May 14, 2009, 08.00am IST
MINI KRISHNAN.
Jesus Christ is shown crucified on a mango tree and the whole of Nature bursts into life as he gives up his spirit in a painting by Goan artist Lucy D'Souza.
Rig Vedic universal sacrifice bears an uncanny resemblance to the crucifixion of Jesus. The Old Testament also prophesies the human sacrifice that would, 100 years later, be performed as the candidate is tied to a tree.
If we had to choose a single word to express the deepest Vedic revelation, the word yagna would come closest. Rta in Sanskrit is the energy of sacrifice; the powers of ardour, concentration and truth are connected with it. The Gita says that it is by yagna that man and God collaborate.
The Rig Veda says: "Yagna is the navel of the world." And in Revelations, it is mentioned: "The lamb slain forms the foundation of the world." However, the primordial sacrifice is not left to an ordinary person's whim: it has a careful internal structure. It is unseen. It cannot be manipulated.
In the Satapata Brahmana appears the symbolic power of the tree of life which is at the centre of the world. The poles of sacrifice are cut from it and used to form a cross on which the victim will be impaled and sacrificed. This tree is the bringer of every spiritual and material treasure; divine grace flows from it.
The crucifixion was previsioned by Christ himself as God's will. He allowed the drama to unfold as it had to, because he was the director of the "play" though he referred many times to its heavenly origin.
Jesus knew exactly how his life was going to end; on numerous occasions he predicted what would happen and how he would be honoured before being dishonoured. He could easily see into the real character and intentions of a person by looking at a person, so why did he not drive Judas Iscariot away when he knew about the pilferage and secret plans?
Jesus's prediction that there was one among the disciples who would betray his Master, shocks Judas who is literally instructed: Go and do what you have to do. The Yoga Sutras say that the whole sequence of Time is presented to the enlightened all at once. Jesus foresaw not only the manner of his end but that that end would not be His end. The passion of Christ was during the Jewish festival of the Passover and in his time the Jews used to offer sacrifices at the Temple. One can imagine the din; the stench of blood fresh and old, not to mention the bellows of frightened animals and the smell of offerings in the fire.
What would the highest yagna be and which would be understood by this same community? Oneself: purushamedha. Sacrifice is the central thread which binds humans with the gods (or God) and there is a ceaseless exchange of energies between the two worlds or levels. Every martyr who opposes injustice non-violently carries on this same debt-clearance on behalf of mankind.
Self-emptying and giving up of the self is the true goal of the Christian faith. Peter, fleeing Rome and from certain martyrdom, meets Jesus Christ walking in the opposite direction. "Master! Where are you going?" Christ tells Peter that he is going to Rome to be crucified again in place of his disciple. A troubled but inspired Peter returns to Rome to maintain the balance of debt, and this finds mention in the Acts of Peter, 35.
Life is renewed by yagna and Christ, on a cosmic scale. Christ's yagna is a poignant reminder of the great inner journey we are making together.
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