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: Hemis, Ladakh, Time: 2022
It has been almost two weeks since Ratul has been staying with Adinath in the gompa. At various times during the day, Adinath engages in some secret practices in there, while Ratul wanders around the surrounding villages by himself. Dichen is now his dear friend. There is no definition for friendship; one can be friends with anyone 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 boundary. This is why Ratul enjoys talking to Dichen so much. They are both nearly the same age. Nowadays, after the evening prayers, Adinath can no longer be found; Dichen says that there are some secret chambers in this gompa where certain hidden practices take place, and several people, like Adinath, come here to practice at special times throughout the year. Sometimes these practices go on for three or four days straight. After evening, Dichen has no other work; he returns to the village from the gompa. Now Ratul also goes to Dichen’s village after evening prayers every day. He has learned the way back, so he has no problem returning alone anymore. Dichen has many kinds of books on Buddhist philosophy and tantra. Ratul wants to know about the connection between Hindu tantra and Buddhist tantra—the attraction that had brought Ishanath here. Ishanath has a deep connection with this village. Inside Dichen’s room, there are piles of books. He picked up a book and said, “Ratul, a Bengali practitioner once recited a book by Shree Shashi Bhushan Dasgupta to me in Hindi.”
I had translated that excerpt into my language. Let me share a few parts with you; then you might understand. Shree Shashi Bhushan Dasgupta writes, “The similarities in the description of this goddess in the Hindu Upapurana-tantra and Buddhist tantras are noteworthy. Saraswati is a well-known goddess worshipped in Hinduism; however, in Buddhist tantra, we find various forms of this goddess described. The goddess Parnashavari is a famous name of Durga; we also see the mention of Parnashavari, who is adorned with yellow leaves, in the Buddhist ‘Sadhana Mala.’ In Subandhu’s ‘Vasavadatta,’ we find a mention of the temple of Betala Devi; we also find Vajra-Betali in Buddhist tantra. In Markandeya’s ‘Chandi,’ we encounter the names of Shakti’s Mayuri, Aparajita, Barahi, Bhima, Kapalini, Kuberī, etc.; similarly, in Buddhist ‘Sadhana Mala,’ we also find mentions of Mahamayuri, Aparajita, Vajra-Barahi, Bhima, Kapalini, and Kuberī. In the Chandi, the goddess is known as ‘Shivduti’ as she sent Shiva as a messenger. In Buddhist tantras, we see the goddess associated with the great time known as ‘Kaladuti.’ In this context, the mention of the Buddhist tantra’s ‘Yamaduti’ is also relevant. Chinnamasta is a well-known Mahavidya in Hindu Dashamahavidyas; we also find Chinnamasta Devi in Buddhist tantra. I see references to Kalika Devi in Buddhist tantra as well. She is associated with the great time; her description indicates that she is fearsome, blue in color, two-armed, situated in a fire corner, holding a skeleton in one hand and a weapon in the other. In a fierce posture, she is depicted standing over a corpse.”
So tell me one thing, since we have given the Buddhist goddess Tara a place in our Dashamahavidyas, have we then accepted Buddhist tantra?
Ratul, in response, Shree Shashi Bhushan Dasgupta says:
“Just because a goddess is mentioned in Buddhist tantra, does it mean that she becomes a Buddhist goddess? What is the significance of calling these texts Buddhist? Some people hold the view that observing the similarities between deities, the practices described, and the secret yogic methods, and considering the composition time of newly discovered Buddhist tantras older than the existing Hindu tantras, the Hindu tantra has evolved from Buddhist tantra. However, in the text [An Introduction to Tantric Buddhism], we have tried to clarify that there is fundamentally no distinction between Hindu tantra and Buddhist tantra; there is no significant difference in the core philosophy and practice of both. Tantra is a distinct stream of practice that has flowed since ancient times; over different eras, various principles of Hindu philosophy have been integrated into this stream, giving rise to Hindu tantra. Likewise, later, it has taken the form of Buddhist tantra by incorporating some thought systems of Mahayana Buddhism. If we disregard the essence of this core practice and consider the deities and rituals described in tantra, we find that, in both cases, there are descriptions of deities, sub-deities, dakinis, yoginis, yakshas, and guardians, along with worship rituals or meditation practices. These deities, in no case, evolved gradually into representations of deep Hindu philosophical theories or Buddhist philosophical theories; we do not accept that historically. … In both contexts, we observe the mention of local deities, planned in various ways according to the mental tendencies of different social strata, and generalized deities for propagation and popularity. The deities we have mentioned in the Buddhist Sadhana Mala, apart from a few symbols such as Vajra, emptiness, compassion, Bodhicitta, and wisdom, what difference do they have from the prevalent Hindu deities? In the sphere of practice, we can discern some connections with the meditative plans of ancient Buddhism and the meditative plans rooted in yoga concerning the various mantra applications. However, the history of the emergence of Hindu deities is, in fact, very similar to the history of the emergence of Buddhist deities.”
All of this has been drawn from Hinduism. The practice aimed at liberation from the cycle of life and death, which we call the Kalachakra practice, enables the practitioner to break free from the cycle of time. This is deeply connected to the philosophy of the great time. The philosophy of liberation from the cycle of life and death was first taught to us by Shaiva tantra. The main seat of this power practice is Kashmir, and from there, this tradition of Shaiva tantra reached Tibet. There are many similarities between your Shankaracharya’s Maya philosophy and our Buddhist concept of emptiness. There was a time when no other religion existed; during that time, this power practice was prevalent throughout the world. It is this practice that has attracted practitioners from various parts of the world here for ages. Long ago, there was a place in Tibet called Sambhala, which was a significant seat for tantra practice. A little while ago, a practitioner named Tanyananda visited Sambhala. He reportedly reached the city of Sambhala and received teachings on the Sambhala tantra. Eshanath came here to receive this specific tantra teachings. I have heard this from the mouths of Sambhala yogis themselves. Even today, these practitioners keep a picture of Eshanath with Mahadev in their meditation chambers. Additionally, I have read the Bible, where in the fortieth verse of the twelfth chapter of Matthew’s Gospel, it is written that just as Jonah was in the belly of the whale for three days and three nights, the Son of God, Eshanath, will also be on earth for three days and three nights. The whale did not cause Jonah’s death; he was merely unconscious, and later he emerged from the belly of the whale to receive a new life. Eshanath was a practitioner, and he had promised his companions that he would never die by crucifixion.
I read in an article that Eshanath went to his tribes after being crucified, who lived in eastern countries like Kashmir and Tibet. These were the ten tribes of Israel that had been forced to leave Samaria by King Shalmaneser of Assyria 721 years before Jesus. They eventually settled in India, establishing communities in various parts of the country. Jesus had to undertake this journey because the inherent divine purpose of his mission was to meet with the lost tribes of Israel that had settled in different regions of India. These were the lost sheep of Israel who, after settling in these areas, had forsaken the faith of their ancestors, with most of them having become Buddhists and gradually started idol worship. Dr. Bernier, under the authority of several prominent scholars, stated in his Travels that the Kashmiris are indeed those Jews who came to this land during the political turmoil of the time of the king of Assyria. In any case, it was Jesus’s responsibility to find the lost sheep, who had blended in with the local people after coming to India. I will now present evidence that Jesus actually came to India, and subsequently, he traveled to Kashmir, where he discovered the lost sheep of Israel among the Buddhists, who ultimately accepted him just as the people accepted Jonah.
Yes, Ratul, you are absolutely right. The incident of Eshanath’s ascension to heaven in his own body is also quite symbolic. Our gods descended from above to this Himalayan land. The Himalayas are considered a divine land, and the deities reside in heaven. From that perspective, the Himalayas are heaven. Even today, many UFOs are spotted in our Ladakh. There is a specific place where the Indian Army regularly observes such flying objects landing. There are many controversies and mysteries surrounding this. The story of Adam and Eve that we find in the Bible suggests that Adam was 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. Can anyone say that Adam’s arrival did not happen in the Himalayas? All mysteries are hidden here. The Gospel of Barnabas is kept in the London Library, which states that Jesus supposedly returned from the cross and went to Galilee. Upon reaching Galilee, he met with his eleven disciples. Initially, his disciples thought he was a spirit, at which point he showed them the wounds on his hands and feet.
Listening to you has now instilled a strong belief in me that Eshanath truly was here. But I really want to know how the last chapter of his life unfolded.
Ratul, to find that out, you must go to Kashmir. The answers regarding the last chapter of Eshanath’s life are hidden there. You won’t find any answers while staying in Ladakh. (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, Part-16,
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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.
