Gospel to Hindu World

Can Jesus be called as Bhagavan?

Having covered an issue on whether or not we shall call Jesus an Avatar[i], I do hope my previous episode has made it clear to you. Meanwhile the issue doesn’t rest there alone. There is yet another word ‘Bhagavan’ giving us curiosity if we can refer Jesus as Bhagavan or not.

First, we need to understand how a Hindu understands this word. In a general sense, Bhagavan means God. In Hindu tradition, people address saintly persons and spiritual masters as Bhagavan, as a mark of honor and out of profound respect. It may be blasphemy in western[ii] religions to address someone as God, but it is normal in Hindu tradition as permitted by the Vedas. In most of the Upanishads, we notice that it was customary for a student to address his teacher or seer who had the knowledge of Brahman as Bhagavan only. The same tradition was followed in the Bhagavad Gita, even though Lord Krishna was a close friend and relation of Arjuna. Addressing an enlightened teacher, father or relation thus is a mark of respect. Just as it is customary in the modern world to address a President, a Prime Minister or even a Dictator as His Excellency (whether they have any excellence in them or not), it is customary in their religious tradition to address spiritual gurus, who are enlightened, as Bhagavan. Bhagavan is argued to be the right word to denote God or anyone who possesses divine qualities or who has realized the inner Self. To consider God and you as one is knowledge. To look upon both as different and separate is duality and ignorance. This is what they learn from their scriptures. Is it not better to follow the footsteps of God or God like person and feel oneness with him rather than following a role model such as a singer or an actor or a politician who lacks virtue or represents the opposite of Him?[iii]

Devdutt Pattanaik, an Indian author known for fictional work and interpretations of ancient Indian scriptures, says there is no mention of Bhagavan in the Vedas. The idea of God is explored in various ways, but there is no definitive idea like Bhagavan, which we find in the Puranas. The Vedas are 4000 years old and the Puranas 2000 years old. The Vedas were more obsessed with rituals but by Puranic times great value is placed on the idea of devotion to an almighty being often identified as Bhagavan. The word is rather used as titles in Buddhism and Jainism. Those who succeed to break oneself free from the bondage of the world, s/he was considered as Bhagavan. A Bhagavan in these monastic orders possess kaivalya, universal knowledge, and so is not entrapped by fears and desires that plague the common man. Bhagavan is used in the sense of the wisest of the wise.[iv]

From the lens of Hinduism, he says it has a better association and understanding with yagna, a Vedic ritual. He has given few insights paraphrased as:[v]

1. All living creatures crave for hunger and yagna facilitates such exchanges. Yajaman initiates yagna to obligate devas to feed him by invoking and feeding them.

2. With the rise of monastic order 2500 years ago, Buddha and Jinas identified hunger as bondage that hinders living creatures in attaining higher realms. Hindus, then imagined a being who conquers hunger and is greater than devas i.e. Maha deva/Ishvara/Shiva. Therefore, Shiva never participated in yagna. It was Vishnu who has empathy for the hunger to enroll in yagna. Shiva (Ishvara) and Vishnu (Bhagavan) embodies two aspects of divinity.

3. The word Bhagavan is traced to ‘Bhaga’ which means share. Every human seeks a share of world’s delight. Only God knows how much share everyone must get based on karma. He is able to decide the right ‘bhaga’, hence Bhagavan.

4. Bhaga can also mean fate, womb or material delight i.e. refers to the material world which is the womb of all material delight, of fortune and fate. Bhagavan is God who engages with material world, with fate, with the sensual pleasures it offers but does not withdraw. He is no monk, like Shiva or Buddha or Mahavir.

According to Absolute Advaita Vedanta, in Western religions, absolute reality is known as holy spirit/Supersoul and when it is applied individually it is known as soul while in Vedic culture Absolute reality is called as Brahman/Paramatma/Parabrahma and when it is applied individually it is called as Atman. In Western religions personification of absolute reality is called God in heaven and in Vedic religion it is called Ishwar or Bhagavan.[vi]

Bhagavan in Sanskrit means “one who is glorious, illustrious, revered, divine, or holy.”[vii] It is the most common word for “God” in Hinduism. In its sense of “holy” or “divine” it is also used as an honorific for gurus and divine personages, for example, Bhagavan Sri RAJNEESH.[viii]

ISKCON believes:

aiśvaryasya samagrasya vīryasya yaśasaḥ śriyaḥ

jñāna-vairāgyayoś caiva ṣaṇṇāṁ bhagam itīṅganā

(Viṣṇu Purāṇa 6.5.47)

The term ‘Bhagavan’ or God, is thus defined by Parasara Muni as one who is full in six opulences—

1. who has unlimited strength

2. fame

3. wealth

4. knowledge

5. beauty and

6. renunciation.

This is a very simple but comprehensive definition of God or Bhagavan. In fact, the etymological meaning of the word Bhagavan is “one who possesses all opulences” (bhaga – opulences; van – one who possesses).[ix]^{,[x],[xi],[xii],[xiii]}Here, they conclude Lord Krishna has all those qualities and hence is Bhagavan.

It has been crystal clear that, the word Bhagavan itself has different definitions in which Jesus may seem to fit or may not fit in. In our common Hindu environment, it is most observable that people elevate anyone to level of Bhagavan who are worthy such as parents, teachers, gurus, life inspirations, legends etc. Bhagavan is not just used for God or the highest being.

Our Hindu friends may initially respect and honour Jesus as Bhagavan because this term is honorable in their own understanding. This is not a problem as they are not yet born to acknowledge the truth. Even I was shocked to know Jesus as God in my childhood and used the same word Bhagavan.[xiv] But it is high necessity for us to gradually share with them who Jesus really is and why he came to earth. It is uncertain whether or not we can refer him as Bhagavan because this word has various explanation. Also, we don’t refer our God with any alternative name that has ontologically distinct nature. Bhagavan is usually a word defined and used in Hindu concept of God under different philosophies whereas we have no concept of God as Hinduism has and we don’t need this word to be defined in our theology.[xv]

It might be a safe side to let our Hindu neighbors refer Jesus as Bhagavan at first since they aren’t acquainted with our theology. Typically, some terms like Vaikuntha, Maya (Illusion), Avatar, etc. are often used in worship songs. This is a general contextualization. Our Biblical theology and worldview are not familiar to them. However, these words help them to grab our message in their understanding. Of course, the difference and danger of syncretism is also another red light for us on the other side [Read Episode 5]. Hindu neighbors, in general, has great respect for every gods and deities regardless of any faith, forms and nature. They will be willing to accept Jesus as one of many gods. Being alert and careful, we have to guide them in discovering Jesus as the only way to redemption and to experience him in their life as Savior and God.

Acknowledgments: Nitish Singh, Parv Pravakar, Sabin Panta, Sajan Shrestha and Elder PA Thomas

Thank you

[i] https://eseekers.blogspot.com/2021/01/gospel-to-hindu-world-episode-5.html, accessed on 1/18/2021, 8 am

[ii] Point to be notes that all religions originated in Asia. This site or general Hindu thought traces religions such as Christianity to be western religion. They think British brought it here. I used western word not as admitting Christianity as western religion but just to let you know their typical thought on our faith. Read Rev. Dr. Balkrishna’s book named ‘Major Religions of the World’ for more on this.

[iii] https://www.hinduwebsite.com/hinduism/concepts/bhagavan.asp, accessed on 1/8/2021, 10:54 pm

[iv] https://devdutt.com/articles/meaning-of-bhagavan/, accessed on 1/8/2021, 11:02 pm

[v] Ibid.

[vi] https://absoluteadvaitavedanta.blogspot.com/2019/10/concept-of-god-in-hinduism.html#:~:text=In%20Hindu%20Vedic%20religion%20there,both%20in%20personal%20%26%20impersonal%20form, accessed on 1/8/2021, 11:32 pm

[vii] Constance A. Jones and James D. Ryan, Encyclopedia of Hinduism, Facts on File: An imprint of Infobase Publishing, 2007. Pg. 74

[viii] Ibid.

[ix] https://www.vishwaguruindia.org/2018/10/definition-of-bhagvan-or-god.html, accessed on 1/8/2021, 11:52 pm

[x] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q6rM3Z1NJzY&feature=youtu.be, accessed on 1/8/2021, 11:53 pm

[xi] https://srimadbhagavadgita.net/who-is-bhagavan, accessed on 1/8/2021, 11:54 pm

[xii] http://www.harekrishna.com/col/books/SRE/SSR/def-god.html, accessed on 1/8/2021, 11:54 pm

[xiii] Nepali Brihat Shabdakosh, Nepal Pragya Pratishthaan, 10^th Edition, 2075. Pg. 937 available on http://nepalacademy.org.np/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/Sabdkosh-2075-10th.pdf

[xiv] https://eseekers.blogspot.com/2020/11/my-journey-from-hinduism-to-jesus.html, accessed on 1/9/2021, 10:44 pm