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
Place: Ladakh, Time: 2022
It’s been almost two weeks since Ratul has been staying with Adinath at the Gompa. At different times of the day, Adinath engages in some secret practices, during which Ratul wanders around the nearby villages. Dichen is his favorite friend. Friendship knows no boundaries; one can befriend people from any community if there is a meeting of minds. Dichen is an extremely open-minded person; his mind is not confined within any narrow limits. That’s why Ratul enjoys talking to Dichen so much. They are almost the same age. These days, after the evening prayers, Adinath cannot be found; Dichen says there are some secret rooms in the Gompa where certain hidden practices take place. A few individuals, like Adinath, come here each year at special times to engage in these practices. Sometimes these sessions last three or four days in a row, and Dichen has no other work after the evening, so he returns to the village from the Gompa. Now Ratul also goes back to his village with Dichen after the evening. He has memorized the route, so he no longer has any trouble returning alone. Dichen has many books on Buddhist philosophy and Tantra. Ratul wants to learn about the philosophical connections between Hindu Tantra and Buddhist Tantra—what attracted Eshanath to come here in the first place. There is a deep connection between Eshanath and this village. Dichen’s room is filled with piles of books. He picked up a book and said, “Ratul, a Bengali practitioner once narrated to me a book by Shree Shashi Bhushan Dasgupta that a person translated into Hindi.”
I translated that from the Hindi translation into my own language. Let me read a few passages to you; then perhaps you’ll understand better. Shree Shashi Bhushan Dasgupta wrote, “The similarities in the descriptions of this goddess in Hindu Upapuranas-Tantra and Buddhist Tantras are noticeable. Saraswati is a renowned goddess worshiped in Hinduism; however, in Buddhist Tantras, we observe various descriptions of this goddess. Parna Shabari is a well-known name for the goddess Durga; the mention of Parna Shabari, who is adorned with yellow leaves, can also be found in the Buddhist ‘Sadhana Mala’. In Subandhu’s ‘Vasavdatta’, we find a reference to the temple of Betala Devi; in Buddhist Tantras, we also find the Vajra-Betali. In Markandeya’s ‘Chandi’, we see the names of Shakti’s Mayuri, Aparajita, Barahi, Bhima, Kapalini, Koubari, and so on; in the Buddhist ‘Sadhana Mala’, we also find mention of Mahamayuri, Aparajita, Vajra-Barahi, Bhima, Kapalini, and Koubari. In the Chandi, since Shiva was sent as a messenger, the goddess is famous as ‘Shivdooti’; in Buddhist Tantras, we see the goddess associated with Mahakal as ‘Kaldooti’. In this context, the mention of ‘Yamdooti’ in Buddhist Tantras is also noteworthy. Chinnamasta is a famous Mahavidya of the Hindu Dash Mahavidya; we also find references to Chinnamasta Devi in Buddhist Tantras. In Buddhist Tantras, we also find traces of the Kalika goddess. She is connected with Mahakal; her description reveals that she is terrifying, dark-colored, two-armed, located at the corner of a fire, holding a skull in one hand and a weapon in the other. She is depicted standing on a corpse in a fierce posture.”
“By the way, tell me, we have placed the goddess Tara of Buddhism among our Dash Mahavidya; does this mean we have adopted Buddhist Tantra?”
In response, Ratul, Shree Shashi Bhushan Dasgupta says—
“Just because a deity is mentioned in Buddhist Tantra, does that make her a Buddhist goddess? What is the significance of calling the tantras ‘Buddhist’? Some people have also suggested that the similarities between deities, the similarities of described practices, and the similarities of the hidden yogic rituals, along with the assumption that the newly discovered Buddhist tantras have an earlier composition date than the traditional Hindu tantras, indicate that Hindu tantra has developed from Buddhist tantra. However, in the text [An Introduction To Tantric Buddhism], we have attempted to clarify that, at its core, there is no distinct entity known as Hindu Tantra and Buddhist Tantra; there is no significant difference in the fundamental philosophy and practice between these two forms of Tantra. Tantra is an independent stream of practice that has flowed since ancient times. Over time, various concepts of Hindu philosophy have merged with this practice, giving it the form of Hindu Tantra; likewise, it has also taken on the form of Buddhist Tantra by integrating certain thoughts of later Mahayana Buddhism.
If we consider the deities described and the worship methods noted in Tantra, we see that both fields contain descriptions of deities, sub-deities, Dakini-Yoginis, Yakshas, and Rakshas, as well as worship methods and meditation practices. These deities did not emerge specifically to embody any profound Hindu philosophical concepts or Buddhist philosophical interpretations, and we do not accept that view from a historical perspective. In both cases, we observe references to local deities planned in various ways according to the mental inclinations of different societal levels, as well as generalized deities who gained prominence and recognition. The deities mentioned in the Buddhist Sadhana Mala, apart from a few markings like Vajra, emptiness, compassion, Bodhicitta, and wisdom, do not differ much from the commonly recognized Hindu deities. In terms of practice, we can observe connections to the meditation plans of ancient Buddhism and yogic-influenced Mahayana meditation plans. However, the historical origins of Hindu deities and Buddhist deities are essentially similar.”
“All of this has been adopted from Hinduism. The practice of liberation from the cycle of life and death, which we call Kalachakra practice, allows the practitioner to be freed from the circle of time. This is deeply connected to the philosophy of Mahakala. The first Shaiva Tantra taught us this philosophy of liberation from the cycle of life and death. The main center of this practice is Kashmir, and from there, this Shaiva Tantra flow reached Tibet. There is much similarity between the Maya doctrine of Shankaracharya and the concept of emptiness in our Buddhism. At one time, when there were no other religions, this practice of empowerment was present all over the world. Throughout the ages, practitioners from various parts of the world have come here drawn by this practice. Long ago, there was a place in Tibet called Samabala, which was a great seat of Tantra practice. Not long ago, a practitioner named Tanyananda from Samabala came here. He reportedly arrived in the city of Samabala and received teachings of the Samabala Tantra. Eshanath came here to receive teachings from this specific Tantra. I have heard this from the mouths of the Samabala yogis themselves. Even today, these practitioners keep a picture of Eshanath along with Mahadev in their meditation rooms. Furthermore, I have read the Bible, and there it is written in chapter twelve, verse forty of Matthew’s Gospel that just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the whale, the Son of God Eshanath will be on Earth for three days and three nights. Jonah did not die; he was merely in a state of unconsciousness, and then he came out of the belly of the whale and attained a new life. Eshanath was a practitioner; he promised his companions that he would never die by crucifixion.”
“I read in an article that Eshanath allegedly went to his tribes after being crucified, who lived in the eastern countries like Kashmir and Tibet. These were the ten tribes of Israel that were forced to leave Samaria 721 years before Jesus, taken captive by the Assyrian king Shalmaneser. They eventually settled in various parts of India. Jesus had to undertake this journey because the underlying divine purpose of his mission was to meet the lost tribes of Israel who had settled in different regions of India. These were the lost sheep of Israel who, after establishing themselves in these areas, had abandoned the faith of their ancestors, and most had become Buddhists, gradually starting to practice idol worship. Dr. Burnier, under the authority of several prominent scholars, stated in his Travels that the Kashmiris are actually those Jews who came to this land during the political turmoil of the time of the Assyrian king.
In this case, it was Jesus’s responsibility to find the lost sheep, who had mingled with the local people after arriving in India. I will now present evidence that Jesus actually came to India and subsequently traveled to Kashmir, where he discovered the lost sheep of Israel among the Buddhists, who eventually accepted him just as Jonah was accepted by his people.”
“Yes, Ratul, that’s absolutely right. And the incident of Eshanath ascending to heaven in his physical form is also quite symbolic. Our gods descended to this Himalayan land from above. The Himalayas are seen as a divine land, and the deities reside in heaven. From that perspective, the Himalayas are heaven. Even today, many UFOs are sighted in Ladakh. There is a particular place where the Indian Army regularly sees such flying objects landing. There are many controversies and mysteries surrounding this.
In the Bible, the story of Adam and Eve portrays Adam as an angel. The narrative of Adam’s arrival and the creation of humanity seems to hide the missing link of human evolution— the arrival of an angel and the emergence of an advanced human being. Who can say that Adam’s arrival did not happen in the Himalayas? All the mysteries lie hidden here. The Gospel of Barnabas, which is kept in the London library, states that Jesus supposedly returned from the cross and went to Galilee. Upon reaching Galilee, he met with his eleven disciples. At first, they thought he was a spirit, and then he showed them the wounds on his hands and feet.
Hearing you, I am now firmly convinced that Eshanath truly came here. But I really want to know how the last chapter of his life unfolded.
Ratul, to know that, you must go to Kashmir. The answers regarding the last chapter of Eshanath’s life are hidden there. From Ladakh, you won’t find any answers.” (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, Part-15,
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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.
