THE CULT OF PRAJAPATI
by T.S. Balan, ©1997
The presence of heresies in the church is nothing new. Since the birth of the church, heresies have been there, and a new Indian addition would not make much difference. However, it is not desirable to put up with every wind of doctrine, lest the church should just disappear from the face of the earth. Hence, it is high time we identified and rooted out the Cult of Prajapati.
What is it?
It may, perhaps, be a bit difficult to fully understand the cult of Prajapati unless we know a bit about the Vedas of the Aryans, for it is on the Vedas that the very foundation of the heresy is based.
According to the advocates of the heresy, the Prajapati, who is one of the 33 gods of the Vedas, is Jesus Christ Himself. They claim that the Prajapati was offered by the gods as a sacrifice and he has got a lot of characteristics that proves beyond doubt that the Prajapati is Jesus, the Son of God. Before going deep into the heresy, it is necessary to get acquainted with the sacred books of the Aryans.
The Vedas
There are four Vedas:
1. The Rig Veda:It is believed that the Rig Veda is the oldest book in the world, though many scholars do not agree with it. The Aryans who migrated to India in 1500 B.C. composed these verses in order to seek help from their gods to defeat the Dravideans, who were the original inhabitants of India. The majority of the verses of this veda are hymns praising gods like Indra, Agni, Pughan, Varuna etc and we Christians have got nothing to do with it.
2. Yajur Veda:It contains chiefly the rules and regulations to offer sacrifices to the gods. The Aryans thought that the gods ate the sacrifices offered by them and it is Agni, the god of the fire who carried the food to heaven.
3. Sama Veda:Majority of this book contain hymns taken from the Rig Veda. In fact there are only a few original hymns that are not found in other vedas.
4. Atharva Veda:Just like any other primitive people, the Aryans also had great faith in spells and charms and the Atharva Veda contains such materials. This Veda is still used to cast spells and curses.
The BrahmanasEach of the vedas contain its interpretation as well, which are called the Brahmanas and some of the major teachings of the cult of Prajapati is drawn from them. The most important among them are the Itareya Brahmana and the Satapatha Brahmana.
The AranyakasThe Sanskrit word 'Aranyam' means forest. The Aranyakas are powerful spells and charms which are to be recited only in the forest. If 8ung in the human inhabited area, the demons will cause destruction.
The Upanishaths
It is believed that there are thousands of Upanishaths, though less than hundred are discovered. The Upanishaths contain philosophical dialogue.
It is believed that there are thousands of Upanishaths, though less than hundred are discovered. The Upanishaths contain philosophical dialogue.
Other Books
In addition to these books, there are a lot of other books which the Hindus consider as sacred. They include the Ramayana, the Mahabharatha, the Gita which is a portion of the Mahabharatha, 18 Puranas and 18 Upapuranas.
Different Schools
The devotees of Prajapati are divided into at least three groups. They are the Mukti faction, the Devist faction and the Achan faction (which is a compromise between the first two). The Muktists accept the first three Vedas (the Brahmanas, some of the Upanishads and Gurugeetha, a book of later origin). Even the Koran is accepted, as long as it serves their purpose. The Devists, who are a little more organised, add to the list, the Gita, and some of the Puranas etc. The Achan faction has not clarified their stand on this matter so far, though they also accept at least a partial inspiration of these books. In short, the devotees of Prajapati, who claim to be Christians, are in fact the worshippers of Prajapati, just another Christ, who is one of the 33 gods of the Aryans.
Inspiration
Regarding the authority of these books, these factions differ from one to another. The Muktists consider some portions of these books as Divine revelation, while the Devists regard all of them as fully Divine. The Achan faction is somewhere in the middle.
Regarding the authority of these books, these factions differ from one to another. The Muktists consider some portions of these books as Divine revelation, while the Devists regard all of them as fully Divine. The Achan faction is somewhere in the middle.
Though the heresy existed decades ago, it gathered momentum only a few years ago. It took the form of a cult recently, when some of these so-called scholars accepted Prajapati, the god of the ancient Aryans, as their Lord and saviour. The common men were deceived by the lies spread by these scholars.
Claimed characteristics of Prajapati to Jesus Christ
The core of the heresy is the teaching that the Prajapati of the Vedas has got some characteristics that points at Jesus Christ. God, who is the God of the whole universe, revealed to the Aryans on God's future plan for the salvation of mankind. But the Bible says that no such revelation was given to any of the gentiles. The word of God was given to the Jews only. (Ps.147:19,20; Rom.3:1,2). For the sake of argument, we shall agree with the devotees of Prajapati that the word of God was given to the Aryans. However, that does not solve the problem at all, for all the so called characteristics are nothing but lies:
1. Prajapati is sinless?
Jesus Christ, the Son of God, did not commit any sin and if the Prajapati of the Vedas is also sinless, it will be a positive evidence that the Prajapati is Christ. So, the advocates of the heresy tried their level best to make the Prajapati sinless. They took some portions from the vedas or Upanishads and gave Prajapati a clean sheet. However, the truth is just opposite. For example, see Itareya Brahmana:3.2.9.
Jesus Christ, the Son of God, did not commit any sin and if the Prajapati of the Vedas is also sinless, it will be a positive evidence that the Prajapati is Christ. So, the advocates of the heresy tried their level best to make the Prajapati sinless. They took some portions from the vedas or Upanishads and gave Prajapati a clean sheet. However, the truth is just opposite. For example, see Itareya Brahmana:3.2.9.
Here the Prajapati is seen taking his own daughter as his wife, and on seeing this, the other gods objected. They tried to prevent Prajapati from committing such a sin, but he did not agree with them. So the gods got angry and tried to kill Prajapati, but they could not. So, they got united together and created Rudra. He succeeded in killing Prajapati.
Now the question that arises is this: Can this Prajapati, who was killed by the gods for committing incest with his own daughter, be considered as the type of Jesus Christ? Has his death got anything to do with our Lord's sacrifice? How can anybody stoop so low as to propagate that such a god is Jesus Christ, the Son of God? However, the devil, the father of lies and the classic deceiver, comes to the rescue of his people. He made them say that there are so many Prajapaties in the Vedas and the one who committed incest with his daughter is not the Purusha Prajapati, the creator of the universe. But this argument also does not hold water since the next few verses of the same Brahmana states clearly that this is Purusha Prajapati who created man. The Brahmana says that the woman could not hold the semen of the Prajapati since the quantity was great. So it fell down and became a lake. From this, man came into existence. Is it not the real Prajapati?
In addition to it, the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad provides us with further details of the sin of Prajapati. See: 1. 4. 2 - 4. When Prajapati was alone, he got afraid. He divided his body into two. One half became a man and the other half a woman. From their union, human beings came into existence. When woman disliked Prajapati, she ran away and took the form of a cow. The Prajapati became an ox and united with her. The cows were created in this way. The woman later took the forms of every kind of animal, bird, etc and the Prajapati also changed accordingly. All the living things came into existence in this way. Now, the question is this: Is this Prajapati and Jesus one and the same? Of course, not!
2. The Crown of Thorns
Jesus was crowned with a wreath of thorns and if one could prove that the Prajapati also had such an experience, it would be easy to prove that the Prajapati is Christ. So, the devotees of Prajapati tried their level best to locate something like that, but they could not. At last, they had to be content with the grass rope that was used to fasten the sacrificial horse to the pole.
Jesus was crowned with a wreath of thorns and if one could prove that the Prajapati also had such an experience, it would be easy to prove that the Prajapati is Christ. So, the devotees of Prajapati tried their level best to locate something like that, but they could not. At last, they had to be content with the grass rope that was used to fasten the sacrificial horse to the pole.
According to the Satapathabrahmana, the sacrificial horse must be tied to the pole using a rope made of grass and cooked rice. In fact it has got nothing to do with the crown of thorns that Jesus wore, but the devil used it to deceive the ignorant lots. If the horse is Prajapati, that Prajapati can never be Jesus because the other characteristics of the horse cannot be found in Jesus. For example, while the horse is given a bath before the sacrifice, a dead dog must be passed between its leg. Moreover, the method used to kill the horse is also quite different. The horse is killed by suffocating it. These characteristics do not match with Jesus!
However, the dirtiest part is yet to come. After the horse is killed, the body will be covered with a cloth. The wife of the person who offers the horse as a sacrifice, will lie down with the dead body of the horse in order to have sexual intercourse with the horse. This is to continue till day break. In the meantime, the wife and the husband will curse each other in filthy language. Now, the question, once again, is this: Is the horse a shadow of our Lord and saviour Jesus Christ? No.
3. The Rejection
In fact, there is nothing in this so called characteristic. A person or animal can never be sacrificed without rejecting it. Jesus rejected everything and offered Himself as a sacrifice. In the case of animals, people reject it and sacrifice, because, no body can do otherwise. However, the devotees of Prajapati make it something unusual, because, in Itareya Brahmana, a cow is offered as a sacrifice with the consent of its relatives. The problems that are seen here is this: 1. It is not Prajapati, but a cow. 2. The cow is not rejected, but just allowed by its relatives. 3. The cow was unwilling and afraid in the beginning, according to the Itareya Brahmana, but Jesus was neither unwilling nor afraid. 4. The cow is killed by suffocating it. In short, the cow can never be Jesus Christ.
In fact, there is nothing in this so called characteristic. A person or animal can never be sacrificed without rejecting it. Jesus rejected everything and offered Himself as a sacrifice. In the case of animals, people reject it and sacrifice, because, no body can do otherwise. However, the devotees of Prajapati make it something unusual, because, in Itareya Brahmana, a cow is offered as a sacrifice with the consent of its relatives. The problems that are seen here is this: 1. It is not Prajapati, but a cow. 2. The cow is not rejected, but just allowed by its relatives. 3. The cow was unwilling and afraid in the beginning, according to the Itareya Brahmana, but Jesus was neither unwilling nor afraid. 4. The cow is killed by suffocating it. In short, the cow can never be Jesus Christ.
4. The Silent Sufferer
Jesus offered Himself as a sacrifice and suffered everything willingly. So it is necessary to show that the Prajapati also did something like that. After searching a lot, the devil found something similar in Rig Veda 5.46. "Like a horse, I have yoked myself, well knowing to, the pole. I seek neither release nor turning back". If the Prajapati has ever said something like that, it is well and good. But that has never happened. In that case, what does the text say? Rig Veda. 5.46 has got nothing to do with Prajapati. The author of the Sukta is a person called Prathikhatra and he speaks about himself. Prathikhatra is the one who is tied to the yoke like a horse, not Prajapati. However, the devil deceives the people who have never seen the Vedas. He knows that most of the people would not be able to verify the fact from the Vedas.
Jesus offered Himself as a sacrifice and suffered everything willingly. So it is necessary to show that the Prajapati also did something like that. After searching a lot, the devil found something similar in Rig Veda 5.46. "Like a horse, I have yoked myself, well knowing to, the pole. I seek neither release nor turning back". If the Prajapati has ever said something like that, it is well and good. But that has never happened. In that case, what does the text say? Rig Veda. 5.46 has got nothing to do with Prajapati. The author of the Sukta is a person called Prathikhatra and he speaks about himself. Prathikhatra is the one who is tied to the yoke like a horse, not Prajapati. However, the devil deceives the people who have never seen the Vedas. He knows that most of the people would not be able to verify the fact from the Vedas.
Moreover, the devotees of Prajapati never dare to quote the rest of the Sukta. Do you know why? The Devists and the Muktists propagate that there is only one God in the Vedas and it is the Prajapati himself. The Vedas say that the one who is able to save is the Prajapati alone. If anyone reads the rest of the sukta, this argument will prove to be false. The sukta calls upon Agni, Indra, Varuna, Mitra, Vishnu, Maruths, Rudra, Pughav, and the wives of all these gods to come to the rescue and provide salvation. The sukta, that is written to glorify other gods, has got nothing to do with Jesus Christ.
5. Close to the Cross
There is no mention of any kind of cross in the Vedas, but it is necessary to bring some kind of a cross into the Vedas in order to crucify the Prajapati. Hence the search began and found something at last. The sacrificial animal used to be tied to a pole. In fact, there is nothing unusual in this. If the animal is not tied, it will run away. The butchers, even nowadays, use this method to kill animals. But the Devists and the Muktists project this matter as something remarkable because there is a scope for deceiving ignorant people. Though the Yupa, the pole, in the Vedas is considered as a god (Rig. 3:8), it is never mentioned by the devotees of Prajapati.
There is no mention of any kind of cross in the Vedas, but it is necessary to bring some kind of a cross into the Vedas in order to crucify the Prajapati. Hence the search began and found something at last. The sacrificial animal used to be tied to a pole. In fact, there is nothing unusual in this. If the animal is not tied, it will run away. The butchers, even nowadays, use this method to kill animals. But the Devists and the Muktists project this matter as something remarkable because there is a scope for deceiving ignorant people. Though the Yupa, the pole, in the Vedas is considered as a god (Rig. 3:8), it is never mentioned by the devotees of Prajapati.
The animal is tied to the pole, but Jesus was nailed to the cross. The pole, which is a god, has got nothing to do with the cross.
6. The Blood
It is not possible to offer sacrifice withoutshedding blood, and there is nothing extra ordinary in shedding blood in sacrifices. The Prajapati, who was killed by the Devas for committing thegin of incest with his own daughter, would haveshed blood, but unfortunately, it is not mentioned in the Vedas. So, it was found necesary to find some blood somewhere. At last, blood was found in Brhadaranyaka Upanishad. Here, man is compared to a tree. Man has hair on his head and the tree has got leaves instead. Both the tree and the man has skin as well. The sap of the tree is like the blood of the man.
It is not possible to offer sacrifice withoutshedding blood, and there is nothing extra ordinary in shedding blood in sacrifices. The Prajapati, who was killed by the Devas for committing thegin of incest with his own daughter, would haveshed blood, but unfortunately, it is not mentioned in the Vedas. So, it was found necesary to find some blood somewhere. At last, blood was found in Brhadaranyaka Upanishad. Here, man is compared to a tree. Man has hair on his head and the tree has got leaves instead. Both the tree and the man has skin as well. The sap of the tree is like the blood of the man.
When a tree is cut, sap oozes, just like the blood that flows from an injured man. There is no mention of Prajapati here. There no sacrifice as well. But, the Devil uses some of these verses to deceive the gullible.
7. The Bones
Jesus' bones were not broken. So it is better to keep the bones of the Prajapati unbroken, by hook or by crook. So the crooked Devil discovered something in Itareya Brahmana. There is a cow (see item No. 3, above), that was sacrificed with the consent of its relatives. 26 bones of this cow is taken from the body and put in a line. We do not know, whether the bones were broken or not. Moreover, it is not clear what happens to the other bones. But all these do not matter, as far as the Devil is concerned. He once again "proves" that the bones of the Prajapati were not broken.
Jesus' bones were not broken. So it is better to keep the bones of the Prajapati unbroken, by hook or by crook. So the crooked Devil discovered something in Itareya Brahmana. There is a cow (see item No. 3, above), that was sacrificed with the consent of its relatives. 26 bones of this cow is taken from the body and put in a line. We do not know, whether the bones were broken or not. Moreover, it is not clear what happens to the other bones. But all these do not matter, as far as the Devil is concerned. He once again "proves" that the bones of the Prajapati were not broken.
8. The Man Alive
According to the Hindus, life does not end at death. The spirit will be born again in this world as some kind of an animal or even human being. This belief of the Hindus is taken out of context by the Devists and the Muktist and interpreted that the Prajapati returned to life after the sacrifice. A portion of the Brhadaranyaka Upanishad is also taken out of context. (see item No. 6). If a tree is cut down, it will come to life again.
According to the Hindus, life does not end at death. The spirit will be born again in this world as some kind of an animal or even human being. This belief of the Hindus is taken out of context by the Devists and the Muktist and interpreted that the Prajapati returned to life after the sacrifice. A portion of the Brhadaranyaka Upanishad is also taken out of context. (see item No. 6). If a tree is cut down, it will come to life again.
But when a man is cut down, how can he come to life? He will live again, because his spirit will re- incarnate. Here, neither Prajapati nor any sacrifice is mentioned. The man is just compared to a tree. Since most of the people are ignorant of the contents of the Vedas, the devil and his agents deceive them by spreading lies and taking portions of the Vedas out of context.
9. The Flesh of the Man
This lie is connected with the Lord's supper. According to the Aryans, their gods depended upon the sacrifices offered by men for their food. Hence, they ate even the Prajapati after the sacrifice. This is quite different from the Lord's supper. In the vedas, the gods killed and ate Prajapati, but in Christianity, it is not the Jews, who killed Jesus, ate the Holy Supper, but the believers. Moreover, there is nothing special in eating the flesh of the sacrificed animals because, even today, such a custom prevails all over the world. Hence, eating the flesh of the Prajapati does not hold much water.
This lie is connected with the Lord's supper. According to the Aryans, their gods depended upon the sacrifices offered by men for their food. Hence, they ate even the Prajapati after the sacrifice. This is quite different from the Lord's supper. In the vedas, the gods killed and ate Prajapati, but in Christianity, it is not the Jews, who killed Jesus, ate the Holy Supper, but the believers. Moreover, there is nothing special in eating the flesh of the sacrificed animals because, even today, such a custom prevails all over the world. Hence, eating the flesh of the Prajapati does not hold much water.
10. The Cloth of the Prajapati
Some of the devotees of Prajapati lie that that the clothes of the Prajapati were divided among four priests, though none of them have ever said where such an incident is mentioned. Even some of the Prajapati factions deny this characteristic, though the biggest Pentecostal denomination in India has included Prajapati, along with this characteristic (including others) in their Sunday School Text book!
Some of the devotees of Prajapati lie that that the clothes of the Prajapati were divided among four priests, though none of them have ever said where such an incident is mentioned. Even some of the Prajapati factions deny this characteristic, though the biggest Pentecostal denomination in India has included Prajapati, along with this characteristic (including others) in their Sunday School Text book!
11. The Untorn Vesture
There is yet another lie that the vesture of the Prajapati was not torn. None of the Hindu scriptures mention anything like that. Some of the factions do not accept this characteristic, though the Devist faction accepts this as a fact. According to them, the skin of a cow (see item No. 3 & 7) was removed untorn and that proves beyond doubt that the Prajapati's vesture was kept untorn. However, it is not mentioned in the text whether the skin of the cow was torn or not. Even if the skin was not torn, that does not prove that the Prajapati's vesture was kept untorn because skin is not vesture and there is no Prajapati here, only a cow.
There is yet another lie that the vesture of the Prajapati was not torn. None of the Hindu scriptures mention anything like that. Some of the factions do not accept this characteristic, though the Devist faction accepts this as a fact. According to them, the skin of a cow (see item No. 3 & 7) was removed untorn and that proves beyond doubt that the Prajapati's vesture was kept untorn. However, it is not mentioned in the text whether the skin of the cow was torn or not. Even if the skin was not torn, that does not prove that the Prajapati's vesture was kept untorn because skin is not vesture and there is no Prajapati here, only a cow.
12. Nailed to the Cross?
The devotees of the Prajapati know very well that the Prajapati's hands and legs were nailed to the pole, but none of them could, so far, locate the incident from the Vedas. However, that does not make much difference to them. They still preach and teach that the hands and legs of the Prajapati was nailed to the cross and due to this reason the Prajapati is Christ.
The devotees of the Prajapati know very well that the Prajapati's hands and legs were nailed to the pole, but none of them could, so far, locate the incident from the Vedas. However, that does not make much difference to them. They still preach and teach that the hands and legs of the Prajapati was nailed to the cross and due to this reason the Prajapati is Christ.
13. The Soma Juice
The Aryans used to drink a kind of juice made out as a kind of intoxicating drink. soma juice as sacrifice to the a an the king of the Devas is praised as a great soma drinker. But there is no mention of the Prajapati drinking the soma juice, nor any animal which was provided with such a drink. Yet, the devil uses his servants to spread the utter lie that the Prajapati was made to drink soma juice when he was sacrificed. The Sunday school text book of the greatest Pentecostal church in India includes this lie (including the others) to be taught in the Sunday school..
The Aryans used to drink a kind of juice made out as a kind of intoxicating drink. soma juice as sacrifice to the a an the king of the Devas is praised as a great soma drinker. But there is no mention of the Prajapati drinking the soma juice, nor any animal which was provided with such a drink. Yet, the devil uses his servants to spread the utter lie that the Prajapati was made to drink soma juice when he was sacrificed. The Sunday school text book of the greatest Pentecostal church in India includes this lie (including the others) to be taught in the Sunday school..
14. Son of a Virgin?
Some of the servants of the Prajapati teach that their lord, the prajapati of the Vedas, was the son of a virgin ... even though they do not say where this matter is recorded in the Vedas or in other Hindu scriptures. In fact, there is nothing of this sort mentioned in the Vedas.
Some of the servants of the Prajapati teach that their lord, the prajapati of the Vedas, was the son of a virgin ... even though they do not say where this matter is recorded in the Vedas or in other Hindu scriptures. In fact, there is nothing of this sort mentioned in the Vedas.
Non-existent Slokas
In addition to the misinterpretations given to the slokas found in the Vedas, many of the devotees of the Prajapati cook up new slokas to be spread as Vedic mantras. For example, the famous sloka starting with praising the son of the Virgin (Om shri kanyaka Sudhaya namaha) is never found in any of the vedas. The Mantra (Papoham Papakarmo am) said to be sung by North Indian Brahmins while taking the bath is also pure lie. Hence, the cult of Prajapati is a lie, founded on lies and spread by liars.
The Purusha Sukta
The Prajapati Cult depends much on a portion of the Rig Veda known as the Purusha Sukta (Rig. 10: 90). Hence, we shall see what the text actually says: "A thousand heads has Purusha, a thousand feet. Encompassing the Earth from all sides, he exceeds it by ten fingers breadth. This Purusha is all that has been and what is to be. This Lord of immortality waxes ever greater by food. So vast is the measure of his greatness, and still greater is Purusha. All creatures are a fourth of him, three-fourths are in the eternal heaven. Three-fourths of him ascended high, one-fourth remained here down on the earth. From this he spread to every side over living and non-living things. From him, Virat, the shining was born and from this again Purusha was born. As soon as he took birth he spread himself over the entire Earth both before and behind. The gods prepared the sacrifice with this Purusha as their oblation. The spring was the clarified butter, summer the fuel, and the autumn the offering".
The Prajapati Cult depends much on a portion of the Rig Veda known as the Purusha Sukta (Rig. 10: 90). Hence, we shall see what the text actually says: "A thousand heads has Purusha, a thousand feet. Encompassing the Earth from all sides, he exceeds it by ten fingers breadth. This Purusha is all that has been and what is to be. This Lord of immortality waxes ever greater by food. So vast is the measure of his greatness, and still greater is Purusha. All creatures are a fourth of him, three-fourths are in the eternal heaven. Three-fourths of him ascended high, one-fourth remained here down on the earth. From this he spread to every side over living and non-living things. From him, Virat, the shining was born and from this again Purusha was born. As soon as he took birth he spread himself over the entire Earth both before and behind. The gods prepared the sacrifice with this Purusha as their oblation. The spring was the clarified butter, summer the fuel, and the autumn the offering".
"This purusha, born in the earliest time, the gods embalmed on the grass as sacrifice and performed their holy rites, so also did the Seers and Sages. From that universal sacrifice, the curd dripping with butter was collected. Thence came the creatures of the air, and beasts both domestic and wild. From this universal sacrifice were born the Vedic Richas and Saman hymns, and from this came the various meters, and from this were born spells and sacred formulas. From this were born horses, all creatures such as have two rows of teeth. From it sprang cows, from it the sheep and goats were born.
When they divided up Purusha, in how many parts did they divide him? What did his mouth become? What of his arm? What were his legs called? What of his feet? The Brahmin was his mouth, his arms the heroic prince his thighs became the Vaishya, from his feet came the humble Shudra. The Moon was born from his mind, the Sun was born from his eye. Indra and Agni were born from his mouth, and the Wind from his breath. From his navel came forth the air, the heaven was formed from his head, the Earth from his feet, the four directions from his ear. Thus were formed the worlds. Seven were the fencing-sticks, thrice seven the sticks of fuel were formed, when the gods performed sacrifice, bound Purusha as their victim. Thus the gods in the sacrifice, sacrificed the victim. They were the earliest established rites. "The Mighty ones ascended up the heaven where dwell the gods and other celestial beings."
In the Purusha sukta, there is more than one Purusha. 1. The first Purusha, who has a thousand heads and thousand eyes. 2. The Virat, the shining, who was born from the first Purusha. 3. The third Purusha who was offered as a sacrifice. No one has so far clarified who the Purusha Prajapati is. The Cult has just ignored the problem since it is difficult to explain the matter.
The origin of the caste system is seen in the sukta. The Hindu society was originally divided into four castes, which in the course of time gave way to the birth of so many castes and sub-castes. The sukta says that all the creatures of the earth came into existence from the sacrifice of the Purusha. Even spells and sacred formulas originated from this sacrifice.
It is strange to note that the famous Purushasukta that describes the sacrifice of the Prajapati does not mention any of the so called characteristics of the Prajapati. But on the other hand there are a lot of materials in the sukta that disproves the cult of Prajapati.
The Meaning of the word "Prajapati"
When it is proved that the prajapati of the vedas has got nothing to do with Jesus Christ of the Bible, the devil usually pus forth another theory, which has so far baffled so many people. The argument is this: the sanskrit word "prahapati" means the ruler of the Praja, ie; the ruler of the subjects. Jesus is the ruler of everything and they mean just that only. Hence, Prajapati is Christ. However, this argument does not hold much water. The masterpiece of the Mukti leader is "Christ in the ancient Vedas", and the name reveals who their Christ is. It is not the Christ found in the Bible, but another Christ said to exist in the ancient Vedas. One of the books of the Devist faction is "The Christ of the Arya Vedas". All these books praise the god of the Vedas, the Purusha Prajapati, and they preach him as the Christ. Hence, the argument that the meaning of the word Prajapati fits Jesus and it is he, who is preached by the cult, does not hold much water.
Now, we shall see what the word Prajapati means: According to the Sabtataravali, the word has 14 different meanings.
1. Brahma
2. the Rishis that Brahma created
3. the sun
4. Manu
5. Vishwakarma
6. king
7. penis
8. son in law
9. father
10. vishnu
11. sacrifice
12. butterfly
13. a holy spring
14. Indra
Among these, we are not told, which one is accepted by the cult. Since there are so many Prajapatis in the Hindu religion and the word prajapati has so many meanings, it is better to leave all of them to their fate.
Who is the Prajapati?
Since the study of Prajapati has progressed this much, it would not be proper to conclude without explaining who the real Prajapati is. So, we shall go a little more deeper into the subject.
Most of the ancient religions of the world originated from Babylon. After the failure of the Babel Project, mankind dispersed to all corners of the earth. The leader of the rebellion was Nimrod, who was the first king of the world. (Gen. 10: 8. 1 0). In due course of time, he, along with his wife, became the "other gods" that we often see in the Bible. Dagon, Baal, Kemosh etc are in fact Nimrod. For details, please see "Two Babylons" (or Mahatiyam Babylon, in Malayalam). Tammuz is also Nimrod. In Egypt, he was known as Osiris. In China, he is Yin. The Pashupati of the Harappan people is, in fact, Nimrod. The Aryans called him Purusha Prajapati. His wife is Prakriti. Recently, the images of both the Purusha Prajapati and Prakriti were placed at Paramekkavu Temple, in Trichur District of Kerala State (India).
The word Prajapati means the "ruler of the subjects", ie; king. Who is he? He is the original king, Nimrod, who rebelled against God and was stained. (See Two Babylons). His body was cut into many pieces and the story of Osiris and Isis of Egypt gives us much details on this matter. According to Middle East Mythology, the god Baal was killed and descended into Hades, though he came to life later. The women of Israel used to mourn on the death of Tammuz (Ez.8:14).
The Purushasukta describes how Prajapati was killed by the Devas. They divided his body into many parts. His face became the Brahmin, his hands the Kshatriyas, his thighs the Vaishyas and his feet the Sudras. Other animals, the sun, the moon, etc. also originated from his body.
If we can borrow the other god's names and use it to address Jesus, it will lead us to great dangers. For example, the word BAAL means, LORD. Who is the Lord? We know that it is our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Can we preach: "Believe in Baal and you will be saved". It means nothing but "Believe in the Lord and you will be saved". The prayer, "O, Baal, hear us" (I Ki-18:26) means '0, Lord, hear us", but the Lord did not hear them.It proves that we cannot give Jesus the names of the other gods, though the meaning is good. So, it is blasphemy to call our Lord, Jesus Christ, Prajapati or Baal or anything like that. The god of the Vedas, who was killed for taking his own daughter as wife, has nothing to do with the God of the Bible and Jesus Christ does not need his name.
Is it a Cult?
The most dangerous part of all is that this heresy is considered as purely Christian and the Devists, Muktists and the Achanists are accepted in the evangelical circles. It seems that the church leaders have lost the spirit of discernment. Anybody who can quote some things from the Bible is accepted as born again Christians and given a platform to teach and preach. The leader of the Muktist faction was given the leadership of the prayer group in a great Pentecostal convention last year. One of his followers, who branded those who opposed the cult of Prajapati as anti-socials, had to pay a very heavy compensation recently as out of court settlement in a forgery case. In spite of all, these cult leaders are still considered as the part and parcel of the church. It is high time that we discerned the spirit of Prajapati and cast him out, along with his servants. Many a people doubt whether this heresy can be branded as a cult. So, we shall look into this matter.
It is heresy
First of all, it is heresy. Have a closer look at the teachings of the devotees of Prajapati:
1. They preach another Christ, who is not the son of Abraham or the son of David. Prajapati is not the Son of God who offered himself as a sacrifice. He is another Christ, who was killed for committing incest with his daughter.
2. The Devists teach that Jesus Christ was created by God the Father on the first day of the creation.3. The devotees of Prajapati teach that the Bible is not the only word of God. They accept either fully or partly the Vedas as the word of God.
4. These cults accept Prajapati, Indra, Narayana, Mukunda, Surya(sun), Agni, Kan, Mahabali etc as God.5. The Devists teach that salvation can be achieved by believing in any one of these gods because these are different names given to the same God.
Now, the question is this: Is it a heresy? If not, then what is a heresy?
It is a cult
Can it be both a heresy and a cult at the same time? Yes, it is quite possible. Take the example of Jehovah Witnesses. Their doctrines are heretical. At the same time they are a cult. We have already seen that the teachings of the devotees of Prajapati is heretical. Now, we shall see whether it is a cult.
Josh McDowell and Don Stewart have listed in their book, Concise Guide to Today's religions, some common features of cults. We shall see if these features match the devotees of Prajapati. The features listed by them are as follows:
1. New Revelation
The identffication of the vedic god as the saviour of mankind is quite new, while preaching Jesus as Christ is about two thousand years old.2. New interpretation of the Bible
The devotees of Prajapati give so many new interpretations to the Bible. The light that was created by God on the first day is Jesus ... Man committed sin due to the inability of Jesus and due to this reason, he was killed ... the first beast in Rev. 13 is Satan etc.3. Depends on other writings
The cults will not agree that the Bible is the only word of God. Same is the case with the cult of Prajapati. All the factions of this cult, such as the Devists, the Muktists and the Achanists argue that the Bible alone is not the word of God. They accept the Vedas, the Brahmanas, the Upanishads etc as fully or partly God inspired.4. Another Christ
Since we have discussed this points in detail, it is not necessary to add anything here.5. Denies fundamental beliefs
The fundamental beliefs that are denied by this cult are many. Examples: denial of the eternal existence of Jesus Christ, acceptance of other religious books as word of God, preaching of another Christ etc.6. Double faced
The leaders of cults will have two faces, the one outsiders see and the real face they try to hide. The face that is shown outside by the leaders of the cult of Prajapati is very beautiful, but the real face is quite ugly. They seem to be good Christians, who are very much interested in preaching the gospel all over the world. But in fact, they are preaching just another gospel and deny most of the fundamental beliefs of the Church.7. Introduced new god
We have seen that the Christ of the devotees of Prajapati is not Jesus Christ. Likewise, the god of this cult is not the God of the Bible. Their god is the god of the ancient Aryans, the Purusha of the Purushasukta, who can be called Narayana, Mukunda, Bhaskara, Brhahman, and what not.8. Everlasting theology
The theology of the cults will change according to the changing situations. All the factions of the cult of Prajapati have changed their theology many times and none of them have come to a final decision yet. This fact can be verified from the books and tracts these cults have published from time to time.9. Strong leadership
A cult cannot prosper without a strong leader. All the factions of the cult of Prajapati have very able leaders. In fact, the foundation of these cults is its leader. That is why we have identified these cults as Devism, Muktism and Achanism.10. Salvation by works
These cults, like other cults, depend on work for salvation. They teach that the sages of the Aryan period were holy people and due to that reason, God spoke to them. Achanism clarifies that in every man there is a ray of divine light and that is why God spoke to Cornelius. In order to be saved, there must be the pre-qualification of having this ray, without which God will not consider a person for providing salvation. None of these cults believes in salvation by grace alone.
11. False prophecy
By the term false prophesy, we mean the revelations received from sources other than the God of the Bible. On questioning about the authority of the teachings of the cult, these heretics always maintain that they are specially anointed by God for an end time ministry. Since this revelation is not in harmony with the word of God, it is clear that they are false prophets, who received revelations from the devil himself. Morevover, they often state that special grace is required to see Jesus in the Vedas.
Conclusion
The church of God is espoused to Jesus Christ and as soon as the simplicity that we have in Christ Jesus is lost, we become unchaste. (2 Cor. 11:2,3). We cannot accept somebody else, even if he resembles Jesus to some extent. We have already seen that the Prajapati of the Vedas is not Jesus Christ of the Bible. Even if Prajapati resembled Jesus, we cannot accept him because he is another Christ.
See what Paul says on the subject: "Now, the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times, some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits and doctrines of devils, speaking lies in hypocrisy ..." (1 Tim. 4: 1). This prophecy has come true in front of our own eyes, in the form of the cult of Prajapati. The leaders of the church have failed to discern this spirit of anti-christ in time. So the Prajapati gained acceptance in the evangelical circles as a "Peace Baby", or "Indian Cup" and the leaders of this dangerous cult were admitted everywhere as dedicated missionaries.
"You cannot drink the cup of the Lord, and the cup of devils; you cannot be partakers of the Lord's table, and of the table of devils." (1 Corinthians 10:21).
It is high time we recognize the spirit of anti-christ and cast him out, along with his servants.
by T.S. Balan, ©1997