Kolkata-based author Debashree Chakraborty writes a novel about the 19 years of life of Jesus, which, according to some contemporary texts, he spent traveling extensively in the Middle East, Sindhu region and India
[Author’s Note: In the Old Testament of the Bible, there is no information about the life of Jesus for 19 years. There are some contemporary texts where eyewitnesses have stated that he traveled extensively in the Middle East and crossed the Sindhu region to enter India. Through this novel, I have tried to portray the diary of a profound spiritual journey of his life in the initial and final chapters. Foreign powers have tried to erase the history of our continent, Asia. That is why, when Notovitch returned from Hemis in Ladakh and mentioned that ancient text over 2000 years old, Max Müller sent people to Hemis to destroy that ancient manuscript. The mysterious manuscript is also mentioned in the book by Swami Abhedananda about Kashmir and Tibet. What was it that caused Max Müller so much concern over this manuscript? It is noteworthy that love cannot come into the life of the son of God, and he cannot have any children. Even the Gospels attributed to him have been confined to the secret, dark chambers of the Pope’s city, with words implanted into his mouth according to their wishes. In his name, imperialistic aggression is being carried out across the world. His only daughter, Sara, has not been recognized. His entire existence has been imprisoned. There lies an unknown chapter of his life hidden throughout the Middle East, the Sindhu region, and India. I have brought forth this history through this novel. “An Unknown Life” is in no way a novel imitating “Jesus lived in India.” This novel provides detailed descriptions of his presence across the vast land from Israel to India, not just his own, but also the mysterious narratives of many people associated with him. Was Jesus truly the founder of Christianity? If not, why must he still bear the burden of the “Roman Cross”? Is there ever to be a possibility of his release? All answers are coming. Debashree Chakraborty]
An Unknown Life
(Location: Israel, Time: Two thousand years ago)
The parched wilderness is desolate, with not a speck of green in sight—this region can only be compared to a valley of death. In the fierce heat of the sun, there seems to be a blaze everywhere, just smoke and more smoke. The fresh blood and sweat falling onto the scorching ground send up plumes of smoke. If one looked closely through the haze, they might see a scene that had just occurred a moment ago. The sound of wood and leather scraping against a rope, followed by the thud of a hammer and the cracking of bones amidst a terrible scream.
A few soldiers in red uniforms were helping two convicted criminals in the crucifixion of a tall, handsome man, saying, “You think of yourself as a god; did you think it would be painless? Do you see the agony you’re in? If you drank the potion, you wouldn’t feel this torment. After we crucify you, we’ll take that drink ourselves, and then we won’t feel any pain until death.”
Before they could finish their words, the soldiers kicked them in the back, knocking them to the ground and trampling them, saying, “Thieves shouldn’t talk so much; in a little while, you’ll be hanging too, don’t worry!”
The man who was being crucified, writhing in pain, felt his consciousness fading as darkness engulfed him. He began to see some events from a few days ago. In a dark room, in one corner, a lamp was burning, illuminating his face while the faces of others remained in the shadows. At that moment, someone from the darkness said, “Ishaanath, you must leave here quickly, or they will catch you, and you know they will give you a terrible death.”
“Our community has not taught us to flee; it has spoken of facing any situation. I will never run away. If I flee, it will affect the people of our community. Their trust in us will be lost. Let the soldiers come; I am ready to surrender. Then comes all the darkness, the intense heat, and the cries of the people. Gradually, he is regaining consciousness. There is excruciating pain all over his body, as if all the blood is surging and pounding in his chest. He feels that he has been placed on a cross in a burning field, with two others crucified on either side of him. But they are unconscious. Yet he can feel everything. From far away, there are only the wails of people; they all came to see him, each with their hands raised, praying to God for Ishaanath’s swift death. Because the agony of being crucified in such intense heat while waiting for death is a torment that cannot be seen, and the one who is suffering this condition! For some, it takes a long time to die; there are many people who have to endure being crucified like this for seven to eight days before they die. Gradually, as noon turns to afternoon and the sun begins to set in the west, the spectators all start to leave. Ishaanath’s mother, Mary, is in a state of unconsciousness, unable to bear leaving her son to face death in this way. From the moment of conception, she knew that the one in her womb was the Son of God, through whom they would achieve salvation. But she never imagined that everything would end like this. That everything would come to an end in such a manner.”
It happens! But even now, the mind seems unwilling to accept it; therefore, he keeps losing his consciousness repeatedly. The reason is that he is denying reality. Several women, whom he came with, are taking Mary away. A group of women is moving ahead, while Mary Mackdalen, who is crying, follows them. Ishaa deeply loves Mary, knowing throughout her life that she would never be able to have Ishaa as her husband. Ishaa’s birth is for a great purpose; domestic life is not for her. Nevertheless, she loves Ishaanath with all her heart. Whether or not they unite in marriage, they will still pass their lives by just seeing each other from a distance. There is a strange peace in this distance, even amidst the separation, there is a taste of union. When Mary turns to look back at Ishaanath, someone from the side says, “Don’t look back, keep going straight, be strong, we are watching.” Mary felt a deep positive suggestion in these words. So she steeled her mind and continued forward. Even though everyone had left, in one corner of this valley of death, someone was still waiting. Among them was John, a friend of Ishaanath. He stood a little away, watching her. Even though his head was bowed, there was still a spark of life within Ishaanath’s body. Somewhere there seemed to be a glimmer of hope. A few were waiting there, hoping to rescue him in any way possible. News came to a group of people not far from Calvary, the valley of death, that there was still a slight glimmer of hope, and maybe he could be saved with some effort. Upon hearing this news, a renowned herbalist, Nicodemus, and Joseph quickly set out for Calvary. Just then, from the direction of the meadows, a swirling red cloud began to rise. As the evening sun set and cast its light over the land, the ground here took on a blood-red hue, as if a giant from afar was coming, wreaking havoc across the meadows. They didn’t have to wait long; the ground shook violently, cracks appeared everywhere, and large stones began to tumble down. The people cried out in fear.
Some people began to speak up, saying that the consequence of sin must be endured, and they had brutally killed the Son of God! Nature itself could not accept this sin. On that day, the soldiers present to guard those who were crucified moved away due to the earthquake, as large stones were falling. It was extremely risky to remain there under such circumstances. Even after the tremors subsided, the soldiers did not have the courage to return, as the ground was still shaking gently. In such a situation, Nicodemus and Joseph approached the cross and began to observe Jesus closely. John was also present at that moment. During the earthquake, John did not leave his friend Jesus, because deep in his heart, he still held a hope for him. Nicodemus noticed that blood and water were still pouring from the wounds on Jesus’s crucified body. After many years of study in medicine, the knowledge he had gained could not be mistaken. He quietly approached Joseph and John and said, “There is still a pulse in Jesus’s body. If we try, maybe we can save him. We need to make sure that his bones do not break when we remove his body from the cross.” While they were discussing Jesus, John said, “We must go to the Roman governor Pilate right now and inform him that seven hours have passed since Jesus was crucified. We have seen for ourselves that there is no longer any sign of life in his body, so we should request that he give us the body; we will bury him.” Upon hearing John’s words, Joseph replied, “Pilate demands a large sum of money in exchange for every crucified body given to the family.” Nicodemus told Joseph, “Our organization has already informed us that whatever amount Pilate asks for, we will pay it, because saving Jesus is our greatest responsibility at this moment. Tomorrow is Sunday, and they will not do any work on that day, so we must do whatever we can by tonight.”
John, you stay with Eshaanath and make sure no soldier breaks his bones. We have been talking to Pilate. Just as we were finishing the conversation, a representative sent by Pilate, a centurion, arrived there. The family members of those who are crucified usually remain near such bodies, so the centurion was not surprised to see John. He came and showed a paper, saying that this application from the Jews’ council had reached us a little while ago. It says that Eshaanath has died, and we should hand over the body to his family for burial.
Nicodemus asked, “So you were sent by Pilot?”
“No, actually, his secretary sent me, because Pilot doesn’t have time to deal with these small matters.” However, there was a deep emotion for Eshaanath in the centurion’s demeanor. Perhaps he was somehow connected to the secret organization. When the Roman soldiers began to break the legs of the two thieves who were crucified with Eshaanath, the centurion said, “Eshaanath is dead; no bone of his body should be broken. The body should be handed over as it is.” Just then, a ray of light appeared in the darkness, and it seemed that someone was running towards them. After a moment’s wait, a man rushed in and reported that he had been sent by Pilot, asking whether Eshaanath was dead.
After hearing the arrival of the messenger and the questions posed by Pilot, everyone present realized that Pilot was very afraid of Eshaanath; until the news of his death arrived, he couldn’t close his eyes. The centurion bowed his head for a moment, thought for a while, and then said, “Seven hours have passed; I have observed Eshaanath very carefully, and there is no sign of life left in his body. Eshaanath is dead.”
The messenger returned to the pilot’s palace with the certain news of Eshaanath’s death. Nicodemus and others understood that Eshaanath’s death was more significant than any monetary transaction. As they prepared to leave with the centurion soldiers, someone came to inform them that Eshaanath’s body was to be taken away. Once that person left, a deep silence enveloped the surroundings, as if a conspiracy of the Creator was hidden within this silence – time itself seemed to have come to a halt, and the whole world had fallen asleep. Taking advantage of this moment, they had to bring life back to the body of a man who was on the verge of death.
Nicodemus, Joseph, and John were already joined by a few others. They carefully began to extract the myrrh embedded within Eshaanath’s body. Just at that moment, through the darkness, the sound of a woman crying echoed from behind a stone. John stepped forward and said, “Whoever you are, come out from behind the stone.” Immediately, a woman emerged from behind the stone. John brought the light of the torch closer to her face and was taken aback, exclaiming, “Isn’t this Mary, the sister of Lazarus?” When Mary nodded in agreement, Joseph said, “Since childhood, she has loved Eshaanath, loving him with all her heart and soul. That’s why, even though everyone else has left, she can’t bring herself to go. There’s a deep bond that ties her here.”
“Mary, you must go back. Everything is in God’s hands now; besides, this place is not safe for you. You must return.”
Mary approached and leaned over Ishaanath, looking at him intently. Drops of water were falling from her eyes onto Ishaanath’s forehead. She stroked his head, then got up and disappeared into the darkness. Mary could no longer be seen. Nicodemus quickly took an herbal balm from his bag and began to apply it to the wounds on Ishaanath’s body. After that, the body was taken into a garden grotto, where it was intended to be buried. In the spot within the grotto designated for his burial, herbal medicine was spread, and Ishaanath was laid down on it. Then more herbal balm was applied to his body. After that, the entrance of the grotto was closed, and a special incense began to be burned inside; these herbs would help to dry out the wounds on Ishaanath’s body. Outside, Roman soldiers were on guard, and one of them came inside to take a quick look. The burial customs for the Jews were different; the body was being prepared for burial through various rituals, while the lifeless body rested in a pit on the ground. His entire body was covered with balm, but there was no cloth on him. Once the soldiers left, Nicodemus and Joseph covered the pit with some square stones, leaving a small space for breathing. Through that space, a liquid was gradually dripped into Ishaanath’s mouth. It was unsafe to stay here for long, so they departed. Before leaving, they securely closed the large stone at the entrance of the grotto.
That night was a terrifying one; the earth began to shake again, the lights of the torches around extinguished, and cries of frightened people began to echo from afar. The Roman soldiers guarding outside fled in fear. From the direction of the fields, swirling clouds began to form, creating a barrier. While Ishaanath remained in this way, the concerned members of the secret organization grew anxious about how he was faring and the position of the massive stone that had been placed over the pit. When the tremors stopped, early in the morning, four individuals dressed in white garments entered the grotto by moving aside the stone at the door.
Among them was Nicodemus. He saw that Eshaanath was still in the same condition they had left him. Another herbal paste was applied to his body, and medicine was poured into his mouth. Once their work was finished, they covered the hole with a stone and stood up to begin burning incense in the cave. At that moment, two Roman soldiers entered the cave and mistook these men in white robes for divine messengers. During that time, the notion of such divine agents among people was quite strong. As soon as he hurriedly exited the cave, Nicodemus and the others blocked the cave’s entrance with stones and escaped through another secret path.
In this way, nearly thirty hours passed. They climbed a secret route over the mountain and began treating Eshaanath. Upon seeing them come over the mountain, the shepherds thought that divine messengers were coming and going. After thirty hours had elapsed, Eshaanath opened his eyes, and everyone was overjoyed to see him awake, realizing their long efforts had borne fruit. Eshaanath opened his eyes and asked, “Where am I?”
Joseph leaned over him and said, “You have been reborn; you have conquered death and returned.” John added, “We need to get you away from here as quickly as possible; otherwise, if we get caught now, we will all be crucified along with you.”
Nicodemus began to dip bread into honey and feed it to Eshaanath bit by bit, helping him regain his strength. After finishing the bread and honey, Nicodemus sat Eshaanath up and gave him a special medicinal drink. Within moments of drinking it, Eshaanath regained strength in his hands and feet. A member of the organization came and dressed him in the gardener’s clothes, which had a head covering. Although he found it difficult to stand up, Eshaanath managed to get up, leaning on his companions’ shoulders, and they set off along the secret path towards a safe refuge. (Continues)
Click here for Part-1, Part 2, Part-3, Part-4, Part-5, Part-6, Part-7, Part-8, Part-9, Part-10, Part-11, Part-12,
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Debasree Chakraborti is a renowned novel writer of Bengali language. Based in Kolkata, West Bengal, India, she has done Master’s in Modern History from the Kolkata University, and authored some thirty books, mostly the novels, with historical perspective and themes. Her novel is ‘Maharaja Dahir’ that covers the history of Sindh from 662, the year of first attack on Sindh by the Arab armies till date, was published last year and translated by Nasir Aijaz into Sindhi language.