Indian Antiquary Vol 02

SR No.: 032494
Original Sutra Author: N/A
Author: Jas Burgess
Publisher: Swati Publications
Publication Year: 1984
Total Pages: 428
Language: English
Classification: Book_English
File Size: 20 MB

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THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY.
[OCTOBER, 1873.
Full of astonishment, and with hair erect, he And when the disciples heard it, they fell on bent his head before the god, and, folding his their face, and were sore afraid. (Matt. xvii. 6.) hands, spoke. (xi. 14.)
When I see thy countenance, I know no place, He wist not what to answer; for they were sore I feel no joy. (xi. 25.)
afraid. (Mark ix. 6.) Conf. Mark, ix. 3. Then he comforted again that astonished one, And Jesus came and touched thein, and said, for the great spirit was merciful. (xi. 50.)
Arise, and be not afraid. (Matt. xvii. 7.) The speech of Arjuna in the tenth song (sl. John, James, and Jude, have been used. Of the 12) has a striking resemblance to Peter's con- || Old Testament (apart from some rious coinci. fession of the divinity of Christ in connection dences with passages in the Proverbs and Psalms with his answer in John, vi. 68:
which scarcely justify the hypothesis of a direct Arjuna said, Thou art the highest Brahma .... borrowing), only the Book of Wisdom was probaall the sages call thee the eternal divine spirit, the bly known to the composer. Compare the folhighest God. All that thou sayest to me I believe
lowing passages : to be true. (X. 12-14.)
Infinitely strong and of great power, thou comAnd Simon ater answered and said, Thou art
prehendest everything. (B. G. xi. 40.) the Christ, tno Son of the living God.' (Matt.
She (Eternal Wisdom) reacheth from one end xvi. 16.) Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to
to another mightily: and sweetly doth she order whom shall we go thou hast the words of eternal
all things. (Boole of Wisdom, viii. 1.) life. (John, vi. 68.)
It is hard for those in the body to obtain the As unmistakable is the similarity between invisible way. (B. G. xii. 5.) the apology of Arjuna for having held familiar For the corruptible body presseth down the intercourse with Krishna without knowing his soul, and the earthly tabernacle weigheth down divine glory, and the exclamation of Peter when the mind that museth upon many things. (Wiehe has witnessed the miracle of the fishes. dom, ix. 15.) Although the words are different, the situation Before concluding this investigation, we must is exactly the same :
answer two objections which may be raised. "Forgive me, o immeasurable one, for the
My commentary has indicated that several pas. eager words I spoke when I thought you my
Bages which bear a Christian stamp, and even friend: Ho Krishra, Jådava, my friend; for the honour I withheld from you." (xi. 41, 42.)
some of those which agree in expression with When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus'
passages of the New Testament, are to be found knees, saying, Depart from me; for I am a sinful
in some Upanishad, sometimes word for word, man, O Lord. (Luke, v. 8.)
sometimes with insignificant discrepancies. As. Finally there seems a certain similarity, the Upanishads which are considered parts of which may be accounted for by an intentional the Vedas have a relatively high antiquity imitation, between the conclusion of the twelfth ascribed to them, and are regarded as older than chapter (él. 13-20) and the beginning of the the oldest Christian records, the supposition that Sermon on the Mount. The repetition of the those expressions and thoughts were borrowed words "Blessed are " are paralleled by "Such from Christianity seems to be excluded. A & one is dear to me," and in both places there thorough discussion of the age of those Upais an enumeration of virtues and perfections nishads, and their relation to Christian docwhich men are exhorted to attain.
trines and ideas, would overstep the limits of If we look for a moment in conclusion at these observations. I content myself with a the single parts of the New Testament of whose short statement of my view of the Upani. nise there are traces in the Bhagawd-Gitr, we find shads in question, and their relation to Chris. that it is the Gospel of John in particular from tianity and the Bhagavad-Gita, and leave the which the composer has taken the most impor- further investigation to others. The Upanishads tant and the greatest majority of phrases. But which are chiefly in question are the Svetasvahe has also taken a good deal from the other tira-, Katha-, Mundaka and Praina Upanishads. three gospels, the Acts of the Apostles, and the All these Upanishads, as far as their contents Revelations. The Epistles of St. Paul, too, are concerned, stand in close connection with with the exception of those to the Thessalonians themselves and the Bhagavad-Gita ; they have and to Philemon, as well as the letters of Peter, several passages in common; they all reverence