as Christians. For all religions! For all races! Not for one people, nor

to found a new religion. One might be tempted to say that Christians

"hi-jacked" Jesus, claiming Him exclusively for themselves. We should

appreciate that Jesus is recognised and accepted as a Messenger of God by all

religions.

Had this been understood and accepted these two thousand years, think of what a

wonderful world this would have been; no religious wars, no bigotry, nobody

claiming to have the one True church. Each religion respecting the faith of the

other.

On one occasion Sai Baba spoke at length about Jesus, and I quote briefly here

Baba's reference to the One religion, the religion of Love; "The followers of

each religion call upon the One God, Who is Omnipresent and Who listens to

their prayers from whichever clime, or clothed in whatever language; but, it is

the same God Who confers upon all mankind health, prosperity, peace and

happiness. Each religion has no separate God showering Grace upon those who

profess to abide by that faith alone!" He also said: "All religions are facets

of the same Truth."

Thomas stayed on in India to which he came in 52AD, arriving first in Kerala on

the West coast. Three years after his Master's death, he traveled to South

Tamil, Tamil Nadu, residing in Little Mount, and later to be speared to death

on St. Thomas Mount, as it is now known. He was buried there, where a great

basilica was built over his tomb in Madras, Mylapore, in recent years, and as

the Pope was unable to attend, Cardinal Conway, the Primate of Ireland, was

asked to officiate at the Centenary celebrations.

* Gateway Books, The Hollies, Wellow, Bath, England

CONTINUED…

Sent with Sai love by Sai brother M. Palaniswamy

/

Courtesy and Source: www.geocities.com/gallivanpatrick

 

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