Bible Discourse 4 The Infancy and Youth of Jesus

Discourse 4

The Infancy and Youth of Jesus

My purpose in noting the broader narratives of Jesus’ life available in ancient recordsis not to insinuate their authenticity or opine as to their factualness, but rather to suggest their plausibility against the background of India’s vast spiritual tradition of saints, rishis, and avatars.                                     Paramahansa Yogananda

And when they (the Wise Men from the East)were departed, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream, saying, “Arise and take the young child and his mother, and flee into Egypt, and be thou there until I bring thee word: for Herod will seek the young child to destroy him.  “When he arose, he took the young child and his mother by night, and departed into Egypt: And was there until the death of Herod: tht it might be fulfilled which was spokenof the Lord by the prophet, saying, “Out of Egypt have I called My son.”

Then Herod, when he saw that he was mocked of the wise men, was  exceeding wroth, and sent forth, and slew all the children that were in Bethlehem, and in all the coasts thereof, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had diligently enquired of thewise men.  Then was fulfilled that which was spoken by Jeremiah the prophet saying,  ‘In Ramah was there a voice heard, lamentation, and weeping, and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children, and would not be comforted, because they are not.”

But when Herod was dead, behold, an angel of the Lord appeareth in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, saying, “Arise and take the young child and his mother, and go into the land of Israel: for they are dead which sought the young child’s life.”  And he arose, and took the young child and his mother, and came to the land of Israel.  But when he heard that Archelaus  did reign in Judea in the room of his father Herod, he was afraid to go thither: not withstanding, being warned of God in a dream, he turned aside into the parts of Galilee:  and he came and dwelt in a city called Nazereth: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophets, “He shall be called a Nazarene.”

--Mathew 2:13—23

And the child grew, and waxed strong in spirit, filled with wisdom: and the grace of God was upon him.

Now his parents went to Jerusalem every year at the feast of the pass –over.  And when he was 12 years old, they went upto Jerusalem after the custom of the feast.

And when they have fulfilled the days, as they returned, the child Jesus tarried behind in Jerusalem; and Joseph and his mother knew not of it.  But they, supposing him to have been in the company, went a day’s journey; and they sought him among their kinsfolk and acquaintance.  And when found him not, they turned back again to Jerusalem, seeking him.  And it came to pass, that after three days they found him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the doctors, both hearing them, and asking them questions.  And all that heard him were astonished at hius understanding and answers.

And when they saw him, they were amazed: and his mother said unto him, “Son why hast thou dealt with us? Behold, thy father and I have sought thee sorrowing.”

And he said unto them, “How is it that ye sought me?  Wist ye not that I must be about my Father’s business?”  and they understood not the saying which he spake unto them.  And he went down with them, and came to Nazareth and was subject unto them: but his mother kept all these sayings in her heart.

--Luke 2:40--51

The Infancy and Youth of Jesus

And the child grew, and waxed strong in spirit, filled with wisdom and the grace of God was upon him (Luke 2:40)

The New Testament today constitute 27 books of the Biblical account of the life and teachings of Jesus.  They were gathered and pondered over the much larger collection of texts. In Emperor Constantine’s time in 325 A.D. the three hundred bishops gathered and they sought the help of Lord to decide and segregate the texts that are spiritually beneficial. The bishops so assembled at this, the annotator Hone remarked that Emperor Constantine was opined that  the Holy Spirit residing in such great and worthy souls helped them in this regard.  Sabinus, the Bishop of Heraclea, disputed this.  He opined that Constantine and Eusebius Pamphilus were only able to do so. 

 The influence of the dark age in which Jesus took incarnation, and which continued for several successive centuries, may well be faulted as providing a confounding background of ignorance and superstition that led to the church fathers to exclude certain texts from the official canon of scripture. A ‘miraculous’ life is having a subtle vibratory power to uplift others from ignorance. The absolute proof of truth must pass more than the reasoned analysis of pedants (bookish knowledge), the prayers of Christian priests, and scientific testing. The ultimate validation of any doctrine lies in the realization.

The accounts in the Infancy Gospels of Jesus are more believed in Hindu Mythology. Many of the acts and miracles of Sri Krishna in his infancy are akin Baby Jesus. They are particularized by Rev. Thomas Maurice in his learned History of Hindostan.   

Even as a Baby Jesus possessed great powers.  These are similar to those he had manifested as Elisha in his previous birth. As a customary Jesus was presented to God on his 40^th day after his birth at the temple in Jerusalem. Baby Jesus told his mother Mary that he came on the earth on a divine mission. Angels stood around him, adoring him, as king’s guard stands around him.   Mary presented those wise men from the east with one of the swaddling clothes in which Jesus was wrapped. A star guided the wise men on their return journey.  On their return to their own country, ‘kings and princes came to them, enquiring what they had seen and done.’   They submitted the swaddling cloth into the fired but the cloth was untouched by fire.          

King Herod heard the birth of infant Jesus in Bethlehem.  Fearing the prophesy, he ordered the death of all infants. This is akin to the Hindu mythology Bhagavatam wherein the king, Kansa, ordered the butchering the children fearing his death from a child. 

Sri Krishna—the great Avataar

Birth — Details

Lord Shree Krishna is a very important Avataar of Shree Vishnu.  Avataar means coming down to the earth.  Soorasen was the king of Mathura.  Vasudeva was his son. Devaki was the wife of Vasudeva. He had another wife called Rohini.  She was staying in Vraja under the protection of Nanda, the king of Vraja.  Nanda was the friend of Vasudeva. Ugrasen was the king of Bhoja. Kansa was his son and Devaki was his daughter.  One day Kansa was riding his chariot with his sister Devaki and Brother-in-law Vasudev on the roads of his Bhoja kingdom.  Then he heard a voice telling him that the eighth offspring of his sister Devaki  will be the cause of his death.  Hearing this, the evil minded Kansa became furious and wanted to kill his sister and brother-in-law. Devaki persuades him in not killing them with the promise that each and every offspring shall be handed over to him to do whatever he likes.  Kansa puts both of them in jail.  There after he kills six of Devaki’s children one after another brutally.

Nanda was the king of Vraja or Brindaavan.    Yasoda was his wife.  Yogamaya keeps the Adiseshu in the womb of Rohini, another wife of Vasudeva, with the orders of Lord Srimaha Vishnu. Adiseshu is the part of Lord Sri Maha Vishnu. People think that the seventh offspring of Yasoda was a miscarriage. Yogamaya herself  takes birth in the womb of Yasoda, the  wife of Nanda,  as ordained by Lord Srimaha Vishnu.  Vishnu himself enters the womb of Devaki.  After the birth of Vishnu, ordained by Lord, Vasudeva carries the child in a basket crosses the river Yamuna and goes to Brindavan. Yamuna herself gives the way so that Vasudeva can easily cross the  river.  He keeps the Lord in the bed of Yasoda. He returns the just born yogamaya  of Yasoda back to jail and keeps the infant on Devaki’s bed.  Till that time all the caretakers of the jail were sleeping as dead.  Even the doors were opened automatically.  Hearing the cries of the child Kansa comes by running to kill the eighth child.  When he was about to kill the child the yogamaya flies away and tells that the real male child is already born and is being  brought up in Brindavan.

Nanda names the son of Yasoda as SriKrishna and Rohini’s son as Balarama.  Balarama is a part of Paramatma i.e., Adiseshu.            Srikrishna started showing his powers right from the state of infancy.  He kills a demon called Pootana who came in the guise of giving milk to Sri krishna by sucking the milk of poison from her breasts.  In fact this is a symbolism of sucking the poison of an evil heart by removing Tamasa Guna.  Poo means of full of Tana means materialism.  Thereafter He kills sakatasura symbolizing fickle mind.  Likewise He kills Trunaavarta symbolizing Taamasa Guna or negative quality. Nanda in fact was a devine person called Drona.  He is one of the eight divine vasus. His wife was Dhara meaning earth. Drona was born as King Nanda of Vraja and Dhara as his wife Yasoda. SriKrishna was born on Sravana Bahula Ashtami indicating the importance of practice of Ashtaangayoga so that the darkness of ignorance can be uprooted. That day is famous as Janmaashtami. .  

God has warned Joseph to flee into Egypt with Mary and baby Jesus. Several miracles happened in Egypt, the land of their exile.  The son of Egyptian high priest is cured of possession by devils. The famous idol tended by his father inexplicably fell down and was destroyed. A bride stuck dumb by sorcerers is healed when the possessed woman took Jesus on her lap.  Some others were cured of leprosy and other ills.

According to apocryphal texts, Jesus, Joseph, and Mary made Egypt as their abode for three years. 

On return to Israel, a litany of similar miracles ascribed to the infant Jesus continues.  Jesus has continued his God-given powers. Children taunted Elisha the prophet.  Prophet destroyed the taunted children  by the bears from the woods.  This is not done as a revenge but as per the fruition of the law of karma, cause and effect, God’s law of justice.  Karmic justice is done through the prophet Elisha leading to the liberation of soul. This is done by Sri Krishna.

Life and death, animate and inanimate, were all seen by the child Jesus as vibrations of God’s consciousness.  He formed sparrows from mud. He gave life to the birds. The dead were given life. 

Jesus used to help his father Joseph in carpentry work. Without hammer and chisel he used to make things longer or shorter. The ruler of Jerusalem got angry with Joseph as he has not done the throne as per his wish. Jesus corrected by pulling the seat this way or that way. 

A boy was brought back to life from venomous snake bite. That boy became the disciple of Jesus. His name was Simon the Canaanite which was mentioned in the Gospel.  

A boy was biting people as possessed by Satan. He was the ungrateful Judas Iscariot. James was the brother of Jesus.  While they both were gathering wood, Judas was caught by a viper. Jesus blew his breath on the wound and made him instantly well.  A boy fell from the roof and died. Jesus restores him to life.

Now his parents went to Jerusalem every year at the feast of the Passover. And when he was twelve years old, they went up to Jerusalem after the custom of the feast.

And when they had fulfilled the days, as they returned, the child Jesus tarried behind in Jerusalem; and Joseph as his mother knew not of it. But they, supposing him to have been in the company, went a day’s journey; and they sought him among their kinsfolk and acquaintance. And when they found him not, they turned back again to Jerusalem, seeking him.  And it came to pass,  that after three days they found hin in the temple, sitting in the midst of the doctors, both hearing them, and asking them questions.  And all that heard him were astonished at his understanding and answers.

And when they saw him, they were amazed: and his mother said unto him, “Son, why hast thou thus with us?  Behold, thy father and I have sought thee sorrowing.”

And he said unto them, “How is that ye sought me?  Wist ye not I must be about my father’s business?”   And they understood not the saying which he spake unto them.  And he went down with them, and came to Nazareth, and was subject unto them: but his mother kept all these sayings in her heart .

--Luke 2:41—51

Those who are physically intelligent can understand the normal things like how to earn livelihood, how to cut a wooden log in one or more pieces, or knowledge of simple mathematics.  This is what they know maximum.   Those who are mentally intelligent or mental geniuses can absorb knowledge at astonishing speed.  Spiritual geniuses draw on the all knowing intuitive faculty of the soul. 

They are several stories regarding godly youthful savants abound in the spiritual lore of India.  The children of God – given work,  come on earth for a specific purpose.  They will be bestowed with super natural wisdom transcending on them.

Rishi or sage Vyasa was the compiler of the Vedas as well as the composer of the epic Mahabharata.   Mahabharata contains Bhagavad Gita also.   He had a saintly son called Sukha Maharshi. He heard the Vedas and Mahabharata slokas from his father sage Vyasa. He used to recite all the slokas or verses even during his childhood.

Even Adi Shankaracharya could complete his vedic education by the time he attained eight years.  The world is busy with its rat race. As such the parents of Jesus could not understand the God’s wisdom of Jesus that he possesses. There is no greater duty than one’s duty to God.  Spiritual and material duties complement each other.  The ordinary man considers his duty towards his family, and work is of paramount importance. A spiritual man thinks in a reverse way.  That is his duty towards God is supreme and all others works are trivial. Everyone should help each other with or without asking.  This helps or paves the way to universal consciousness.  The actions that are activated by instinctive blood ties and greed are nothing but selfish.

Business that conforms with God’s divine laws if lasting benefit to mankind failing which it leads to destruction by the very nature of its activities.

When one is spiritually successful, then he will be successful materially and morally.  Because these are governed by spiritual laws.

Kriya yoga is panacea for all successful laws. Kriyayoga is a remedy for physical, astral/mental, and causal problems.

A life can be successful, healthy, and complete—balanced with wisdom and happiness—when the activity is guided by God’s inner,  intuitive wisdom. Everybody remember—God first.