“It is very difficult to find out a true Christian who is strictly following the words of Lord Jesus

Christ. So he is a good example of sādhu. We therefore adore and offer our obeisances to Lord
Christ.” (Lecture SB 06.01.17 - Denver)

Hymn: Come Let Us Adore Him

Mangalacarana

- How many of us have read the Christian Bible?

- How do we know it is authentic?
- Say we are not absolutely convinced that the Bible is authentic, or that the Qur’an is authentic
-- if we are preachers, we still must be aware that 33% of the world’s population consider
themselves Christians, and 22% Muslims. So total that is 55% of the world, more than half of
the people you meet, consider themselves either Christian or Muslim. They believe in either the
Bible, or the Qur’an, or both. So to connect with these people, there is a great need to be
familiar with these scriptures. But how do we know that these are scriptures, that they are
authentic?

The fourth offense to the Holy Name: “To blaspheme the Vedic literature or literature in
pursuance of the Vedic version.”

Prabhupada calls the Bible and Qur’an “sastra.”

- Prabhupada writes in Srimad Bhagavatam that all bona fide scriptures preach nivritti marga.
"All the śāstras, advise nivṛtti-mārga, or release from the materialistic way of life." ***"In the
Bible, which is also śāstra, one will find the same advice: one should cease materialistic life and
return to the kingdom of God." (SB 6.5.20, purport)
- "What is Bible? Scripture. Why the scripture? It is fully contains the instruction of sādhu, holy
man, or spiritual master, Lord Jesus Christ, therefore is scripture. The scripture means the
statement of liberated holy man. That is sādhu. Therefore, scripture should be tested through
the holy man and spiritual master. Spiritual master should be tested through scripture and holy
man, and holy man should be tested through spiritual master and scripture." (May 11, 1969
conversation with Allen Ginsberg).
● We do hear Still Prabhupada say sometimes that the Bible and Qur'an are less
advanced, but he says, the principle is the same.
● “There is no clash between the Bible and the Vedas, simply some people
formulate their personal ideas and cause quarrelings.
Letter to Sivananda -- New York 19 April, 1968: Regarding the Christian's Trinity, I believe
it is called God, the Holy Ghost, and the son. Person in Krishna Consciousness accepts
this by the name Visnu, Paramatma, and Jiva. God is a Person, the holy spirit or the
supersoul is a person, and the living entity is also a person. Also, Mary is the
representation of the energy of God. Either as internal energy Radharani or as external
energy Durga, the energy of Godhead can be considered the mother of the living entities.
But there is no clash between the Bible and the Vedas, simply some people formulate their
personal ideas and cause quarrelings. Nobody can say the Bible was meant for the same
class of men as the Bhagavad-gita. And Bhagavad-gita is the ABC's of spiritual
knowledge. Beyond that is Srimad-Bhagavatam. How great Srimad-Bhagavatam is nobody
can imagine. And beyond that is Caitanya Caritamrta. But beginning from the Bible or
Koran, on up the principle remains the same.” (Letter to Sivananda -- New York 19 April,
1968)
● I would like to read from the Bible with you all, because oftentimes devotees
hear reference to it, but have not had a lot of exposure to the actual text.
● My personal experience with the New Testament, how I got a copy in New York
City, and began to read it. Was touched by the teachings of Lord Jesus Christ.
- What do we already know about Jesus Christ?
- Ideal example (acarya)
- "In your Christian religion you may not understand all the Biblical injunctions or you may
not have the time, but you'll simply, if you follow the ideal life of Lord Jesus Christ, then you get
the same result." (Lecture on BG 2.12 -- New York, March 7, 1966)
- “Just like Lord Jesus Christ. He never advised to, for economic development, for industrial
development, or this and that. So many things. He sacrificed everything for God. That is one test,
that "Here is a lover of God." He was punished that "You, you stop this preaching," but he did
not. So that is love of God. He sacrificed everything. That is love of God. So the ideal is Lord
Jesus Christ, and the follower must be, at least to some extent, to that point. That is test.” (Aug.
14, 1971 Room Conversation)
- Prabhupada said:
- “A Vaiṣṇava should follow the examples of such Vaiṣṇavas as Haridāsa Ṭhākura, Nityānanda
Prabhu and also Lord Jesus Christ.” (SB 4.6.47)
- “Sometimes devotees are personally attacked with violence. Lord Jesus Christ was crucified,
Haridāsa Ṭhākura was caned in twenty-two marketplaces, and Lord Caitanya's principal
assistant, Nityānanda, was violently attacked by Jagāi and Mādhāi. But still they were tolerant
because their mission was to deliver the fallen souls. One of the qualifications of a sādhu is that
he is very tolerant and is merciful to all fallen souls. He is merciful because he is the well-wisher
of all living entities.” (SB 3.25.21, purport)
- Preached God consciousness
- “I am very glad to learn that Lord Jesus Christ has approved our activities. Perhaps you
have marked it in my preaching work that I love Lord Jesus Christ as good as Krishna; because
He rendered the greatest service to Krishna according to time circumstances and society in
which He appeared.” (letter to Kirtanananda Swami April 7 1967)
● Merciful, and a devotee.
- Manifested a spiritual body on Earth
- "Devotee: Prabhupāda? Does Lord Jesus Christ appear in the spiritual sky with the
body he manifested on the earth?
Prabhupāda: Yes. Otherwise how there can be resurrection? Ordinary body cannot be
resurrected. He appeared in his spiritual body, certainly. Jesus Christ told, if I remember,
that "Lord, excuse these persons," who were crucifying him. Is it not? He knew that "These
rascals, they are killing me, but... They are offending certainly. So they do not know that I
cannot be killed, but they are thinking that they are killing." You see? But that was
offensive, therefore he begged Lord to be excused because God cannot excuse to the
offenders of the devotee. He can excuse one who is offender to God, but if somebody is
offender to the devotee, God never excuses. Therefore he prayed for them. That is
devotee's qualification. He prays for everyone, even of his enemy. And he could not be
killed. That he knew. But those rascals, they thought they were killing Jesus
Christ." (Lecture on BG 4.1-6 -- Los Angeles, January 3, 1969)

- Saktyavesa-avatara.
● “Yes, Lord Jesus was jivatattva. He is not Visnu tattva. When a jiva tattva
becomes specifically empowered by the Lord, he is called saktyavesa avatara. Lord
Buddha and Lord Jesus Christ were in this group of saktyavesa avatara.. But they were not
in conditioned state when they appeared; they came to teach here.” (letter to Aniruddha,
November 14, 1968)
● Who are other saktyavesa-avataras that we see in the scripture?
● Prthu Maharaja, the 4 Kumaras, Narada Muni, Vyasadeva, Kapiladeva,
Rsabhadeva, Lord Brahma, Parasurama.
● (SB 4.19.3, Purport) -- Pṛthu Mahārāja was a śaktyāveśa-avatāra incarnation of
Lord Viṣṇu. Actually Pṛthu Mahārāja was a living entity, but he acquired specific powers
from Lord Viṣṇu. Lord Viṣṇu, however, is directly the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and
thus belongs to the category of viṣṇu-tattva. Mahārāja Pṛthu belonged to the jīva-tattva.
The viṣṇu-tattva indicates God, whereas the jīva-tattva indicates the part and parcel of
God. When God's part and parcel is especially empowered, he is called śaktyāveśa-
avatāra.
● (SB 4.16.19 verse) TRANSLATION: This King [Prthu] is the master of the three
●
worlds, and he is directly empowered by the Supreme Personality of Godhead. He is
without change, and he is an incarnation of the Supreme known as a śaktyāveśa-avatāra.
Being a liberated soul and completely learned, he sees all material varieties as
meaningless because their basic principle is nescience.
● (CC Madhya 20.122, Purport): Out of His causeless mercy and compassion,
Kṛṣṇa has compiled various Vedic literatures in His incarnation as Vyāsadeva. Vyāsadeva
is a śaktyāveśa-avatāra of Lord Kṛṣṇa.

● But actually there are two types of satyavesa-avataras:

● (CC Madhya 20.246 purport): “The śaktyāveśa-avatāras are categorized into (1)
forms of divine absorption (bhagavad-āveśa), such as Kapiladeva or Ṛṣabhadeva, and (2)
divinely empowered forms (śaktyāveśa), of whom seven are foremost: (1) Śeṣa Nāga in
the Vaikuṇṭha world, empowered for the personal service of the Supreme Lord (sva-
sevana-śakti), (2) Anantadeva, empowered to bear all the planets within the universe
(bhū-dhāraṇa-śakti), (3) Lord Brahmā, empowered with the energy to create the cosmic
manifestation (sṛṣṭi-śakti), (4) Catuḥsana, or the Kumāras, specifically empowered to
distribute transcendental knowledge (jñāna-śakti), (5) Nārada Muni, empowered to
distribute devotional service (bhakti-śakti), (6) Mahārāja Pṛthu, specifically empowered to
rule and maintain the living entities (pālana-śakti) and (7) Paraśurāma, specifically
empowered to cut down rogues and demons (duṣṭa-damana-śakti).”
● What does avesa mean?
● “Pervasion,” “seizure,” “occupation,” “demoniac possesion”
● The jiva who is a saktyavesa-avatara has been possessed, pervaded, taken over
completely by either the mood of the Lord himself, bhagavan, bhagavad-avesa, or by the
mood of an “upholder of the Lord’s potency,” bhagavat-shaki-avesa. It is clear that
saktyavesa-avataras are all jiva-tattva, not visnu-tattva.
* Note for self: “Jiva tattva is within shakti tattva.” (Letter to
Jayagovinda -- London 8 December, 1969)
● But even so, we see that saktyavesa-avataras like Lord Rsabhadeva and Lord
Kapiladeva actually identify themselves directly as the Lord.
● (Lord Rsabhadeva says in SB 5.5.6): Therefore, until one has love for Lord
Vāsudeva, who is none other than Myself, he is certainly not delivered from having to
accept a material body again and again.
● He is considered a saktyavesa avatara, yet he clearly identifies himself as
Bhagavan. Therefore he is bhagavad-avesa, or seized by the mood of the Lord.
● (Lord Rsabhadeva in S.B. 5.5.10): O My sons, you should accept a highly
● (Lord Rsabhadeva in S.B. 5.5.10): O My sons, you should accept a highly
elevated paramahaṁsa, a spiritually advanced spiritual master. In this way, you should
place your faith and love in Me, the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
● (Lord Kapila in S.B. 3.29.21): I am present in every living entity as the
Supersoul.
● Lord Kapila is a jiva, but he fully identifies as the Lord. The example is given of
merging milk and water. Although you have water, when a small amount of milk is added,
the whole glass becomes like milk.
● (Lord Kapila 3.29.16):
mad-dhiṣṇya (statue) -darśana-sparśa-pūjā-stuty-abhivandanaiḥ
The devotee should regularly see My statues in the temple, touch My
lotus feet and offer worshipable paraphernalia and prayer.
● But Kapila is a jiva! How can he be telling his mother to worship him? But
because he is imbued by the Lord with the Lord’s own mood, he becomes the perfect
representative of the Lord, and so by worshipping him, Devahuti also attains perfection.

So where does Jesus fit in to this?

● We know that he is a saktyavesa-avatara of the Lord.
● We know that his devotees worship him as God.
● So, however, we understand this, we can at least see that there is scope to
support their worship within our own Srimad Bhagavatam.

Gospel of Luke story of Jesus

Qur'an story of Jesus

What were some of Jesus’ teachings?

● Matthew, Sermon on the Mount (ch. 5