India's God Krishna Was the King of Jerusalem!

By Gene D. Matlock

What a strange world in which we live! The Catholic Church has always known that Christianity did not begin with Jesus Christ, but yet it tries to make us think it did.

St. Augustine of Hippo (354-430 AD) wrote: "This, in our day, is the Christian religion, not as having been unknown in former times, but as having recently received that name."

Eusebius of Caesarea (circa 283-371 AD) said: "The religion of Jesus Christ is neither new nor strange."

In Anacalypsis, The 17th century British orientalist and iconoclast, Godfrey Higgins, insisted that Christianity was already firmly in place in both the West and the East, many centuries before Jesus Christ was born. He said, The Crestians or Christians of the West probably descended directly from the Buddhists, rather than from the Brahmins. (Vol. 2, pp 438, 439.)

The existence of the Christians both in Europe and India, (existed) long anterior to the Christian era... (Vol 2, p. 202.) I think the most blind and credulous of devotees must allow that we have the existence of the Cristna of the Brahmins in Thrace, many hundred years before the Christian era-the birth of Jesus Christ. (Book X, p. 593.)

"Melito (a Christian bishop of Sardis) in the year 170, claims the patronage of the emperor, for the now so-called Christian religion, which he calls "our philosophy," on account of its high antiquity, has having been imported from countries lying beyond the limits of the Roman empire, in the region of his ancestor Augustus, who found the importation ominous of good fortune to his government." This is an absolute demonstration that Christianity did not originate in Judea, which was a Roman province, but really was an exotic oriental fable, imported from India, and that Paul was doing as he claimed, viz: preaching a God manifest in the flesh who had been "believed in the world" centuries before his time, and a doctrine which had already been preached "unto every creature under heaven." (Bible Myths and Their Parallels in Other Religions; T. W. Doane, p. 409.)

Religious historians have for hundreds of years struggled to find out how and why the stories about Jesus and Krishna, who were born 2,000 years apart, are so nearly identical.

• Both Christ and Krishna descended from Noah.
• The future births of both messiahs were predicted ahead of time.
• Christ was descended from Abraham
• Krishna was the father of Abraham (Brahma).
• Christ was at once a Koresh, a Hebrew, and a Yehudi.
• Krishna was at once a Kurus, an Abhira, and a Yadava.
• Christ was an incarnation of Yah-Veh.
• Krishna was at once an incarnation of Vishnu and Shiva.
• Christ's first name, Jesus, was Yeshua.
• A title of Krishna, meaning "love; devotion," was Yesu. Even today, many Hindu parents name their sons, Yesu Krishna.
• Both men were born of virgins and in a stable.
• Krishna's mother was named Devaki.
• Jesus mother was called Mary.
• Krishna did not have an earthly father as such, but a protector, named Vasudeva.
• Jesus did not have an earthly father as such, but a mortal protector named Joseph.
• An evil king tried to kill Christ and Krishna when they were both infants.
• To protect the infant Jesus, Joseph and Mary took him to Maturai, Egypt.
• To protect the infant Krishna, his parents, Vasudeva and Devaki, took him to Mathura, India.
• It was predicted that both men would die to atone for the sins of their people.
• As you have probably noticed, they took refuge in places having almost identical names.
• Both men preached to their people.
• Christ was crucified and then resurrected. Krishna was killed by a hunter's arrow and impaled on a tree. Later, he returned to life.
• Christ was crucified in Jerusalem.
• Some Hindu scholars think that Krishna died in Jerusalem, having gone there when his coastal city of Dwarka sank under the sea. Others say he went to Iraq.
• Christ appeared after his "death." Krishna appeared after his "death."
• Both of them have a major holiday dedicated to them on December 25th.
• Christ had a female admirer named Mary Magdalene. Krishna had a female admirer named Marya Maghadalena.

Fanatically sectarian Christians and Hindus alike militantly reject the idea that the stories of these two deities are related. The Christians accuse the Hindus of blurring their identities on purpose. Some even claim that the Devil himself is the culprit.The Hindus reciprocate accordingly. Unfortunately, neither side can prove or disprove anything. In this article, I will attempt to clear up this mystery once and for all.

The Hindu Equivalent of our Old Testament Story of Abraham.

The story begins with our Abraham or Brahma as the Hindus called him. His father was Lord Krishna; his brother was Mahesh a.k.a Maheshvara who would be our Moses (Heb: Moshe).

The Hindu triad consists of the Gods Brahma, the equivalent of our God, and Gods Shiva and Vishnu. Actually Shiva and Vishnu are one and the same deities. Together, they are Brahma (God). Today, in India, there are only two temples dedicated to God Brahma because the Hindus say mankind is not yet ready to worship such a lofty concept.

Hindu Proof That Jesus Is the Son of God!

The Bible tells us that Jesus was both Shiva and Vishnu, for Jesus' biblical names are Isa/Isha (Shiva), Yeshua (Skt. Yishvara, pronounced in Sanskrit as Yeshwara), Kristos, and Yesu, another name of Krishna . Even in India, Lord Krishna was and still is called Yesu Krishna and Kristna. These names prove to us that Jesus was both Shiva and Vishnu, thus making Jesus the begotten son of the Unbegotten-Brahma.

Picture of Christ.

The preceding information shows us that the Hindus are as Christian as the Christians are. Morever, the Hindus can prove that Jesus was the son of God, but we have to accept this as a matter of faith only. Even so, there is no lack of Christian sects wanting the Hindus to "convert" to their way of thinking although we must credit the Hindus with the honor of proving to us that Jesus is the son of God. But the Hindus don't need to convert to the spiritual knowledge they bequeathed to us. They were "converted" thousands of years before our Jesus was born. I say, leave them be.

Since Krishna was not born of man, he was not actually the earthly father of Brahma and Mahesh. Therefore, he himself was the protector (Tara) of Brahma. In Sanskrit, Tara means "savior; protector." It is a term generally used with the gods Rudra, Shiva, Vishnu and Brahma. Even our Old Testament says that the father (protector) of Abraham was Terah (Genesis 11:26.) The Bible tells us that Abraham and Sarah were half-siblings. (Genesis 12:19-20.). The Hindu holy books also tell us that a blood relationship existed between them. The Puranas relate Sarasvati to Brahma and Vishnu. Most frequently, she is associated with Brahma. Her connection with him dates earlier than to any other God. She is portrayed mostly as his wife and occasionally as his daughter. When Vishnu's popularity in India increased, myths relating Saraswati to him appeared. (Ref:Sarasvati and the Gods; www.vishvarupa.com.) Therefore, Brahma or Vishnu would also have been the Tara (Terah) of Sarasvati because of her divine origins.

Brahm (Abraham)

Sarasvati (Sarah)

Abraham or Brahma's home was the land of Haran (Genesis 1:4.) Haran was the coastal principality governed by Krishna. It was even named after him because Hara (Sun God) is another name of Krishna. Brahma/Abraham was 75 years old when he left Haran.

Just as Christ was crucified on a cross and then returned to life, Krishna, also known as Haran, was crucified on a tree and then returned to life. This fact appears to cause some confusion in The Bible. (Read Genesis 11:26-31).

There is also another "Haran" in India-today's state of Haryana. It is the region where Abraham decided to stop making idols and worship only one God. Brahmavarta, a region in Northeastern Haryana, is said to be the place where mankind was first created. (Varta=Dwelling.) Brahmavarta was the site of the Kuruksetra War between the Kurus and Pandavas, in which Lord Krishna distinguished himself. An ancient and holy river, now dried up, the Sarasvati, once flowed through Brahmavarta. The Hakra (the biblical Haggar) was a tributary of the Sarasvati. The relationships of these three geographical entities make sense. If Brahma provided the channel or bed for the Sarasvati river, Brahmavarta could easily have been the symbolical father or brother of Sarasvati. Hakra (Haggar), being a tributary of Sarasvati, depended on Sarasvati . So what were Abraham, Sarah, and Haggar? People, things, or places?

Map of India, showing Haryana

Map showing Brahmavarta

I have stated that the Bible mentions Haran and Haryana. The Hindu holy books also say that Brahma/Abrahan lived in Ur of the Chaldees. Ur was a Sumerian name for "town; city." Chaldee (pronounced Kaldee) derives from the Sanskrit Kaul, a Brahman caste, and Deva (demi-god). The North Indian Kauldevas worshiped idols representing their ancestors. According to the Hindus, Brahma married Sarasvati in Chaldea, the part that is now Afghanistan.

Northern Afghanistan was called Uttara Kuru and was a great center of learning. An Indian woman went there to study and received the title of Vak i.e. Saraisvati (Lady Sarah). It is believed that Brahm, her teacher, was so impressed by her beauty, education, and powerful intellect, that he married her. (The Hindu History, by Ashkoy Kumar Mazumdar; p. 48, in passim.) Lord Krishna, the divine father (Terah/TÇra) of Brahma/Abraham, was the king of Haran, with the seaport of Dwarka as its capital.

In about 1900 BC, hundreds of thousands of native Indians emptied Northern and Central India and fled to the Middle East after Krishna's Dwarka sank under the water.

Krishna gathered his family together and fled either to the Middle East or to what is now Iraq. Only some gigantic natural disasters, such as earthquakes and floods could have caused such an exodus. It was at this time that the Saraisvati and the Indus changed their proper beds. The Saraisvati dried up.

Map showing the path of the Sarasvati before it dried up.

The drying up of the Saraisvati... led to a major relocation of the population centered around the Sindhu and the Sarasvati valleys... caused a migration westward from India. It is soon after this time that the Indic element begins to appear all over West Asia, Egypt, and Greece. (Indic Ideas in the Graeco-Roman World, by Subhash Kak, taken from IndiaStar online literary magazine; p. 14.)

And Joshua said unto all the people, Your fathers dwelt... in old time, even Terah, the father of Abraham, and the father of Nachor, and they served other gods.

Many people don't understand what is meant by Joshua's remark about "the other side of the flood."

And Joshua said unto all the people, Your fathers dwelt... in old time, even Terah, the father of Abraham, and the father of Nachor, and they served other gods.

And I took your father Abraham from the other side of the flood, and led him throughout all the land of Canaan... (Joshua 24:2-3.)

Many people don't understand what is meant by Joshua's remark about "the other side of the flood." They think he was referring to the Noachide flood. He was referring to the time when God Krishna's Dwarka and Haran province, in today's Gujarat, sank under water in about 1900 BC. Abraham, Sarah, and their followers escaped southward, to the coastal ports of Kalyan and Sopara (Sophir or Sauvira), in Maharashthra. From there, they sailed northward to the Middle East. Sarah (Sarsvati) embarked from the port of Kalyan. At one time, Kalyan was located closer to the coast, but is now located more than 50 miles inland. Sarasvati is the patron saint of Kalyan. The patron saint of Sophir or Sauvira was Parasu Rama (possibly a name of our biblical Abraham/Brahma).

And I took your father Abraham from the other side of the flood, and led him throughout all the land of Canaan... (Joshua 24:2-3.)

Indian Author Paramesh Choudhury, author of The India We Have Lost, claims that Krishna and his family probably fled to Iraq. But I'm certain that they went to Jerusalem. The word Jerusalem is derived from Sanskrit: Yadu-Ishalayam, meaning "The Holy Rock of the Yadu Tribe." Lord Krishna was a Yadu. The Moslems still revere this huge rock under the Dome of the Rock on Jerusalem Temple Mount.

  

Temple [top] Mount and Dome of the Rock. [bottom] Abraham's tomb.

Until now, I have been wondering why Krishna's name did not appear in Jerusalem after his arrival there. Yet, the name of the king of Jerusalem,Melchizedek, the mentor of Abraham, did. I once thought that Melchizedek was the name of a certain person. I made this mistake by thinking that a prince and a son of a Kassite king, Melik-Sadaksina, was a supernaturally endowed prince, magician and spiritual giant. I thought he had accompanied Krishna, Abraham, and Sarah to the Middle East. Later on, I came to realize that the Sanskrit word Sadhaka applies to anyone who is an adept, a magician, one possessed of supernatural powers gained by worshipping a deity or by uttering magical chants.

The similarities between Krishna and Christ have captured the attention of scholars for years.  The initial reaction by scholars like Weber and Hopkins was to suggest that the Krishna legends copied earlier Christian stories; and for good reason, because the Krishna legends most similar to Christ were developed after Christ.  Raychaudhuri in his book Materials for the Study of the Early History of the Vaishnava Sect states on page 3, “I have then tried to show that this Bhakti religion is not a plagiarism from Christianty, but owes its origin to Vasudeva.”  Raychaudhuri successfully does this in his book, but in the process, inadvertently destroys any hope an anti-Christian copycat theorist might have at proving Christianity to be a plagiarism from Vaishnavism.  He quotes Weber on page 86, saying, “Weber adds that ‘in the train of the birth-day festival we must suppose that other legendary matters came to India which are found in the accounts of the Harivamsa, of the Jaimini Bharata, and in some interpolated passages of the Mahabharata, in the Puranas, especially in the Bhagavata Purana and its offshoots which describe and embellish the birth and childhood of Krishna with notices which remind us irresistibly of Christian legends.  Take, for example, the statement of the Vishnu Purana that Nanda, the foster-father of Krishna, at the time of the latter’s birth, went with his pregnant wife Yasoda to Mathura to pay taxes (paralleled in Luke 2:4-5) or the pictorial representation of the birth of Krishna in the cowstall or shepherd’s hut, that corresponds to the manger, and of the shepherds, shepherdesses, the ox and the ass that stand round the woman as she sleeps peacefully on her couch without fear of danger.  Then the stories of the persecutions of Kamsa, of the massacre of the innocents (babies), of the passage across the river (Christophoros), of the wonderful deeds of the child, of the healing-virtue of the water in which he was washed, etc., etc.  Whether the accounts given in the Jaimini Bharata of the raising to life by Krishna of the dead son of Duhsala, of the cure of Kubja, of her pouring a vessel of ointment over him, of the power of his look to take away sin, and other subjects of the kind came to India in the same connection with the birth-day festival may remain an open question.’”



Dating the Krishna Related Writings

            To solve the question, it is necessary to date the legends.  In order to do this it is necessary to realize the historical situation in India.  The religion of the Bhagavadas, a devotional creed to Vasudeva, probably emerged before the 400’s BC (Raychaudhuri, 13, 18)  In the 330’s BC, Greek influence spread as Alexander swept across Persia.  The middle half of the 200’s BC was the reign of Asoka, in which Buddhism became the state religion.  The Buddhist antagonism towards the Brahman priesthood and the caste system caused religious tension between Buddhists and Hindus.  This tension continued for centuries.  Differing sects such as the Jains, Saivists, and Buddhists challenged the old Vedic Hinduism.  Finally, towards the beginning of the Gupta dynasty in the 300’s AD, a new form of Hinduism triumphed and the Vaishnava faith became standardized from a plethora of various religious groups.  It is generally agreed by most scholars that the Hindu texts dealing with Krishna’s legend did not reach their final form until halfway through the Gupta dynasty sometime around 350 – 500 AD.  Most of them were not even written until this time.  We will investigate the works that contain the Krishna legend as follows:

Vishnu Purana:  This work contains the geneology of the Gupta kings, and therefore could not have been finalized before 320 AD.  Hazra is positive the date of this purana is between 275 – 325 AD, while Winternitz agrees it is not later than the 400’s. (Jaiswal, 17)  Others agree it was probably written between 300 – 400 AD.  (sdmart.com)  Raychaudhuri agrees that it was probably written between 320 – 355 AD, and goes further by saying that the puranas that relate the Krishna story cannot be placed much before the Gupta kings, since the geneology of those kings is included. (Raychaudhuri, 91, 42)
Bhagavata Purana:  Hazra points out that the Vishnu Purana is a source for the Bhagavata Purana and believes its date to be between 500 – 550 AD, despite many who believe the date should be even later.  It embellishes the Vishnu Purana and is the most complete biography of Krishna.  Another generally accepted date for it is 800 – 1000 AD. (sdmart.org)  It includes myths about all ten of Vishnu’s avatars.
Harivamsa:  The work was revised and changed numerous times and adopted its current form sometime around 400 AD. (Jaiswal, 16)  It was added to the Mahabharata between 300-400 AD.  It tells the story of Krishna as a youth. (sdmart.com)


The Bhagavad Gita:  The Only pre-Christian Writing about Krishna

Mahabharata and Bhagavad Gita:  The Mahabharata was an evolving work that probably started sometime in the 200’s BC and ended in the 400’s AD.  The work was constantly being added to, and it was corrupted so badly that we cannot be sure words were not interpolated hundreds of years later.  The Bhagavad Gita is part of the Mahabharata and is thought by many to be written sometime around 200 - 300 BC.  The familiarity with the Greeks as “famous fighters” places the Mahabharata after Alexander, and its alarm at the Buddhist edukas replacing Hindu temples makes a date around the time of Asoka likely.  The Romans are mentioned only in passing in a list of possible peoples, thus placing the epic probably before the time of Rome’s greatness.  (Raychaudhuri, 41, 42, 32)  Nevertheless, many still consider a post-Christian date for the Mahabharata and the Bhagavad Gita possible in the range of 200 BC – 200 AD. (Banerjee, 45)  Pisani puts forward a strong argument that the Mahabharata was written between 100 - 300 AD, because it mentions Sakas (Scythians) who invaded around then, Parthians (Pahlavas) who had gained their independence from the Greeks, Huns (Hunas), and Romans (Romakas) who they had not established contact with before the time of Augustus.  However, Moti Chandra states that the Hunas were really the Hiungnu, not the Huns, and that India could have heard legends about all these groups previous to contact.  Furthermore, he points out that the Mahabharata mentions Antiochus, who ruled the Seleucids Empire in the 100’s BC.  Moti Chandra dates it in the 100’s BC.  The growing consensus for the Bhagavad Gita seems to be it was written in the 100’s BC, although some scholars place it earlier than that.  In any case, the Mahabharata was badly corrupted after its initial writing.  (Jaiswal, 12,13)  The pre-Christian date of the Bhagavad Gita is only a small victory for christmythers.  Although the Bhagavad Gita contains general metaphorical similarities to Christ’s discourses (especially as it relates to John’s gospel), there are no strong parallels with Christian legend that would indicate two legends evolved from the same story.  Stronger parallels occur in the much later works mentioned above.  In fact, all of the parallels mentioned below by the christmyth theorists come from post-Bhagavad Gita and post-Christian sources, with the exception of Krishna calling himself the “light” and the “beginning, middle, and the end,” a claim Krishna put forward in the Bhagavad Gita.


The Origins of Krishna Worship

Vishnu appears in innumerable guises (avatars) on earth but none is more popular than that of Krishna, the warrior-king who freed his people from demonic threats. On one occasion, the youthful Krishna slayed the demon Keshi, who appeared in the guise of a horse. This subject probably has its origins in Hellenistic legends, most notably the labors of Hercules in which the Greek hero slays the horses of Diomedes. In this terracotta relief, Krishna restrains the ferocious Keshi with his foot while thrusting his elbow down the beast's throat. Below the combatants are the dead horse and balls of dung emitted at the moment of death. The graphically observed rendering of the subject is a reminder of the importance of horse sacrifices in early Indian Vedic cult practices, of which this Krishna myth undoubtedly preserves a memory. Temple building began in earnest in India only in the Gupta period, and these brick and stone structures typically were decorated with terracotta plaques of this type for which Krishna was a popular subject.

Brihadaranyaka interprets the practice of horse-sacrifice or ashvamedha allegorically. It states that the over-lordship of the earth may be acquired by sacrificing a horse. It then goes on to say that spiritual autonomy can only be achieved by renouncing the universe which is conceived in the image of a horse.

Krishna Janamashtami is observed as the birth day of the 8th Avatar of Lord Vishnu, on the 8th day of the dark half Hindu month of Shraavana, normally falls between mid August and mid September, when the Moon is in Rohini Nakshatra.   Krishna is famous for many things, one of the most well known is Bhagavad Gita, which is the conversation between Krishna and Arjuna before the great Battle of Kurukshetra and is considered as a philosophical and literary classic of all times.

                            
Look at the Geeta Upadesam picture.  There is a chariot in the battle field of Kurukshetra.  Arjuna as a passenger is seated at back. The chariot is driven by a charioteer (driver) Lord Krishna.  HE is holding the reins. There are horses leading the chariot.  There are reins controlling the horses.  Collectively this composes one full picture of the chariot. But where was this chariot taken? It was taken right into the midst of two fighting armies. If Arjuna was going to war, why was Krishna holding the reins?   What does this signify?  

Just reciting Bhagavad Gita is not enough unless we understand the inner meaning of it. Gita teaches us in a simple and easy way by this picture.  By proper inner enquiry, we can understand the fullness of this picture which signifies everything that is contained in life. 

The picture is symbolic of our inner instruments to train the mind and senses. This is a very concise and beautiful description, symbolic and full of meaning and profundity.

The chariot is the Sarira (body).  The passenger Arjuna is the Jivi (embodied individual soul). The charioteer Krishna is the Atma (Self, sometimes referred as Higher Intellect or Buddhi) leading the chariot into the middle of two armies of Kauravas (Demonic nature) and Pandavas (Divine nature) in the battlefield of Kurukshetra (Inner Battle of Mind). The reins are the operations of the Manas (Mind). The horses are the Indriyas (senses, such as, eyes, ears, nose, tongue, etc.) The roads along which this chariot is driven are the objects of the senses. All this is made possible by a joint activity of the Atma/Higher Intellect, the Senses and the Mind.  

You may forget the historical battle of Mahabharata, but don’t forget the message contained in it. In fact, the battle is still going on every day within us; this is the fight between our demonic and divine qualities. There has always been a struggle between the two. In this conflict between opposing forces, Krishna (Self, Atma, Higher Intellect) is ever on the side of Dharma (Righteousness) - the reality which sustains, not the delusion which undermines. If you seek to have the Lord on your side as your guide, equip yourself with the divine nature, the qualities of Dharma. For the Lord is where Dharma is.  This chariot is to be driven right to the Destination which is Perfection, Self Realization.  Horses may dash down the chariot into a ditch if they are restive, tired, unwilling, and cannot see the road properly.  

The Bhagavad Gita is the story of invoking and trusting Divine Guidance in order to gain Peace and Enlightenment. And, although we must fight this battle alone, we are not truly alone. We have Divine Guidance,our personal Charioteer, our Krishna, and our Atman assisting us throughout every battle we must fight with each of our Inner Demons.

Learn how to drive your chariot
1.    Chariot: Sarira (physical body),  the instrument through which the Self, intellect, mind, and senses operate. 
2.    Charioteer: Atma (Self, Higher Intellect or Buddhi), is supposed to be the wise giver of instructions to the mind. 
3.    Passenger: Jivi (Individual Soul, the embodied Atma, the pure centre of consciousness), is always the neutral witness.
4.    Horses: Indriyas (Senses, such as eyes-vision, ears-hearing, nose-smell, tongue-taste, skin-touch), through which we relate to the external world by perception and action.  
5.    Reins:  Manas (Mind), through which the senses receive their instructions to act and perceive.
6.    Roads: The countless objects of senses and desires in the world and our memory
7.    Wheels of the Chariot: Right effort
8.    Destination: “Perfection” or “Self Realization”
9.    Kurukshetra Battlefield: It’s the inner battlefield, the only place where one can confront, do battle with, and vanquish the Inner Demons.
10.    Two Armies:  Kauravas (Demonic nature) and Pandavas (Divine nature) 
11.    Who's driving your chariot? Mostly we don’t let the charioteer on duty. The reins (mind) are flapping around freely without the proper inner guidance and not giving instruction to the horses (senses). Hence they wander freely down any road they feel like in response to their past memories (Chitta). The chariot (body) takes a beating, the horses (senses) get tired, the reins (mind)) get worn, and the charioteer (Intelligence) gets lazy. The passenger is completely ignored. 
12.    Put the charioteer back on the job: The solution to the problem is to retrain the charioteer (Intelligence) to pick up the reins (mind) and start giving some direction to the horses (senses). This training is called sadhana (spiritual practice).  It means training all of the levels of ourselves so that we might experience the still, silent, eternal center. 
13.    Allow the charioteer to serve the passenger: As the charioteer (Intelligence) becomes more stabilized in being back on the job, there is an ever increasing awareness of the fact the entire purpose of the chariot, horses, reins, and charioteer, are to serve as instruments for the passenger, the true Self.

“Don’t drive the car with your foot on the brake, but use the brakes to control the car when necessary.  Must exercise control when there is some danger, such as impure thoughts, impure feelings, impure sights, impure hearing.  If you don’t have any brakes at all you will surely come to grief. Horses which cannot be brought under control without reins, a car without brakes, a person without sense control, are all extremely dangerous and heading for disaster.”
--
Source: The Teachings of Sri Sathya Sai Baba