HIS Sadhu Sunder Singh

His Encounter with Christ
But with the death of his beloved mother when he was only fourteen years old, his life had changed dramatically. The young Sundar grew increasingly despairing and aggressive. Convinced that what Jesus had taught was completely wrong, he tore the Bible apart and burned it. He even threw stones at preachers and encouraged others to do likewise. His hatred of the local missionaries and Christians culminated in the public burning of a Bible which he tore apart page by page and threw into the flames.

Still, however hard he tried, he couldn't find the peace he had been seeking for in his own religion. He reached a point in his life where committing suicide crossed his mind. Yet before long Sundar was intent on taking his own life. Sundar had arrived at a point of desperation: he had decided to throw himself under the Ludhiana express if God did not reveal to him the true way of peace.
Three days after he burned the Bible in front of his father, he woke up at three in the morning and went out into the moonlit courtyard for the ceremonial bath observed by devout Hindus and Sikhs before worship. He then returned to his room and knelt down, bowed his head to the ground and pleaded that God would reveal himself. Yet nothing happened. He was thinking of throwing himself in front of the train that would pass at 5 a.m. every morning behind their house, in the hope that he would find peacefulness in his future reincarnation.
He had not known what to expect: a voice, a vision, a trance? Still nothing happened, and it was fast approaching the time for the Ludhiana express. He repeated his prayer once again. He lifted his head and opened his eyes, and was rather surprised to see a faint cloud of light in the room. It was too early for the dawn. He opened the door and peered out to the courtyard. Darkness. Turning back into the room he saw that the light in the room was getting brighter. At first he feared that the room was on fire. But nothing happened. He then thought that it might be an answer to his prayer. While watching the light, he suddenly saw Jesus' figure in the radiance. To his sheer amazement he saw not the face of any of his traditional gods, but of Jesus the Christ.
Jesus Christ was there in the room, shining, radiating an inexpressible joy and peace and love, looking at him with compassion and asking, "Why do you persecute me? I died for you ..." [Acts 9:1-5] At that time, Sundar realized that Jesus was not dead but alive. Sundar fell on his knees before Him and experienced an astonishing peacefulness which he had never felt before. The vision disappeared, but peace and joy lingered within him.

Thereafter his life was transformed. He wanted to be baptized. Although his family tried to prevent him from his intention, he was determined. In 1905, on his birthday, he was baptized in an English church in Simla. At that time, he decided to become a sadhu, so that he could dedicate himself to the Lord Jesus. As a sadhu, he wore a yellow robe, lived on the charity of others, abandoned all possession and maintained celibacy. He was convinced that this was the best way to introduce the Gospel to his people since it was the only way which his people were accustomed to. In addition, he also wanted to be free to devote himself to the Lord.

Having become a Christian, he was renounced by his father and ostracized by his family. On October 16 1905, Sundar wearing a yellow robe, barefooted and without provisions, resumed his nomadic life from village to village, but this time he followed in Jesus' footsteps. From here on the life of Sundar Singh became most Christ-like. Being unwilling to denounce his Master in the face of his family's rejection, Sundar took the saffron robes of the sadhu and began a life of spreading the simple message of love and peace and rebirth through Jesus. He carried no money or other possessions, only a New Testament.

"I am not worthy to follow in the steps of my Lord," he said, "but like Him, I want no home, no possessions. Like Him I will belong to the road, sharing the suffering of my people, eating with those who will give me shelter, and telling all people of the love of God."

His Travel Experiences
In 1906, he went to Tibet for the first time. That country attracted him, primarily because of the great challenges it presented against evangelism. "There will be very strong opposition and persecution there. High above the tranquil snowclad Himalayan peaks, there will be a lot of time and opportunities to meet God and to read the Bible," he thought. On his way to Tibet, he met Stoker, an American missionary who also wore a yellow robe. Sometimes they spent the night together under a tree or in a mountain cave at an altitude of 5000 meters above sea level, without enough food. Happily they endured all the hardship for the sake of spreading the Gospel. When Sundar became ill, Stoker got them a place to stay in a house belonging to a European. Inspired by Sundar's faithfulness towards God and sincere love towards other people, the host repented his sins and gave his life to serving the Lord.

Following the advice of his friends, Sadhu enrolled himself in St.John School of Theology in Lahore. After studying for two years there, he resumed his travel. An eyewitness reported his experience with Sundar, "I encountered Sundar Singh as he was walking down a mountain trail to proclaim the Gospel to us. He then sat on top of a tree, wiped the sweat off his face and sang a hymn about the love of Jesus to us. The audience was not impressed by the song. One man came forward from the audience, pulled Sundar down from the tree and knocked him to the ground. Silently, Sundar got to his feet and began praying for these hostile people. He then told us about the love of Jesus who had died to redeem all sinners. Because of that I repented and so did the attacker." That was not the only time when Sundar won souls for the Lord by adhering to Jesus' instruction which says, "Do not take revenge on someone who wrongs you. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, let him slap your left cheek too." (Matthew 5:39).

One day in Nepal, Sundar was ambushed by four robbers in the middle of a jungle. One of them brandished a sword. Meekly, Sundar bowed his head thinking that his life was about to end. This attitude surprised the perpetrators. Since he was penniless, they took his blanket away from him and let him go. But then, one of the robbers called him back and curiously asked his name. Sundar introduced himself, opened his Bible and started telling him the story of the rich man and Lazarus the poor. The robber said that the end of the rich man's life was unpleasant and asked what would happen to himself. Sundar then told him about the Gospel and God's forgiveness. The robber took Sundar home with him and repented.

In 1912 Sundar decided to imitate Jesus' seclusion and fasting for 40 days even though his friends advised him against it. He failed to fast for 40 days because he became weak. However the experience strengthened his spirit. He could thus overcome all doubts, anger and impatience.

In the following years, he was often persecuted but he was also miraculously delivered by the Lord. In 1914, Sundar preached in Nepal, a country with a very strong root of Buddhism. In the town of Rasa, he was sentenced to death by a local Lama on the grounds of spreading a foreign religion. He was thrown into a dry well the top of which was then covered and locked from the outside. He was without food and drink, naked inside the well together with corpses of executed murderers. He stayed in the horrible well for 2 days until a stranger came and helped him out of the well. After relocking the well, the stranger left without saying anything. Not long after that, Sundar was recaptured and taken to the Lama. The Lama was very surprised since he had always kept the only key to the well with him. Realizing that Sundar was under the protection of a very powerful God, they became fearful of him and begged him to leave them.

In 1918, Sundar visited Madras where thousands of people gathered to listen to him preach. There Sundar focussed his preaching on Jesus Christ the redeemer. He testified, "Jesus' presence always brought astonishing peace to me no matter how bad the situations I was in. Whenever I was in a prison, he was always there for me. He transformed the jail into a heaven and the burdens became blessings. There are many Christians who do not feel His glorious presence as something real. Because for them Jesus only occurs in their minds and not in their hearts. Only when someone surrenders his heart to Jesus can he find Him."

Sundar often used parables in his preachings. He once said, "One day after a long journey, I rested in front of a house. Suddenly a sparrow came towards me blown helplessly by a strong wind. From another direction, an eagle dived to catch the panicky sparrow. Threatened from different directions, the sparrow flew into my lap. By choice, it would not normally do that. However, the little bird was seeking for a refuge from a great danger. Likewise, the violent winds of suffering and trouble blow us into the Lord's protective hands."

Sadhu Sundar Singh journeyed much. He travelled all over India and Ceylon. Between 1918-1919, he visited Malaysia, Japan and China. Between 1920-1922 he went to Western Europe, Australia and Israel. He preached in many cities; Jerusalem, Lima, Berlin and Amsterdam among others. Sundar remained modest despite his fame. His attitude made his father repent. Sundar never thought of himself. He only desired to follow Jesus' example: to repay evil with kindness and to win over his enemies by love. This attitude often caused his enemies to feel ashamed of themselves. Once, he was preaching in a public market when a fanatic from a different religion suddenly punched his right cheek. Calmly, Sundar turned his left cheek towards the assailant. The attacker left. But that night Sundar received a message from the attacker asking for forgiveness. On another occasion, Sundar told some harvesters about the parable of the weeds. They became annoyed and cursed him. One of them threw a stone at Sundar's head. At that instant, the stone thrower was struck by such a painful headache that he had to lie down on the ground. Without hesitations, Sundar took over that man's chore and helped them harvest the crops. They soon became friendly to him and invited him home. Their hearts were then open to the Gospel. The next day after Sundar left, they noticed that their harvest became more abundant.

His Mission & Fate
Being unwilling to denounce his Master in the face of his family's rejection, Sundar took the saffron robes of the sadhu and began a life of spreading the simple message of love and peace and rebirth through Jesus. He carried no money or other possessions, only a New Testament.

"I am not worthy to follow in the steps of my Lord," he said, "but like Him, I want no home, no possessions. Like Him I will belong to the road, sharing the suffering of my people, eating with those who will give me shelter, and telling all people of the love of God."

He travelled India and Tibet, as well as the rest of the world, with the message that the modern interpretation of Jesus was sadly watered down. Sundar visited Tibet every summer. In 1929, he visited that country again and was never seen since. Sundar manifested into his life the verse written in Mark 8:35 which says, "For whoever wants to save his own life will lose it; but whoever loses his life for Me and for the Gospel will save it."

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Was Jesus revealed in Vedas and Upanishads?

From Darkness Into the Glorious LightGod's Sacrificial Love Revealed In Vedanta and the Bible

"Asato ma sat gamaya (From illusion lead me to the Truth);

Tamaso ma jyotir gamaya (From darkness lead me to Light);

Mrityur ma amritam gamaya (From death lead me to Immortality)".

(Bryhad Aranyak Upanishad 1.3.28)

This familiar prayer has been recited by our Hindu friends for centuries. It expresses the universal hunger for a way of escape from spiritual emptiness, spiritual uncertainty, and spiritual death. This prayer was taught by the sages who recognized that spiritual Truth eluded them; that they were imprisoned by spiritual darkness; and that they needed eternal life (immortality). The sages recited this prayer continually, even as they continued to develop many philosophies, rituals, and personalities which they hoped would provide the answer to this prayer. They had also heard a mysterious story of one sure way to immortality (Mukti) through God the Creator. They wrote this story in the Vedantic texts. Yet we are left to wonder if they ever recognized the person who could satisfy this quest for Truth, Light, and Immortality. While the sages knew some of the fundamental attributes of such a person, their writings never identified him, leaving us with many unanswered questions about the welfare of our own soul after death. Graciously, God has provided the answers so that we might know our eternal destiny with certainty, and a glimpse of that glorious truth is presented in the Vedas.

Today, our Hindu pundits teach that, if we serve our karmic duty in life, we will become one with the great Divine Spirit (Brahma) after hundreds, thousands, or even millions of reincarnations. They teach four pathways which can shorten this reincarnation journey. Still unsure of these efforts, however, they eagerly add any and all other philosophies and deities to their religious beliefs in order to establish the dubious claim of universality. Included are even such unscientific theories such as Darwinian evolution which insists that there is no Supreme Being. They teach that sin does not exist, and that there is neither heaven nor hell. Their followers, mostly illiterate or not having access to their Holy books, trustingly embrace all these teachings. And still they are all driven to chant this same prayer again and again as the hunger persists, yet not realizing that the Vedas and Upanishads (the foundations of Hindu religious thought) disagree with their Pundits' teachings! These religious texts teach us about sin, heaven, hell, salvation from hell (mukti), and one exclusive way to salvation. Almighty God had graciously allowed the Vedic writers a glimpse of the same mystery of salvation that He had given to the prophets of Israel in those days, and so the one clear path to mukti lies hidden in the Vedas and Upanishads.

Universal Hunger for Mukti

One might reasonably ask: "Is there need for such a thing as salvation from the penalty for sin?" The answer is found in the depth of every sincere heart: yes. Sin is breaking God's Law. We may not have killed, stolen, or committed adultery, as far as others can see. But while man looks upon the outward appearance, God looks at the heart. There He sees that the thoughts and intents of the heart of man are evil continually. The only reason the "good person" does not act these evil thoughts out is because of fear of the law. But, God knows and we know that we have sin in our inner being. So, acknowledging our sin nature is not an intellectual issue but rather a moral issue: it takes a conscious lie to deny it. Every honest person will confess his natural inclination to do the undesirable. One sins because one is a sinner inwardly. Sin is performed in the heart of man before it is performed outside the body for all to see and hear. Jesus said that while men evaluate one another by their outward appearance (observable deeds), God looks at the heart (inner, hidden deeds)! God has placed in us a code of spiritual laws in the form of the conscience. When we violate these laws, we stand before God condemned. This condemnation brings a sense of spiritual emptiness and misery because sin separates us from the one Holy God of the universe. We attempt to satisfy this spiritual void by doing good deeds and acquiring material and intellectual wealth, all to no avail.

This inner misery and emptiness become clearly noticeable when we grieve a friend, for example. We know that only our friend's forgiveness or our payment of a penalty can remove that guilt and restore the joy of friendship. In this same way, mankind has grieved God by committing acts which offend His holiness, and only these same two measures can restore our peace with God: our payment or God's forgiveness. The problem with payment for sin is that it is a death sentence on our soul: which means that our souls spend eternity in a state of eternal misery called Hell, and away from God's peaceful presence. The Bible teaches: "The soul that sins shall die " (Bible: Ezekiel 18:20). The Kathopanishad 3:10_15 teaches that the soul will go "into the mouth of death". Man, whose hands are soiled with sin, cannot cleanse himself from sin even though his intentions may be good. Soiled hands cannot produce good deeds compared with God's holiness. The Bible states it this way: "We are all unclean, and all our good deeds are as filthy rags" (Bible: Isaiah 64:6). Therefore, we are left with only one alternative: we need God's forgiveness for salvation. But the Bible gives us this exciting news: "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son (incarnation as a son), that whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life" (John 3:16). Both options are compared in Romans 6:23: "For the wages of (payment for) sin is death; but the gift of God (forgiveness) is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord".

That will satisfy this hunger for Truth? What will remove our guilt and provide peace with our Maker? What will provide us with assurance that we will go to His heaven?

The Answer: Only One Way

Notice in the verse above that only one path is mentioned for forgiveness: namely, through Jesus the Christ. Who is He, and do the Vedantic texts point to Him? Just as in human courts, where only an innocent person can set a guilty person free by paying the penalty for the crime (salvation), so too our sin can be forgiven and paid for only by a perfect person. But who is perfect? Only God is. No human being is perfect. The Bible declares in Romans 3:23: "For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God". The Apostle Paul, a well-placed scholar of his day and a truthful and humble servant of God, explains in Romans 7:18_24: "For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) no good thing dwells ... For the good that I wish to do, I do not do: but the evil which I do not wish to do, that I do ... O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death ?" He rejoiced as he declared the answer in verse 25: "I thank God __ through Jesus Christ our Lord!" He experienced the power of Jesus Christ to overcome the tendency to sin. He also declared it in Ephesians 2:4_5: "But God, who is rich in mercy, for His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in sins, He has made us alive again through Christ (by grace you are saved)". Speaking of Jesus, the Bible declares: "Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is no other name under heaven given among men, by which we might be saved" (Acts 4:12). We shall see later that this same message of the one exclusive Saviour lies hidden in the Vedantic texts also.

Many will question this idea of exclusivism. However, exclusivism is an integral part of our daily lives. Exclusivism is not necessarily negative or supremacist. The medical specialist is exclusivistic in his practice. A woman is mother to her children exclusively. Certain diseases can be treated by a special procedure exclusively. Nothing is wrong with true exclusivism. In the matter of salvation, the holy texts agree that it is through one way exclusively. To reject it for whatever reason is to forfeit its benefits. Again, it is not an intellectual issue, but rather an issue of personal honesty and humility before God.

Sacrifice: The Price of Forgiveness

Almighty God states in the Bible (Romans 16:25_26) that He had declared the message of salvation to the ancient fathers of all people groups through mysterious prophesies of the Scriptures. The people never understood the mystery, however, because it was beyond their realm of experience and understanding. The message told about an omnipotent God who came in a perfect human body which He sacrificed for the sin of humanity; the sacrificed body then came back to life (resurrection), conquering death and providing eternal life for His people. The idea of a dead body coming to life again by itself was difficult to imagine, so people either ignored it or interpreted it as the soul going into the body of another person or animal at the time of birth (reincarnation). However, the reality of resurrection became clear when God graciously revealed it in the life of Jesus the Christ. Hebrews 1:1_2 declares the same truth: " God, who at various times and in different ways, spoke in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, (God) has in these last days spoken unto us by his Son...".

Indeed, it is a mystery that God's love for wretched sinners would be so great that He would have compassion on us and provide a way to forgive our sins and set us free from eternal Hell. Being perfect, only God Himself could love so perfectly! So He took human form (Jesus) by being born as a son of mankind, and caused his blood to be shed as a sacrifice on the cross to pay the penalty for our sins. This amazing love is described in the Bible: "Greater love has no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends" (John 15:13). An even greater mystery of this loving sacrifice is this: the innocent coming back to life after offering up himself for the guilty! It is the unimaginable power of His resurrection that can snatch you from the "mouth of death".

The Mukti Mystery: A Life for a Life

Sin passed a death sentence on our soul. Justice demands death, so that whoever wishes to take our place must give his life. God's supreme justice also requires a perfect substitute: anything less than a perfect man will not be fair exchange. A person with a death sentence cannot die in someone else's place. In other words, it takes a righteous life to rescue a condemned life. Now, the Bible declares that "the life of the flesh is in the blood" (Leviticus 17:11); so, to give one's life meant to drain one's life-blood. Such a blood sacrifice was a picture of God's perfect sacrifice. This is why the Bible says: "Without shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sin" (Hebrews 9:22). God gave to mankind a picture of this mysterious sacrifice for sins since the time of Adam: an animal sacrifice, usually a spotless lamb or sheep or goat, was accepted in man's place. But these were only a picture of the true and perfect blood sacrifice which God had planned. God described the perfect sacrifice through the Prophet Isaiah in Isaiah 53:5_7: "But He (the Saviour) was wounded for our transgressions; He was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon Him; and with His stripes (blood-letting punishment) we are healed (saved). We all like sheep have gone astray; we have turned, everyone to his own way; and the Lord has laid on Him(self) the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed, and He was afflicted, yet He opened not His mouth: He is brought as a lamb to the slaughter (as a sacrifice), and as a sheep before his shearers is dumb, so He opened not His mouth." Romans 5:8 declares: " But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us". This sacrifice is the only adequate payment for sins, as 1 John 1:5,7 assures us: " God is Light and in Him is no darkness at all ... and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanses us from all sin" . God explained it to the prophets this way: " The life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it to you upon the altar to make atonement (payment) for your souls; for it is the blood that makes atonement for the soul" (Leviticus 17:11).

Many people groups have misunderstood this mystery but, in their hunger for salvation, they have sought to practice it. They have sacrificed children, thinking that these are the perfect human beings spoken of in this mystery. This mysterious perfect sacrifice is only one person: God Himself incarnated in the flesh. Human sacrifices must cease because the one spoken of in the prophesies has already been performed for all mankind. No other sacrifice is acceptable. To reject it is to continue in condemnation before God.

The Mystery in Vedanta: A Self-Sacrifice

God had given to the Jewish prophets laws requiring the sacrifice of spotless animals as a symbolic picture of the one perfect sacrifice which was to come, namely Jesus. As other people groups in the Mesopotamian period interacted with the Jewish people, they were exposed to this practice of animal sacrifice as payment for sins, and they passed down this information to later generations by spoken or written stories. Thus, the Vedic philosophers wrote in the Vedantic texts some of the teachings of the Jewish prophets concerning salvation through sacrifice. Therefore, it is not surprising that the main theme in the Rg Veda and the Upanishads is the nature and purpose of only one supreme sacrifice known as the Purush Prajapati. This name is translated from Sanskrit as "the Lord of all creation who became Man" (Sathpathbrahmana 10.2.2.1_2; Rg Ved Purushasukta 10:19). The character and actions of the Purush Prajapati establish the fact that he is a physical personality rather than an impersonal "soul". His majesty is described in Rg Ved 10:90.1, ending with the term "atyatishtadasangulam" which means that this supreme omnipotent, omnipresent, and omniscient God limited Himself to "ten fingers" in His human form. Thus we see that the Purush Prajapati is not a generic "self" but rather a physical person, as defined in Sanskrit dictionaries by Sanskrit scholars. He is not among the many mythical and even wicked characters found in some traditions, but he is the Lord of all creation by definition.

This Purush Prajapati is the one and only way to eternal life ("... Nanyah pantha vidyate-ayanaya": Yajur Ved 31:18). This Supreme Creator took a perfect human body (Nishkalanka Purusha ) and offered it up as a self_sacrifice (Brihad Aranyak Upanishad 1.2.8). He was symbolized by a spotless lamb which was the animal most commonly sacrificed in those days (Maddyandiniya Sathpathbrahmana III). He is the only sinless human being, and only in knowing Him does one obtain immortality (Chandogya Upanishad 1.6:6,7). Acknowledging the sacrifice of the perfect Purush Prajapati imparts eternal life (Kathopanishad 1, 3.8, 11). After giving Himself as the supreme sacrifice, He resurrected (not reincarnated) himself (Brihad Aranyak Upanishad 3.9.28.4_5; Kathopanishad 3:15). By his resurrection, the Purush Prajapati conquered death and released sin's stranglehold on mankind. He will return to earth only once more. At this point in its account, the Vedantic history of Purush Prajapati ends. Later we shall find out the rest of the exhilarating story!

The Mysterious Names of Purush Prajapati

To summarize, the only purpose of the Purush Prajapati is to sacrifice His life-blood to pay our penalty for sin and to impart to us eternal life. It is the only way to Heaven and the only way of escape from eternal Hell (Rg Ved 9:113.7_11; Rg Ved 4.5.5; 7.104.3). He is also called the one supreme Guru who destroys darkness because he is Light (Gurugeet 1:44,79). The Sanskrit word gu-ru means far more than "teacher": it describes the destroyer of death and the giver of eternal life! (More detail is provided in our booklet "The Supreme Guru: How will you recognize Him?"). The Advyayatarakopanishad 17, 18 declare him as the Supreme God (Param Brahma), the Supreme Way (Paragati), and the Supreme Wealth (Param Dhanam ). Guru is also called the Supreme Truth (Paravidya): there is only one Supreme Truth, and there is only one Supreme Way to it, as the Vedas teach. These are some of the many titles given to the Purush Prajapati. Not comprehending these strange ideas, the Vedic philosophers proceeded to add their own philosophies and rituals which, to this day, obscure this glimmer of Divine truth. The character and events concerning Purush Prajapati become meaningful only when viewed through the life of the Lord Jesus: he portrayed the mystery of salvation which God had conceived even before He created the universe (according to both Vedas and Bible)!

What do the Vedas and Upanishads teach about Purush Prajapati being the Supreme Way (Paragati) to eternal life? There are four facets (maarg) of the salvation experience. These are not four paths to salvation but rather four aspects of only one Supreme Way (Paragati). The Svetasvataropanishad 3:8 states this fact unambiguously: " I know the (one) supreme Purush ... Only in knowing Him does one pass over death. There is no other path leading to eternal life". Yajurved 31:18 concludes the same in the Purushasukta: "... No other way is known for eternal life. (Nanyah pantha vidyate_ayanaya"). What have been taught as four paths to salvation are really four necessary aspects of one's relationship with the Purush Prajapati according to the Vedas. They are: (1) accepting the sacrificial work (karmamaarg) of one's sins being transferred to the Supreme Sacrifice; (2) knowing (gyanmaarg ) the Purush_Paravidya (the supreme Truth who liberates); (3) meditating upon Him (yogamaarg); and (4) devoting one's life to the Purush Prajapati (bhaktimaarg ) in gratitude for eternal life. The resurrected Purush Prajapati is returning to earth once more: according to the Vedas, this is the last Avataar (human incarnation). Later we shall see why He is returning and what it means to you and me!

Traditional Hindu Thought & Vedas

You are probably already aware of the conflict between what we have been taught by Pundits and what the Vedantic texts teach. Traditionally, we have been told that there is no such thing as sin (only positive and negative karma); that there is no eternal heaven or hell; that there is no final judgment (only reincarnation based on karma ); that all religions worship the same god; that all religions lead to the same god and destiny; that there is no one exclusive way to God and salvation; and that good deeds earn us salvation. The Vedas teach exactly the opposite, as we have seen. When faced with this disservice to their followers, many prominent Pundits in India and elsewhere have responded indifferently: "if we teach the Vedas, we cannot make a living"; or, "Hinduism will not survive if we teach what is written"; or, "I did not know those things were in the Vedas". Many other Pundits, recognizing their own need to come to salvation through the evident Purush Prajapati (Jesus the Christ), have found unspeakable joy as they called upon Jesus the Supreme Sacrifice for washing away of their sins and for assurance of an eternal home in heaven. My friend, you are faced with the simple choice between traditional beliefs and the original text. An honest and earnest search for Truth (Sat) will lead to the conclusion that our traditional Hinduism has no foundation in the Vedas, and therefore offers nothing more than man-made rituals without spiritual hope. Knowing more about the Purush Prajapati will make your decision easier.

Who Is He?

Which historical figure has demonstrated God's power, become a self_sacrifice, raised himself from the dead, loves sinners, provides the way to heaven, and is returning one more time for those who are washed clean in His sacrificial blood? The Vedas and Upanishads present no such historical figure. Does he exist? As we look across the landscape of human history, we find an identical account in the Holy Bible. Here, God presents Himself with this uniqueness. He presents many more details of the salvation mystery and a glorious account of His incarnation, self_sacrifice, burial, victorious resurrection, and joyous return for His people! He is Jesus the Christ, as the Apostle John ecstatically declares in 1 John 1:1_4: "That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life; (for the life was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and show unto you that eternal life, which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us;) that which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that you also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ. And these things write we unto you, that your joy may be full."

He is Jesus, whom history declares as the fulfillment of every divine prophesy concerning the Saviour of mankind. Only Jesus matches perfectly the description of the unknown Purush Prajapati of the Vedic texts, and of the Messiah (Saviour) and Lamb of God of the Jewish prophets. This is why only Jesus could authoritatively declare: "I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life; no man comes to the Father but by me" (John 14:6). He is the only answer to the sages' prayer for "Sat" (Truth), "Jyotir" (Light or visible Way), and " Amritam" (Immortality or eternal life). This same Jesus said: "I lay down my life that I might take it again. No man takes it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again" (John 10:17,18). History submits that "Greater love has no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends" (John 15:13). It was the Lord Jesus who lay down his life for our sins. The Bible calls Him by many other names such as Messiah and Christ (Saviour), Emmanuel (God with us), the Way, the Truth, the Life, the Light of the World, the Resurrection and the Life, King of kings, and Lord of lords . It is only the Lord Jesus who loves hell_bound sinners and reached down to us. It is only the Lord Jesus who can provide eternal life through His blood which He shed as payment for our sin_cursed souls. It is the same Jesus who patiently waits for you to come to Him. Hear his tender, compassionate words in John 10:9_15: "I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture ... I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly. I am the Good Shepherd: the Good Shepherd gives his life for the sheep ... I lay down my life for the sheep".

Only The Whole Truth

Half-truths are whole lies: they are designed to deceive and they are dangerous. For this reason, when God speaks of truth, He means the whole truth. Especially in critical matters, one needs to insure that one has the whole truth. And what issue is more critical than the future of your soul? Satan, the enemy of your soul, hates the truth, and his best lies are the ones he sugarcoats with some truth. But while love rejoices in truth, enmity thrives on deception (Bible: 1 Corinthians 13:6). God is the very embodiment of love (Bible: 1 John 4:8). God's truth is given to us through His love for us, and He seeks to bring us to salvation through it: " You shall know the Truth, and the Truth shall make you free (from Hell)" (John 8:32). Wisdom dictates that incomplete information be uprooted when the whole truth emerges. God expresses it this way in 1 Corinthians 13:9_11: "For we know in part and we teach in part. But when that which is complete comes, then that which is incomplete must be done away with. When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things ". The whole Truth concerning salvation has been presented in the New Testament (of the Holy Bible) in the person of the Lord Jesus. The partial account in the Vedas concerning salvation should stir one's interest to seek out the identity of the Purush_Prajapati. In this way, one may find salvation (mukti) God's way and with total confidence. The Vedas point only to the Lord Jesus as God incarnate and the embodiment of the perfect self_sacrifice for our sins.

To show this relationship clearly, the following side_by_side comparison is presented. While there are many more points of agreement between the Biblical and Vedic accounts of salvation, only some major ones are given here for brevity. Note that there are no points of disagreement concerning salvation: the Vedantic texts present only the mystery, while the Bible presents both the mystery and the personal demonstration of the mystery.

Harmony in the Salvation Mystery

Features In Vedas (X) In Bible (X) Comments Only one way to Heaven (salvation) X X Full agreement Innocent blood as payment for sins X X Full agreement Animal sacrifice as symbol X X Full agreement Symbolized by spotless lamb X X Full agreement Supreme sacrifice was God incarnate X X Full agreement God provided self-sacrifice X X Full agreement Self-sacrifice before creation X X Full agreement Sacrifice resurrected himself X X Full agreement Sacrifice replayed on earth X, but No Details X That we may know Resurrection Event X, but No Details X Death conquered He reigns in and from Heaven X, Aswatha Tree X He is God & King His Spirit lives in us X, Aswatha Tree X He empowers us against all evil He will return to take us to Heaven X, but no details X Our Hope & Peace Unsaved cast into eternal hell X, but no details X Are you ready? Come to Jesus

		The Aswatha TreeThe Aswatha tree described in Kathopanishad 6:1 is very strange. Its root is in Heaven but its branches are on earth. The verse further says that this tree represents God Himself who came down to earth to provide spiritual food and shelter for mankind. In a Biblical context, it is a picture of God being intimately connected to His people on earth, providing spiritual power and authority to us to lead fruitful lives until He comes for us! This is understood clearly in several references by the Lord Jesus concerning heaven and Himself. For example: John 3:12-13: "If I have told you earthly things and you believe not, how shall you believe if I tell you of heavenly things? No man has ascended up to heaven but He that came down from heaven, even the Son of man (Jesus) who is in heaven". (Here Jesus is saying that He is both here and in heaven at the same time!). Jesus said in John 15:5: "I am the vine (connected to the root), you are the branches: he that abides in me brings forth much fruit: for without me you can do nothing". This symbolic tree gives a simple yet strange and profound glimpse into God's incarnation to bring us victory over evil. It is fulfilled in Jesus Christ.
	Your Day of Decision My Dear Friend, you have seen the mystery of salvation as fulfilled in the Lord Jesus, God incarnate. His gift of eternal life requires only that you embrace it. But our Holy and just God cautions: "How shall we escape (Hell) if we neglect so great salvation?" The whole Truth is detailed in the Holy Bible, and yet only God can make it perceptible to the human heart. God explains in 1 Corinthians 2:14: "But the natural man receives not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him; neither can he know them (things of God) because they are spiritually discerned (understood)". But God will fill your heart with His Truth if you let Him into your life as your read His Word, the Bible. The Lord Jesus says: " Behold, I stand at the door (of your heart) and knock: if any man hear my voice and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me" (Revelation 3:20). One cannot rely upon man_made philosophies, rituals and religious figureheads which cannot soothe even physical hunger, much less spiritual hunger. Only the Lord Jesus, who gave His life, can give you eternal life. It was his grasp of this truth that led the great Indian philosopher and President of India, Dr. Radhakrishnanan, to recommend the Bible to the scholarly P. Sudhakar (nephew of Dr. Krishna Menon, Chief Minister of India), a student admirer of his at the brink of suicide; what Mr. Sudhakar had previously ignored as folly was revealed to him by God as redeeming Truth, and it saved him from suicide and Hell. Paul Sudhakar became a faithful preacher of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and he led numerous Brahmin priests from all over India to the Lord Jesus. But even long before that (almost two thousand years ago and before Christianity reached Europe and the western world), the Apostle Thomas had taken this Good News (Injeel) of salvation to Kerala, South India; there, thousands of Brahmin Priests and other Hindus rejoiced as they received the assurance of mukti through Christ Jesus. The Lord Jesus Christ will do the same for you right now if you ask Him to forgive your sins. God's Perfect Promise The Lord Jesus Christ promised that "he that comes to me I will in no wise cast out" (John 6:37). He said: "I go to prepare a place for you (in heaven ). And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there you may be also" (John 14:2_3). But He also cautioned in John 5:28_29: "The hour is coming in which all that are in the graves shall hear His voice and shall come forth; they that have done good (accepted the gift of God), unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil (rejected Jesus), unto the resurrection of damnation (hell)". In John 3:18 Jesus said about Himself: "He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the Name of the only begotten Son of God". The decision to accept or reject His supreme sacrifice for your sins can be made only while you still live in this body. And since you do not know when you will depart this body, God says that this is the very moment when you must chose. To postpone the decision to believe upon the Name of the Lord Jesus is to reject Him even now. May God's Spirit continue to speak to your heart. In Matthew 24, Jesus gave us many signs of His return to earth: signs which we see all around us today! These unusual signs warn us that the end of the world is near, and they include the appearance of strange practices and false teachers/preachers in the Christian church; increased martyrdom of devout Christians as is happening in many eastern countries; man sinking lower than brute beasts in homosexuality, murder of their babies, and depraved sexuality against even babies; supposedly intelligent men denying the existence of God the Creator; and the accomplishment of preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ to every people group in the world. These unanticipated current events continue to provide indisputable proof that the Lord Jesus is the Divine Truth in person, and that the Bible is God's own Word. They also alert us to the uncertainty of tomorrow. That is why God counsels us in Psalms 95:7_8 and 2 Corinthians 6:2: "Today if you will hear His voice, harden not your heart"; "behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation". Do you humbly and sincerely seek the answer to your prayer for Truth, Light, and Eternal Life? Come to Jesus: only He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. "Asato ma sat gamaya": Jesus is the Truth. (John 14:6; John 8:32). "Tamaso ma jyotir gamaya": Jesus is the Light. (John 8:12). "Mrityur ma amritam gamaya": Jesus is the Resurrection and the Life. (John 11:25). Welcome to Eternal Life Ask the Lord Jesus into your life right at this moment; speak to Him even in a simple prayer such as this: "O God: I am sorry that I have sinned against you. Please forgive me and wash me clean with the blood that the Lord Jesus shed for me. Make me your child, and help me to live only for you. Thank you for a home in heaven. Teach me your promises as I read the Bible, so that I will be able to tell others also about your gift of eternal life. Strengthen me to face the difficulties which will come to me for thy Name sake. Thank you in Jesus Name

a Brahmin's life changing Encounter...

Life changing experience of Ramachandran Rajkumar


The following is an account of the way God revealed to me that the Lord Jesus Christ is my salvation and how as a result I became a follower of the Lord Jesus as an undeserving recipient of the grace of God through Jesus. It is my joy and privilege to declare that Jesus is not only my Lord and Savior but that of the whole World. Knowing, accepting and living by this truth is not only the key to the joy of life in this world but also the assurance of Eternal Life in Heaven.

Background of my Beliefs and World View

I was born in Bombay and grew up in Madras in a typical South Indian Brahmin atmosphere. I was the youngest of five children and from the age of eleven consciously and actively believed in God and my devotions were focused on lord Subhramanya who I was told was our family deity. We had a puja room in our home at Sterling Road .Madras, and every day I prayed to various gods and goddesses primarily for all the good things of this life. My early childhood was indeed very happy as I was blessed with a good family, loving parents and siblings and being the youngest seemed to be pampered by one and all. I cannot think of any problem that I had which got me down or depressed. . I was fairly good in studies and very good in sports. I was in the Tamil Nadu State schools cricket XI in 1968 and was the champion Athlete of my school in the sub-junior, junior and senior level in addition to later being the champion athlete of my College (Guindy Engineering College) for all five years of my study there. Represented Madras University in the 400m meters event at the All-India Inter-University Athletic meet for two years. So I assumed then that the gods had been answering my prayers and life was something to look forward to.

I passed out of Engineering College in the year 1974 graduating in Electronics and Telecommunications. Subsequently I got a job as Trainee Engineer with the German multinational Siemens at Bangalore.

I was still very religious and was also a believer in Sathya Sai Baba and regularly visited the Shirdi Sai Baba temple and even prostrated before the snake pit there. As far as other religions and faiths were concerned I thought these are also ways by which people can know God and that each one must worship and relate to God in his or her own way. I believed every religion was the same, all Holy Books say the same things and that there are different ways of knowing God.

The Confrontation

After joining Siemens in December 1974 I worked in Bangalore for five years. It was a small workshop manufacturing Power Line Carrier Communication Systems. We were a group of four young engineers, all bachelors, who were involved in all aspects of the production, testing and Quality control. One of the engineers was a believer from a catholic background called Nirmal Kumar.

After four years of working together one day Nirmal casually told me that he believed I was a religious and God fearing person but that I needed to know that God loves me and that the only way to Him is through Jesus and that there was no other way of Salvation. While all of us respected Nirmal for his nature and goodness I could not accept his statement that Jesus is the only way of salvation. I had many Christian friend all along and no one ever said anything like this. Up to now I had never heard that Jesus died for my sins. I was 26 years old and this was the first time I heard anything like this. I was fully convinced that Nirmal was wrong in this and that my view that all religions were same was the right view. In reaction to what he had told me I decided that the best way of proving him wrong and me right was to read the Bible and prove to him from the Bible that every religion was the same. I firmly believed then that since every religion was the same ,therefore every holy book must be the same. Since Nirmal was a Christian the logical thing to do was to prove to him from his Holy book that all religions were the same. If I show from the Bhagwad-Gita he will not believe. So I got myself a Bible and secretly began to read the Bible .

The Joy and the struggle

I also thought to myself that if there was a one percent chance that what Nirmal said was true then I need to know it. So I stopped praying to various gods by name and before reading the Bible every night would pray to the ‘Living God’ and ask Him if there was only one way to Him. If it was so to let me know and if not also to let me know.

From the time I began to read (with the Gospel of John) I enjoyed the text particularly reading about Jesus, what He did and said. I loved the name of Jesus. As I read it seemed like God was speaking to me. I kept on enjoying the Bible reading till I came to John 14:6 where it is written that - Jesus said:

‘I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me’.

This verse hit me hard since the Lord in his own words was saying that no one ca come to the Father except through Him. AS I could not come to grips with this statement of Jesus and could not relate it to my preconceived notion that all ways were same I stopped reading the Bible for almost a month and a half but every now and then this verse would come back to me and I was not able to accept the profoundness of this truth. After a month and a half I realized I was missing the peace and joy that the reading of the Bible had given me and therefore decided to continue reading the scriptures even though I did not want to accept John 14:6.

The more I read the Bible the more I enjoyed it and realized what an amazing person Jesus was, without sin, always forgiving, always doing good. After a few months, a strange thing happened. One day in our office at Kensington Road, Ulsoor, Bangalore sometime in 1978 we were all relaxing after lunch and waiting for office time to begin our work when a ‘roadside’ astrologer walked in and told me by just looking at my face that many years ago I had an accident in which I almost died and that in the next one month or so I would have another serious one which could be fatal . He said it could be a road accident or an electric shock and could prove fatal. He offered to intercede for me to the gods for which he needed some personal article of mine by which he would pray. In the normal course I would never have believed such people but as it turned out about seen years earlier I had a near drowning mishap in the Garhwal Himalayas where I had gone for trekking. I had not told any one about this incident but this stranger seemed to know . That whole incident came back to my mind and I was very troubled and sad. Ironically that same afternoon I was to do ‘Insulation testing' of some equipment and had to work with 500 Volts DC and the astrologer’s warning of electric shock was ringing in my ears. Somehow I went through that afternoon and at night was getting ready to pray before my bible reading. I was fearing accident and death that night , for the first time in my life, I prayed only in the name of Jesus for Him to take away this fear and give me peace. As soon as I finished the prayer the fear went away and I had an extraordinary peace in my heart of Jesus' assurance and protection. It was much later that I realized

that every one who called upon His name is delivered ( Romans 10:13),

that He has delivered us from the fear of death (Hebrews 2:14-15) and

that when we pass through the waters He will be with us and as we pass through the waters they will not sweep over us (Isaiah 43:2).

God was faithful to His promises in the Bible even though I did not know either Him or His promises at that point of time! What an amazing Savior! When the astrologer came the next day to ask for some article belonging to me I boldly told him that I do not need him to do anything for me as nothing bad is going to happen to me.

Ever since the event of deliverance from death I prayed only in the name of Jesus and all my prayers were answered. Furthermore, whenever I had a question about life or the Bible I used to put it to Jesus and tell Him only if He wanted me to know the answer I would like to have it otherwise it does not matter. So I used to consciously make an attempt to forget the question. The Lord used to give me the answer from the Bible and then remind me of my question. A typical example was my question with regard to ‘Reincarnation’ and God’s answer from Hebrews 9:27-28 after six months.

Freedom In Christ

While I enjoyed this experiment with seeking the truth and the reality of Christ’s love was impacting me I also had struggles. Deep inside my heart I did realize that Christ was the payment for my sin and that He is the only Savior yet my imaginations of what it meant to be a ‘Christian’ bothered me. I thought it is mandatory to change my name, to join with other Christians in their activities and in general have a label of Christianity attached to me. This compounded by the fear of how my friends and family would react bothered me. By this time I got married to Ragini, my wife, who also was from the same background as me. I soon got a transfer to Munich in Germany in September 1979.

Being alone in Germany gave me a lot of time to continue my search for God. I wanted to enjoy Jesus' grace and love while at the same time continuing with my religiosity of popular Hinduism. While in Germany for the first few months, I was learning the German language along with many other foreign nationals. After two months of living among these foreigners one of them, a Portuguese national casually remarked to me that he had been closely watching me and that my life was constantly changing and that was because of ‘THE BOOK" I was reading. I thought my Bible reading was a secret matter but others were noticing the effect. While on the once side I felt happy, on the other side I felt ashamed that I was not acknowledging my belief in Jesus even though He had done so much for me and had already changed my life.

On 25th May, 1980 I went to Church in Munich for the first time primarily to pray for my brother who was getting married in India. After the message, the German pastor Rev Peter Dippl gave an invitation to anybody who would like to accept the Lord Jesus as Lord an Savior. I found myself going forward realizing that what really matters is God and not people. That day I stopped resisting the Love of Jesus and offered myself to Him as His servant. It was 9:30 p.m. and I received new life ! Within a few minutes I was filled with Holy Spirit and realized I am indeed a new creation.

Reflections

At the time I accepted the Lord two questions haunted me . When Christ is the only Savior from Sins for all mankind how come no Christian ever told me that before except my friend Nirmal ? Secondly when this new life in Christ is so exciting and wonderful how come the life of other Christians was no different from my life as a Hindu ? Rather than bother myself with possible answers I decided to be different and I asked the Lord to make me a witness of Christ and also change my life to be a blessing to others. I thought if we cannot find role-models the best thing to do is to be a role-model by the grace of God since He gives us the resources to do so.

Many have asked me what single factor made me seek the truth and what needs I had to search for God. Looking back I do not think I had any need. Although I did have a need to know my Savior before I knew Him I did not realize I had a need to know Him. So at that time I really did not have any needs as my life seemed full and satisfied . If at all , it was the provocation of my pride that made me want to prove my friend wrong. In that process the Living God proves me wrong, gave me salvation and new Life ! I praise and thank God for people like my friend Nirmal who does not hesitate to speak the truth in love. I was provoked to seek God.

Looking back at the last eighteen years it has been my privilege of being an instrument in God’s hands in leading thousands to the only Savior and Lord Jesus Christ. The Lord has saved many members of my family. I live in Delhi today along with my wife (Ragini), son (Akshay) and my mother (Leela Ramchandran) who is eighty-two years old . All of them are in the Lord and are a support to me in my Ministry ..

By The Grace that came though the Lord Jesus Christ I am what I am. All Glory to Him.

New Delhi

November 21st ‘1998
www.logosministries.info

Her Plight frightens....

A LITTLE TOO LATE...LIFE IS SHORT
She couldn’t take another year in prison. She couldn’t even think about it. It had become so loathsome that it was almost preferable to die than to waste away any longer behind those walls. So her appeal began, not to the Governor, nor to the warden, but to the prison undertaker. The undertaker was responsible for all inmates that died. He placed them in coffins, sealed the coffins, and took them out for burial. After some time and female wiles, she was finally able to persuade the man to help her escape. The plan was simple. The next time someone died, he would allow her to get into the coffin with the dead body. He would then nail the lid shut, take it out to the graveyard, bury it, and return under the cover of darkness to open it and free her. There would be enough oxygen in the coffin for that amount of time.
Eventually the opportunity came. Someone died. According to plan, she sneaked into the darkened parlor and crawled into the coffin with the body. Shortly after that, the lid was nailed down. She felt the movement of the coffin as it was carried out to the waiting wagon. There was a rocking motion as it was pulled out of the prison yard, through the gates that were locked upon her for so many years, beyond the walls that she could never climb. She felt the wagon stop in the beggars’ graveyard, sensed the downward motion of the coffin as it was lowered into the hole dug for it. A swelling sense of victory filled her. The ploy was going to work. She heard the clunking noise of earth being shoveled onto the coffin, until at last she could hear no more. Now it was only a short wait until the undertaker would come for her. Being curious, she lit a match to see who had died. In the brief flare of light she saw who it was. It was the undertaker. She screamed, unheard by the world above her.
This fictional story, first aired on Alfred Hitchcock Presents, unintentionally poses a question. In whom do you put your trust for salvation? Is it in a person, perhaps a religious teacher? If so, are you sure that he or she won’t end up in the coffin with you, a victim of death just as powerless as you? Do you trust religious practices? Then you must ask yourself if all the dietary regulations and meditation techniques in the world will free you when death and judgment come to call. Perhaps you haven’t thought about it. You may have implicitly trusted that your sins will have no consequences, that you will float into a celestial paradise with no questions asked about your past life. And then, maybe you are trusting that there isn’t anything beyond the grave. Will you find out a little too late, perhaps one second beyond death, that you were wrong? At that point, protests and tears will not change a thing.
The Bible recommends one means of salvation, one Savior, one name: Jesus Christ. We are told, "And there is salvation in no other, for neither is there another name under heaven given among men in which we must be saved." (Acts 4:12) The phrase salvation in no other guarantees that, in the end everything will fail us most disastrously, except for Christ.