ScottMalaysia
20 April 2009, 12:49 PM
As I was doing a round of japa tonight, I remembered that Lord Indra was jealous that the villagers of Vrindavan were worshipping Govardhana Hill and not performing the sacrifice to him. This reminded me of a passage in the Bible, and I began thinking, is the God mentioned in the Bible (specifically the Old Testament) actually Indra?
Let's think about it.
In the Ten Commandments, the first commandment is "I am the LORD thy God.....Thou shalt have no other gods before Me" (Exodus 20:2-3). In this chapter, God also says that He is a jealous God. In the Book of Isaiah it is further stated "I am the LORD: that is my name: and my glory will I not give to another, neither my praise to graven images." (Isaiah 42:8).
Let's compare this to the Srimad-Bhagavatam. Sri Suta Goswami says "When Indra understood that his sacrifice had been put aside, he became furious with Nanda Mahārāja and the other cowherd men, who were accepting Kṛṣṇa as their Lord. Angry Indra sent forth the clouds of universal destruction, known as Sāḿvartaka." (Srimad-Bhagavatam 10:25:1-2).
We know that the God of the Bible is jealous, as He uses that vary word to describe Himself. We see that Indra is also jealous, getting angry with Nanda Maharaja for accepting Krishna as his Lord rather than himself. Sound pretty much like Indra is saying "Thou shalt have no other gods before me".
In the Bible, God is referred to in places as the "LORD of Hosts" (YHWH tz'vaot) See 1 Samuel 4:4, . The Hebrew word tzava can mean "soldier" or "fight", so the term "LORD of Hosts" refers to God as the leader of a heavenly army.
According to Hinduism, Indra is the Vedic god of war. The Rig Veda (2:30:3) states "Fair cheeks hath Indra, Maghavan, the Victor, Lord of a great host, Stormer, strong in action." Almost the same phrase is used. It is further stated "He under whose supreme control are horses, all chariots, the villages, and cattle; He who gave being to the Sun and Morning, who leads the waters, He, O men, is Indra" (Rig Veda 2:21:7)
Indra is the god of rain and of thunder in Hinduism. He was (and possibly is still) worshipped for rain to fall and crops to grow. In the Bible, thunder is often mentioned as an attribute of God. We read in 1 Samuel 12:17 "Is it not wheat harvest to day? I will call unto the LORD, and he shall send thunder and rain".
In Christianity, heaven is considered the highest realm, and God Himself is present in Heaven. In Hinduism, there is a heaven, although it is not the highest realm. But who is called the King of Heaven in Hinduism? That's right, Lord Indra!
I know that most (if not all) Hindus believe that we are all praying to the same God, but in the Bible, God strikes people dead (Leviticus 10:2), opens up the earth to swallow people alive (Numbers 16:31-33), orders the total slaughter of certain nations, e.g. the Canaanites and Amorites (Deuteronomy 20:16-17), allows the Israelites to keep women from enemy cities as plunder (Deuteronomy 20:14), allows slavery (Leviticus 25:44-46), kills a man for simply steadying the Ark of the Covenant (2 Samuel 6:6-7). Does this sound like the Hindu concept of God?
Yes, Lord Krishna killed the demons, but they were wicked creatures who deserved it. Poor Uzzah only reached out his hand to steady the holy Ark of the Covenant, and God struck him dead. Lord Krishna would never allow His followers to keep women as plunder - Vedic culture says that a man must treat every woman who is not his wife as though she is his mother.
I know that God is also described as a "consuming fire" (Deuteronomy 4:24, Hebrews 12:29) but apart from that, I can't find any similarities between the Christian God and Agni.
What do you all think about this? Could the Bible actually be describing Indra?
Let's think about it.
In the Ten Commandments, the first commandment is "I am the LORD thy God.....Thou shalt have no other gods before Me" (Exodus 20:2-3). In this chapter, God also says that He is a jealous God. In the Book of Isaiah it is further stated "I am the LORD: that is my name: and my glory will I not give to another, neither my praise to graven images." (Isaiah 42:8).
Let's compare this to the Srimad-Bhagavatam. Sri Suta Goswami says "When Indra understood that his sacrifice had been put aside, he became furious with Nanda Mahārāja and the other cowherd men, who were accepting Kṛṣṇa as their Lord. Angry Indra sent forth the clouds of universal destruction, known as Sāḿvartaka." (Srimad-Bhagavatam 10:25:1-2).
We know that the God of the Bible is jealous, as He uses that vary word to describe Himself. We see that Indra is also jealous, getting angry with Nanda Maharaja for accepting Krishna as his Lord rather than himself. Sound pretty much like Indra is saying "Thou shalt have no other gods before me".
In the Bible, God is referred to in places as the "LORD of Hosts" (YHWH tz'vaot) See 1 Samuel 4:4, . The Hebrew word tzava can mean "soldier" or "fight", so the term "LORD of Hosts" refers to God as the leader of a heavenly army.
According to Hinduism, Indra is the Vedic god of war. The Rig Veda (2:30:3) states "Fair cheeks hath Indra, Maghavan, the Victor, Lord of a great host, Stormer, strong in action." Almost the same phrase is used. It is further stated "He under whose supreme control are horses, all chariots, the villages, and cattle; He who gave being to the Sun and Morning, who leads the waters, He, O men, is Indra" (Rig Veda 2:21:7)
Indra is the god of rain and of thunder in Hinduism. He was (and possibly is still) worshipped for rain to fall and crops to grow. In the Bible, thunder is often mentioned as an attribute of God. We read in 1 Samuel 12:17 "Is it not wheat harvest to day? I will call unto the LORD, and he shall send thunder and rain".
In Christianity, heaven is considered the highest realm, and God Himself is present in Heaven. In Hinduism, there is a heaven, although it is not the highest realm. But who is called the King of Heaven in Hinduism? That's right, Lord Indra!
I know that most (if not all) Hindus believe that we are all praying to the same God, but in the Bible, God strikes people dead (Leviticus 10:2), opens up the earth to swallow people alive (Numbers 16:31-33), orders the total slaughter of certain nations, e.g. the Canaanites and Amorites (Deuteronomy 20:16-17), allows the Israelites to keep women from enemy cities as plunder (Deuteronomy 20:14), allows slavery (Leviticus 25:44-46), kills a man for simply steadying the Ark of the Covenant (2 Samuel 6:6-7). Does this sound like the Hindu concept of God?
Yes, Lord Krishna killed the demons, but they were wicked creatures who deserved it. Poor Uzzah only reached out his hand to steady the holy Ark of the Covenant, and God struck him dead. Lord Krishna would never allow His followers to keep women as plunder - Vedic culture says that a man must treat every woman who is not his wife as though she is his mother.
I know that God is also described as a "consuming fire" (Deuteronomy 4:24, Hebrews 12:29) but apart from that, I can't find any similarities between the Christian God and Agni.
What do you all think about this? Could the Bible actually be describing Indra?