Introduction To Hindu Scriptures

This article presents information relating to the similarities between two human personifications of God, Lord Krishna and Lord Jesus but it will not discuss or speculate on the historicity of either.

Background: What are the Hindu Scriptures?
There are enough Hindu Scriptures to fill up a library, but the following represent some of the most widely used.

The Vedas
The Vedas are a collection of four texts written in Sanskrit (from the Indo-European language family)  that represent the earliest set of Hindu Scripture and are considered to be divinely revealed.  Their earliest origin so far has been traced back to the people that occupied the steppes of Central Asia.  They are referred to as Aryans or Indo-Aryans.  Aryans migrated into the Indus Valley from the steppes of central asia in the second millenium BCE, bringing  with them the Veda, an oral tradition of knowledge primarily concerned with ritual.  The Veda is thought to have existed as oral tradition from 2300 BCE to 1200 BCe before it was finally written down. The Aryan culture intermingled with the culture of the Indus valley to produce the Hindu tradition, and the Veda emerged as Hinduism most sacred authority.

The vedas are organized into four volumes called Samhitas, and each is concerned with a particular aspect or ritual.
- The Rigveda is the oldest and most important. It contains over a thousand hymns of praise to Gods and Goddesses called Mantras and they are used in rituals.
- Yajurveda which gives instructions for sacrifices
- Samaveda contains melodies, the songs had to be just right to be effective
- Atharvaveda spells and incantations for healing rituals

The Upanishads
The Upanishads were composed in the Axial Age between 800 - 400 BCE.  They are considered to be divinely revealed knowledge and the authors are unknown.  They were intended to be "A Path of Wisdom" to try to escape the cycle of reincarnation, Bagavad Gita. They require renunciation of worldly attachments and introspection.


The Baghavad Gita
The Baghavad Gita is the most popular and it represents a comprehensive overview of Hindu Religion.  It is commonly referred to as "The Gita".  It is the text of a conversation between Krishna (the God Vishnu in human form) and a soldier called Arjuna shortly before the start of the Kurukshetra war.  It is considered by Hindus to be a practical guide to life.

Bhagavata Purana
Bhagavata Purana is known to have existed before 500 BCE. is so important that it is sometimes called "the Fifth Veda". It is notable for its emphasis on the practice of devoted worship (bhakti), for redefining dharma and for the depth of its description of God in human form. The Bhagavata and the Bhagavad Gita are used by the Hindu faith group called the Vaishnavas to demonstrate Vishnus authority over the other forms of God.

Lesser scripture but important for the text the follows
the Kalki Purana is believed to have existed before the 1500's and was derived from the earlier 18 major Puranas which were in existence prior to 500 BCE.

Dharma-Sastras
written about the first century CE, or about time of Jesus. It covers the topic of Dharama. It clarified what Dharma was and how it applied to each Caste in the Hindu Social Heirarchy.

Shared Mythic Elements
Arguments can be found that claim that Horus, Mithra and Krishna are all the same myth modified for the audience, applied to Jesus, and/or that in the missing eighteen years of Jesus story that he actually lived and studied in Tibet during his eighteen years that are unaccounted for and taught modified concepts from the Vedas. Here is a link to two videos from a passionate British Hindu detailing the evidence to support the Krishna, Jesus, Tibet relationship.

This Video does not seem to be scholarly or authoritative, but it does give a good introduction to the concept of syncretism with regard to the inclusion of aspects of Hinduism into Christianity. Below the link is my summary of the video.

From YouTube: Jesus, Krishna and India: Part 1. Similarities between Krishna and Christ.



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These are only two videos made by one evangelist, but there are many variations of this tale that are hundreds of years old. The key here is that they all claim to be the truth, and they all claim to have evidence, so then it all boils down to the evidence and I think we can all agree that in all cases the evidence is circumstantial and largely unverifiable. Yet that doesn't stop them from promoting and endorsing this view to be taken up by others. The analog is the Christian Evangelist.

JESUS, THE REST OF THE STORY (SO THEY SAY)
There are claims that Jesus was taken to India and studied there during the missing 18 years of his life. During the new testament he was referred to as teacher, or the Hindu equivalent, Guru. There are also claims that he survived crucifixion and returned to India where he continued his teaching and where he finally died.

Here is a link to the previous article outlining some similarities between Hindu Folklore and Christian Folklore
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WISDOM LITERATURE OF THE NEAR EAST
The Link between Biblical cultures and East Asia is undeniable.
MAGI FROM THE EAST from The Church of God Daily Bible Study
"Magi, from the Greek word pronounced magoi, originated as a religious class from Babylon or Persia."
Babylon was in modern day Iraq, Persia is now Iran, has a border with Pakistan, and Pakistan is where the Indus River is, the origin of the Ancient Vedic Civilization and where India gets its ENGLISH name.

babylonian captivity

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WORD
matt 16:16 "you are the christ, the son of the living god"

The words Krishna and Christ are similar in many different languages. They all seem to have the same root.

Greek "KRISTOS", used to translate into hebrew "meshiac"
Sanskrit equivalent is "Krista" which is a variant of "Krishna"
a Bengali word for Krishna is Kristo

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BIRTH
massacre of the innocents
Matthew 2:16 (New American Standard Bible)
16 Then when Herod saw that he had been tricked by the magi, he became very enraged, and sent and slew all the male children who were in Bethlehem and all its vicinity, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had determined from the magi.

Born in counter-intuitive places,
Bagavata Canto 10, 1:65-66 - Krishna in a prison cell
Luke 2:7 - Jesus in a stable

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SHEPHERD
- John 10:11, "I am the Good Shepherd",
- Krishna depicted as a herder, two of his titles are "finder of cows" and "protector of cows"
Asiatic mythology: a detailed description and explanation of the mythologies, By J. Hackin, et al

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TEACHINGS
BHAGAVAD GITA

"The Bhagavad Gita, usually considered part of the sixth book of the Mahabharata (dating from about 400 or 300 B.C.), is a central text of Hinduism, a philosphical dialog between the god Krishna and the warrior Arjuna."
http://www.sacred-texts.com/hin/index.htm#gita
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ALPHA AND OMEGA
- Revelation 1:8 "I am alpha and omega, the beginning and the ending saith the lord, 'which is, and which was, and which is to come, the almighty'"

- Bhagavad gita, 10:20: "I am the supersoul, O Arjuna, seated in teh heart of all living entities, I am the beginning, the middle and the end of all beings"

KINGDOM OF GOD
luke 4:43 told people to gout and preach the kingdom of god
mark 1:15 "the kingdome of god is at hand"

Video index: 3:58
- bag gita 2:72 "That [living free from desires] is the way of the spiritual and godly life if one is thus situated even at the hour of death, one can enter into the kingdom of God."

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MAT 8:22 "Follow me; and let the dead bury their dead"

Video Index: 4:27
- bag 2:11 "While speaking learned words, you are mourning for that which is not worthy of grief. Those who are wise lament neither for the living nor the dead"

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rom 2:11 "for there is no partiality with god", or NIV "god does not show favortism"
bag 9:29 "I envy no-one, nor am I partial to anyone. I am equal to all"


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Video Index: 5:03
- Matt 5:44 Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you"

BAG 12:18 "One who is equal to friends and enemies; who is equipoised in honor and dishonor such a person is very dear to me"

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Video Index: 5:33
- John 14:6 "I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the father, but by me"

BAG 10:8 "I am the source of all spiritual and material worlds. Everything emanates from me"

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RIDER ON A WHITE HORSE
Revelation 6:2) "And I saw, and behold a white horse and he that sat on him had a bow and a crown was given unto him: and he went forth conquering and to conquer"

v6:49
rev 19:11-13, 15-16) "And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war. His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew but he himself...and his name is called The Word of God...and out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations...and he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS"

Kalki Purana:
Hindus believe that in when the world is intolerably wicked, Vishnu will come to earth in the tenth and final Great Incarnation as a human (avatar) riding a white horse named Kalki.
v8:13
- history of oral traditions and the danger of uttering the scriptures improperly
- hindus weren't concerned with chronological time so it wasn't common to keep track of times and dates of origin
The purana were mentioned as the "fifth" veda in Chandogya Upanishad (500 BCE) but the first written versions only go back to the Gupta Period from ~300-500 CE.

If the written version were preserved intact when they were written, then we have a record of a myth that existed in 500 BCE turning up in a new testament document from ~ 100 CE.