The Lost Years Of Jesus

Dear One,

A long time ago, I stumbled upon a strange old book, that managed to arrest my immediate attention and curiosity. It was rotting in a heap of other decrepit books waiting for similar salvation. I moved in for a closer look at this dusty and tattered volume, whose first few pages were completely destroyed by the unforgiving clutches of time. Rightly said, time destroys everything in it's way - good or bad alike.

Opening what was left of the queer book, I gleaned onto it's contents wearily. The rear page was hardly  legible with yellow stains of decay. I gently dust the ancient residue with my bare hands, hoping to catch a fleeting glimpse of the author's words, peering at me invitingly. The book itself was in a state of abject despair, and to read it further was like pushing it's luck to the extreme.

I am a student of ancient literature and it never fails to fascinate me to pick up an old book, run my fingers across it's bruised pages and re-live it's magic anew. As I began to scan the near faded words, a thrill of awe and excitement ran down my spine over what I saw. I paid the bookseller in full without haggling further, as the price for such an invaluable book was nothing more than a pittance. I reverentially took the book and rushed home to immerse myself in it's hidden mysteries, waiting to be retold, probably for one last time.

The name of the book was, "The Unknown Life Of Christ" authored by a traveling Russian Doctor - Nicolas Notovich.  It was an old publication, probably published in the 1800's, and it had caused an instant uproar and controversies galore, among the devout as it came in to print even then. The prologue of the book itself was enough to prove it's controversial volatility and content. It read -

- Ancient scrolls reveal that Jesus spent seventeen years in India and Tibet
- From age thirteen to age twenty-nine, he was both a student and teacher of Buddhist and Hindu holy men
- The story of his journey from Jerusalem to Benares was recorded by Brahman historians
- Today they still know him and love him as St. Issa. Their 'Buddha'

I personally admire Jesus - The man and his Mission, as much as I admire Lord Ram or Gautama - The Buddha. As a student of liberal spirituality and religion, I love to explore various religious texts and literature without any inherent prejudice or malice. My sole aim is to understand and decipher, the role of history and circumstance in transforming the lives of ordinary men and women, catapulting them to soaring heights of power and influence; capable of impacting the very foundations of human civilization and thought.

I knew the story and the message of The Bible, and I was also aware of the quaint legend of Christ's mysterious disappearance at the age of 13, only to reappear miraculously in Jerusalem, later in his 29th year as a worthy spiritual leader and The Messiah. What transpired in between those years remain a holy mystery, and modern day followers of Christ over rule or side step it as unimportant figment of worthless history or imagination.

However, this book reiterates with tangible proofs and hard facts, the arduous journey Christ undertook in search of true wisdom. His search for knowledge, it ruefully claims, led him to the land of spirituality - India.

India at the time of Christ, was a Mecca for spiritual studies. Formidable stalwarts and sages mingled together to create a byzantine civilization of advanced technology and infra-structure. It was also the land of Master Yogis - The super human scientists of the inner realms, and Christ very well knew that the answers to all his questions, lay with them to be re-discovered. 

An ancient Indian text, Bhavishya Mahapuran, records an encounter between King Shalivahana and one St.Issa, at the foothills of Srinagar, Kashmir. It also follows in detail, the spiritual journey undertaken by The Christ himself, under the able tutelage of several Buddhist and Hindu Yogis, gradually transforming Himself into a spiritual dynamo, fit to carry the message of love and peace to distant lands.

In modern day Ladhak, there is an ancient monastery which houses the records of a man who was known as Issa, and his spiritual exploits undertaken to help ease the burden of the locals. It records many miracles Jesus performed on the plains of this arid land, making way for him as a future Messiah. Hence we know him in India as 'Issamassih' or Issa - The Messiah.

In the later years of Christ and his ministry, his teachings bear an uncanny coherence to the teachings of the ancient masters of the East. Many are also the similarities between the ritualistic practices of Hinduism and Christianity, striking a loving yet distant chord between the two. Many worshipful practices of Catholicism and  Hinduism, I dare say, are like two sides of the same coin; divided by modern day prejudices.

I do wish to believe that Christ, once lived in India, the holy land of the blessed and the best, but this is a controversial thought to support; as these days God and His messengers, have become a copy-righted propriety material for the over-zealous followers of the faith. They fight over the Man and the Way, only to forget all about his pristine life and teachings to follow. 

Christ for me, is the epitome of a man, who had the courage and wisdom, to identify himself fully with His Creator - His Father; Our Father. The so called "believers of faith", can very well question the credibility of Christ's unknown connection with this holy land and can fight their wits to prove it otherwise; however one thing stands out clear and straight for anyone to refute - Christ or Krishna belongs to all humankind, irrespective of caste, creed or religion. They are Universal Messengers of peace and love; hence they cannot be slotted by any human standards, filled with hypocrisy and deceit. They rightly belong to me, as much as the sun or the moon belongs to you or anyone else.

The one who understands this is wise, the rest otherwise.

Peace in oneself. Peace in the world.

P.S - By the way, it's been long since I have donated this book to a worthy library for due preservation and upkeep. It rests there in peace, hoping to find it's final deliverance, in the hands of the worthy.