" ESUS IN THE VEDAS ;

The Test imony of Hindu Scriptures in

Corrob orat ion of t he Rudiment s

C HR ISTIA N DOCT R INE

BY

A N A T IV E IN D IA N M IS S IO N A R Y

FU N "85 W A G N A L L S C O M PA N Y
N EW YO R "
LO ND O N T O RO NTO
1 89 2
P r i n t e d i n t il e Un it e d S t a t e:
 C o p yrig h t 1 89 2 b y t he

FU N" W A GNA LL S C O MPA NY

" E S US IN T HE V E DA S .

TH E C h ris t ia n sch em e of sal vation is th us

“
epitomized b y S t . P aul N ow ,
therefore y e ,

are no more stran gers a n d foreigners b ut fellow ,

citizens w ith the sai n ts ,

an d of the household of
God ; and are built upon the fou n dation of the
A postl es a n d P rophets , "
esus Christ him self
” 1
bei n g the chief corn er sto n e -
. This hou s ehold
“ ” “
is a ki n gdom ,
and it is a ki ngdom prepared
”
from the fou n datio n of the world . I t has a ls o
a rol l or register i n which all its member s are
note d down the roll bei ng o therwise called
,
the
b ook o f life o f the Lamb slai n from the fou n d a

E ph . 11 . 19 , 20 .
2
Matt . xxv . 34 .
6 J ESUS IN THE V ED A S .

tion o f t he world . A nd this d isc l oses that

i n scrutabl e ru ling of our Creator and S upre me
“
Governor t h at w ith out shedding o f bl oo d is no
remission " ”

T h is ru l e or l aw is above human l ogic . In to

the p o l ic y o f Heavenly juris p ru d ence it would ,

b e a p res u m p tion to pr y . The finite can never

grasp the in finite or examine it l ike a
,
b er r y i n

th e h a n d O nce ’
. satisfied that it is God s wil l
’
an d Go d s decree a n d that it meets a h uman ,

diffi cu l t y and solves a s piritu al p ro bl em man s ,

’

dut y is to accept the solution .

To inquire into t h e fa c t o f His decree and His

dec l aration is onl y the exercise o f a p rerogative
which has been vested i n the human mind b y the
A uthor of our being . I t is both a p rivilege and
a dut y to exami n e the evidence o f the fact but ,

the fact being found ,

and the decree bei n g
“
authe n ticated that ,
t h e L ord has laid o n him
‘
R ev x
. iii . 8 .
2
Heb ix 22
. . .
 J ESU S IN r m: VED AS .

” “
the iniqu ity o f us all ,
and that with his stripes
”
we are heal ed ,
we must remember that a decree
is intended for obedience a n d guidance not for ,

wra n gli n g and disputatio n .

S uch is the Christian scheme . I t has for its

corner stone the S acrifice of the Lamb slai n from
-

the fou n dation o f the w orld . It i nvolves the

i n scrutable l aw of In finite Wisdom a n d Heaven l y
Counse l that without sheddi n g o f b lood there is
no remission . I t was available f or human sal
vation from the moment that it had become
’
n ecessary f or it . The p rincip l es o f A dam s re l
igio n , i n the primitive age were thus the same ,

as our s now in the fulness of time

,
. Reference
was made to it on the Fall of our first p arents ,

a n d the introduction of sin . The seed of the

woman 1
was n o oth er than the Lam b sl ain from
the f oundation o f the world . His sacrifice ,

though accomp l ish e d in h im, was commem orate d

Gen . i1i . 15
.
8 J ESUS IN T H E V EDAS .

an d t yp ifie d f rom the b eginning . Th e p rimeval

i ns titution of S acrifices is evident from the p r a c

“
tice o f A bel ,
who by f aith offered a more
excellent sacrifice than Cain ,
by whic h he
obtained witn ess that he was righteous God ,

t estifying of h is gifts and by it

, ,
h e, being dead ,

yet The same was again t y pified in

the offerings w hich N oah presented on the altar

he had b ui l ded and the y m et w ith the same
,

’ “
resu l t o f God s acceptance for w e are told , , t he
”
Lord sme lt a sweet savor . The identical
practice under a similar p ersuasion we notice in
the time of "b o ,
who o ff ered burnt offerings
“ “
continually ,
sayi n g , I t ma y be that my so n s
”
have si n ned an d curse d God in their hearts .
9

These are indisputable f acts . T h e y m an ifest

the w a y in wh ic h pious souls betook th em s elve s
“
to t h e L amb o f God which taketh away the s i n
of the They indicate the h opes w hic h
Heb . X i 4
. .
2
Gen . viii . 21 .
3
"b i
o . 5
.
“
"h n 1
o . 29 .
 JE SUS IN T H E V EDAS .
9

“
ins p ir e d th ose that l ooked for redemp tio n i n
”
Is rael .
1

We may fairly pre s ume from these recorded

i ns tances o f A be l s N oah s an d ’
,
’
,
" ob s
’
-

offerin g s
that they were co ns eque n t o n the i n stitutio n of
such s acrifices from the begi nn i n g u n der d ivi n e
d irectio n at o n ce commemorative a n d
, , p r e fi g
“
u ra t iv e , of the great s acrifice of the Lamb slain
”
from the fou n datio n of the world . N oah wa s not
ma n y ge n eratio n s distan t from A dam an d he ,

c ould have i n troduced an d kept up in the po s t

d iluvia n world what he kn e w to have been
ordai n ed before the D eluge . S peaki n g now from
the Chri s tian point of V iew we can rea s o n ably ,

co n clude that the sacrifice s acceptably o ffered b y ,

t he patriar c h s we have n amed were typical of ,

t he 0 meat sacrifice accompl ished o n M ou n t Cal

“
v ary which the y foreshadowed . For other
fou n dation can no man lay tha n that i s laid ,

Lu k e ii . 38 .
IO JE SUS IN T H E V EDA S .

w h ic h is "
es u s Chri s t .
” 1
N or is it p ossi bl e “
th at
the b l oo d of bulls and o f goats should take away
”
si n s ,
in an y age or cou n tr y . It wa s , to use
an d adapt a Vedic expression o nl y a f o r es h a d ,

o wi n g f t h e tr u l y S a vin g S a cr ific e 3
o .

As sumi n g the n that the off ering o f sacrifices

, ,

was a recog n ized i n stitution from the early days

of N oah in the post di luvian world , it might be -

reasonably expected th at the p ractice wou ld not

immediatel y die awa y . If N oah a n d "b o k n ew
what the y w ere about a n d pe rformed the o ff er ,

i n gs with the solemnit y o f religious ceremo n ies

each wo uld i n struct his ow n children and grand
children in w hat he wou l d necessari ly c onsider
as the fir st and most im p ortan t duty of the
human race . The practice would th us b e tran s
m it t e d to their posterity as a b inding D ivine in

s t it u t io n . The institution w oul d, d ou b tl ess b e ,

1 1 C or iii 11 2
He b x 4 " ‘ T an d
1
m ah B rah m n a
. . . . . . .
ya -

a a ,

vol . 1 p 3 32
. . .
 J ESU S IN TH E V EDAS . 1 1

maintained w ith the te n acit y with wh ic h men

usually keep up practices derived from their
im mediate superiors a n d forefathers and never ,

allo w a ny to fal l i n to desuetude without vali d

reaso n s . They wou l d i n deed be cherished as
, ,

heirlooms out of respect for their p are n ts a n d ,

n othi n g short of a me n tal or social revolution

could accou n t for their entire extinction . S uch
a revolutio n agai n might b e e x pected to be a
, ,

fact as n otorious as that which originally cause d

the initiatio n of the p ractice which it overturned .

The i n stitutio n we are s p eaki n g of w ould as a

f a c t b e therefore capable of proof or disproof

fro m the hi s tory o f N oah s descendan ts by ’
,

which we mea n the history of man ki n d . The

perpetuation of the practice wou l d be corrobora
tive of the institution a n d o f the p ri n cip les which
originated it , wh ile its entire n eglect without a ,

valid cause would te n d to damage the

, p re s u m p
tion of its divine origin . I f the practice were
1 2 J ESU S I N T HE V E D AS .

fou n d in vogue among manki n d for co u ntl ess

generatio n s and never fallen i nto oblivion with
,

out such a counter movement as we have sug

ge s ted the fact would add no small weight to
,

the reasons for which we have p res u med its di

vin e original . If, on the contrary the p ractice ,
h

w ere w h o l l y l o st s igh t o f after the days o f N oah

‘

such an abrup t disconti n uance must w eaken

those reasons .

We must h ere add th at it is on ly the overt acts ,

the offerings and ceremonies which if true we , ,

would expect to fi n d in the histor y o f mankind .

The theology or the doctrine i n vo l ve d m ight b e

, ,

i ns ensibl y p erverted or eve n die away al t ogether

, ,

through ignora n ce or me n tal imbecilit y . Tradi

tio n m a y keep up a p ractice or festival i n vo lving
“

overt acts b ut it is not adequate for the p erp e t u

,

ation of the doctrine or idea which origi n at e d

the practice . The perpetuatio n of a cere m o n y
’
by imitating one s fath er s p ractice patent to ’
,
 J E SU S IN T HE V ED AS . 13

the e y e is easier th an the p s y c h o l ogical p rocess

,

of rightly com p rehending an d correctly teachi n g

t he d ogma or sentiment whic h initiate d t h e cere
mo ny .

But whi l e ignorance or misconception of the

doctrine or eve n t i n volved in or suppose d to be ,

commemorated b y a p ractice perpetuated , ,

a sa
visib l e ceremony detracts nothi n g from
,
the cor
roborative evidence we have mentioned b efore ,

and is therefore no disproo f o f that doctrine its ,

actual transmission ,
a l ong w ith the practice ,

even in a distorted f orm ,

adds considerable
strength to that evidence . Th e institution of
s acrifices was as we have al rea d y asserte d
, ,
t yp i
“
cal of Him w ho was o n ce o fi ere d to bear the
”
sins o f man y .
1
The continued p reval e n ce of
the p ractice among the fami lies of men wou l d
itsel f b e corro b orative evidence o f the origi n a l
i n stit ution , an d th ere could b e no d etraction from
m . 28
.
1 4 J ESUS I N T HE VEDA S .

it even if it app eared an y where th at it was ma in

,

t a in e d i n ig n orance of the doctrine it wa s in

te n ded to commemorate . For p eople might have

p erp etuated the visible ceremon y without com
prehending its p s y cho l ogical cau se . But if we
find in an y p lace that al o n g with the perpetu a
,

tion o f the p ractice ,

there was a traditiona l
teaching that the ceremony had the mysterious
p o w er o f abo l i s hing sin and de p riving death of
its terrors the fact w o u l d add still greater f orce
,

to our argument .

M e n have not b een wanting to assail , as f ar as

they cou l d the integrit y of God s truth
,
’
,
and
e speciall y that p ortio n of it wh ich is in d ee d its
,

chief corner stone the S acrifice of th e

-

,
L a mb f
o

Go d wh ic h t a k et h a wa y
f th e wor l d
th e s in o .

Their w eap ons o f aggression h ave on ly b een in

theories im p erfect in their p arts and too ofte n
, ,

with hast y generali z ations but those settle d ,

re

sul t s in wh ich the body of phi l oso p hers a gree ,

 J ESUS IN T HE V EDAS . I S

far from contradicting S cripture ,

often confirm
a n d illustrat e the stateme n ts of the In spired
”
Vo lume .
I
The direct evidences on which all
’
teaching of God s revelation rests are i n them ,

selves quite s u ffi c ie n t for giving an i n telligent

”
reaso n for the faith that is in us, as agai n st
high sou n di n g cavils
-
. The palpab l e and u n m is

takable tendency of i n fidelit y to overtur n the

m oral ba s is o n which society is founded , a n d by
V irtue whereof it mai n tains its sacred in s t it u
tio n s f or the p ub lic weal is also su fficient i n , it

self to serve as a l esso n a n d warning which can ,

o nly endear the doctrine of the Cros s to al l lovers

of purit y a n d order a n d im p e l them to c l ing to
,

“ ”
their rock of d efense with g reater tenacity
than ever before .

We have given above a b rie f summary o f the

S criptural account of the institution of S acrifice s
and the doctri n e th erein invo l ved . We need not
Pratt
“
Sc ri pt ure an d Sc i en ce N o t at Varian c e ”
’

p 3 71
l
s , . .
1 6 J ESUS I N T HE V E D AS .

repeat th at t h e cardinal teaching o f C h ristianity

is connecte d th ere w ith our b usiness no w is to
show the e x tent to wh ic h the Hindu reco rd s tes
t ify
to the f a c t o f t h e institution an d a pp ro x i

mate to the doctrine typified by it .

Th e p ractice o f sacrifices as a mo d e o f
, p ro p it i
ating t h ejg o d s or su p ernatural p owers has indeed ,

existed among all nations . We d o not ,

h owever ,

k n o w of an y nation w hich mani f este d s uch an

intell igib l e view of the underlying doctrines as
the p rimitive Hindus did in th eir early writings .

N or h ave we seen outsi d e

,
the l imits of "
e w ry
“ ”
w h erein God was known ,
such an a pp ro x ima

tion to the S criptural teachin g on the subj ect as

is found in ancient Hin du records .

The most p rominent f eature o f the Vedic re

l igio n i s its sacrifices . S carce l y a h y mn is f ou n d

in w hic h sacrifice is not allude d to . Th e very
“
fir s t verse of the ver y first hymn runs : I glo
rify A gni , t h e h igh p riest ( p ur s h it) o f t h e s acri
 J ESUS I N THE V ED AS . 1 7

fi c e, t h e d ivine m inistrant who p resents t he obl a

tion ( to the gods ) and is the p ossessor o f , g re a t

wealth The exp ression translate d b y

. P rof .

”
XV il sO n , high p riest o f the S acrifice
-

,
ren d ered
by D r B a n e ry e a , th e
. for em o s t m in i s ter of th e
S a c r ifi c e . Here A g n i is so c all ed I n t h e first .

of the hym n s to the Maruts with which Ma x ,

M uller commences his translation of the Rig veda -

we find a similar reference . The eigh th verse

reads : “
With t he be l oved ho s ts of In dra wi t h ,

the blameless heaven tendi n g ( Marut s ) the sacri

-

”
fi c er cries aloud . The separate history of the
A rya n family w h ether HinduI ranian Teutonic , , ,

or "eltic can go no further back than these

hym n s . I n them sacrifices are spoken of as if
the y were coeva l with ma n . They occupy the
forem ost pl ace in imp ortance and appare n tly i n ,

age in the In do A ryan worship

,
-
.

T h ere are numerous pa ss ages in this m o s t an

cient o f h ym n book s mo s t co n clu s ive l y p ro v i n g

-

( )
9
I 8 JE SU S IN T H E V E D AS .

that the ancient Hindus regar d e d sacrifice as t he

most sacre d act in their worship . I t an d its

s y m b o l o f s u ccess fire , ,
were regarde d as the
”
nave l of the worl d .
I
The two most p rominent
d eities in the h y mns are A gni and I ndra . A nd
th e imp ortance o f b oth is most intim ate ly a sso
c ia t e d w ith the sacrifice . Th e first as we have
seen is its c h ief ministrant ,
t he second its most
regu l ar atte n da n t . The sacrifice undoubtedl y
existed b efore the re were priests set apart for its
ce l ebration ,
when the hou s eholder wa s high
p riest in his own fami l y .

Al though we have a n alytical l y arrived at our

conc lusions after due i n vestigatio n of certai n
premises we shall not fo llo w that system on the
,

present occasio n but shall fi r s t dec l are the re

sul t s and then submit the proofs A ccordi n gly .

we n ow e nu n ciate two propositio n s to b e made

g ood on docume n tary evide n ce .

1
Rig v eda i
-

,
”
. 1 64 3 5 , .
 20 J ESU S I N T H E V E D AS .

A s to the d efinition of the term s wh ich consti

tute our m ain question i n these p ro p ositions ,

Christianity itse l f is k n own tolerably w e ll to all

edu cate d perso n s . N otwithstanding a variety of
denominations it is generally understoo d and a o
,

knowl edged that every o n e who calls h imself a

Christian co n siders it to be a scheme of re c o n c ili

ation of man with God throug h the meritorious

sacrifice of C HRI S T ,
t he L amb of God who
taketh away the si n of the world ,
who is Him
self both God and man . The defi n itio n of Hin
d u is m is not so obvious . On one p oi n t however
, ,

al l Hindus are agreed . They all refer to the

Vedas as the sacred oracles of their re l igion We .

must ,
there f ore ,
for the purposes of this dis
course d efine Hi n duism a s
,
the religion of the
Vedas—the more so si n ce its records inevitably
,

l ead us to the co n clusio n that both caste an d

idolatry are later accretio n s i n the S im p ler sy s
tems taught i n the Vedas .
 J E SUS I N TH E VED AS . 2 1

A n d as to t h e i d o l atrou s w orsh i p o f t h e p c pu
l ar go d s wh ich no w p revai l s , there is not even
an inkling of it to be foun d in the p rimitive
Vedas . A nd the Veda where it d oes in one
,

pl ace re f er to the f ou r orders , s p eaks o f them as

t he creatures o f circumstances . Th e B r a hm a n s

w ere no oth er t h an p riests necessar y f or the cel e

b ration o f sacrificial rites and ,
t h e Va i s ya s , the
thir d or d er w ere the l aity o f Hin d uism , the
,

term itse lf h aving the same signification .

W h ereas the s econ d and f ourth ord ers are e x

p ress ly d ec l ared to h ave b een create d a fterw ar d
f or the d e f ence an d menial s ervice o f t h e Com

m on w e al t h res p ective ly .

To d o justice to Hin du ism , th erefore , w e m ust

l ook at its original f orm as d isc l osed in t h e
Ve d as b ot h in d octrine an d in ritu al ; t h e d oc
trine as l aid d o w n dogm atically an d , t he ritu al
as p erp etu ate d p ractically in i llu stration o f the

d octrin e . I n th is res p ect it must b e a dmitte d

22 J ESUS I N T H E V E D A S .

th at inconsistencies w i ll o ften b e d iscovere d ;

w e s h a ll meet w ith conflicti n g doctrines and self
contradictor y p recepts . But we shall endeavor
to present as fair a view as truth and justice can
all o w . We shall esc h ew p essimism and avoid
u ndue optimism .

I n all communities Theo l og y commences w ith

cosmogo n y . I t i s in the de p endence o f the crea
ture upon his Creator that t he re l igious senti
ment in human nature is f ou n ded . T h ere can
b e no l o y a lty w ithout a recognized ru ling p ower ,

nor can there b e any religion in the absence of

an acknowledge d supern atural P ower as Creator
of the w orl d . A n d it is from the s een th at ideas
o f the u n s een are d erive d . W h at the I ndian
a n wm n aa or in f er
'

N yciya
'

say s is most true the

ence must h ave some p r a ty a k s h a or p erce p tion
f or its b asis . A n d this refers to th ings in t el l e c

tual as we ll as thi n gs p h ysical . E x ternal

o b servation an d internal sensation ma y eac h

 J ESUS IN T HE V EDAS . 23

justify an inference or conc lusion . The visible

u n iverse l eads to the conviction of an invisi b le
Cause of a ll t h ings . The comp l icated an d curi
o u sl y s u b tl e adap tations we notice all arou n d ,

th eir aptitu de f or certain ends to which they are ,

d irectl y tendi n g f orce the conviction o n the

,

mind that there must b e a Creator wh o made al l

these thi n gs a n d adapted them to their specific
ends . This is the comm encement of Theology .

The human mind at once d etects in the visible

worl d and its adap tation o f means to e n ds the
, ,

finger o f an invisib l e b ut al l intellige n t and b en efi

cent Creator whom it i n vests with i n finite good
,

ness p ower and wisdom that is to say wi th al l

, , , ,

the goodness ,
p ower ,
a n d wisdom which the
m ind itself can conceive . How and with wh at
m aterial s t h e D eit y h a s created the worl d is a
question wh ich the mind i n its native simp l icity ,

untainted b y the subtleties of a corrupt p hil o s o

h
p y, does not stop to inquire . I t m a y, in a ru d e
24 J ESUS IN T HE V EDAS .

an d u nc u ltivated state m istake someth ing itse lf

, ,

a creatu re astoun d ing ly striking to

,
the e y e or
the ear ,
s uch as the sun or moon thunder or light ,

ning to be the creator o f

,
t he w orl d , but it never
th inks o f l au nc hi n g into diffi cu l ties on the sub
j ect of t h e m a t er ia l cause un l ess entangled in
,

the maz es o f ske p ticism in speculations w h ich

,

are b e y on d its o wn d e p th , and are on ly the su g

gestions o f human v anit y and conceit . We fin d

a ccordingly th at in the earl iest p eriod o f o ur h is

tory as d isc l osed in
, t he Rig ve d a
-

,
o ur p rimitive
ancestors h ad cl ear and d ecide d conce p tions o f
D eit y , in d e p en d ent of p hi l oso ph ic s p ecu l ations ,
and u ntainte d with the s u b tl e cas uistr y o f a l ater
age . Th e y d i d not in d eed , un d erstan d
,
t he tru e
—
nature of creation the call ing an y th ing into
—
being out o f nothing but neither on the oth er ,

han d di d th ey den y the p ossibi l it y o f s u ch cre

,

ation That question di d not arise in th eir minds

.
,

th e y d i d not disc u ss it . B ut th e y confi d ently

 JESUS I N T H E V EDAS . 2 5

dec l are d th at the heavens and earth w ere estab

l is h e d by th eir ce l estial Va rwn a ,
1
wh om after ,

their neigh b ors the Iranian s the y styled A s ur a

, ,

p r a c h et a and A s ur a -
o i s c a o ed a , which was the
S anskrit tran s lation of the Z e n dic A hura Mazda -

I t is ho w ever, diffi cult to say that the Vedic

,

dogma was p ure monotheism u n tai nte d b y p o ly ,

theism . A t the same time I must confess that

those wh o delight in chargi n g those most
,
an

cie n t records with the gross corruptions of a

later p eriod forget three importan t points clearly
,

incu l cated in the Veda . Th ese th ree p oints are

the f ol l owing
Firs tly —The Rig veda d e cl ares in
-
severa l
“
p laces the existence of one u nborn or eternal
bei n g as diff ere n t from an d superior to D eo a s

an d A sura s, an d far above heaven and earth .

S ec o n d ly —The same Veda dec l ares that the

Rig veda i
-

,
. 24, 7 , 8 ; vi ii . 4 2, 1 .
2
i . 1 64, 6 ; 11. 27, 10 ; x .
26 JE SUS IN T H E V EDA S .

B ec a s w ere originally and by birth m ortal s l ike

m e n , a nd that th e y got to heaven by virtue of
the S acri fi ce .

Th ir d l y —Th e Rig ve d a again as i f to ap o l o

.
-

, ,

gize f or an incipient p o l ytheism that w as grow

ing up declares dogmatica ll y that all the gods
, ,

though diff erentl y named aud represented are ,

—
i n reality one n m s" a e
‘ '

o V Ofl a z ao V
'

fl ap qn} m
’

a :
“
The y
cal l h Im I ndra Mitra Varu n a A gni
, , , ; and ( he
is ) the celes tial w ell wi n ged Ga ru t m a t
,
-

. S ages
name various ly that which is b ut one th e y cal l
it A g n i Y ama M at a ris va n
, ,
.
” I

I t is not necessary for the p urposes o f this d is ,

course to di l ate on this p oint . S ome te x ts o f

the Vedas at l east h ave acknowl edged the e x ist
ence of one S u p reme E ssence w ho is a b ove all .

There are other te x ts where speculations with a n

atheistic tendenc y may b e discovered but such
specu l ations are every where foun d to b e i n d u lged
1 “
Rig v eda i
-

,
”
. 164 , 4 6 .
28 J E SU S I N T H E V E D AS .

had o ffere d a b urnt o ffering wh ic h w as

-

, h e ld by
all his s u ccessors as the first an d most im p ortant
ceremon y o f re ligion . Th e h igh es t imation in
which the rite of S acrifice is h eld in th e Vedas
w i ll app ear ( 1 ) f rom t h e d ate and authorshi p as
signed f or its institution ( 2) the great virtues ,

attributed to its per f ormance b oth f or s p iritual ,

and tem p ora l p urposes ( 3 ) the b enefit it is said

,

to have conferred on the gods themse l ves We .

s h al l b riefly review it u n d er these d iff erent

as p ects .

Fir s t . Th e auth ors h i p o f the institu t ion is at

”
L ord
’
tri b ute d to Creation s himse lf , an d its
date is reckone d as coeval w ith t he creation .

L ord the
’
Creatio n s institute d sacrifice . He
u ttered the N i c ia ( sacrificia l f ormu l a ) ,
a ll
”
th ings w ere created after it . I n t h e p ost d i lu
-

vian w orl d the first act o f the su rviving p atri

,

a rch ,
who m the I ndo A ry ans call e d M a n n (a
-

l
A it areya b rah man a,
-
v ol . i
.
, p 48. .
 J ESUS I N T H E V EDAS . 2
9

nam e not very dissimilar to the S emitic N a ) ,

was a sacrificial offeri n g This l atter traditio n .

is confirmed as we ll by the Bible as al s o by t he

account found in the A s s yrian In scriptio n s . It
wil l not be regard ed as an extreme act of c re d u

lit y if we declare that much consideratio n is due

to the concurrence of so many curious traditions .

With refere n ce to the l egend of the i n s titution

of sacrifice bei n g coeval with the creatio n we ,

ca n o n ly in terpret the writer s mea n ing in the ’

sense of that i n stit utio n h avi n g existed from

l

time imm em or ia l . The Vedas knew of no time

w hen it w as not p racticed .

S ec on d . With reference to the great virtu es

attribute d to the celebratio n of S acrifices it was ,

consi d ered as the p ote n t remedy for all evils

the p anacea f or all distempers . E ven t h e b ri n y
ocean an d the dust of the earth distill sweets for
the regul ar p erformer of t he sacrificial ritual ‘
.

1
Rig v eda i
-

,
”
. 90, 6 .
3 0 J E SUS I N THE V EDAS .

Th e w orld w as called into being by virtu e of

S acrifice and is stil l upheld b y its force bei n g ,

“ ”
in d eed its nave l .

I n it l ay all stre n gth against enemies . The

Z an d A va s t a ,
-

too concurre d with the Vedas here

,
.

“
The evi l spirit had asked Z a r a th u s tr a By
whose w ord wi l t thou smite ,
b y wh ose word
w i l t thou a n nihilate b y what we ll made arms ,
-

smite m y creatures " ”

Z a r a th u s tr a a n swered
b oldly M ortar , c up , Haoma a nd the word ,

wh ich A huz a M a z d a- —
has spoken these are
”
m y b est weapons .
2
A n d these w ere the im
p l e m e n t s o f S acrifice .

N or w as the virt u e o f S acrifice l ess cons p ic u ous

f rom a s p iritu al p oint o f vie w . It wa s the great
means o f escape f rom the p ernicio u s effects of
“
sin . Give us , 0 I ndra mu ltitu d es o f goo d
,

1 “
R ig -
v eda i
,
”
. 59, 12 ; i . 164, 3 5 .
a “
B leeck , L, p 44
. .
 J ESUS I N TH E V EDAS .
3 1

horses with which we may offer our oblations .

” 1
a n d thereby escape all si n s .

Do thou l ead us safe through all sins by the

”
way of S acrifice .

Do
thou ( O S a c rifi c ia l S oma ) who knowe s t ,

al l thi n gs make us to pass over sin as a navi

, ,

”
gator ferries men over the sea .

Va r u n a , whose name appears the same as the

Greek word for heave n a n d who as we
have see n was regarded as the S upreme Bein g
,

u n der the title of A sura p -

r a c h et a s , is the n in

vok ed for such k n owledge as may make us wise

u nto salvatio n . O illustrious Varu n a do th ou ,

—
quicke n our u n derstan ding w e that are practic
i n g this ceremo n y that we may embark on the ,

good ferrying boat by which we may escape all

On A it a rya brahman a
3
si n s this passage the -

“
remarks : S acrifice is t he good ferryi n g boat .

1 “
Rig v eda ,
x . 1 13, 10 2 “
R ig -
v eda , X ' 3 11’ 6 '

v e da ,
”
viii 42.
, 3 .
3 2 J ESUS I N T HE V EDAS .

Th e bl ack skin is the good f errying b oat . Th e

Word is the good ferry ing boat . Having em

barked on the Word o n e crosses over to
,
the

h eave n ly world .

I t was not unusual in th ose d ay s for f erry

b oats to b e m ade of l eather ; rem in d ing us not
’
only of N oah s ark but al so o f the words in the ,

Bap tismal S ervice of the Ch u rch o f E ngland

“
that he may b e received into the ark o f Christ s ’

Church ,
and ma y so pass the waves of this
troub l esome worl d that he may final l y come to ,

” “ ”
the la n d of everl asting l ife . The black skin
”
and the Word above mentioned are e xpl aine d
”
in the S at a p a t h a -
b r ahmana where ,
S acrifice
is represented as retreating from t he go d s in a
b l a ck f orm . They fou n d it and took o ff its skin ,

and thence wa s produced the three f o ld knowl

-

edge ( Veda ) wh ich ,

as a product o f the S acrifice
“ ”
is identified with the goo d f erry ing b oat .

p 10
1
. .
 J E SU S IN T H E VE D A S .
33

“ S acrifice was retreating from the go d s . I t w as

going about i n a black form . Th e gods having
found it tore ,
cd it s skin and took it . The same
”
is the three fold k n owl edge S acrifice
-

,
.
1
Th is
“ ”
accounts f or the boat b ei n g assimilate d w ith
“
the black skin an d the Word ” —
the l atte r
“ ”
two bei n g i n separable from the S acrifice ,

“
which is also here declared ,
the three fold -

”
k n owl edge ,
otherwi s e called the Veda or its
”
Word . A nother reaso n for assimilating the
”
savi n g boat with the Word is that there was
,

“ ”
actu ally a hymn which was called p l a c a ,
raft
“ ”
or boat ,
a n d it was to be used daily .

S acrifice o ff ered according to the true wa y

—
the right p ath has bee n he l d in the Rik ,

Y a j u s h , and S aman to be the goo d f erry ing

boat or raft b y which he may escap e from sin .

It was e xp ress ly dec l ared to b e t he auth ori z ed

sat ap at h a b rah m an a,
-

p 8
. .

3)
34 JE SUS IN T H E V ED AS .

means b oth f or remission an d annu l ment o f sin .

“
The a n imal he o d ers to A g n iso m a is his own
”
ransom .
1

That S acrifice was he l d as the great means for

p rocuring remission or a n nulme n t of sins of
ever y descriptio n i s d eclared ,
in numerous pas
—
sages not only by the figures of s avin g boats or
rafts but literal ly in express terms
,
. The follow
i n g formula gives the word s which were uttere d
by the s a c rifi c e r as he offered each limb to the
Fire i n slaughtering a n d cutti n g up the victim s :
0
thou ( an imal limb now bei n g co n sig n ed to ,

the fire ) thou art the a nnulm e n t of si ns com

,

m it t e d by god s . Thou art the a nn ulm ent of

sins committed b y the ( departed ) fathers Thou .

art the a nn ulme n t of si n s committed by me n .

Thou art the a nn ulment of si n s committed by

ourselves . Whatever si n s we have committed
by day or by n ight ,
thou art the a n nu l me n t
T a it t iriya mh it a i
) ,
v ol
A
sa p 869
-

. . .
, , .
3 6 J ESU S IN T H E V ED A S .

p ecu l iar in th e m se l ves . The y were not intended

mere ly f or the gratification o f p articu l ar gods or
supernatural p owers having a relish f or th e
fumes o f f at bur n t o ff erings . The y seem to h ave

had a h igher obj ect i n view . The l imb o f the

victim as it was thrown into the Fire was ao

costed as th e a n n u lm en t of s in —not o nl y t h e
sa c rifi c e r s
’
own sins b ut the sins of all gods and
,

men—that is to say of the wh ole world,

. A nd
along with this we have the self ,
-

s a c rifi c e of
P r aj dp a t i, the L ord of Creatures the P u r u s h a
, ,

begotten in the begi nn ing of the worl d out of ,

w hose l imbs as the bod y was cut up spra n g the

, ,

different orders o f men of which In dia n society

was com p osed .

L egen d s such as these n aturally suggest the

question o f the origin of suc h conce p tions in the

A ry an m ind . D oubtl ess , we recognize in them

a haz y representation or distorte d view of the
great my stery o f Christian ity , th e L a mb s la in
 JE SUS I N T H E V ED A S .
37

fr om th e fou n d a t io n of th e wor l d , and of the

church which wa s h is b o d y, the h ousehold
,

of God the spiritual society comprehe n di n g al l

,

believers . But how came the A ryans to have

'

got any i ns ight i n to such a m y stery so earl y as

the age of the Vedas 2

A bel s a n d N oah
’ ’
s sacrifi ces were —
accepte d the
former h avi n g been so b y reason of th e s a cr i

fi
’
c er s fa ith ; and of the latter it is recorded that ,

th e L o r d s m el t a s weet s a c o r . The l ast word s

are parallel to the conc luding ex p ressio n s i n
E ph . v . 2: A s Christ also hath loved us a n d ,

h ath given himse lf f or us an o d eri n g ,

an d a
sacrifice to God for A S W EE T S M E LL I N G sn v o n .

’ ’
I t is i n co n ceivable that A bel s an d N oah s sacri
fi ces should be described as we find them to be ,

u n less they w ere typical of the great S acrifice

me n tio n ed in the text just cited ,
a n d unless
b oth s a c rifi c ers were cognizant to some exte n t ,

at l east ,
of the mystery o f th e L a mb s l a in
3 8 J E SUS I N T H E V EDAS .

fr om th e fo u n d a t io n of t h e wor l d A n d th ere .

is no reason to suppose that either of them would

put his can dle u n der a b ushel . Whatever they
may have learnt by divine revelatio n o n the sub
j c e t would he naturally commu n icated to their
childre n a n d conte m poraries a n d thus the teach ,

i n g might somehow b e transmitted to the I ndo

—
A ryan famil y subj ect o f course to such errors
a n d distortions as were u n avoidable u n der the
circumstances . The stream of Truth is always
liable to be tainted and co l ored a s it fl ows over
the soil of human tradition .

O ur a n cestors seem to have u n der s tood or at ,

“
l ea s t suspe cted that ,
it is no t po ss ible that the
b lood of bulls and o f goats should take away
”
si n s . Our an cestors could not be e n tirely un

con s cious of that . An d n otwithstan di n g their

h azy co n ceptio n s of s c ap e -

g o a t ,
and of the self
sacrifice o f the L ord of Creatures they felt a ,

di fficu l t y . The sacrificial ritual was more easil y

 J ESU S I N T H E V EDAS .
39

perpetuated than it s mean i n g or p urport u n der

stood ,
or commu n icated . I t was difii c u l t for
re c ollectio ns of the u n writte n theology ,
on
which it may have bee n origi n ally fou n ded to ,

b e pre s erved in their purity from generatio n to

ge n eratio n . The co n ce p tio n of the pri n ciples
whi c h u n derlay the i ns titutio n of the ceremo n y
ha d bee n ,
perhap s well n igh forgotte n
,
-

. The
ritual was held a s a n op us op er a tu m . There
would be little difficulty for childre n to keep it
up exactly a s they saw their fathers perform it .

The u n derlyi n g do c tri n e in the abse n ce of writ

te n records could n ot be so ea s ily tra ns mitted by
traditio n . The correct learn in g a n d correct
tra ns miss io n of d o c tr in e always requires clo s er
atte n tio n an d greater i n tell ectual effort o n the
,

part both of preceptor an d pupil tha n the mi ,

n ute observatio n a n d imitatio n of extern al cere

“
mo n ies . The ri t ual itself m a y have had a
shadow of good thin gs to come but could not ,
40 J ESUS IN T HE V EDAS .

with those sacrifices o ff ere d y ear by y ear make

”
t he comers th ereunto perfect .

To what extent the In do A r y ans -

had correctly
com p rehen d ed the doctrine on wh ich sacrificia l
ceremonies were fo u nde d ,
w e cannot easil y
guess . But we find they consi d ered it a mystery
or mdya death "
'

. Thus 0 the tho u sand m y ri

ads of th y hands for the d estruction o f m ortals ,

we an n u l th em all b y the mdyd or m yst erI o u s

” 1
p o w er of sacrifice . The d octrine involved,
whether the In do A ry ans righ tly un d erstoo d it
-

“
or not is dou b tless a
,
m y ster y . M any thing s
connected with the i n scru tabl e wi ll o f the
A lmight y mu s t be m y sterious .

Th ir d . The y had the same concep tion of this

m y sterious p o w er in the case o f the D ivas wh o
” “
were originally mortal s ,
who w ere in the b e
”
ginning l ike men ,
b ut had b een trans l ated to
”
h eaven b y t h e virtu e of sacrifice . I n d ra himse lf
Tait t iriya ara n yak a,
”
1 -

p.198 .
 J ESUS I N TH E V EDAS .
41

was no b etter at first . He was our ma n ,

an d
“ ”
as such the ,
best of me n . But like other god s
, ,

though more exce llently than any other ,

he
had performed numberless sacrifices a n d been ,

“
thereby p romoted to heave n free from ,
want ,

” “
misery ,
a n d death . A gain ,
by thi s sacri
fi c ia l h y mn the gods had overcome the A s ur a s .

B y the same does the s a c rifi c er, whoever he

be stil l overcome the most w icked enem y
,
1

A nd it has b een expressly declared that as

sacrifice was the way by which the D io a s got to
heave n the same is still the way ope n for ma n
,

“
kind . Whosoever desires the f elicity of
heaven l et him perform sacrifice s i n the ri ght
,

”
way . An d such performan ces were reckoned
as the fi rs t a c t s of religio n the first an d primi
,

tive dhan n a . The D iva s performed a sacrifice

by means of a sacrifice . These were the first
acts of religion . The y became gl orified and
1
T an dya -
Mah ab rah m an a , v ol . 1 p 10 5
. . .
42 J ESU S I N T H E V E D AS .

attaine d to heave n wh ere the pristi n e , Sadh ya s

live .
l

N ow the secret o f this extreme importance

attache d to sacrifice a n d the key to the proper ,

understan d i n g of the w hole subj ect was the self

s a c rifi c e of P r aj dp a t i, the L ord or S upporter of
2

the Creatio n the ,

P u ru s h a begotten before the
” “
world ,
the Vi s o a h a rm a n the A uthor of the ,

Un iverse The idea is fou n d i n all the three

—
Veda s Rik ,
Y a j u sh a , —
a n d S ama n ih S amhitas ,

Brahmanas . A ran y a k a s , an d Upan ishad s . The

D ivi n e P u r u s h a who gave him s elf up as a sacr i
fi ce f or the D iva s , i . e . em a n c ip a t ed m or t a l s ,
had it is said desired a n d got a mortal bod y
, ,

fi t f or fis a cri ce, a n d himself became h a lf m o r

ta l a n d h a lf imm o r ta l . I t is added that he

made sacrifice a reflection or figure of himself :

that the eq u in e body was fou n d fit for sacrifice ,

Rig v eda -

,
i . 164 , 50 . T an dya m ah ab rah m an a ,
-
vo l . i .

p 4 10
. .
44 J ESUS I N T H E V EDAS .

mo n ies . The same idea throws light on the te xts

which dec l are th e cel ebration of S acrifi ce to be
the o nly way of attaini n g heaven ,
after the

examp l e o f those quondam m ortals the ,

D ic a s
an d the o nl y good vesse l for getti n g over the
'

waves o f sin , which would otherwise overwhelm

ma n kind Both the Rik and the Y a j u sh tel l us
.

th at W h e n the gods cele b rati n g the sacrifice

“
, ,

bou n d P uru s h a as the v ictim they immolated

,

,
—
Him the S acrific e o n the gra s s even ,
h im , the
P u ru s h a , who was b egotten i n the
There is again a n obscure passage i n the Rig
”
veda ,
which Y aska the author of the
,
Ni

ru k t a , thus e x pou n ds “
V is v a -

"arman had i n
u n iversal sacrifice offered al l creatures a n d then ,

”
eventually o fi e re d Himself also .

The Y a j u sh summarizes the same passage by

putti n g into the mouth o f the D ivine S elf S acri -

T aitt iriya aran ya k a ,

-

p p.3 3 1—3 3 3 .
 JE SUS I N TH E VE DAS .
45

fi c er the words Le t me offer m y self in all

” 1
creatures and all creatures i n m y self
,
.

The obscurity is n ot removed by these d iffer

ent readi n gs The idea is n evertheless somewh at
.

cleared up by the light of other passage s a n d ,

by the assistance of the Bible . The world was

co n dem n ed and offered for sacrifice that is to
, ,

say was devoted to destructio n for s i n

, , ; and
the D ivi n e S aviour then o fi e re d Himself for its
“
delivera n ce . The Bible says ,
I f o n e died for
”
all the n were all dead
,
. The Veda says co n ,

v ers e l y , B ec a u s e a ll wer e d evo t e d t o d es tr u c t io n ,

t h erefo r e f on e d i ed or a ll . The o n e reasoned
from the co n sequent to the a n tecede n t the other
from the antecede n t to the consequent but both
appeared to concur i n the nature of the ante
cede n t and the co n seque n t .

The B rih a dara n ya k a itself a n upan ishad says

, , ,

P r aj d p a ti de s ired to offer a great S acrifice .

Sé t ap at h a b rah m an a
-

, 13, 7 , 1 .
46 J ESU S I N T HE ‘
V E D AS .

He desired —M a y I have a b od y pro p er fo r

s acrifice an d may I become embodied by it

, .

The same upan ishad adds P riests solemniz e

the sacrifice as if it were a n offeri n g of P r aj d
”
p a ti hi m s elf, or the u n iversal Godhead . A gain ,

it ( the sacrifice ) becomes a n o nl y D ivata even ,

”
D eath which to borrow for the mome n t a
, ,

Bibli cal phra s e ,

r eig n s c o er a ll . A nd the n the
“
same sacrifi c e ev e ntu ally co n quers d eath n or ,

can death get to it agai n .

The Sa t a p a t h a -
b r ahman a says with refere n ce
“
to P r aj dp a ti that half of himself was mortal
“
a n d half immortal . A gain ,
whe n he had
give n him s elf up for them he made a figure or ,

image of him s elf which i s sacrifice ,

. Therefore
”
they s ay ,
P r aj dp a ti is the sacrifice Himself .

P r aj dp a ti or P u ru s h a i s el s ewhere spoken of
“ “
A t ma d d
”
as or giver of self ,
whose shadow ,

1, 3 1 Muller s Hib b ert Lectures p 29 7

’
1
x. . . , . .
 J ESUS IN T HE V EDAS .
47

whose death is immortality , ) ( to us .

1
An d this
immortality agai n regarded n ot o nl y the soul
, ,

but the body al s o . Thu s i n the R ig -

veda the

so n of a righteou s man wa s i n structed to u s e the

followi n g formula i n h is la s t addre ss to hi s dead
“
father : depart (0 Father
D epart , where our
forefathers have already go n e by the old path s
( of the prim itive R is h is ) . S ee th e re both the
kin gs Y ama a n d the
,
D ivi n e Varu n a e n j oyin g ,

the ir immortal repa s t . Un ite the n in the high

e s t h eave n with Y ama an d the Fathers hav in g ,

your good works follow in g you . Giv in g up your

v ile ( body ) get to your abode an d be again
u n ited w ith a body of great s ple n dor I S o that
the overthrow of death wa s complete .

Without goi n g further wi th quotatio n s an d cita

t io n s wh ich , from their mo n oto n ous character
have we fear already become tediou s we may
, , ,

Rig v eda-

, x 121, 2
. .
48 J ESUS I N T H E V EDAS .

no w u nd ertake to declare that the first of the

two p ropositio n s , w ith which we comme n ced

this discourse is proved ,
c ia :

That the fu n dame n tal pri n cipl es o f Christian

doctrine in relation to the salvatio n of the world
, ,

fi n d a remarkable cou n terpart in the Vedic

pri n ciples of primitive Hi n dui s m i n re l atio n to
the de s truction of sin a n d the redemption of the
si nn er by the e fficac y of S acrifice it s elf a figure ,

of P r aj dp a t i the ,
L o rd of the Creatio n ,
wh o had
”
o fi e re d himself a s acr ifice for that purpose .

A ll that has ju s t bee n shown a p p e rt a In I n

g to
the self -
s a c rifi c e of P r aj dp a ti curiou s ly res e m
ble s the Biblical de s criptio n of C HRI S T a s God
a n d man our very ,
E mma n u e l , mort al a n d im
“
mortal who
,
hath give n Him s elf for us a n ,

offeri n g a n d a sacrifice to God for a sweet smell -

”
i n g savor ,
of whom all previous sacrifices were
but figures a n d reflectio ns who b y His sacrific e ,

“
or death h ath vanquished death and brought ,
 J ESUS IN T HE V EDAS .
49

life an d immortalit y to l igh t through the Gos

”
pel .

P r aj ap
'
The Vedic idea l of a t i, as w e h ave see n
si n gu l arly approximates to the ab ove d esc rip

tion of our L ord , and therefore remarkabl y con

firms the saving mysteries of C h ristianity .

We proceed now to discuss the second propo

s it io n
“
That the mean i n g of P r aj dp a t i—an

appellation variousl y described as a P u ru s h a

begotten in the begi n ni n g as , Vi s o a k a rm a n the

—
Creator of all coincides with the meaning of the
n ame an d offi ce of the historical r e a lit v JES U S
CHRI S T , and that no other person than JES U S of
Nazareth has ever appeared in the worl d claim
i n g the character and position of the se l f sacri -

fi c in g P r aj dp a t i, half morta l and h alf im m o r

”
tal .

“
The name P r aj ap a t i not only means the
“
L ord of Creatures ,
but also the supporter ,

feeder ,
a n d de liverer of his creatures . The
(4 )
50 JE SUS I N T H E V EDAS .

great Vedic comment ator S aya n a interp rets it in

that wider sense . The L ord and M aster has to
f eed a n d mai n tain his serva n ts a n d subj ects .

The n ame JES U S i n the Hebre w mean s the same

, ,
.

The radical term stands f or h elp , d e l i ver a n ce

i
s a l va t o n . An d that n ame was give n Him be
cause He would s a ve His peopl e from their s ins .

I n the prophecy cited by Dr . M atthew , He is

described a s fiy fi
ofl e r os a l eader or ruler ,
wh o
”
shall feed ( n o fl w e i) m y p eople I srael
z c He .

i s therefore to His peop l e what a shepherd is

—
to his flo c k both leader ruler a n d feeder , ,
.

The same is the import of p a ti the n ame P ra

d
j p a ti, therefore si n gularl y corresponds to the
,

name JES U S .

N ow i n order to clear our way to the p rope r

appreciatio n of thi s s e c o n d propositio n it is
n eces s ary to consider that the doctri n e of S acri
fice a s
,
a figure of P r aj dp a ti ( who had o ff ered
himself as a sacrifice f or the b enefi t o f the worl d ) ,
5 2 J ESUS I N T H E V ED A S .

s o n a l it y P r aj ap a ti , h al f im
‘

of half mortal and

mortal ,
an d how and by what mea n s at
, ,
th e

p resent t im e ,
w e are to respond to the invitatio n of
the Rig veda -
a n d embark o n the good ve ss el
which will carr y us In safety over the waves of
S in "What has b ecome of those doctri n es and
p ractices now "We S hall first co n sider the p er
s o n a l it y of P r aj dp a ti . The appellative h a s been
applied in the Hi n du S criptures to s everal char
acters . But o n e of these corresponds to the idea l
of a s e lf -

ifi i
s a cr
c n g S a vi o u r of t h e wo rld .

N ot a si n gle character i n the Hi n du P antheon

or i n the P a n theo n of a n y other n atio n has ,

claimed the position of o n e who offered himse lf

as a sacrifice for the b e n efit of human it y . T h ere
is o n ly o n e historical p erso n JE S U S of N azareth
, ,

whose name and position correspo n d to that of

—
the Vedic ideal one mortal a n d immortal who ,

sacrificed h imself for ma nki n d . By the proce ss

o f e xh au stion w e may conc lude th at JES U S is the
 J E SUS I N T H E V E D A S .
53

tru e P r aj dp a t i, the true S aviour of the worl d ,

“
the o n ly N ame give n amo n g men whereby we
”
must b e saved . N o other character n o other ,

hi s torical perso n age ca n satisfy the li n eame n ts

of the Vedic ideal . N o n e else has even come
f orward to claim that i d e ntity .

We are n ow in a positio n to say that the

p recious truth we have bee n i nvestigati n g ,

though lost in In dia is not lost to the

,
world .

I t was i n fact a frag me nt of a great scheme of

salvatio n which was at first partially revealed
,

a n d ha s si n ce appeared in its i ntegrity in the

—
P erso n of JES U S C HRI S T the true P r aj dp a ti of
—
the world a n d i n His Church the true A rk of
,

salvatio n ,
by which we may escape from the
waves of this si n fu l world . Do you wish to j oin
in the prayer to Varu n a the most a n cie nt per ,

s o n a l it y of God i n the Rig veda -

O illustrious

Varu n a do thou quicken our u n derstandi n g we

, ,

that are practici n g this ceremony that we m a y ,

54 J E SUS I N T H E V E D A S .

embark in the goo d f erryi n g b oat by wh ich w e

may escape al l si n s Do y ou w is h to embark
on that good navigating vesse l "Hear the Vedas
“ ”
the n : S acrifice is the goo d f erryi n g b oat
S acrifice the image of ,
P r aj dp a ti the se l f sacri
-

fi c in g D e l iverer of the world . An d if P r aj dp a ti

b e f ound onl y in t h e P erson of the historica l

C HRI S T , it w il l follow that the good navigating
vesse l or A rk is no other th an the Church of
C HRI S T .

We thi n k we may therefore declare our second

, ,

p ro p osition to b e also demonstrated . C HRI S T is

the true P r aj —
dp a t i the true P u r u s h a b egotten

i n the b eginning b efore all worlds a n d Himse lf ,

b oth God a n d man . The doctri n es o f savi n g

“ ”
sacrifice the p rimar y re ligious rites o f the
‘
Rig veda
-
” — f th
o e d oub l e character p riest an d

victim variously call ed

,
P r aj dp a t i, P u ru s h a ,
—
a n d Vis va h a rm a n o f the A rk by which we
—
escap e the w aves of this sinful world these d oc
 J ESUS I N TH E V ED A S .
55

tri n es we say which had appeared i n our Veda s

, ,

amid much rubbish an d thi n g s worse than rub

,

bi s h may b e viewed as fragme n t s of diam o n d s

,

sparkli n g amid du s t an d mud ,

testifyi n g to

some i n v is ible fabric of wh ich they were com

p o n e nt part s an d bearn witn ess like plan ets
,

over a dark hor izo n to the abse n t su n of whom

their refulge n ce wa s but a feeble re flection .

The gold ha s become dim by the alloy which

h as been mixed up by u n holy a n d impure han ds .

A s far however as the origi n al Veda s refer to

, ,

“
the self d evotio n of
-

the L ord of Creature s

“
begotte n i n the begi nn in g ,
a n d to the primeva l
i n stitu t io n of sacrificial ceremo n ies as a typical
refle c tio n thereof i n which the,
s a c rifi c er was
himself the victim they may be held apart from
, ,

subseque n t co n cretio n s to be evide n ces of ideas , ,

originally pure but afterwards debased u n der

,

the corrupt suggestion s of a wil d imagi n ation ,

in the absence of corrective i n fluences There are .

56 J ESUS I N TH E V EDAS .

words an d p hrases among the citations made

which cannot be accounted for except as i n dica
,

tions of somethi n g which underlay all sacrifices ,

s u ch as those which N oah a n d "b o had accept

—
ab ly offered somethi n g which rel ated to Him
wh o g a ve H is l ife f a r a n s om or m a n y, and who
was Himself the victim and Himself the priest .

A nd so far the origina l legends o f the In do A r y -

ans a re in their pristine p urit y strongl y c on fi r

m at o ry of a fu n damental princip l e of Christian

doctri n e .

A ll this may seem a stran ge say i n g to some

and a hard sayi n g to others . But to t he Hi n du
wh o reveres his Vedas a n d the Christian who
,

l oves h is Bib l e to a l l who are friends of truth

, .

it cannot b e an unwelcome sayin g . N either the

Christian nor the Hi n du ,
n or a ny si n cere lover
of truth can repi n e at this vie w of the funda
menta l teachi n g of the Vedas ,
calculated to
bridge over the gulf which n ow separate s relig
 JE SUS I N T H E V ED A S .
57

io n s mi n ds of the West and the E ast . The

Vedas foreshow the E piphan y of C HRI S T . The
Vedas shed a p eculiar l ight upo n that dispe n sa
tion of P rovide n ce which brought E aster n sages
to worsh ip C HRI S T l o n g b efore the Wester n s have
even heard of Him .

The Christian with the wide sympathy wh ich

,

incites him to invite all n ations to the faith o f

C HRI S T ca n onl y rej oice that the JES U S of the
Gospels respo n d to the self s a crifi c in g P r aj dp a ti
-

of the Vedas a n d that the evan gelist s chief

,
’

work will be to exhibit before his neighbors the

, ,

—
true A rk of salvation that true “
vesse l of sacri
”
fi ce by which we may e s cape all si n s . He w ill
o nly have to exhibit the real per s onality of t h e
“ ”
true P u ru s h a begotte n before the worlds ,

“
morta l an d y et divi n e ,
whose Shado w whose,

d eath is immortality it s elf .

The tolerant Hi n du o n the other han d cann ot

, ,

fi nd an y di ffi culty a n y n a tional hu m iliatio n i n

, ,
58 J ESU S IN T H E V ED AS .

ackno wl e dging the historical JES U S o f the N e w

Testame n t to correspond to the ideal P r aj dp a ti

of t he Ve d as and to strength en the corn er stone

,
-

of t he Vedic s ystem however corru p ted by

,
the

impure accretions of ages and disfigured b y the ,

rubbish of ig n ora n ce a n d caste craft -

.

I t is remarka b le that w hile the elementary ar

t icl e s are so much alike there is no rival hier
,

archy in I ndia to declare f or the ideal of the

Vedic P r aj dp a ti . The d octrine of a se l f sacri -

fi c in g S aviour w ho by death overcame D eath

, ,

appears to have vanished from the S astras with

out a representative succession . A lthough we
have millio n s o f gods in the Hindu P antheo n ,

yet we have none w ho p ro p oses to b e a sub st i

t ute or successor o f Him who o ffered Him s elf a

sacrifice f or the eman cip atio n of mortals an d ,

“
l eft the institution of S acrifice as a figure of
Himsel f . That doctri n e has lo n g become ob so

l ete . The position of P r aj dp a t i, h imse l f the

6o J ESUS I N T H E V ED A S .

not be d enied we cannot shut our eyes to actual

,

realities . I nstead of i n du lgi n g in mere feelin gs

of wonder l et us give glory to God whose mercy
, ,

a n d grace ca n not b e co n tracted within the n ar

ro w l imits of our pun y ideas . N or is there any
reason here for doi n g otherwise than extollin g
God for having vouchsafed so much light more ,

p erhaps than we could have expected a p r i o r i ,

to certai n I ndian Rishis . We must remember

that the d isti n guishe d man so much ho n ored ,

in the Bible who bore the titl e of

,
“
"in g of
Righteous n ess to whom A braham himself
gave tithes an d who was an acknow l edged type
,

of C HRI S T was himself a Ge n ti l e

,
.

The Veda te lls us of the A rk of S al vatio n b y

which sin may b e escap ed and repeatedly ex ,

horts uS to embark in it . The A rk o f S al vation ,

with the P uru s h a begotten i n the begi nn i n g

at its head can b e no other than
,
the Church of
h ris t . I n a d d itio n then to the e xhortations of
,
 JESUS I N TH E V E D AS . 61

Christian evangelists we , h ave o ur o w n Vedas

callin g o n us to embark o n that very A rk if we ,

d esire to b e delivered from the waves of si n .

The doctrine w hich had become obsolete an d

falle n i n to oblivion b y lurking in the sealed
ma nuscripts o f the Vedas ,
ha s bee n ,
in the
P rovidence of Go d restored
,
. I t appea rs now as
a n abidi n g witness for the Christi a n faith . An
eloquent preacher once remarke d with refere n ce
to the Vedic doctri n es al ready alluded to here ,

that n o perso n can be a true Hindu without be

in g a true Christian . The relation between

Vedic doctrines and Christian i ty is i n deed so

i ntimate that we ca n scarcely ho ld the one

without b ei n g l ed to the other much l ess can we
,

keep our ho l d on the one wh il e resisting t he

claims o f the other .

 a1
11 1 111111111 .

An effort t o give, within t he space of a. da ,

y
vivid picture of t he Galilean

ac tivity of "u es s.

By E ro te s s o r E ra n ; D e l it m ch ,
Of the Uni ve si ty o f Le i p ig r z .

T R A N S LA T E D FRO M T HE TH
GE R MAN E D ITI ON ,
IR D

BY PR O F GE O . . H S C HODD E , P H D , o r
. . .

C APIT A L U N IVE R S IT Y, O H I O .

1 2111 0 , 1 6 6 pp .
, Cl o h t . P ri c e, Po st a ge Free .

Th e h is to i c l d t t k e n f om t h
r a G a a a re a r e os

p e ls b t t o f n ot o nly w h t is the e
u c o n s 1s a r nar
te d b t ls o e m b ce m ny f e tu e s th t
,

ra u a ra a a r a
h ve h i the to b ee n b t l t t l I t is
,

a r t d u I e n o rc e as
t uly l p i ctu e o f b u s y d y in
.

r hi t an s o r rc a r a a
Ch i t s l f cou ld p o ssi b ly b d wn ; i t is
’
r s I e as e ra
w i tte n wi th p t fe o th t ho lds the tte
r a oe Ic rv r a a n
t i o n to the e nd it is tte n wi th s uch g l o w : e a
i g lo e f
n the S v i ou d f i th in H s l v
v or a r an a IS a a
t th t i t w m s d e nk indl e s t h he t o f
Io n , a ar an e ar
a ll w ho e d i t s p g e s
r a a
T h d e s c i p t o n o f the l oc li t i e s the y n o w
.

e r i a as
a p pe is b s e d l thou g h t x c l u si ve ly o n
ar a a no e
the w o k s o f R ob ins o n ; the i in
, ,

r p d t r re ro uc IO n
the i olde f o m is b s e d o n the t s c tte e d
r r r a no Ic e s a r
i n "o s e p hu s the T l m u d d the M d h im a an I ra s
w h i ch t h utho w n ot e s t i cte d t
, , .
f or e a r as r r o
tho s e l e dy co ll ecte d b y R e l nd L ig ht foot
a r a a
S ch w d N eu b ue of
, ,

a rz an Th il l t t a r. e us ra lons
the t m e s d o f the l fe o f the p eo p l e
i
,

an i a re
no w the wo k o f fi ct i o n the y
rs e r th o ug ho u t a re r
d w f om t h o lde s t "
ra n r e wis h l t t u e I e ra re .

FU N " W A GN A L L S, P u b l is h e rs,

18 20 A s to P l ce r a , Ne w Y o rk .
 he lawof the we
MODERN INFIDELITY
AND HOW TO MEET IT .

A lso, b ou n d in t h e sam e vo lum e , a

ser es i of n on -
rel i g io u s p ap e rs
T h e S p a re H a l f Ho ur .
”

By R ev C H S P UR GE OZV
’
. . . .

l 2m o, 1 9 0 p p .
, p ap er, 1 5 c t en s ; c o l th , 75 c en t s .

Th e Cl e w o f t h e Ma z e m e a n s w i th Mr , .

S pu r g e o n t h e i nt e rp r e t a t i o n w h i ch e v e ry
,

b l i eve r i n t h e B i b l e c a n fi n d i n i ts p g e s f o r
e a

t h e p e r pl e x i t i e s o f l if e T h e S p a r e Ha l f ‘
.

H o u r i s a s e r i e s o f ra c y p a p e r s s u gg e st e d
’

b y M r S pu r g e o n s t a ve l s w h e n h l S h e a lth
’
. r

g a v e w a y f ro m ov e r w o rk Th e y m a y b e .

d e sc rib e d a s R o u n d a b o u t p a p e r s f ul l o f
‘ ’
,

i nt e re st i ng a ss o c i a t i o n s a n d a n e c d ot e s ” .

o
Th e E a g le, B r o k lyn .

S u n d y sch oo l t
a -
ch d o th s w h ea e rs a n er o

d o n o t fi d it sy t o p ss c o m m n th ng
n ea re o i s

i n to t h s v i c o f t h D i v i n m y g i n
di ng o f th i s b oo k —
e er e e e, a a a

h i n t f om t h
r e re a Su .
”
n

d y S ch oo l Tim
a -
es .

FUN " WA G N A L L S, P u b l ish s er ,

18 20 A s to r P la c e , N . Y .