Jesus As The Incarnation of The Goddess Lakshmi

On the picture above, Jesus is depicted as being seated in a Lotus position, the Padma-asana, with more or less ten lotus flowers lying in front of him, and with his head being encircled by a divine halo and wearing a thorny crown. But what is more is that Jesus himself here, as far as I can see it, is described as the lotus flower itself, blossoming above its green leaves. Extraordinarily, this Jesus has four arms with the three of which being raised up. What does it symbolize? In my interpretation, it symbolizes not the Christian Trinity, but the Trimurti or the Great Trinity in Hinduism which consists of god Brahmā the creator, god Vishnu the maintainer or preserver, and god Śhiva the destroyer or transformer. The orange robe he wears symbolizes his status as a Hindu holy man and a holy teacher, replete with wisdom, knowledge and understanding. The gesture or formation of the index and middle fingers of his second hand does not refer to his divine-human nature in Christian understanding, but to the unity of Atman (soul) and Brahman in accordance with Hindu religious view. The index finger of his third hand points to his holy heart, a Christian symbol of divine compassion. This holy heart has twelve rays radiating from its depth, perhaps symbolizing his twelve beloved disciples who proclaimed the good news of the kingdom of god to the whole world.

Let us know about the lotus. Rooted in the mud, but blossoming above the water, completely uncontaminated by the mud, the lotus represents spiritual perfection, purity, integrity, honesty, wisdom and divinity, which rise above worldly contamination. Concerning the lotus, Bhagavad Gita 5.10 states, “One who performs his duty without attachment, surrendering the results unto the Supreme Lord, is unaffected by sinful action, as the lotus is untouched by water.” The Confucian scholar, Zhou Dunyi, said, “I love the lotus because while growing from mud, it is unstained.” The lotus symbolism thus points to the journey of transformation from the mud of ignorance to the blossoming and enlightenment of the mind. The lotus also symbolizes the fertile growth of organic life, as the world is continually reborn on a lotus growing out of Vishnu’s navel. On the picture, all this symbolic meaning of the lotus is connected with Jesus as the blooming divine lotus.

Do you know about the four-handed goddess in Hindu religion named Lakshmi? Physically, goddess Lakshmi is described as a fair lady, with four arms, being seated or standing upon a lotus, dressed in fine garments and precious jewels, bestowing coins of prosperity and abundance and flanked by elephants signifying her royal power. The most striking feature of the iconography of Lakshmi is her persistent association with the lotus, referring to her purity, beauty, divinity and spiritual power. Symbolically, the goddess Lakshmi represents wealth, prosperity, abundance, light, wisdom, fertility, generosity and courage, as well as luck, fortune, beauty, love, grace and charm. Because of her abundant love, Lakshmi is believed to be willing to protect her dovotees from all kinds of misery and money-related sorrows. She is worshipped by Hindus, Buddhists, Jainists and many modern pagans.

Because Lakshmi is believed to be the embodiment of love, from which devotion to god or bhakti flows, it is through her that the soul (atma) is able to reach God Vishnu. Lakshmi plays a special role as the mediator between her husband Lord Vishnu and his worldly devotees. When asking Vishnu for grace or the forgiveness of sins, Hindus often approach him through the intermediary presence of Lakshmi. Due to her motherly feeling and compassion and being the consort of the Narayan or Supreme Being, Lakshmi is believed as the Mother of the Universe (Jaganmaatha).

In conclusion, if the Prologue of the Gospel of John claims that Jesus is the incarnation of the divine cosmic Word, ho Logos, the creator of the picture above believes that Jesus is the incarnation, or the embodiment, of the goddess and Mother of the Universe Lakshmi, the goddess of love, compassion, purity, wealth, wisdom and enlightenment, whose four hands are available to help the world and liberate it from poverty, ignorance, sorrows and abhorrence.

Jesus as Buddha Meditating in A Lotus Position Under The Bodhi Tree

The creator of the image above portrays Jesus as sitting in a Lotus position, the padma-asana, meditating on the meaning of life and suffering, under the Bodhi Tree, the Tree of moral enlightenment, taking the role of Siddharta Gautama, the moral teacher and founder of Buddhism later known as Gautama Buddha, in his search of liberation from suffering, dukkha, for human race.

The Bodhi Tree, or the Tree of Enlightenment, under which Siddharta Gautama achieved moral enlightenment or Bodhi, in religious iconography is recognizable by its heart-shaped leaves. It takes 100-3,000 years for a Bodhi Tree to fully grow. According to Buddhist texts, Siddharta Gautama, after gaining enlightenment, spent a whole week in front of the tree standing with unblinking eyes, gazing at it with a feeling of gratitude and admiration.

By presenting Jesus as imitating Buddha Gautama in his search of liberation from suffering and ignorance and moral enlightenment, the creator of the image above interprets the kingdom of god in the teachings of Jesus from a Buddhist perspective. Thus, for him, the kingdom of god becomes the human search of liberation from suffering and unknowingness. His Jesus is an enlightened man, a Buddha.

Jesus Meditating in A Lotus Position Protected by A Seven-Headed Cobra Snake

The picture above depicts Jesus as a Yogi sitting in a Lotus position on the three-storied coiling body of a seven-headed big Cobra snake, concentrating and controlling his mind, senses and body in order to reach union with Brahman, the highest and supreme god of Hinduism, with the seven heads of this cobra draping over him to protect him from evil elements of the world.

Snake worship is an ancient and widespread religious practice in Indian customs. In ancient India, there was a wide belief that if Indians worship snake, they will not cause harm to them and their family. Indians believe that snakes have been the savior of human race from the wrath of demons and also that the earth is balanced on the head of a gigantic Cobra snake named Shesh Naag, one of the many prominent Cobras to be worshiped.

On the similar second picture above, Gautama Buddha is portrayed as taking a seat in a Lotus position under the Bodhi Tree on the four-storied coiling body of a seven-headed Shesh naag, concentrating and controlling his mind, senses and body in order to gain enlightenment necessary for the liberation of humanity from ignorance and forgetfulness. The pink Lotus flower on which Buddha sits symbolizes his purity, divinity, enlightenment, serenity, freedom from suffering, and compassion. The seven heads of this Shesh naag take the form of an umbrella to protect Buddha from all evil and dangerous elements of the world.

The Shesh Naag is viewed by Indians as the resting couch of the Lord Vishnu, one of the most important deities of Hindu religion. As one of the deities of the Trimurti or the Great Trinity of Hinduism, Lord Vishnu is depicted as having four arms, standing and flanked by the other two deities (Brahman and Shiva), and a big seven-headed Cobra protruding above his head protecting him.

Snake is considered also to be the ornament of Lord Shiva around his neck. The Cobra is even associated with the lingam, the stylized phallic symbol or emblem of the Lord Shiva, who is one of the Indian most outstanding gods.

A popular legend says that the elder brother of Lord Krishna, Balram, was the incarnation of Shesh Naag on earth.

It is clear then that the first picture above represents Jesus to be the full imitation of the Buddha, and to be in the company of the three prominent gods of Hindu religion or Trimurti: Brahman, Vishnu and Shiva, and related to Krishna, the almighty god of Hinduism. For Indians, this kind of Jesus has come to their land to give them love, compassion, safety and protection, not to convert them to a Christianity founded by Westerners.