Bible Discourse 2
Discourse
2
The
pure conception and relationship with John the Baptist of Jesus.
The two souls – John and
Jesus:
There was in the days of
Herod, the king of Judea a certain priest named Zacharias, of the course of
Abia: and his wife was of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elisabeth.
And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances
of the Lord blameless. And they had no child, because that Elisabeth was
barren, and they both were now well stricken in years.
And it came to pass, that
while he executed the priest’s office before God in the order of his course,
according to the custom of the priest’s office his lot was to burn incense when
he went into the temple of the Lord. And
the whole multitude of the people were praying without at the time of incense.
And then appeared unto him
an angel of the Lord standing on the right side of the altar of incense. And
when Zacharias saw him, he was troubled, and fear fell upon him.
But the angel said unto
him, fear not, Zacharias: for thy prayer is heard; and Elisabeth shall bear
thee a son, and thou shalt call his name John. *and thou shalt have joy and
gladness; and many shall rejoice at his birth. For
he shall drink neither wine nor strong drink; and he shall be filled with the
Holy Ghost, even from his mother’s womb. And many of the children of Israel
shall he turn to the Lord their God. And he shall go before him in the spirit
and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children,’ and
the disobedient to the wisdom of the just;
to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”
And Zacharias said unto the
angel, “Where shall I know this? for I am an old man, and my wife well
stricken in years.”
And the angel answering
said unto him, “I am Gabriel, that stand in the presence of God; and am sent to
speak unto thee, and to shew thee these glad tidings. And, behold, thou shalt
be dumb, and not able to speak, until the day that these things shall be
performed, because thou believest not my words, which shall be fulfilled in
their season.”
And the people waited for
Zacharias, and marvelled that he tarried so long
in the temple. And when he came out, he could not speak unto them: and
they perceived that he had seen a vision in the temple: for he beckoned unto
them, and remained speechless.
And it came to pass, that
as soon as the days of his ministration
were accomplished, he departed to his own house. And after those days wherein
He looked on me, to take away my reproach among men.”
Luke
1:5 -- 25
John’s immaculate conception and his relationship with
John the Baptist.
‘Behold I will send you
Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the
Lord.’ These
words, at the very end of the Old Testament, foretell the coming of Christ
Jesus and the rebirth of Elijah as his precursor. The prophesy was fulfilled by
John the Baptist, divinely ordained to ‘prepare the way of the Lord’ and ‘go
before him in the spirit and power of Elijah.’
The soul journeys through many lives till it gets perfection. Jesus and
John continued the journey from previous life times. The bond between John and
Jesus is that of Guru and disciple. The cosmic principle of reincarnation with
the law of Karma. It depends upon Cause
and effect which sows and reaps. It is a
time-honoured doctrine. It is embraced by Hindus, Buddhists, the ancient Druid
priests, the Essenes of Gnostics, and
many early Christian theologians; and also, eminent philosophers of the East and West.
Earthbound desires and
karma of past compel the ordinary Soul to reincarnate. Great souls, come on earth and finish their Karma to act
as noble sons of God. They become ultimately mature to become Masters and
prophets. They incarnate to help other lower souls to reach the higher state.
Gnanavatar or man of
wisdom, Sri Yukteswar, my Param Guru, had a profound knowledge of Gita and
Bible. Guru’s Guru is known as Param Guru. On the instructions of Mahavatar
Babaji, Sr Yukteswarji has written ‘The Holy Science’ in which he underlined
the unity of Vedic and Christian scriptures.
A spiritual man, unites his consciousness with the all pervading Christ Consciousness. Through
other incarnations of human schooling and meditation Jesus exalted as Christ.
Parama Hansa Sri Yogananda in his deep
meditation prayed, “Father, tell me who was Jesus Christ before he came to
earth in that incarnation.” The Father‘s
silent presence became manifest in audible words: “Open the Bible”.
Sri Yogananda obeyed the divine command, and the first verse on which my
eyes fell was I kings 19:19:
So he (Elijah) departed thence, and found
Elisha the son of Shaphat, who was
plowing with twelve yoke of oxen before him, and he with the twelfth: and Elijah passed by him, and cast
his mantle upon him.
John the Baptist was Elijah
in his former birth. Jesus was Elisha in his former birth. Both were liberated souls. They came on earth
to liberate and to give succour to others. Elisha
was perfected through Elijah.
Elisha as Jesus was given the mantle.
This was the divine plan.
The hand of the Lord was on
Elijah (I kings 18:46)
And God directed Elijah to
initiate Elisha.
And the Lord said unto him,
‘Go return on the way to the wilderness of Damascus: and when thou
comest...Elisha the son of Shaphat of Abelmeholah
shalt thou anoint to be prophet in thy room’
(I Kings 19:15 – 16)
God has appointed Elijah as
Guru of Jesus in the past to receive instructions. Jesus had 12 disciples which
symbolically represent 12 yoke of oxen. Jesus had to plough the hard soil like
human consciousness. Casting of a master’s garment of self realization over the
consciousness of an elevated disciple is the baptism by the Holy Ghost.
Elijah said to Elisha:
“Ask what I shall do for thee, before I be taken away from thee.”
And Elisha said, “I pray
thee, let a double portion of thy spirit be upon me.”
And he (Elijah) said: “Thou
hast asked a hard thing: nevertheless, if thou see me when I am taken from
thee, it shall be so unto thee; but if not, it shall not be so.”
And it came to pass, as they still went on, and talked, that, behold, there appeared a chariot of fire, and horses of
fire, and parted them both as under; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind
into heaven.
And Elisha saw it, and he
cried, “My father, my father, the chariot of Israel, and the horsemen thereof. “And he saw him no more: and he took hold of
his own clothes, and rent them in two pieces.
He took up also the mantle
of Elijah that fell from him, and went back, and stood by the bank of Jordan;
And he took the mantle of
Elijah that fell from him, and smote the waters, and said, “where is the Lord
God of Elijah?’ And when he also also
had smitten the waters, they parted hither and thither: and Elisha went over.
And when the sons of the
prophets which were to view at Jericho saw him, they said , “The spirit of
Elijah doth rest on Elisha.” And they
came to meet him, and bowed themselves to the ground before him (II Kings 2:9 –
15).
Elijah and Elisha both
performed many miracles. They were able
to heal the sick. They were able to
produce a thing(s) out of nothing. Jesus
imbued life into the shell of his dead body, spiritualizing and immortalizing
it. Even the decaying bones of the departed Elisha retained life-reviving power.
And Elisha died, and they
buried him. And the bands of the
Moabites invaded the land at the coming in of the year. And it came to pass, as they were burying a
man, that, behold, they spied a band of men; and they cast the man into the
sepulchre of Elisha, he revived, and stood p on his feet (II Kings 13:20 – 21)
Elijah and Elisha are like
Ramakrishna Paramahansa and Swami Vivekananda. As per divine plan Ramakrishna
Paramahansa was the Guru preceptor, and Swami Vivekananda was the disciple.
Guru Ramakrishna has to play a lesser role. And Swami Vivekananda has to play a
major role. The mantle of Guru Ramakrishna has to be taken by Vivekananda in
the present incarnation. Similarly
Elijah, as John the Baptist, has to play a lesser role. And Elisha, as Jesus was to play a major
role. A noble Father is never jealous of his son’s glory. He takes pride of the
son’s growth. A son should start where the father has left. John’s iniquitous imprisonment and beheading
for the sake of truth was no less than the tribulation of Jesus on the
cross. The advanced souls will brake the
compulsory incarnations. If they wanted
their ever awake souls can retain their continuity of consciousness throughout
the sequence of death, after life, and rebirth – even in the mother’s womb.
And in the sixth month the angel
Gabriel was sent from God into a city of Galilee, named Nazareth, to a virgin
espoused to man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin’s
name was Mary. And the angel came in
unto her, and said, “hail, thou that art highly favoured, theLord is with thee:
blessed art thou among women.”
And when she saw him, she
was troubled at his saying, and cast in her mind what manner of salutation this
should be.
And the angel said unto
her, “Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God. And, behold,
thoushalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shall call his name,
Jesus. He shall be great, and shall be
called the son of the highst: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne
of his fatherDavid: and he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of
his kingdom there shall be no end.”
Then said Mary unto the
angel, “How shall this be, seeing I know not a man”.
And the angel answered and
said unto her, “The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest
shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of
thee shall be born of thee shall be called Son of God. And, behold, thy cousin Elisabeth, she hath
also conceived a son in her old age: and this is the sixth month with her, who
was called barren. For with God nothing
shall be impossible.”
And Mary said, “behold the
handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word.” And the angel departed from her...
And Mary arose in those
days, and went into the hill country with haste, into a city of Juda; and
entered into the house of Zacharias, and saluted Elisabeth. And it came to pass, that, when Elisabeth
heard the salutation of Mary, the babe leaped in her womb; and Elisabeth was filled with the Holy
Ghost: and she spake and with a loud
voice, and said, “Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy
womb. And whence is this to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?
For, lo, as soon as the voice of thy salutation sounded in my ears, the babe
leaped in my womb for joy.”
....And Mary abode with her
about three months, and returned to her own house.”
--- Luke 1:26
–44, 56
Now the birth of Jesus
Christ was on this wise: When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before
they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost. Then Joseph her husband, being a just man,
and not willing to make her a publick example, was minded to put her away
privily.
But while he thought on
these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream,
saying, “Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife:
for that which is conceived in heris of the Holy Ghost. And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt
call his name Jesus: for he shall save his people from their sins.”
Now all this was done, that
it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying,
“Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they
shall call his name Emmanuel,” which being interpreted is, “God with us.”
----- Mathew1:18-23
The conception and birth of
Jesus has been the subject of considerable controversy. His birth was myth,
fact, and or faith? It is beyond
Logic. God is the Great Cosmic organiser. He Himself delights in surprising his
children with a divine innovation now and again that is beyond common reason.
God plays with the staid
methods in Nature. Some plants produce
similar plants by bowing the seeds, whereas others can be produced with a small
stem cutting.
The animal kingdom evolves
through sexual reproduction.
Yet certain species of
snail produces its own kind independently of male-female union. In science
laboratories, frogs have been reproduced by
stimulation of female ova without the introduction of male sperm.
Creation occurs by the
Divine will or fiat of God. God did not
create original man woman by sexual union. God manifested Adam and Eve.
It is real immaculate conception in its highest form. God did not create Man and woman out of
sexual union. Adam and Eve are the symbolic parents akin to man and woman. The
physical body of man was patterned after the physiological and anatomical
instrumentalities that has resulted from the long process of evolution of
animal species. The faculties possessed
by humans are unique. They were created by God with the awakened spiritual
centres of life and consciousness and powers of the soul. The sanatana Vaideeka
Dharma also mentions the real immaculate conception made possible by power of
mind.
Man and woman producing
offspring without actual involvement of sex was mentioned umpteen number of
times in the sanatana Vaideeka Dharma,
similarly God has created symbolically Biblical Adam and Eve.
There were no sexual organs
in the symbolic Adam and Eve. God warned them not to eat the fruit ‘In the
midst of the garden(Genesis 3:3); Here the garden is the body. It
had the sensual touch of sex. Adam and Eve were tempted to eat that fruit. They embraced each other with lust after
eating the fruit. Eden was spiritual consciousness. Both Adam and Eve were driven out of Eden,
spiritual consciousness. They descended from higher spiritual consciousness to
lower sensory consciousness. Their sexual organs developed, as in the animal
kingdom. Positively or actively male organ developed. Negatively or passively female organ
developed.
The rishis of ancient India had the power to create by
mind. Cosmic Vibration (Prakriti, Holy Ghost) that informs all matter.
God took a rib from Adam to
fashion Eve (Genesis 2:21—22). Here ‘rib’ refers to vibration. So creative
vibration is reasoning power in Male.
creative vibration is feeling power in female. Many saints were born in natural way, and
others in immaculate ways. The great liberated ones retain their individuality
in Spirit. They come to the earth at the behest of God. They come as saviours.
Buddha and other avatars
are also born in the immaculate way. The mother of Gautam saw the spirit enter
her body.
There is a cosmic
metaphysical symbolism in the wondrous conception and birth of Jesus. His
incarnate Christ Consciousness came immaculately through the virgin Mary. Likewise the Universal Christ Intelligence
was born or reflected in the cosmic body of pure vibratory creation (Cosmic
‘Virgin Mary’) through the instrumentality of God the Father. The Holy Ghost
Cosmic Vibration, Aum, Maha Prakriti, is analogous to the Cosmic Virgin Mary
because it is thus the mother of the immanent Universal Christ Intelligence,
the Son of God, and of all created objects.
Now Elisabeth’s full time came
that they should be delivered, and she brought forth a son. And her neighbours and her cousins heard how
the Lord had shewed great mercy upon her; and they rejoiced with her.
And it came to pass, that
on the eighth day they came to circumcise the child; and they called him
Zacharias, after the name of his father.
And his mother answered and said, ‘Not so, but he shall be called John.’
And they said unto her,
“There is none of thy kindred that is called by this name. “And they made signs
to his father, how he would have him called.
And he asked for a writing table, and wrote, saying, “His name is
John.” And they marvelled all. And his mouth was opened immediately, and his
tongueloosed, and he spake, and praised God.
And fear came on all that dwelt round about them: and all these sayings
were noised abroadthrough all the hill country of Judea. And all they that heard them laid them up in
their hearts, saying, “what manner of childshall this be !” and the land of the Lord was with him.
And his father Zacharias
was filled with Holy Ghost, and prophesied, saying, “blessed be the Lord God of
Israel; for he hath visited and redeemed
His people...And thou, child, shalt be called the prophet of the highest: for
thou shalt go before the face of the Lord to prepare his ways; to give
knowledge of salvation unto his people by the remission of their sons, through
the tender mercy of our Lord; whereby the day spring from high hath visited us,
to give light to them that sit in darkne4ss and in shadow of death, to guide
our feet into the way of peace.”
And the child grew, and
waved strong in spirit, and was in the deserts till the day of his shewing into
Israel.
-Luke
1:57 – 68, 76 -- 80
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