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SECTION VI
VAU
Life and Works of Jesus in India
CHAPTER 21
Ravanna sees Jesus in the temple and is captivated. Hillel tells him about the boy. Ravanna finds Jesus in Nazareth and gives a feast in his honor. Ravanna becomes patron of Jesus, and takes him to India to study the Brahmic religion.
A royal prince of India, Ravanna of Orissa in the south, was at the Jewish feast.
2 Ravanna was a man of wealth; and he was just, and with a band of Brahmic priests sought wisdom in the West.
3 When Jesus stood among the Jewish priests and read and spoke, Ravanna heard and was amazed.
4 And when he asked who Jesus was, from whence he came and what he was, chief Hillel said,
5 We call this child the Day Star from on high, for he has come to bring to men a light, the light of life; to lighten up the way of men and to redeem his people, Israel.
6 And Hillel told Ravanna all about the child; about the prophecies concerning him; about the wonders of the night when he was born; about the visit of the magian priests;
7 About the way in which he was protected from the wrath of evil men; about his flight to Egypt-land, and how he then was serving with his father as a carpenter in Nazareth.
8 Ravanna was entranced, and asked to know the way to Nazareth, that he might go and honor such a one as son of God.
9 And with his gorgeous train he journeyed on the way and came to Nazareth of Galilee.
10 He found the object of his search engaged in building dwellings for the sons of men.
11 And when he first saw Jesus he was climbing up a twelve-step ladder, and he carried in his hands a compass, square and ax.
12 Ravanna said, All hail, most favored son of heaven!
13 And at the inn Ravanna made a feast for all the people of the town; and Jesus and his parents were the honored guests.
14 For certain days Ravanna was a guest in Joseph’s home on Marmion Way; he sought to learn the secret of the wisdom of the son; but it was all too great for him.
15 And then he asked that he might be the patron of the child; might take him to the East where he could learn the wisdom of the Brahms.
16 And Jesus longed to go that he might learn: and after many days his parents gave consent.
17 Then, with proud heart, Ravanna with his train, began the journey toward the rising sun; and after many days they crossed the Sind, and reached the province of Orissa, and the palace of the prince.
18 The Brahmic priests were glad to welcome home the prince; with favor they received the Jewish boy.
19 And Jesus was accepted as a pupil in the temple Jagannath; and here he learned the Vedas and the Manic laws.
20 The Brahmic masters wondered at the clear conceptions of the child, and often were amazed when he explained to them the meaning of the laws.
CHAPTER 22
The friendship of Jesus and Lamaas. Jesus explains to Lamaas the meaning of truth, man, power, understanding, wisdom, salvation and faith.
Among the priests of Jagannath was one who loved the Jewish boy. Lamaas Bramas was the name by which the priest was known.
2 One day as Jesus and Lamaas walked alone in plaza Jagannath, Lamaas said, My Jewish master, what is truth?
3 And Jesus said, Truth is the only thing that changes not.
4 In all the world there are two things; the one is truth; the other falsehood is; and truth is that which is, and falsehood that which seems to be.
5 Now truth is aught, and has no cause, and yet it is the cause of everything.
6 Falsehood is naught, and yet it is the manifest of aught.
7 Whatever has been made will be unmade; that which begins must end.
8 All things that can be seen by human eyes are manifests of aught, are naught, and so must pass away.
9 The things we see are but reflexes just appearing, while the ethers vibrate so and so, and when conditions change they disappear.
10 The Holy Breath is truth; is that which was, and is, and evermore shall be; it cannot change nor pass away.
11 Lamaas said, You answer well; now, what is man?
12 And Jesus said, Man is the truth and falsehood strangely mixed.
13 Man is the Breath made flesh; so truth and falsehood are conjoined in him; and then they strive, and naught goes down and man as truth abides.
14 Again Lamaas asked, What do you say of power?
15 And Jesus said, It is a manifest; is the result of force; it is but naught; it is illusion, nothing more. Force changes not, but power changes as the ethers change.
16 Force is the will of God and is omnipotent, and power is that will in manifest, directed by the Breath.
17 There is a power in the winds, a power in the waves, a power in the lightning’s stroke, a power in the human arm, a power in the eye.
18 The ethers cause these powers to be, and thought of Elohim, of angel, man, or other thinking thing, directs the force; when it has done its work the power is no more.
19 Again Lamaas asked, Of understanding what have you to say?
20 And Jesus said, It is the rock on which man builds himself; it is the gnosis of the aught and of the naught, of falsehood and of truth.
21 It is the knowledge of the lower self; the sensing of the powers of man himself.
22 Again Lamaas asked, Of wisdom what have you to say?
23 And Jesus said, It is the consciousness that man is aught; that God and man are one;
24 That naught is naught; that power is but illusion; that heaven and earth and hell are not above, around, below, but in; which in the light of aught becomes the naught, and God is all.
25 Lamaas asked, Pray, what is faith?
26 And Jesus said, Faith is the surety of the omnipotence of God and man; the certainty that man will reach deific life.
27 Salvation is a ladder reaching from the heart of man to heart of God.
28 It has three steps; Belief is first, and this is what man thinks, perhaps, is truth.
29 And faith is next, and this is what man knows is truth.
30 Fruition is the last, and this is man himself, the truth.
31 Belief is lost in faith; and in fruition faith is lost; and man is saved when he has reached deific life; when he and God are one.
CHAPTER 23
Jesus and Lamaas among the sudras and visyas. In Benares. Jesus becomes a pupil of Udraka. The lessons of Udraka.
Now, Jesus with his friend Lamaas went through all the regions of Orissa, and the valley of the Ganges, seeking wisdom from the sudras and the visyas and the masters.
2 Benares of the Ganges was a city rich in culture and in learning; here the two rabbonis tarried many days.
3 And Jesus sought to learn the Hindu art of healing, and became the pupil of Udraka, greatest of the Hindu healers.
4 Udraka taught the uses of the waters, plants and earths; of heat and cold; sunshine and shade; of light and dark.
5 He said, The laws of nature are the laws of health, and he who lives according to these laws is never sick.
6 Transgression of these laws is sin, and he who sins is sick.
7 He who obeys the laws, maintains an equilibrium in all his parts, and thus insures true harmony; and harmony is health, while discord is disease.
8 That which produces harmony in all the parts of man is medicine, insuring health.
9 The body is a harpsichord, and when its strings are too relaxed, or are too tense, the instrument is out of tune, the man is sick.
10 Now, everything in nature has been made to meet the wants of man; so everything is found in medical arcanes.
11 And when the harpsichord of man is out of tune the vast expanse of nature may be searched for remedy; there is a cure for every ailment of the flesh.
12 Of course the will of man is remedy supreme; and by the vigorous exercise of will, man may make tense a chord that is relaxed, or may relax one that is too tense, and thus may heal himself.
13 When man has reached the place where he has faith in God, in nature and himself, he knows the Word of power; his word is balm for every wound, is cure for all the ills of life.
14 The healer is the man who can inspire faith. The tongue may speak to human ears, but souls are reached by souls that speak to souls.
15 He is the forceful man whose soul is large, and who can enter into souls, inspiring hope in those who have no hope, and faith in those who have no faith in God, in nature, nor in man.
16 There is no universal balm for those who tread the common walks of life.
17 A thousand things produce inharmony and make men sick; a thousand things may tune the harpsichord, and make men well.
18 That which is medicine for one is poison for another one; so one is healed by what would kill another one.
19 An herb may heal the one; a drink of water may restore another one; a mountain breeze may bring to life one seeming past all help;
20 A coal of fire, or bit of earth, may cure another one; and one may wash in certain streams, or pools, and be made whole.
21 The virtue from the hand or breath may heal a thousand more; but love is queen. Thought, reinforced by love, is God’s great sovereign balm.
22 But many of the broken chords in life, and discords that so vex the soul, are caused by evil spirits of the air that men see not; that lead men on through ignorance to break the laws of nature and of God.
23 These powers act like demons, and they speak; they rend the man; they drive him to despair.
24 But he who is a healer, true, is master of the soul, and can, by force of will, control these evil ones.
25 Some spirits of the air are master spirits and are strong, too strong for human power alone; but man has helpers in the higher realms that may be importuned, and they will help to drive the demons out.
26 Of what this great physician said, this is the sum. And Jesus bowed his head in recognition of the wisdom of this master soul, and went his way.
CHAPTER 24
The Brahmic doctrine of castes. Jesus repudiates it and teaches human equality. The priests are offended and drive him from the temple. He abides with the sudras and teaches them.
Four years the Jewish boy abode in temple Jagannath.
2 One day he sat among the priests and said to them, Pray, tell me all about your views of castes; why do you say that all men are not equal in the sight of God?
3 A master of their laws stood forth and said, The Holy One whom we call Brahm, made men to suit himself, and men should not complain.
4 In the beginning days of human life Brahm spoke, and four men stood before his face.
5 Now, from the mouth of Parabrahm the first man came; and he was white, was like the Brahm himself; a brahman he was called.
6 And he was high and lifted up; above all want he stood; he had no need of toil.
7 And he was called the priest of Brahm, the holy one to act for Brahm in all affairs of earth.
8 The second man was red, and from the hand of Parabrahm he came; and he was called shatriya.
9 And he was made to be the king, the ruler and the warrior, whose highest ordained duty was, protection of the priest.
10 And from the inner parts of Parabrahm the third man came; and he was called a visya.
11 He was a yellow man, and his it was to till the soil, and keep the flocks and herds.
12 And from the feet of Parabrahm the fourth man came; and he was black; and he was called the sudras, one of low estate.
13 The sudras is the servant of the race of men; he has no rights that others need respect; he may not hear the Vedas read, and it means death to him to look into the face of priest, or king, and naught but death can free him from his state of servitude.
14 And Jesus said, Then Parabrahm is not a God of justice and of right; for with his own strong hand he has exalted one and brought another low.
15 And Jesus said no more to them, but looking up to heaven he said,
16 My Father-God, who was, and is, and ever more shall be; who holds within thy hands the scales of justice and of right;
17 Who in the boundlessness of love has made all men to equal be. The white, the black, the yellow and the red can look up in thy face and say, Our Father-God.
18 Thou Father of the human race, I praise thy name.
19 And all the priests were angered by the words which Jesus spoke; they rushed upon him, seized him, and would have done him harm.
20 But then Lamaas raised his hand and said, You priests of Brahm, beware! you know not what you do; wait till you know the God this youth adores.
21 I have beheld this boy at prayer when light above the light of sun surrounded him, Beware! his God may be more powerful than Brahm.
22 If Jesus speaks the truth, if he is right, you cannot force him to desist; if he is wrong and you are right, his words will come to naught, for right is might, and in the end it will prevail.
23 And then the priests refrained from doing Jesus harm; but one spoke out and said,
24 Within this holy place has not this reckless youth done violence to Parabrahm? The law is plain; it says, He who reviles the name of Brahm shall die.
25 Lamaas plead for Jesus’ life; and then the priests just seized a scourge of cords and drove him from the place.
26 And Jesus went his way and found a shelter with the black and yellow men, the servants and the tillers of the soil.
27 To them he first made known the gospel of equality; he told them of the Brotherhood of Man, the Fatherhood of God.
28 The common people heard him with delight, and learned to pray, Our Father-God who art in heaven.
CHAPTER 25
Jesus teaches the sudras and farmers. Relates a parable of a nobleman and his unjust sons. Makes known the possibilities of all men.
When Jesus saw the sudras and the farmers in such multitudes draw near to hear his words, he spoke a parable to them; he said:
2 A nobleman possessed a great estate; he had four sons, and he would have them all grow strong by standing forth and making use of all the talents they possessed.
3 And so he gave to each a share of his great wealth, and bade them go their way.
4 The eldest son was full of self; he was ambitious, shrewd and quick of thought.
5 He said within himself, I am the oldest son, and these, my brothers, must be servants at my feet,
6 And then he called his brothers forth; and one he made a puppet king; gave him a sword and charged him to defend the whole estate.
7 To one he gave the use of lands and flowing wells, and flocks and herds, and bade him till the soil, and tend the flocks and herds and bring to him the choicest of his gains.
8 And to the other one he said, You are the youngest son; the broad estate has been assigned; you have no part nor lot in anything that is.
9 And then he took a chain and bound his brother to a naked rock upon a desert plain, and said to him,
10 You have been born a slave; you have no rights, and you must be contented with your lot, for there is no release for you until you die and go from hence.
11 Now, after certain years the day of reckoning came; the nobleman called up his sons to render their accounts.
12 And when he knew that one, his eldest son, had seized the whole estate and made his brothers slaves,
13 He seized him, tore his priestly robes away and put him in a prison cell, where he was forced to stay until he had atoned for all the wrongs that he had done.
14 And then, as though they were but toys, he threw in air the throne and armor of the puppet king; he broke his sword, and put him in a prison cell.
15 And then he called his farmer son and asked him why he had not rescued from his galling chains his brother on the desert sands.
16 And when the son made answer not, the father took unto himself the flocks and herds, the fields and flowing wells,
17 And sent his farmer son to live out on the desert sands, until he had atoned for all the wrongs that he had done.
18 And then the father went and found his youngest son in cruel chains; with his own hands he broke the chains and bade his son to go in peace.
19 Now, when the sons had all paid up their debts they came again and stood before the bar of right.
20 They all had learned their lessons, learned them well; and then the father once again divided the estate.
21 He gave to each an equal share, and bade them recognize the law of equity and right, and live in peace.
22 And one, a sudras, spoke and said, May we who are but slaves, who are cut down like beasts to satisfy the whims of priests – may we have hope that one will come to break our chains and set us free?
23 And Jesus said, The Holy One has said, that all his children shall be free; and every soul is child of God.
24 The sudras shall be free as priest; the farmer shall walk hand in hand with king; for all the world will own the brotherhood of man.
25 O men, arise! be conscious of your powers, for he who wills need not remain a slave.
26 Just live as you would have your brother live; unfold each day as does the flower; for earth is yours, and heaven is yours, and God will bring you to your own.
27 And all the people cried, Show us the way that like the flower we may unfold and come unto our own.
CHAPTER 26
Jesus at Katak. The car of Jagannath. Jesus reveals to the people the emptiness of Brahmic rites, and how to see God in man. Teaches them the divine law of sacrifice.
In all the cities of Orissa Jesus taught. At Katak, by the river side, he taught, and thousands of the people followed him.
2 One day a car of Jagannath was hauled along by scores of frenzied men, and Jesus said,
3 Behold, a form without a spirit passes by; a body with no soul; a temple with no altar fires.
4 This car of Krishna is an empty thing, for Krishna is not there.
5 This car is but an idol of a people drunk on wine of carnal things.
6 God lives not in the noise of tongues; there is no way to him from any idol shrine.
7 God’s meeting place with man is in the heart, and in a still small voice he speaks; and he who hears is still.
8 And all the people said, Teach us to know the Holy One who speaks within the heart, God of the still small voice.
9 And Jesus said, The Holy Breath cannot be seen with mortal eyes; nor can men see the Spirits of the Holy One;
10 But in their image man was made, and he who looks into the face of man, looks at the image of the God who speaks within.
11 And when man honors man he honors God, and what man does for man, he does for God.
12 And you must bear in mind that when man harms in thought, or word or deed another man, he does a wrong to God.
13 If you would serve the God who speaks within the heart, just serve your near of kin, and those that are no kin, the stranger at your gates, the foe who seeks to do you harm;
14 Assist the poor, and help the weak; do harm to none, and covet not what is not yours;
15 Then, with your tongue the Holy One will speak; and he will smile behind your tears, will light your countenance with joy, and fill your hearts with peace.
16 And then the people asked, To whom shall we bring gifts? Where shall we offer sacrifice?
17 And Jesus said, Our Father-God asks not for needless waste of plant, of grain, of dove, of lamb.
18 That which you burn on any shrine you throw away. No blessings can attend the one who takes the food from hungry mouths to be destroyed by fire.
19 When you would offer sacrifice unto our God, just take your gift of grain, or meat and lay it on the table of the poor.
20 From it an incense will arise to heaven, which will return to you with blessedness.
21 Tear down your idols; they can hear you not; turn all your sacrificial altars into fuel for the flames.
22 Make human hearts your altars, and burn your sacrifices with the fire of love.
23 And all the people were entranced, and would have worshipped Jesus as a God; but Jesus said,
24 I am your brother man just come to show the way to God; you shall not worship man; praise God, the Holy One.
CHAPTER 27
Jesus attends a feast in Behar. Preaches a revolutionary sermon on human equality. Relates the parable of the broken blades.
The fame of Jesus as a teacher spread through all the land, and people came from near and far to hear his words of truth.
2 At Behar, on the sacred river of the Brahms, he taught for many days.
3 And Ach, a wealthy man of Behar, made a feast in honor of his guest, and he invited every one to come.
4 And many came; among them thieves, extortioners, and courtesans. And Jesus sat with them and taught; but they who followed him were much aggrieved because he sat with thieves and courtesans.
5 And they upbraided him; they said, Rabboni, master of the wise, this day will be an evil day for you.
6 The news will spread that you consort with courtesans and thieves, and men will shun you as they shun an asp.
7 And Jesus answered them and said, A master never screens himself for sake of reputation or of fame.
8 These are but worthless baubles of the day; they rise and sink, like empty bottles on a stream; they are illusions and will pass away;
9 They are the indices to what the thoughtless think; they are the noise that people make; and shallow men judge merit by the noise.
10 God and all master men judge men by what they are and not by what they seem to be; not by their reputation and their fame.
11 These courtesans and thieves are children of my Father-God; their souls are just as precious in his sight as yours, or of the Brahmic priests.
12 And they are working out the same life sums that you, who pride yourselves on your respectability and moral worth, are working out.
13 And some of them have solved much harder sums than you have solved, you men who look at them with scorn.
14 Yes, they are sinners, and confess their guilt, while you are guilty, but are shrewd enough to have a polished coat to cover up your guilt.
15 Suppose you men who scorn these courtesans, these drunkards and these thieves, who know that you are pure in heart and life, that you are better far than they, stand forth that men may know just who you are.
16 The sin lies in the wish, in the desire, not in the act.
17 You covet other people’s wealth; you look at charming forms, and deep within your hearts you lust for them.
18 Deceit you practice every day, and wish for gold, for honor and for fame, just for your selfish selves.
19 The man who covets is a thief, and she who lusts is courtesan. You who are none of these speak out.
20 Nobody spoke; the accusers held their peace.
21 And Jesus said, The proof this day is all against those who have accused.
22 The pure in heart do not accuse. The vile in heart who want to cover up their guilt with holy smoke of piety are ever loathing drunkard, thief and courtesan.
23 This loathing and this scorn is mockery, for if the tinseled coat of reputation could be torn away, the loud professor would be found to revel in his lust, deceit, and many forms of secret sin.
24 The man who spends his time in pulling other people’s weeds can have no time to pull his own, and all the choicest flowers of life will soon be choked and die, and nothing will remain but darnel, thistles, burs.
25 And Jesus spoke a parable: he said, Behold, a farmer had great fields of ripened grain, and when he looked he saw that blades of many stalks of wheat were bent and broken down.
26 And when he sent his reapers forth he said, We will not save the stalks of wheat that have the broken blades.
27 Go forth and cut and burn the stalks with broken blades.
28 And after many days he went to measure up his grain, but not a kernel could he find.
29 And then he called the harvesters and said to them, Where is my grain?
30 They answered him and said, We did according to your word; we gathered up and burned the stalks with broken blades, and not a stalk was left to carry to the barn.
31 And Jesus said, If God saves only those who have no broken blades, who have been perfect in his sight, who will be saved?
32 And the accusers hung their heads in shame; and Jesus went his way.
