"India: The Empire of the Spirit" (1991) is an episode from a six part PBS documentary series titled 'Legacy : Origins of Civilization' that explores the influence of ancient culture on our lives today.
Ancient India is with us today in the living tradition of the Hindu religion, the basis of Indian culture. The traditions that are honored by millions of Hindus in the present were born in the Indus valley 5,000 years ago.
In the documentary, Michael Wood, the host and narrator says, "India was one of the earliest of the great civilizations and it defined the goals of civilized life very differently from the West. The West raised individualism, materialism, rationality, [and] masculinity as it ideals. India's great tradition insisted on non violence, renunciation, the inner life, [and] the female as pillars of civilization. And through all the triumphs and disasters of her history she hung on to that ideal, an eternal quest to identify humanity with the whole of creation, a unity in diversity ... History is full of empires of the sword but India alone created an empire of the spirit."
From the flat earth to the sun’s chariot, traditional spiritual texts often seem wedded to outmoded cosmologies that show, at best, the scientific limitations of their authors. The Bhagavata Purana, one of the classical scriptures of Hinduism, seems, at first glance, to be no exception. However, a closer examination of this text reveals unexpected depths of knowledge in ancient cosmology. Mysteries of the Sacred Universe shows that the cosmology of the Bhagavata Purana is a sophisticated system, with multiple levels of meaning that encode at least four different astronomical, geographical, and spiritual world models.
By viewing the text in the light of modern astronomy, Richard Thompson shows how ancient scientists expressed exact knowledge in apparently mythological terms. Comparison with the ancient traditions of Egypt and the Near East shows early cultural connections between India and these regions—including a surprisingly advanced science. However, quantitative science is only part of the picture. Mysteries of the Sacred Universe also offers a clear understanding of how the spiritual dimension was integrated into ancient Indian cosmology.
This 48-minute video filled with computer animations and over 250 color illustrations which summarize the contents of both the book and the CD by Richard Thompson titled 'Mysteries Of The Sacred Universe : The Cosmology Of Bhagavatha Purana'.
500 Nations is an eight part documentary on the Native Americans of North and Central America. It documents from pre-Columbian to the end of the 19th century. Much of the information comes from text, eyewitnesses, pictorials, and computer graphics. The series was hosted by Kevin Costner, and directed by Jack Leustig. It included the voice talents of narrator Tom Jackson, Wes Studi, Floyd Red Crow Westerman, Eric Schweig, Michael Horse, Gordon Tootoosis, Graham Greene, and Tantoo Cardinal. "500 Nations tries to crystallize the sweeping events that reshaped North America- one of the largest and most pivotal stories in human history - a story we feel is widely unknown. Often painful, sometimes shocking, but in the end it is simply about understanding."
In these magnificent times we live in there has been provided an opportunity for all of humanity to awaken to the infinite possibilities that lie within our consciousness birthing a new age of Love & Harmony ... when we all truly live as one consciousness with all illusionary boundaries dissolved as we allow our inner light to shine ... the key to transformation lies within our ability to tune into the child within and stay in tune with the bliss of innocence allowing compassion to drive our thoughts, our feelings, our speech, our actions ... always ... knowing the self as one with the inherent unity which binds all creation as one infinite sea of consciousness ... spirit ... energy .... love .... god ... the field ... we can choose any name .... any label .... any tag .... there really is one actor playing all these parts in this infinite play of consciousness .... all parts destined to reunite with the true nature of self ....
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We have a lot to learn from the children of today as these ONEderful beings of light bring forth an awe inspiring fresh energy of transformation through their w~one~derful gifts of unconditional love and compassion for all as we consciously co~create our reality and birth the neo paradigm of oneness as we bring to realization our true multidimensional nature .... Love & Light ... All Ways ....
There is a wisdom that is so ancient. It bubbles up inside my mind and has the ability to be transported into time. This ancient wisdom is innocence and it contains everything that is needed to heal the world.
There are scatterings of this wisdom found in time. It is seen in the turns of the seasons, the wisdom of nature and the innocence of a child. These scatterings alone do not hold enough power to bring the healing of the world. Something else is needed. This something else is the link that unites all of these scattered pieces of wisdom together. This link is the idea of love and is found in the mind of every person who walks this earth. It is to the idea of love that we must turn to allow innocence to flourish in time for without innocence all life will perish.
Re-connecting to Love
When a person re-connects to love and begins to disconnect from the boundaries and barriers that time and space sets on the mind, it begins to connect to another Source that is powerful enough to move the forces of nature and gentle enough to cradle a child's innocence. As a person searches for this ancient source of wisdom, a pattern begins to emerge. This pattern is revealed each time the mind is freed from a past perceived hurt. Each step taken becomes a golden thread that binds together the fallen innocence that is scattered in the world. It is this connection that will save the world. There is nothing else. If there were then love would be a lie and all of the betrayal and pain found in the world would be the truth.
Connecting to innocence unites us to the ancient Wisdom found in Heaven.
Heaven cannot unite with what it does not know, but we can align our mind with innocence by perceiving a new way of thinking. We cannot pursue a new way of thinking until the old way is given up as something not wanted.
Why the Innocence of a Child is so Precious
We think we know, but do we understand how the seasons change? Why the innocence of a child is so precious? The wisdom of these things is what is worth pursuing, yet we get caught up in the "wisdom of the world" which teaches us we are something we are not. No wonder there is so much treachery and pain in the world. The constant demand that we become something we were never supposed to be overwhelms every mind that makes such a demand. The intensity that this strain causes is seen and played out on the faces of those that walk this world and on the face of those that makes such a request.
Our next challenge is not world peace, conquering outer space, feeding the world or global warming. It is not protecting the environment or the world economy. The next challenge that we have today is preserving something that we all are born with and is re-introduced into the world each time a child passes the threshold from eternity into time and space. That trait that is so cherished in our children is called innocence. This is the challenge for this millennium; how do we maintain and keep the quality of innocence in our children while bringing them up and teaching them to become physical beings? Spirit, by nature is innocent. If we can keep our children innocent, they will heal the world. They can teach the world how to love again without being threatened, for what they carry into the threshold of time is unconditional love. What they learn in the physical realm is that it is not safe to love unconditionally. This is fear and can only be learned in time. It is fear that threatens the existence of the world, nothing else.
Blending Physical and Spiritual
In the physical realm there is a strong tendency to believe that being physical is the greatest expression of Spirit. Being physical is not an end, or the final way Spirit can be interpreted, but instead just an avenue of expression of the Spirit. Being physical should be a blend of the Spirit, which is soft and yielding and also innocent, to the physical, which is a way to express the Spirit through the manipulation of physical matter or molding it to the Glory of God. God's Glory isn't found in the body. It is found in our Being.
Miracle of Birth
A true holy encounter reveals the innocence that each one of us still holds and it is beheld by one looking through innocent eyes. Innocence is a gift from God and God never takes back what He has given freely. The miracle restores our innocence and it is the gift that is being extended unto mankind by God so we can remember what the rest of creation already knows.
Take my hand and help me gather the wisdom that is tossed about in the world. Let us join together in a new understanding that brings us back to the simplicity of life. All of the harsh undertakings found in the world is simply a futile attempt to make a statement that screams; "I am not the innocence that lies scattered about in time. I am greater than this." But there is nothing greater because there is nothing else. The wisdom of the world is merely nothing because it does not contain a drop of innocence that a child offers to the world every time one is born.
..... In Lak'ech Ala K'in .... Bhole Naath Sabke Saath .......
You’ve done your morning yoga, you’ve meditated, prayed for world peace, had your blended soy chai mocha-frappa-latte, flipped off and cursed the crazy driver who cut you off in traffic… you’re a vegetarian, a yoga teacher (who isn’t these days) and better than everyone else… life is good.
BUT HAVE YOU LAUGHED TODAY ?
It doesn’t matter who you are, where you’re from, what your spiritual practice is, how many times you’ve been to India, Peru, how many hours you’ve clocked at the yoga studio or how many sweat lodges you’ve done: Master Puppetji speaks to all.
His insightful and useless “Socksangs” are light-hearted reminders that help us open our eyes to a new way of SEEING. A master at squashing illusion with Wizdumb, humor and meaningless insights, Puppetji cuts through the spiritual mumbo-jumbo and gets right to The Truth: According to Puppetji.
Considered to be one of our last great enlightened masters, Puppetji selflessly delivers his meaningless words of Wizdumb to anyone who will listen and even those who don’t.
Puppetji’s message is simple: “You take life too seriously… Enlighten-up”
When Puppetji isn’t demystifying dogma, karma, dharma, yoga or busy practicing the art of nothingness, he helps run the family store in Pune, India: The New Delhi Deli; home of the famous six foot Swami-Pastrami.
The Vedas are the ancient scriptures or revelation (Shruti) of the Hindu teachings which date far back in time to the origins of the Aryan civilization. Based on astronomical alignments in the Rigveda, in his book "The Orion", Bal Gangadhar Tilak stated the presence of the Rigvedic culture in India in the 4th millennium BC, and in his "Arctic Home in the Vedas" he added saying that the Aryans originated near the North Pole and came south during the Ice Age. The Vedas are also believed to have originated from where the Aryans came from ... inside the Hollow Earth from a place some know as Agartha or Shambalah ... Most of the UFOs seen across the world are also believed to originate from 'The Inner World' ...
Agartha is one of the most common names cited for the society of underground dwellers. Shamballa (also known as Shambalah or Shangri-La) is sometimes said to be its capital city. The mythical paradise of Shamballa is known under many different names: It has been called the Forbidden Land, the Land of White Waters, the Land of Radiant Spirits, the Land of Living Fire, the Land of the Living Gods and the Land of Wonders. Hindus have known it as Aryavartha (literally : The Land or Realm of The Aryans ; the Land of the Noble/Worthy Ones") - the land from which the Vedas come; the Chinese as Hsi Tien, the Western Paradise of Hsi Wang Mu, the Royal Mother of the West; the Russian Old Believers, a nineteenth-century Christian sect, knew it as Belovodye and the Kirghiz people as Janaidar. But throughout Asia it is best known by its Sanskrit name, Shambhala, meaning 'the place of peace, of tranquillity.'
This video titled 'Scientific Verification of Vedic Knowledge' illustrates the great cultural wealth of the knowledge found in the Vedic literature and it's relevancy in the modern world.
It is shown by means of high tech research techniques that statements and materials presented in the ancient Vedic literature agree with modern scientific findings and reveal a highly developed scientific content.
Techniques used to show this agreement include ...
Sarasvati Satellite Marine Archaeology of underwater sites such as Dwaraka.
Carbon and Thermoluminescence dating of archaeological artifacts.
Scientific Verification of scriptural statements.
Linguistic analysis of scripts found on archaeological artifacts.
Satellite imagery of archaeological sites.
A study of cultural continuity in all these categories.
Early Indologists wished to control and convert the followers of Vedic culture, therefore they widely propagated that the Vedas are simply mythology.
Max Muller, perhaps the most well known early Sanskritist and Indologist was the principal architect of the Aryan Invasion Theory, who intended to propagate western philosophy in India somehow making the English language and their culture seem superior to the native indigenous lifestyle of India.
Later on Max Muller admitted to the speculative nature of his Vedic chronology and in his last work 'Six Systems of Indian Philosophy' he wrote ... "The Vedas have their own unique place and stand by themselves in the literature of the world.
The Mahavakyas are "Great Sayings" of the Upanishads, the foundational texts of the Vedanta. Though there are many Mahavakyas, four of them, each from one of the four Vedas, are mentioned often as Mahavakyas.
The subject matter and the essence of all Upanishads being the same, all the Mahavakyas essentially propagate the same, say the same in a concise form. The four statements indicate the ultimate unity of the individual (Atman) with the Absolute (Brahman - The Cosmos).
The Mahavakyas are :
Prajanam Brahma - "Consciousness is Brahman" (Aitareya Upanishad 3.3 of the Rig Veda)
Ayam Atma Brahma - "This Self (Atman) is Brahman" (Mandukya Upanishad 1.2 of the Atharva Veda)
Tat Tvam Asi - "Thou Art That" (Chandogya Upanishad 6.8.7 of the Sama Veda)
Aham Brahmasmi - "I AM Brahman" (Brhadaranyaka Upanishad 1.4.10 of the Yajur Veda)
The Kanchi Paramacharya says in the book Hindu Dharma: "It is to attain this highest of states in which the individual self dissolves inseparably in Brahman that a man becomes a sanyasin after forsaking the very karma that gives him inward maturity. When he is initiated into sanyasa he is taught four mantras, the four Mahavakyas."
Swami Krishnananda says that the "Mahavakyas convey the essential teaching of the Upanishads, namely, Reality is One, and the individual is essentially identical with it ... the identification of the self with the Absolute is not any act of bringing together two differing natures, but is an affirmation that absoluteness or universality includes everything, and there is nothing outside of it."
India, for long has been a land of Mystics and Yogis who deeply understand the nature of spirit and how all is connected in this infinite space of creation. 'Mystic India' is a documentary film on the life of Neelkanth (A name for Shiva), a young 11 year old Yogi who set out on his journey to awakening, embracing the extremities of nature.
From 1792 to 1799, Neelkanth walked alone, barefoot and barebody, 8000 miles for 7 years through the length and breadth of India. Carrying no maps, no food and no clothing, how he crossed the roaring rivers, faced ferocious animals and survived the freezing winter of the Himalayas, is still a mystery. It is a story of perseverance, of kindness and of courage even when face to face with a man-eating lion.
Mystic India takes you through icy peaks to the cool blue Lake Mansarovar, into the wild jungles of Sunderbans and the rain forests of Assam, through barren deserts and to the silent shores of South India. Explore and learn from the majesty and mysticism of India's art and architecture, music and dance, faces and festivals, customs and costumes which are brought to life on the giant screen.
Mystic India rediscovers India, a land of many mysteries and fascinations, the one land that all desire to see. Home of the Himalayas, the tallest mountains, India is our world's largest and oldest democracy, and contains an amazing wealth of wisdom, culture and spirituality. And within this earliest civilization known to mankind, lie hidden mystical secrets. It lies hidden in India’s silent spirituality, making her a mystic land of meditation, contemplation and enlightenment.
Thanks to our friend The Highway Star we got to see the movie at PrasadzIMAX ... Truly Inspirational ! The picture above is of the Neelkanth Peak towering over Badrinath, also known as 'The Garhwal Queen' ! At first glance the face of the peak resembles the head of Ganesha. For more mystical adventures riding around the magical land called India please visit MysticXpressions !
'The Story of India' is a BBC TV documentary series, written and presented by historian Michael Wood, about India's 10,000 year history of cultural richness and mystique. The world's largest democracy and a rising economic giant, India is now as well known across the globe for its mastery of computer technology as it is for its many-armed gods and its famous spiritual traditions. India is the world's most ancient surviving civilization, with unbroken continuity back into prehistory. A land where diverse cultural traditions and people coalesce as ONE, India !
Like other great civilizations—Greece or Egypt, for example—over the millennia it has enjoyed not just one but several brilliant golden ages in art and culture. Its great thinkers and religious leaders have permanently changed the face of the globe. But while the glories of Rome, Egypt, and Greece, have all been the subject of TV portraits, as yet there has been no television story of India on our screens. This series sets out for the first time to do that: to show a world audience the wonders of India; the incredible richness and diversity of its peoples, cultures and landscapes; and the intense drama of its past, including some of the most momentous, exciting and moving events in world history.
India's history is a ten thousand year epic but for over two millennia, India has been at the center of world history. It has seen successive invasions from Alexander the Great and Genghis Khan to Tamburlaine and the British, all of whom left their mark but all of whom succumbed, in the end, to India herself. For all that time India has been famous for its spiritual traditions; it gave birth to two world religions, one of which—Buddhism—had a profound impact on all of East Asia, China, Japan and Korea, and in modern times has found root even in the US and Europe. The subcontinent is home to one of the world's greatest—and least understood—artistic traditions and to an extraordinary spectrum of music, dance and literature. India was also, and still is, a great center for technology and science, inventing—for example—the decimal system with zero, which is the basis of all modern science, mathematics and economics. India gave birth to some of the most remarkable characters in world history, including the Buddha, the Mauryan emperor Ashoka, and the Moghul emperor Akbar the Great, not to mention the likes of Nehru and Mahatma Gandhi.
Now, in the era of globalization, India has once again become a leading player in the world. Home to more than one billion people it is a land of amazing contrasts: it contains both the high tech brilliance of Bangalore's Silicon Valley and the archaic splendour of the Kumbh Mela festival, where 25 million pilgrims come to bathe in the sacred river Ganges on a single night. While moving at high speed into the 3rd millennium, India alone, of all the civilizations on the face of the earth, is still in touch with her ancient past.
In this landmark six-part series for PBS and the BBC, Michael Wood embarked on a dazzling and exciting journey through today's India, "seeking in the present for clues to her past, and in the past for clues to her future".
Leonardo DiCaprio presents 'The 11th Hour' a documentary on the state of the natural environment and our relationship with Planet Earth. While we might think of ourselves as separate biological life forms living on a planet which feeds us, nourishes us, gives us all that we have, the emerging truth is that we are one with all that is ... we are nature ... we are the earth ... we are in fact one with the Brahman, the cosmos ... The Cosmos is Consciousness ... and we are that one cosmic consciousness experiencing itself subjectively ! This knowledge originates from the ancient vedic texts of India.
With contributions from over 50 politicians, scientists, and environmental activists, including former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev, physicist Stephen Hawking, Nobel Prize winner Wangari Maathai, and journalist Paul Hawken, The 11th Hour documents the grave problems facing the planet's life systems. Global warming, deforestation, mass species extinction, and depletion of the oceans' habitats are all addressed. The film's premise is that the future of humanity is in jeopardy unless we change our destructive ways and learn to live one with nature, in harmony with all existence.
The film proposes potential solutions to these problems by calling for restorative action by the reshaping and rethinking of global human activity through technology, social responsibility and conservation.
There are many human civilizations in our galaxy and we have been visited be our galactic family for thousands of years and our ancestors were in contact with these advanced beings from distant planetary civilizations such as the Lyrans from whom the Caucasian race was seeded here on Earth. Ancient Aliens is a 2009 History Channel Documentary about Extraterrestrials visiting Earth and being revered by primitive man as Gods and the contact that ensued for thousands of years ...
What if life on Earth began in outer space? Millions of people accept the theory that intelligent life forms visited Earth thousands of years ago and were worshiped as gods by primitive man. Are monuments like Stonehenge and Easter Island the last remains of an ancient alien visitation? From unexplainable super structures, to knowledge of the solar system, mathematics, and even the ability to make electricity, this special explores evidence of super-human influences on ancient man and embarks on an around-the-world search for answers.
Presented in the 1968 bestselling book Chariots of the Gods by Erich Von Daniken, the theory of "Ancient Aliens" rocked people's beliefs in mankind's progress. Ancient cave drawings of strange creatures, remains of landing strips in Peru, and Indian texts that describe the "flying machines of the gods" were just a few of the odd archaeological artifacts cited by Von Daniken as proof that ancient astronauts were well known to our ancestors.
Produced with the exclusive cooperation of Erich Von Daniken himself, Ancient Aliens launches all-new expeditions to seek out and evaluate this evidence, with a concentration on the latest discoveries of the last 30 years, including unusual DNA findings on man's evolution and newly decoded artifacts from Egypt to Syria to South America. It is a balanced investigation into a theory some believe cannot be true, but many agree cannot be ignored.
Our cosmic heritage is far richer than we are inclined to believe ... there are many like us out there and some of them are now coming back to show us the way of love and oneness ... they are giving us cues to change our ways and start living as one with all creation ... we have the power to change ... we are the alchemists of consciousness !
'Jesus The Messiah' or 'Isa Masih' as he is referred to in India, is known to have traveled to India twice in his lifetime, between the age of 13 and 30 and after his resurrection. He came to India to study the vedic scriptures and the teachings of Gautama Buddha which helped him acquire Siddhis (Supernormal Perceptual States) to heal and serve the needy and downtrodden.
'Siddhi' is a Sanskrit word which means 'attainment' or 'accomplishment', typically defined as "a magical or spiritual power for the control of self, others and the forces of nature." The Siddhis described by occultists and yogis are in actuality supernormal perceptual states available to all human beings.
Holger Kersten wrote a book titled 'Jesus Lived in India', here is a synopsis of the book compiled by Dr. Ramesh Manocha and Anna Pots ...
Holger Kersten : "It is simply of vital importance to find again the path to the sources, to the eternal and central truths of Christ's message, which has been shaken almost beyond recognition by the profane ambitions of more or less secular institutions arrogating to themselves a religious authority. This is an attempt to open a way to a new future, firmly founded in the true spiritual and religious sources of the past".
Thus begins Holger Kersten's book "Jesus Lived in India". This German book is a thorough, methodical and authoritative examination of the evidence of Christ's life beyond the Middle East before the Crucifixion and in India and elsewhere after it.
This article is a summary of Kersten's exhaustive research into Christ's travels after the Crucifixion, his arrival in India with the Mother Mary and finally his death and entombment in Kashmir. Kersten notes the many parallels of Christ's teachings with other religious and cultural traditions and suggests that at least some of these figures may have been one and the same personality.
It is not possible, Kersten asserts, to disprove that Christ went to India. The current information documenting Christ's life is restricted to the gospels and the work of Church theologians. One can hardly trust these sources to be objective considering their obvious interest in maintaining the authority of their Church and its grip on the masses.
The Russian scholar, Nicolai Notovich, was the first to suggest that Christ may have gone to India. In 1887, Notovich, a Russian scholar and Orientalist, arrived in Kashmir during one of several journeys to the Orient. At the Zoji-la pass Notovich was a guest in a Buddhist monastery, where a monk told him of the bodhisattva saint called "Issa". Notovich was stunned by the remarkable parallels of Issa's teachings and martyrdom with that of Christ's life, teachings and crucifixion.
For about sixteen years, Christ travelled through Turkey, Persia, Western Europe and possibly England. He finally arrived with Mary to a place near Kashmir, where she died. After many years in Kashmir, teaching to an appreciative population, who venerated him as a great prophet, reformer and saint, he died and was buried in a tomb in Kashmir itself.
The first step in Christ's trail after the Crucifixion is found in the Persian scholar F. Mohammed's historical work "Jami-ut-tuwarik" which tells of Christ's arrival in the kingdom of Nisibis, by royal invitation. (Nisibis is today known as Nusaybin in Turkey) . This is reiterated in the Imam Abu Jafar Muhammed's "Tafsi-Ibn-i-Jamir at-tubri." Kersten found that in both Turkey and Persia there are ancient stories of a saint called "Yuz Asaf" ("Leader of the Healed"), whose behaviour, miracles and teachings are remarkably similar to that of Christ.
The many Islamic and Hindu historical works recording local history and legends of kings, noblemen and saints of the areas thought to be travelled by Jesus also give evidence of a Christ like man; the Koran, for example, refers to Christ as "Issar". Further east, the Kurdish tribes of Eastern Anatolia have several stories describing Christ's stay in Eastern Turkey after his resurrection. These traditional legends have been ignored by the theological community.
Kersten also suggests that prior to Christ's mission in the Middle East, he may have been exposed to Buddhist teachings in Egypt. After his birth in Bethlehem, his family fled to Egypt to avoid Herod's persecution. Surprisingly some scholars now acknowledge that Buddhist schools probably existed in Alexandria long before the Christian era.
More clues are drawn from the Apocrypha. These are texts said to have been written by the Apostles but which are not officially accepted by the Church. Indeed, the Church regards them as heresy since a substantial amount of the Apocrypha directly contradicts Church dogma and theology. The Apocryphal 'Acts of Thomas', for example, tell how Christ met Thomas several times after the Crucifixion. In fact they tell us how Christ sent Thomas to teach his spirituality in India.
This is corroborated by evidence found in the form of stone inscriptions at Fatehpur Sikri, near the Taj Mahal, in Northern India. They include "Agrapha", which are sayings of Christ that don't exist in the mainstream Bible. Their grammatical form is most similar to that of the Apocryphal gospel of Thomas. This is but one example giving credibility to the idea that texts not recognised by the Church hold important clues about Christ's true life and his teachings.
In tracing Christ's movements to India and beyond, Kersten also discovered that many of his teachings, which have been gradually edited out of the modern Bible were originally Eastern in nature. Principles such as karma and re-incarnation, for example, were common knowledge then, and seem to have been reaffirmed by Christ. Imagine the implications that this discovery holds for Western Christianity and its churches, who have kept Christ in their doctrinal top pockets and have constrained the entire Western culture within the narrow teachings of blind faith, organised religion and original sin!
Further clues are cited from The Apocryphal Acts of Thomas, and the Gospel of Thomas which are of Syrian origin and have been dated to the 4th Century AD, or possibly earlier. They are Gnostic Scriptures and despite the evidence indicating their authenticity, they are not given credence by mainstream theologians. In these texts Thomas tells of Christ's appearance in Andrapolis, Paphlagonia (today known as in the extreme north of Anatolia) as a guest of the King of Andrappa. There he met with Thomas who had arrived separately. It is at Andrapolis that Christ entreated Thomas to go to India to begin spreading his teachings.
It seems that Christ and Mary then moved along the West coast of Turkey, proof of this could be an old stopping place for travellers called the "Home of Mary", found along the ancient silk route. From here Christ could easily have entered Europe via France. He may have even travelled as far as the British Isles, for in England there is an ancient oak tree called the "Hallowed Tree" which (says local legend) was planted by Christ himself.
In his travels through Persia (today's Iran) Christ became known as Yuz Asaf (leader of the Healed). We know this because a Kashmiri historical document confirms that Isa (the Koranic name for Christ) was in fact also known as Yuz Asaf. The Jami - uf - Tamarik, Volume II, tells that Yuz Asaf visited Masslige, where he attended the grave of Shem, Noah's son. There are various other accounts such as Agha Mustafa's "Awhali Shahaii-i-paras" that tell of Yuz Asaf's travels and teachings all over Persia. It seems that Yuz Asaf blessed Afghanistan and Pakistan with his presence also. There are for example two plains in Eastern Afghanistan near Gazni and Galalabad, bearing the name of the prophet Yuz Asaf.
Again in the Apocryphal Acts of Thomas, Thomas says that he and Christ attended the Court of King Gundafor of Taxila (now Pakistan), in about 47AD, and that eventually both the King and his brother accepted Christ's teachings. Kersten claims that there are more than twenty one historical documents that bear witness to the existence of Jesus in Kashmir, where he was known also as Yuz Asaf and Issa. For example the Bhavishyat Mahapurana (volume 9 verses 17-32) contains an account of Issa-Masih (Jesus the Messiah). It describes Christ's arrival in the Kashmir region of India and his encounter with King Shalivahana, who ruled the Kushan area (39-50AD), and who entertained Christ as a guest for some time.
{Christ's life in India, after the crucifixion, challenges current Church teachings at their very foundation. The theology of Saint Paul, the major influence on modern Christianity, is empty fanaticism in the light of this discovery.}
The historian Mullah Nadini (1413) also recounts a story of Yuz Asaf who was a contemporary to King Gopadatta, and confirms that he also used the name Issar, ie. Jesus. There is also much historical truth in the towns and villages of Northern India to prove that Jesus and his mother Mary spent time in the area. For instance, at the border of a small town called Mari, there is nearby a mountain called Pindi Point, upon which is an old tomb called Mai Mari da Asthan or "The final resting place of Mary".
The tomb is said to be very old and local Muslims venerate it as the grave of Issa's (ie Christ's) Mother. The tomb itself is oriented East-West consistent with the Jewish tradition, despite the fact it is within a Muslim area. Assuming its antiquity, such a tomb could not be Hindu either since the Hindus contemporary to Christ cremated their dead and scattered their ashes as do Hindus today.
Following Christ's trail into Kashmir, 40km south of Srinagar, between the villages of Naugam and Nilmge is a meadow called Yuz-Marg (the meadow of Yuz Asaf, ie. Jesus). Then there is the sacred building called Aish Muqam, 60km south east of Srinagar and 12km from Bij Bihara. "Aish" says Kersten is derived from "Issa" and "Muqam" place of rest or repose. Within the Aish Muqam is a sacred relic called the 'Moses Rod' or the 'Jesus Rod', which local legend says, belonged to Moses himself. Christ is said to also have held it, perhaps to confirm his Mosaic heritage.
Above the town of Srinagar is a temple known as "The Throne of Solomon", which dates back to at least 1000BC, which King Gopadatta had restored at about the same time as Christ's advent. The restoration was done by a Persian architect who personally left four inscriptions on the side steps of the temple. The third and fourth inscription read: "At this time Yuz Asaf announced his prophetic calling in Year 50 and 4" and "He is Jesus -- Prophet of the Sons of Israel"! Herein lies a powerful confirmation of Kersten's theory. Kersten suggests that Christ may have travelled to the South of India also, finally returning to Kashmir to die at the age of approximately 80 years. Christ's tomb, says Kersten, lies in Srinagar's old town in a building called Rozabal.
"Rozabal" is an abbreviation of Rauza Bal, meaning "tomb of a prophet". At the entrance there is an inscription explaining that Yuz Asaf is buried along with another Moslem saint. Both have gravestones which are oriented in North-South direction, according to Moslem tradition. However, through a small opening the true burial chamber can be seen, in which there is the Sarcophagus of Yuz Asaf in East-West (Jewish) orientation!
According to Professor Hassnain, who has studied this tomb, there are carved footprints on the grave stones and when closely examined, carved images of a crucifix and a rosary. The footprints of Yuz Asaf have what appear to be scars represented on both feet, if one assumes that they are crucifixion scars, then their position is consistent with the scars shown in the Turin Shroud (left foot nailed over right).
Crucifixion was not practised in Asia, so it is quite possible that they were inflicted elsewhere, such as the Middle East. The tomb is called by some as "Hazrat Issa Sahib" or "Tomb of the Lord Master Jesus". Ancient records acknowledge the existence of the tomb as long ago as 112AD. The Grand Mufti, a prominent Muslim Cleric, himself has confirmed that Hazrat Isa Sahib is indeed the tomb of Yuz Asaf!
Thus Kersten deduces that the tomb of Jesus Christ Himself is in Kashmir!
The implications of Kersten's discovery are monumental. Christ's life in India, after the crucifixion, challenges current Church teachings at their very foundation. The theology of Saint Paul, the major influence on modern Christianity, is empty fanaticism in the light of this discovery. Threatened also are the doctrines of obedience to the Church, original sin, salvation through blind faith and the non-existence of reincarnation, etc.
Yet these ideas underlie the morality and ethics, (or lack of them), that govern the entire Western social structure, from the legal system to medical health care schemes. It is no wonder that the modern Churches and their secular interests refuse to consider such a proposition as Kersten's !
A movie titled 'Jesus In India' made by filmmaker Paul Davids and world traveler Ed Martin was released in December 2008 bringing more light to the lost years of Jesus !
