Novel: An Unknown Life (Part-8)

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Kolkata-based author Debasree 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: Ladakh, Time: 1887

As evening descends upon nature, evening prayers have begun in the Lamayuru monastery. At this time, an extraordinary calm prevails in nature. The landscape of Lamayuru is completely different from anywhere else in the world. Upon arriving here, he feels as if he has traveled several light-years away to a foreign land.

Jesus-Debasree-Novel-Sindh Courier-1The rules and flow of events in this region are entirely separate from those of the earthly realm. The lens through which he viewed everything on Earth has shifted since coming here. After the lengthy Russo-Turkish War, Nikolai Notovich became profoundly fatigued. At this moment, life profoundly engages his thoughts.

Having freed himself from familiar places and traditional life, he yearns to visit the spiritual land of his dreams, India. Nikolai has always held a deep attraction to Buddhist philosophy in Ladakh, believing that the path to liberation lies within the Buddhist cycle of life.

In the past few days since arriving in Lamayuru, he has gathered extensive knowledge about the cycle of life and rebirth in Buddhism, but this cycle seems to have transported him to a different time altogether.

Now, the sky is undergoing remarkable changes in color, and the hues of light are reflecting off the tall yellow hills and the four- or five-story buildings made of yellow earth, creating a spiritual field. From inside the monastery, various musical instruments and the sounds of prayers are echoing out. Nikolai quietly seeks the path to liberation by connecting his mind with the vibrations of the prayers and the surrounding nature. He does not even know how long he has been in this state. Meanwhile, the darkness of night envelops nature.

He descended, and a white mist wrapped around Nicolas from all sides. He lost track of time, not realizing when the prayer of the Gumpa ended. Suddenly, a tall shadow seemed to emerge in his mind like a dancer. In the darkness, only the outline of his radiant form was visible, but the face could not be seen. Nicolas was trying to understand with his inner eye, and it was putting tremendous pressure on his mind, yet he kept trying. At that moment, a faint sound began to reach deep within his mind, as if someone was calling him from a great distance. As the sound gradually intensified, it struck his spiritual consciousness, bringing him back to the earthly realm. He opened his eyes to find everything around him plunged in darkness, but he felt a faint light coming from behind. Turning in the direction from which the light emanated, he sensed the presence of a person who was calling him by name. Nicolas turned around to see the Lama from whom he had been learning the mysterious aspects of Buddhism, standing with a lamp in hand. On other days, after the prayer ended, Nicolas would go inside by himself. But today, he didn’t even know what had happened to him. He stood up and entered the Gumpa with the Lama. They walked through the dark corridor toward a special chamber, with the only support being the light of the lamp.

As they walked, the Lama said, “Today marks your last day in this Gumpa; tomorrow morning you will depart for Leh city, so I thought I would inform you of this after the evening prayer. Two thousand years ago, the preacher of your religion, Jesus, came to Ladakh. He stayed here for many days to internalize the Buddhist philosophy.”

After hearing this, Nicolas couldn’t believe his ears. Their religious preacher, Jesus, had come to Ladakh to assimilate Buddhist philosophy, but no one had ever written any such account. This information was completely new.

Nicolas said, “Do you have any proof of what you’re saying?”

“Yes, there is. The lamas of the monasteries he stayed in have left written proof. But after the Muslim invasions began, these monasteries were attacked multiple times, and important information was moved from them to various monasteries in Tibet. Only in the Hemis Monastery, located just outside the city of Leh, is that mysterious account still preserved.”

“He was in the Hemis Monastery?”

“Yes, he was. I will write you a letter; if you give it to the head lama of the Hemis Monastery, he might show you that manuscript.”

As he walked through the dark alleyway, it suddenly brightened up. In the daylight, everything was clear, and Nicolas was walking with the guides, carrying his belongings on small donkeys towards Hemis. The distance from Lamayuru to Leh city was substantial, and he was supposed to take a specific route to Hemis. However, the guides were taking him on a different path. In the rugged mountainous landscape, he saw small villages. Even in this roughness, there was a strange beauty. Along the side of the road, small stones were stacked on top of one another, looking like some special religious offering. Stupas could be seen in the distance.

As they kicked up the dust on the rocky path and reached Hemis as evening fell, lights began to illuminate in the far-off mountain villages, which consisted of just three or four houses. These lights appeared like lanterns. From different directions, the sounds of evening prayers echoed; this was the true spirituality of Ladakh. Immersed in this spiritual atmosphere, as Nicolas closed his eyes, he felt as if he was entering that mysterious world again, and at that moment, the unexpected event occurred—an unexpected event or not?

What would happen next would be determined later. Nicholas fell off the horse, and when he tried to get up, he realized that he had broken his leg. At that moment, it felt as if the incident that occurred with Nicholas was preordained, waiting to emerge from the current of the great time stream that ran through the past. The Hemis Monastery was five hundred meters away from where Nicholas had fallen off the horse. One of the guides ran to the monastery to inform the lamas. At that moment, Nicholas felt as if some malevolent force was attempting to hinder his journey, and perhaps he would not reach his destination, and if he didn’t reach his destination, he would not discover his true essence. But this feeling lasted only a brief moment. The guides did not inform him that they were very close to the Hemis Monastery. Just then, lights from some torches began to flicker from afar. As that light slowly approached them, when it got closer, he saw several lamas dressed in yellow and red robes. He realized that the guides had summoned these lamas to help him. As they got nearer, the lamas told him that they had come from the Hemis Monastery to take him, assuring him that once he reached there, he would have no further worries. Hearing the lamas’ words, Nicholas’s misconceptions were dispelled; he understood that everything he had thought up until then was influenced by the illusions of the earthly world, but God’s will was something else. For this reason, his fate had brought him here.

In the mysterious environment of the Hemis Monastery, Nicholas gradually began to recover, during which time he developed a strong bond with the lamas. The intense desire to understand the philosophy of Tibetan Buddhism was something they had not seen in any other traveler from the West, and this enthusiasm was something they noticed in Nicholas. Every day, various philosophical discussions unfolded between them, and Nicholas.

Initially, he wanted to gain the trust of the lamas because if a foreigner like him suddenly asked such a question, it would raise suspicion in their minds, and they would become cautious. After staying in Hemis for some time, one evening, during a discussion on Buddhist philosophy with the head lama of Hemis, he suddenly stated that while traveling in Ladakh, he learned from a lama that about two thousand years ago, Jesus supposedly came to India and stayed in various gompas in Ladakh for a long time, absorbing Buddhist philosophy! He simply could not believe this, and besides, one should not believe anything without evidence. Hearing this from Nicolas, the lama was deeply disappointed because a statement from one lama was not being believed by Nicolas, which was an insult to their lama community. At that moment, the lama said that written evidence of Jesus’s arrival in Ladakh was kept in all the gompas of this region. But for special reasons, that information had been moved to some secret places in Tibet; however, Hemis was a unique place where that ancient written evidence, dating back two thousand years, still exists.

“Will you be able to show me that manuscript?” Nicolas asked.

“Certainly, I will show you, and if you wish to translate it into your language, I will help you as well. Come with me,” replied the lama.

Walking through a dark narrow passage, the lama moved ahead holding a butter lamp, and Nicolas followed him. This dark passage seemed to represent our ignorance, while the lama and the light of his lamp appeared to guide us through this profound darkness. Continuing on this way, they arrived at a closed red wooden door. As the lama opened the door, there was a creaking sound. It was evident that this door was not commonly opened, and due to being shut for a long time, it made such noise. The lama set the lamp down in one corner of the room, told Nicolas to sit, and then disappeared into the darkness. After a moment, there was a tapping sound, and it seemed someone was opening a wooden box and taking something out. The sound of the box being opened was heard, but it was too dark to see anything. Nicolas continued to wait until the lama appeared with a manuscript. The presence of the lama and the manuscript became brighter under the light of the lamp. Then, the events written in that manuscript vividly emerged on the dark canvas.

Amidst the roaring waves of the sea, several ships emerged, heading towards the holy land of Israel. At that time, the Jews were praying to God in their temple. On the calm, serene seashore, a flock of white birds was chirping, and under the bright light of the sinking sun, the land of Israel appeared to be bathed in the last rays of the sun of freedom. The sounds of evening prayers resonated from the temples, and at that moment, several Roman ships anchored on the coast, and hundreds of soldiers disembarked. Even then, the people of this holy land did not realize the horrific events that were about to unfold.

Gradually, the Roman soldiers entered the settlements from the coast and began to set fire to one temple after another. The swirling black smoke enveloped the surroundings. Cries of the attacked people echoed from all sides. They started indiscriminately killing the children they came across. Those women and men who protested were also murdered. The land of Israel became stained with the blood of its sons. They struck the temples to erase the religious beliefs of the Jews, and their second blow was inflicted upon the children, aiming to convey that if their words were not heeded, the future generations would be wiped out. The third blow fell upon those who protested that day, meaning there was no place for revolution here. In this way, the entire land of Israel was bound in chains by the Romans. Gradually, the impoverished lower class of this land was turned into slaves and trafficked abroad.

The helpless people of Israel began to wait for a deliverer who would free them from this bondage. At that moment, a message spread across all of Israel that the Son of God was about to be born, who would rescue them from this dreadful situation. As this news reached the Roman ruler, he began to slaughter children indiscriminately. Yet, in this dark atmosphere, a newborn cried out to announce his arrival. The savior of Israel, the Son of God, was born. The child was named “Isa.” (Continues)

Click here for Part-1Part 2Part-3Part-4Part-5Part-6, Part-7

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Debasree ChakarbortiDebasree 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. 

 

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