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: Alexandria, Time: 2022)
Today, Omkari has come to Heather’s house to bid farewell to Auro and his adopted daughter. Auro asked her to come here because he has shared everything he wanted to with Omkari. After the crucifixion of Ishanath, a special letter that arrived from Jerusalem to Alexandria has been given to Omkari in a Xerox copy. This letter contains many hidden clues, and if one can correctly follow these clues, it may be possible to reach the right destination. From this letter, Omkari learned about a woman with red hair named Mary, who, it seems, was deeply loved by Ishanath, that is, Jesus. It is said that she was there with him as he was being cared for after the crucifixion. However, the mystery lies in where Mary went afterward, and Omkari must find out. Additionally, it is necessary to understand the mysterious presence of the twelve disciples to whom Jesus, or Ishanath, had given teachings, both in his life before and after the crucifixion. For this reason, Auro has sent her to Heeda’s house. Heeda has reportedly been researching a secret symbolic code for a long time. He has spent some time in various countries in Europe, including France, to solve the mystery of this code. Ali drove him here. After arriving, Heeda shared stories about the mysterious church of Rennes-le-Château and Bérenger Saunière. Now they are drinking coffee, and the salty breeze from the sea is rushing in through the open window, mingling with the aroma of hot coffee, greatly stimulating Omkari’s thought process. Ramakrishna Paramahamsa had twelve principal disciples, whom he had initiated. Jesus, or Ishanath, had similarly. During his search for the disappearance of Sri Chaitanya, he found some mysterious aspects of Ramakrishna’s life aligned with a mysterious aspect of Sri Chaitanya’s life. Mahaprabhu had become a political renunciant to free his homeland from oppression, just as Ishanath stood against the horrific atrocities of Roman rule over Israel and the priestly system. He needs to learn about the twelve disciples of Jesus, or Ishanath.
“Omkari, I have been researching the symbolic words from the parchment of Rennes-le-Château for a long time. I have also tried to solve the mystery of these codes through the computer, but I have not succeeded.”
“Heeda, I’m most surprised by why Bérenger Saunière erased the inscriptions on his tomb and how he suddenly came into so much money!”
“Look, two answers came to my mind regarding this matter. One possibility is that he may have found some hidden treasure. This idea is not entirely unfounded. Long ago, Celtic tribes lived here, and these people were idol worshippers. I have personally discovered many ruins of ancient temples in this region where idol worship took place. At one time, there was a settlement of thirty thousand people on this hill. The Teutons, who drove westward into Europe, established a settlement here after bringing an end to Roman rule. There was once a brutal crusade in this region. I also heard that Alaric had plundered the wealth of King Solomon, and that treasure was supposedly hidden in this area. The local people have referred to the treasure hidden here as the ‘Holy Grail.’”
“Holy Grail! That’s another mystery. I feel that when we talk about treasure, we usually mean money, jewelry, etc., but perhaps what was hidden here was something far more valuable and priceless than that—something that has no monetary value.”
“Exactly. This is my belief as well. There is a chapter of history hidden here, a mystery of time that Bérenger Saunière must have uncovered. From this idea arises my second hypothesis: he may have used this information as a weapon to blackmail the Pope and other high-ranking individuals in the Christian world to earn a lot of money.”
“That could be true. Perhaps he created an atmosphere of fear, which ultimately led to his murder. I think the housekeeper girl was somehow involved in this too; otherwise, why did she go to buy a coffin on January 12?”
“The treasure here is referred to as the Holy Grail. If that’s the case, then what does this Holy Grail symbolize? Perhaps it contained the Holy Blood.”
“Holy Blood means sacred blood. What does this sacred blood signify?”
“To find that meaning, you must go to the special place where the Holy Grail exists; perhaps there lies the source of the Holy Blood. If you can follow that lead, you will reach there.”
“You tried to understand it, but you didn’t succeed?”
“I did understand a lot, but that’s something I can’t share with everyone. If I did, it would bring danger.”
“Danger? Whose danger would it be?”
“It’s a danger for me or you. Everyone who moves along this path faces danger. They are still just as active now as they were then. Don’t you remember the Apostles?”
“Apostles? This is the first time I’m hearing this term.”
“You’ve come to learn about Isha, yet you don’t know about the Apostles! I’m truly surprised.”
“No, I don’t know.”
“The Apostles are the twelve disciples of Lord Isha, who gave up their worldly lives, personal comforts, and all pleasures to follow him. Only Judas is widely recognized among them, who has become notorious in history. The world-shaking painting by Leonardo da Vinci, ‘The Last Supper,’ features the moment of Judas’s kiss, through which he supposedly identified Jesus. You might not even know about one of the twelve, Saint Thomas, who spent the last part of his life in Mylapore near Chennai, India. Those who couldn’t escape faced a fate more horrific than that of Lord Isha. Some were thrown off cliffs, others had their skin flayed while they were still alive, and some were beheaded as a form of execution. The first to accept discipleship from Isha was Simon, whom Jesus named Peter. However, Peter’s disappearance is still a mystery; no one has been able to discover where he vanished. His brother Andrew was also crucified and killed. James faced a terrible execution as well. Then there’s John, who was a devoted fisherman. Many gospels were attributed to his writings, but that seems highly unlikely. John was executed alongside James. Among them was one named Philip, who stayed with Isha until the very end, yet he too was sentenced to death. Bartholomew was killed by having his skin peeled off. His eighth disciple was Matthew, who was a tax collector for the Roman rulers. Matthew could speak Greek and Latin, yet he composed his gospel in Hebrew. This raises further doubts. Generally, someone skilled in a language would write in that language, wouldn’t they? So why was it different in this case? It is said that after his crucifixion…”
“By the banks of the Jordan River, he had healed Isha. There was another disciple by the same name, who was actually Isha’s brother; he was pushed off a cliff and killed. Judas was the most controversial among them. The bodies of both Judas and Peter were exhumed and kept in the Pope’s realm. The reason for this remains a mystery to this day. Simon was crucified and killed.
“Well, I really want to know one thing: was Judas truly a traitor?”
“Because of Judas, the number thirteen is considered unlucky; in many countries around the world, hotels do not have a room numbered thirteen. But what happened on that day? What was the special moment that inspired the famous painting ‘The Last Supper’? That day was the Jewish Passover festival. In a cave near Jerusalem, Isha was having dinner with his loved ones. But on that very day, he was captured by the soldiers of Caiaphas! Prior to going to this cave, in a crowded alley of Jerusalem, at around midnight, Isha’s disciple Peter organized a secret ‘Passover feast’ in a rented room on the second floor. During that time, Caiaphas’s soldiers were frantically searching for Isha. There were many people who resembled him, so they couldn’t find Isha. Late at night, after all his disciples had gathered, Judas Iscariot arrived. There’s no doubt that Judas had met with the conspirators several times before, and that he kissed Isha after the dinner that night. However, there is controversy surrounding that kiss. Did he really kiss him to identify Isha, or was he overwhelmed by emotion realizing the danger Isha was in? Nevertheless, I believe Judas knew very well what was going to happen that day! It’s not just Judas; Jesus also understood very well.
“Hearing you say this reminds me of the story of Dadichi and Arunik.”
“Now, this Judas was quite educated and he was a businessman. He abandoned the allure of the vast wealth he earned from his business and became a follower of Isha. How could such a selfless person commit a heinous act for a mere thirty pieces of silver?”
“The most important thing is that Isha was not arrested by the soldiers from that rented home, but rather from the cave dinner. And along the path he was being taken, under a fig tree, a bag containing thirty silver coins was found, and his body was hanging from its branch. It’s clear that Judas was killed and hung from the fig tree. To tarnish his reputation, the bag with thirty silver coins was thrown under that fig tree. Isha and his supporters may have been trying to be taught a lesson. Even at that time, his supporters were not safe—and they still aren’t today.
“But why did you ask me to come to you? What is the connection between this ‘Holy Grail’ and Isha’s life after the crucifixion?”
“Many, including myself, have tried to seek answers to this. What is this holy vessel that contained holy blood, and what is its relation to the life of Isha after the crucifixion? We haven’t found answers; perhaps you will. For this, you need to go to France.”
“France? From Alexandria to France? What about the visa arrangements and the expenses involved?”
“You need to have the desire to go; the rest will be handled by the members of our brotherhood.”
“Brotherhood?”
“The person you are searching for was a member of that organization. The current of that river still flows very secretly. As soon as you receive guidance, you will also find the money or visas to reach those places.”
While saying this, Heeda stood up, opened a drawer of a table in one corner of the room, took out a piece of paper, and handed it to Omkari. Among the two parchments found from Reness-le-Château, one parchment had three letters written on the top part and five letters on the bottom. When these eight letters are arranged in order, they form “REX MUNDI.” This is a “Cathar” word; within it lies a deep mystery that you must uncover by going to Reness-le-Château.”
In this situation, Omkari recalled the great Master, who had faced a similar fate after his disappearance, as had his companions, who were either assassinated or were disappearing as well. This seemed like a repetition of the same events. However, it wouldn’t be correct to say that; rather, it could be said that what had happened to Isha and his companions mirrored the same events that occurred with the great Master. Truly, we have very little control over anything. It seems as though everything is predetermined. Everything is unfolding under the subtle guidance of God’s finger. Omkari felt like a pawn in God’s chess game, where the movements of everything were occurring as if manipulated by an invisible guiding finger. (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, Part-13, Part-14,
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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.
