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HE HAS COME - THE LORD SATHYA SAI BABA - II

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Om Sri Sai Ram

Om Sai Jai Sai Jai Jai Sai

 

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 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 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.

 

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…

 

Jai Sai Ram

Swamy Mahadevan

Bow to Shri Sai-Peace be to all

Baba Bless you ever!!!

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