The Vedas foresaw the Coming Person at the beginning of the Purusasukta in the Rg Veda. Then we continued with the Hebrew Vedas, suggesting that both the Sanskrit and Hebrew Vedas (Bible) were fulfilled by Yeshua Satsang (Jesus of Nazareth).
So was Jesus this prophesied Purusa or Christ? Was his coming just for a certain group, or for all – including all castes, from the Varna even to Avarna?
Caste (Varna) in Purusasukta
The Purusasukta said of Purusa that:
| Purusasukta Verses 11-12 – Sanskrit | Sanskrit Transliteration | English Translation |
| यत पुरुषं वयदधुः कतिधा वयकल्पयन | मुखं किमस्य कौ बाहू का ऊरू पादा उच्येते || बराह्मणो.अस्य मुखमासीद बाहू राजन्यः कर्तः | ऊरूतदस्य यद वैश्यः पद्भ्यां शूद्रो अजायत || | 11 yat puruṣaṃ vyadadhuḥ katidhā vyakalpayan | mukhaṃ kimasya kau bāhū kā ūrū pādā ucyete || 12 brāhmaṇo.asya mukhamāsīd bāhū rājanyaḥ kṛtaḥ | ūrūtadasya yad vaiśyaḥ padbhyāṃ śūdro ajāyata | 11 When they divided Puruṣa how many portions did they make? What do they call his mouth, his arms? What do they call his thighs and feet? 12 The Brahman was his mouth, of both his arms was the Rājanya made. His thighs became the Vaiśya, from his feet the Śūdra was produced. |
This is the earliest mention of Castes or Varna in the Sanskrit Vedas. It describes the four Castes as separating out from Purusa’s body: The Brahmin Caste/Varna from his mouth, the Rajanya (today known as Kshatriya Caste/Varna) from his arms, the Vaishya Caste/Varna from his thighs, and the Shudra Caste from his feet. For Jesus to be Purusa he must represent everybody.
Does he?
Jesus as Brahmin and Kshatriya
We saw that ‘Christ’ is an ancient Hebrew title meaning ‘ruler’ – the Ruler of rulers. As ‘the Christ’, Jesus fully identifies with and represents the Kshatriya. We saw that as ‘the Branch’ Jesus was also prophesied to come as Priest, so he fully identifies with and represents the Brahmin. In fact, Hebrew prophecy indicated that he would unite the two roles of Priest and King into one person.
…he will be clothed with majesty and will sit and rule on his throne. And he will be a priest on his throne. And there will be harmony between the two.’ (Zechariah 6:13)
Jesus as Vaishya
The Hebrew sages/prophets also prophesied that the Coming One would, like a merchant, be a trader. The Hebrew Vedas foretold:
Since you are precious and honored in my sight, and because I love you, I will give people in exchange for you, nations in exchange for your life. (Isaiah 43:3)
God is speaking prophetically to the Coming One, saying that He would not be trading in things, but he would be trading for people – by exchanging his life. So the Coming One would be a merchant, trading in the freeing of people. As a merchant he identifies with and represents the Vaishya.
Shudra – Servant
The sages/prophets also foretold in great detail his coming role as a Servant, or Shudra. We saw how the prophets foretold that the Branch would be a servant whose job it would be to remove sins:
“‘Listen, High Priest Joshua, you and your associates seated before you, who are men symbolic of things to come: I am going to bring my servant, the Branch…. and I will remove the sin of this land in a single day. (Zechariah 3:8-9)
The Coming Branch, who was Priest, Ruler and Merchant, was also a Servant – Shudra. Isaiah prophesied in great detail of his role as Servant (Shudra). In this prophecy God advises all ‘distant’ nations (that’s us!) to pay attention to this Shudra’s service.
Listen to me, you islands;
hear this, you distant nations:
Before I was born the Lord called me;
from my mother’s womb he has spoken my name.
2 He made my mouth like a sharpened sword,
in the shadow of his hand he hid me;
he made me into a polished arrow
and concealed me in his quiver.
3 He said to me, “You are my servant,
Israel, in whom I will display my splendor.”
4 But I said, “I have labored in vain;
I have spent my strength for nothing at all.
Yet what is due me is in the Lord’s hand,
and my reward is with my God.”5 And now the Lord says—
he who formed me in the womb to be his servant
to bring Jacob back to him
and gather Israel to himself,
for I am honored in the eyes of the Lord
and my God has been my strength—
6 he says:
“It is too small a thing for you to be my servant
to restore the tribes of Jacob
and bring back those of Israel I have kept.
I will also make you a light for the Gentiles,that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth.” (Isaiah 49:1-6)
Though coming from the Hebrew/Jewish race, this predicted that the service of this Servant would ‘reach to the ends of the earth’. Jesus’ service has indeed touched all nations on earth as prophesied. As Servant, Jesus fully identified with and represents all Shudra.
Avarna also …
To mediate for all peoples Jesus also has to represent the Avarna, or Scheduled Castes, Tribals and Dalits. How would he? The Hebrew Vedas predicted that he would be completely broken and despised, viewed as Avarna by the rest of us.
In what way?
Here is the complete prophecy with some explanations inserted. Observe that it speaks of a ‘He’ and ‘him’ so it prophesies a coming man. Since the prophecy uses the image of ‘shoot’ we know it is referring to the Branch who was Priest and Ruler. But the description is Avarna.
The Coming Despised One
Who has believed our message
and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?
2 He grew up before him [God] like a tender shoot,
and like a root out of dry ground.
He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him,
nothing in his appearance that we should desire him.
3 He was despised and rejected by mankind,
a man of suffering, and familiar with pain.
Like one from whom people hide their faces
he was despised, and we held him in low esteem.
Though the ‘shoot’ before God (i.e. The Banyan Branch), this Man would be ‘despised’ and ‘rejected’, full of ‘suffering’ and ‘held in low esteem’ by others. He would literally be regarded as untouchable. This coming one is then able to represent those as broken as Untouchables of the Scheduled Tribes (Vanvasi) and Backwards Castes – the Dalits.
4 Surely he took up our pain
and bore our suffering,yet we considered him punished by God,
stricken by him, and afflicted.
5 But he was pierced for our transgressions,
he was crushed for our iniquities;
the punishment that brought us peace was on him,
and by his wounds we are healed.
We sometimes judge the misfortune of others, or look at those in a low position in society, as a consequence, or karma, of their sins. Similarly, the afflictions of this Man will be so great that we assume he is being punished by God. This is why he will be despised. But he will not be punished for his own sins – but for ours. He will bear an awful burden for our healing and peace.
This was fulfilled in the crucifixion of Jesus of Nazareth, who was ‘pierced’ on a cross, stricken and afflicted. Yet this prophecy was written 750 years before he lived. In being held in low esteem, and in his suffering, Jesus fulfilled this prophecy and can now represent all Backward Castes and Tribals.
6 We all, like sheep, have gone astray,
each of us has turned to our own way;
and the Lord has laid on him
the iniquity of us all.7 He was oppressed and afflicted,
yet he did not open his mouth;
he was led like a lamb to the slaughter,
and as a sheep before its shearers is silent,
so he did not open his mouth
It is our sin and our going astray from dharma which requires that this man carry our iniquities or sins. He would be willing to go peacefully to the slaughter in our place, not protesting or even ‘opening his mouth’. This was fulfilled precisely in how Jesus went willingly to the cross.
8 By oppression and judgment he was taken away.
Yet who of his generation protested?
For he was cut off from the land of the living;
for the transgression of my people he was punished.
The prophecy stated that he would be ‘cut off from the land of the living’, which was fulfilled when Jesus died on the cross.
9 He was assigned a grave with the wicked,
and with the rich in his death,
though he had done no violence,
nor was any deceit in his mouth.
Jesus died condemned as a ‘wicked’ man even though ‘he had done no violence’ and no ‘deceit was in his mouth’. Yet, he was buried in the tomb of Joseph of Arimathea, a rich Priest. Jesus fulfilled both being ‘assigned a grave with the wicked’ but also ‘with the rich in his death’.
10 Yet it was the Lord’s will to crush him and cause him to suffer,
and though the Lord makes his life an offering for sin,
he will see his offspring and prolong his days,
and the will of the Lord will prosper in his hand
This cruel death was not some terrible accident or misfortune. It was ‘the LORD’s will’.
Why?
Because the ‘life’ of this man would be an ‘offering for sin’.
Whose sin?
Those of us among the ‘many nations’ that have ‘gone astray’. When Jesus died on the cross, it was to cleanse all of us, regardless of nationality, religion or social position, from sin.
Despised One is Triumphant
11 After he has suffered, he will see the light of life and be satisfied; by his knowledge my righteous servant will justify many, and he will bear their iniquities.
The prophecy’s tone now changes to become triumphant. After the terrible ‘suffering’ (of being ‘despised’ and ‘cut off from the land of the living’ and assigned ‘a grave’), this Servant will see ‘the light of life’.
He will come back to life! And in so doing this Servant will ‘justify’ many.
To ‘justify’ is the same as getting ‘righteousness’. Rsi Abraham was ‘credited’ or given ‘righteousness’. It was given to him simply because of his trust. In a similar way this Servant who would be so low as to be untouchable will justify, or credit righteousness, to ‘many’. This is exactly what Jesus accomplished by rising from the dead after his crucifixion and now justifies us.
12 Therefore I will give him a portion among the great,
and he will divide the spoils with the strong,
because he poured out his life unto death,
and was numbered with the transgressors.
For he bore the sin of many,
and made intercession for the transgressors.(Isaiah 53:1-12)
Though this was written 750 years before Jesus lived, it was fulfilled in such detail by him to show this was the plan of God. It also shows that Jesus can represent the Avarna, those often held in the lowest esteem. In fact, he came to represent, bear and cleanse their sins, as well as the sins of the Brahmin, Kshatriya, Vaishya and Shudra.
He came as the center of God’s plan to offer you and me the gift of life – cleansing from the guilt and karma of sin. Is it not worthwhile to fully consider and understand such a precious gift? There are several ways to do this here: