Encountering the Eternal guru
The Story of Young Sadhu
SADHU NITTYANAND
I want to share with you something that
changed the entire course of my life and revealed the secret
meaning of the grace of God, which gives the real meaning and
purpose of life. I, Sadhu Nityananda, personally declare the truth
of my personal encounter with the Eternal Guru of the world
(Sanatana-Jagad Guru,) still unknown to millions, but One who
can be known by you! Sadhu: a generic term designating those who
have renounced allegiance to the world and devote themselves to
spiritual practice, sometimes having distinctive clothing.
Sanatana: lit, “eternal.” Implies eternal means or way
established by an eternal lawgiver. Jagad: lit, “world.” I am
from a high Hindu Brahmin priestly caste, and from a place named
Shahdol (M.P.), in Central India. I studied in my hometown until I
was eighteen. From my childhood I used to wonder who the real God
was. My community traditionally emphasizes the importance of the
guru, the one who takes us from darkness to light. So from
childhood I also wondered, “Who is my real guru whom I can
trustingly follow?”
My father was a renowned
yogi, even though he was also a chief district government
accountant. At times I saw him meditating for hours and hours on
end. He considered his guru, though long dead, to be Shri Shri
Laharimaharaj (guru to the famous yogi Yogananda Paramahansa), and
he deeply followed Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras. I saw people
Brahmin: highest priestly caste created to recite the Vedic
scriptures, perform rituals and teach the people the spiritual
way. Yogi: practitioner of yoga, consisting of various techni ues
to attain union with the divine. There are as many as fourteen
classical forms of yoga, only a few dependent on postural or
breathing techniques. Patanjali sutras: Patanjali was a 2nd
century BC sage who wrote short formulaic statements, or
sutras, on the eightfold path of yoga. coming to him to learn
meditation and asking about yoga and pranayama. One fine day I
asked him my deepest uestion, “Who is my real guru?” He replied,
“I am your guru.” “No,” I told him, “you cannot be my guru,
because you are not a transformed man and I don’t see the perfect
ualities of the True Guru in you.” Many times I had read in the
Indian scriptures words pointing to the True Guru saying, “The
Guru is the one who is the creator, controller, withdrawer of the
universe and is the one who destroys the weeds of ignorance and
sin; to that Guru I salute.” I knew this to mean that only the
Supreme God alone can be the True Guru, one without the slightest
blemish and not simply a self-realized man, an enlightened man, a
self-proclaimed man, or one proclaimed to be guru by another man.
Now I was wondering, “Who is that Guru who Himself is God?” I’d
asked my father and others but I found their answers
unsatisfactory. I became obsessed with wanting to know who this
unknown Guru really was. I often sat with my school friends
discussing this matter of the Guru and the real God, since these
two things were one. Pranayama: breathing techni ues associated
with yogic practice.
Unfortunately, there are so many
different gods worshipped in India. The discussion brought up many
qualities of the True Guru, called the sadguru (true guru), yet I
could find no one, nor had I heard of anyone, to match the
required qualities of the Sanatana Guru. Even the great gurus I
had heard of in my country were evidently flawed in character and
far from the standard required by scripture. Since my father was a
yoga master and a Tantric yogi, I asked him, “What should I do?”
He an swered, “I will teach you some Tantric practices, so that
you can be your own guru.” He also told me that if you want to be
perfect in these things you have to have the anointing and the
blessing of one of our gods or goddesses. Therefore, he said that
I should worship the god Durga and told me to chant Durga
Sapusati. This is a mantra. Further, he told me to do it in a
specific style and way for seven days. I started doing just that.
Tantra: a class of practices that worship the goddess Shakti —the
energy of Lord Shiva. Durga: a major figure in the Hindu pantheon
who rides a tiger; slayer of evil; combined power of the gods.
DurgaSapusati: mantra invoking the power of Durga.
Now, something happened in the midst of all
this. It was a very dangerous and frightening experience. While
sleeping one night during the period of doing that seven-day
practice, I was suddenly awakened, and there, as clear as can be,
was a goddess with the face of a pig, and what a horribly
terrifying face that was! “Amazing,” I thought to myself, “These
thing are real.” This spirit entity was sitting right near my
feet. Seeing that, I was terribly afraid. She spoke to me, saying,
“Come with me, I have come to take you.” I covered my head with
the bed sheet out of fear. My body became very hot. There she was
at my feet, disappearing and appearing all night. I couldn’t sleep
a wink. When I got up in the morning, I was suffering greatly with
severe fever. The following morning I told my father what had
happened. He said, “Stop this immediately; it is not good for
you.” So I stopped, for I was very frightened by the appearance of
this spirit being. That night, I was freed from all my father’s
teaching and advice that I had come to follow. This tantric
practice had only made me more frustrated. And so I decided that
from then onwards I would only lead my ordinary life seeking a
guru and practicing simple meditation. Even so I would still
go onto the rooftop of my house and look into the empty sky to the
dense forest and the lonely mountain range nearby, while
continually crying and weeping aloud, shouting at the top of my
lungs,” There I will go, there I will seek the truth, and there I
will find the True Guru, the true master, the true teacher!” I
would ask, “My God, where is my Guru, who can introduce me to the
truth?” 
I was eighteen years old at this stage, and was busy
finishing my secondary school education with top
marks—I was a grade “A” student. Proud of my
performance, my father and uncle wanted me to
get the best education in New Delhi. So I arrived
in Delhi, getting admission to the famous Ramjas
College at Delhi University.
The first day I went to the college I was shocked
by the abusive and aggressive college atmosphere
created by the crass language, students flaunting
their sexual activity, drugs, alcohol and even
pistols in some of the students’ possession. I was
depressed. It was so unlike the surroundings I had
come from. There was no place for my thoughts
and beliefs in this type of college atmosphere. The
only thing I wanted to do was to run away.
Yet I had to continue with college, since my
parents had sent me there with a big vision in
mind for me. I soon acquired some friends who
were leaders and seniors in college but who were
actually uite negatively influential people from
rich family backgrounds. “Come with us and enjoy
the juice of living as we do; whatever you want to
do, do it; we are with you,” they’d say. ike iron
f
ilings to a magnet I was drawn to them and their
activities, by now having many girlfriends, drinking
much, fighting, dancing and partaking in other
questionable activities. I had become a different
man than I was before.
During one jam-session program at the college,
some well known actors, actresses and singers had
been invited by the leaders to entertain us at the
college. Here something interesting happened. A
senior girl whom I considered as a sister had a friend
who was a graduate of the college who had come
to the jam session as well. While I was dancing,
her friend came up to me and asked my name. We
swapped addresses and he asked me to visit him.
Then I forgot about this man.
But after two weeks
on a Sunday, he knocked on my door and we sat down and talked. He
was a very interesting fellow. He requested that I come with
him to his home. Being free that Sunday, I joined him there. I
entered his fourth-floor apartment, stepped in, and saw many
people sitting there already. They were singing songs, lifting up
their hands. I was amazed. “What are they doing?” I wondered. I
had never seen such a thing. Then, by listening carefully, I could
somewhat make out what they were singing: ee ye first the ing dom
of od and his righteousness.” (Matthew 6:33) Most of the people
gathered there were non Indians. I sat and watched. The meeting
finished, and the people started greeting one another. And then
they started greeting me and I could see the joy on their faces
and the humility and respect in their spirit. By seeing their way
of life, even for a few moments, I was shocked and remembered the
life that I had left much earlier, and started comparing it with
the atmosphere at college. There was something perceptibly
different in these people from what was found in others I had met
before. This strange difference really touched me. One man in the
group came up to me and gave me a book. He said, “Since you are a
newcomer I want to give you this; this is a book about God.” Being
a book lover I took it without any objection. I returned home
and on that same night I attempted to read it, yet something
peculiar occurred. While I was reading, I had difficulty in
understanding what I was reading. It was as if something were
blocking my ability to perceive what was written. I was a regular
and avid reader, so I found it strange that I couldn’t understand
this book. Then a burning desire to know this book overcame me. I
couldn’t properly sleep that night. In the early morning I stood
up, and uickly went to the person who had given me the book, and
explained to him what had happened. I then asked him to please
tell me all that he knew about the book, so that I might
understand it better. 
This man then started
telling me a story that was to be found in this book, and at last
I started to understand. He told me of three men who believed in
God and would not bow down before any idol, even though the king
had ordered them to. They refused, and the king was so angry that
he subse uently had them thrown into a fiery furnace. Yet
amazingly, when they were in the fire a fourth person appeared in
the flames and saved them. The man then asked me, “Who is that
fourth person?” I said, “I don’t have any idea about who this
fourth person might be.” He answered by saying, “It was Jesus
Christ.” Then I asked the uestion, “When did this happen?” He
said, “Before Christ was born.” I then asked, “How can that be
possible?” He said, “Jesus Christ is eternal and omnipresent.”
Directly, it reminded me about a specific characteristic of the
Guru that was pointed to in my own scriptures, His being
“omnipresent—the Guru whose presence is everywhere and guides us
to the supreme knowledge; to that Guru I salute.” This is the
second main quality of the Sanatana Guru—the Eternal Guru. I then
realized that this was the Guru I was seeking, so I told this man
to tell me more about this Guru and more about this book. He then
started sharing all the things about this Eternal Guru, Jesus
Christ. Over about a month he told me every story from that book,
which was called the Bible, in order to teach me about the True
Guru’s character, the character that is completely sinless. The
most important part he shared with me was that of the event in
which Jesus washed the feet of his own disciples, something an
Indian guru would never ever do!
Upon hearing
this, I burst into tears. At last the curtain was lifted from my
eyes. I could now read the Bible with full understanding and
comprehension. For more than a month I met with this teacher
regularly, and at the same time a dramatic change was taking place
in my life. I could feel it. I stopped all those meaningless
activities that constituted my college lifestyle. I could see that
this new Guru was not only changing my life, but also restoring my
past yearning for spirituality. The answer to the questions about
the identity and whereabouts of the True Guru that I had so
passionately posed to my father, the yogi, my family and friends
had finally been answered. I could now see the answer to my
questions and prayers summed up in the person of the Eternal Guru,
Jesus Christ. After two months of visiting the teacher, he invited
me to come to a special gathering of the devotees of Jesus Christ.
A visiting lover of Jesus gave the spiritual message at the
meeting, and I was fearful that he might ask me a uestion, so I
sat right in the back row. At the end of the message he said, “I
will pray for you all.” He then guided us to form a circle. As the
prayer started, I felt a tremendous electric like current in my
right leg, and I burst into tears and started to weep loudly. From
my childhood to now this was the most amazing experience that I
have ever felt. I had no idea why I was crying, but one thing I
knew for sure was that I was speaking to Jesus, that I was saying,
“Why, O Eternal Guru, did you withhold yourself from me for so
long? I was seeking you desperately from the early days of my
youth. Now Lover of my soul, come into my heart and quench this
thirst of mine. Be my Lord, be my Guru, be my guide, and accept me
as your child—you are my Savior!” I also confessed all my sins to
the Lord Jesus Christ, my Guru. When I opened my eyes, after about
half-an-hour, I saw and felt people looking at me, comforting me,
putting their hands on me and praying for me. I could feel a
tremendous peace in my heart. I felt light, like a piece of
cotton—so light in myself. The heavy burden that had been kept in
my heart for so long at last went away. It reminded me of Jesus
saying, “Come to me all those who are weary and heavy laden and I
will give you rest,” (Matthew 11:28) and another piece of scripture
when he said, y peace give you.” (John 14:27) This peace is still
with me.
Following this I asked them, “How do
I properly become a disciple of Jesus? What are the reuirements?” They answered, “Just sincerely believe in Jesus in your
heart and be baptized.” And it was so simple, unlike my old
rituals that were so difficult and tedious to do. So now I had
acknowledged Jesus Christ as the Supreme Guru, the Lord and Savior
of my life, and resolutely decided to serve him wholeheartedly
until the day I die. I was very excited after this. I was
overflowing with the joy of salvation and all I wanted to do was
tell others about this wonderful Guru who saved me from the
bondage of sin and changed my life miraculously. I became so
exuberant with joy, running here and there, telling everyone about
Jesus. Then I returned home to tell the good news to my friends
and family. They were all completely shocked and very angry with
me, and they asked me silly uestions like, “Were you bribed with
money or girls to become Christian?” That’s rubbish,” I said,
“it’s nothing like this. I have seen him working in my life. He’s
my Guru; that’s all I know, and you need to know this Eternal Guru
in order to receive new lives for yourselves.” I shared all this
with my very close friends. Some of them became hostile towards
me, but some also believed and saw the miracle of Jesus Christ
and became his followers, and there came a tremendous change in
their lives. When my parents came to know that I was spreading the
good news in my locality they became enraged and forbade me to
leave the house. They demanded that I perform rituals so that my
heart would be changed from the “nonsense.” I was so sad that I
was being prevented from going out into the world so that I could
do the good work.
In spite of all this a voice was continually telling
me, “Leave this house and go. I will show you
the way.” It set me wondering. Then one fine day,
I was watching television in my room and saw a
program showing a famous devotee of Jesus giving
the message from Chennai in South India. A voice
clearly came to me saying, “Go to him.” I decided
to disappear from the house and go to Chennai. All
I had was twelve hundred rupees ($30) and a small
bag. I believed Jesus was with me, and this was
enough. I went along a huge detour via Bombay,
Goa, and Kerala to arrive in Chennai.
Seeing as I was free
from my house, I could now share the love of my Guru freely.
Sometimes I slept by the roadside and at railway stations since
I had long ago run out of money, but the Lord was helping me
through the people I met along the way. While I was in Goa, I went
into a church and started to weep, crying,”Lord, where shall I go
now? I have no money and no place to stay. Why have you called me
out? I am just wandering around aimlessly.” I saw a priest sitting
nearby, so I told him about my situation. He answered me by
saying, “Did not the Master you serve say, Does have dens and the
birds in the sky have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to
lay his head’?” (Matthew 8:20) Upon hearing this, my heart was
touched and I decided not to complain anymore, since my Guru was
such a great “sanyasi” in a certain sense. 
It was clear the Lord was calling me particularly to this type of
ministry, to wear the clothing of a Sadhu, a Hindu swami or holy
man. It reminded me of what God had similarly called Sadhu Sundar
Orange-clad. Swami: lit, “Lord.” Also used as a title for a
senior member of a Hindu religious order. Singh to do. He had
been a famous Indian Sadhu, a man of God, renowned for being a
follower of Christ alone. It became clear that my people would
understand my way much better in this form. This same priest
referred me to another priest in old Goa. I went there and this
man helped me and took care of me. He was a humble man of God and
he told me that the Lord was telling him that I should go to a
certain place called the “Divine Retreat Centre” in Kerala. I left
for that place immediately by bus.
Upon arrival in Kerala I stayed for one week. It was very pleasant.
Over a period of four days, I continually learned much about God
and His work, and I could feel Him really teaching me in His ways.
On the fifth day, Friday, during the evening prayer session,
something of the highest significance hap pened—the biggest
miracle in my life. This opened everything up for me even more and
made clear the deeper things of the spiritual world. The preacher
was speaking about the Holy Spirit. He said, “I pray that the Holy
Spirit will come upon you (which Jesus promised to His disciples
to serve as Helper), and that you will receive power, and that you
will be a strong witness of Jesus Christ.” The very moment that
the preacher began to pray, I saw something coming to me from the
stage. It was very hot. When it hit me I lost control and started
screaming, as I seemed covered by a strange f ire that caused
sparkling electric currents on my hands and over my whole body.
Added to it was a powerful “swooshing” sensation. This all was
specifically meant for me and at this moment it all came as an
extreme shock. Yet I knew that Christ Jesus gave it to me, and I
was therefore not afraid. This was the Lord’s anointing: an
anointing by the f ire of the Holy Spirit. When I came to my
senses, I realized that it was as if my body had been drenched by
a bucket of sweat. The people standing in the congregation
comforted me. I felt like a drunken man not able to walk properly.
Somehow I reached my dormitory and fell asleep immediately. It was
9 pm. As I was falling asleep the words “Alleluia, Alleluia”
were automatically coming from my lips. I felt that there was
someone inside me worshipping. After what seemed like seconds, I
opened my eyes and it was morning. I was amazed. I knew this was
the work of the Lord and that I had”
received the Holy Spirit, the Helper from Eternal Guru Jesus,
who would lead me into all truth and accomplish the task that God
has set before me.
As it is written in the Word
of God, the Bible, it says of Jesus, He is the image of the
invisible God, the firstborn over all creation, for all things in
heaven and on earth were created by him all things, whether
visible or invisible, whether thrones or dominions, whether
principalities or powers all things were created through Him and
for Him. He Himself is before all things and all things are held
together in Him. He is the head.…” (Colossians 1:15-18b) Just
thinking about this passage was mind-boggling, as this was the
Person who had fallen upon me. And the passage was the perfect
description of the one and only Eternal Guru, unique, and in a
category entirely of His own. Following this wonderful event, I
left Kerala for Chennai, where I spent almost one year. I met the
evangelical preacher I came to see. He prayed for me and blessed
me. After that I met a most Evangelical: emphasizing salvation
by grace alone, through faith alone in Jesus Christ alone, and his
atoning work on the cross, and the singular authority of scripture
and the importance of biblical preaching and teaching.
understanding fellow disciple of Christ, who knew well the burden
I carried in my heart in wanting to serve the Lord, and he
provided for all my needs. Through his help I was able to make a
visit to all parts of India telling people about the Name and
purposes of Jesus Christ.
During my stay in
Chennai, the Lord clearly revealed to me during a period of
fasting that I should live like a “sanyasi” and follow Him in this
form, though living this style of life and wearing saffron robes
only became acceptable to me very slowly, as the Lord further
encouraged me according to His plan. Again, I slowly could see
that this was the appropriate way to approach the people of my
commu nity and background, and the people of my Hindu culture.
Interestingly, my mother confessed to me many years later that
when I was a six-month old child, two passing sadhus commented
that one day I was to grow up to be one as well. The Way of Christ
can be dressed in any cultural clothing, and also be portrayed in
a way that does not water down or compromise any element of His
Gospel and unique teaching that has been made plain in the Bible.
The word “guru” that I use to address Jesus in my culture,
simply means “teacher” in our Hindi language, just as “rabbi” in
Hebrew means “teacher.” In the Bible, Jesus was often addressed as
“teacher” even though He was God in the flesh, which was made
clear by His own declaration saying, “…before Abraham came into
existence, I Am,” (John 8:58) and “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the
first and the last, the beginning and the end” (Revelation 1:8)
Meanwhile, my parents had been desperately looking for me. No one
knew where I was. My parents started stirring up trouble for
Christians in Delhi as well as those in my hometown, in order to
find where I was. The Christians did not know where I was. The
police started looking for me. Some thought I was dead.
As I was praying one day with a map of India in my hand,
the Lord’s voice came to me clearly, saying, “Go to uttaranchal (in
the Himalayas), for there is something there for you.” Immediately
I left and ended up in Nainital at the Sat Tal Protestant
ashram where I met the ashram teacher, ninety-five year old
Acharya Daya Prakash, a mighty fol lower of Jesus Christ in the
Indian cultural style. He warmly welcomed me as “Young Sadhu.” For
some days he taught me how Jesus is the fulfill ment of the Vedic
pilgrimage and how the Hindu scriptures point to Christ. During
this stay, Daya Prakash told me that a group of believers from
Delhi were soon to arrive to run a four-day camp. “What is the
name of this group,” I asked. “All for Christ’ (AFC),” he replied.
I was warmly surprised. This was the same group that introduced me
to the Lord—the same group my father was pestering. I immediately
wanted to run, for I felt they would tell my parents where I was.
However, a word from the Lord came saying, “Do not go anywhere;
meet them.” I obeyed. Two days later in the early morning the AFC
group arrived, and from my window I could see all my friends, the
ones from Delhi and the ones from my hometown that I had
introduced to the person of Jesus. Upon seeing them I started to
cry. Now I understood why the lord had brought me here. As all one
hundred people assembled in the hall for prayer, none of them but
one could recognize me, since I now had a bearded face and
wore different clothing. The person who recognized me shouted,
“Hey, Nitesh is here with us!” They were amazed because their
first prayer point was for knowledge of my safety and where
abouts. With this shout, many of them were brought to tears seeing
the work of the Lord in bringing us together in this way. Meeting
in that mountain ashram, of all places, was all too unbelievable
for us all. It was a miracle. “You must contact your parents
immediately,” they said, because the police and my parents were
threatening them all.
They immediately informed my
parents that I was alive and well. And within a day, my brother
and brother-in-law traveled all night to reach me in that ashram.
They insisted I go back home immediately. I felt I should go
because my friends were being given much trouble. They escorted me
home. Immediately after I returned home, they put me in a room and
insisted that I shouldn’t leave, and warned the surrounding people
and railway employees of the town to grab me if I tried to run.
Next, all my relatives started turning up at the house. The one
they thought dead was living. A meeting was called for about
ten of my relatives, some of whom were strong intellectuals. They
started arguing with me, particularly two of them (my brother and
brother-in-law). Their uestion was, “Why are you following Jesus?
Why not other gods and goddesses? Who is behind this work that you
are doing, and why are you traveling across the country so
randomly?” I told them that Jesus is my Guru, that he revealed the
truth to me and that I had found no practical reality to those
gods and goddesses I used to worship. There was no other behind
all this but my God—no one else—and what I was doing was
fulfilling the work that He called me to do. No one could separate
me from my Eternal Guru, Jesus. When they saw that I was firm in
my decision not to turn back, and that they were helpless to
change my mind, both my brother and brother-in-law became very
angry and started abusing me with a whole lot of lies about
Christians and Christ. They told me that if I kept following
Jesus, and since my brother was in the police department, they
would have me and my friends killed! Hearing those words, I was
powerfully inspired by the Holy Spirit, the Helper, to say, “As
you say these words you are accountable for them, and you will see
who Jesus is!”
After this evening meeting
finished, on that same night, as all the guests were in their
rooms, some thing amazing happened. From the room in which my
uncle, my brother and brother-in-law were sleeping, came a loud
screaming noise. Everyone in the house was shocked and alarmed.
Awakened, they came running to this room thinking someone was
being mercilessly attacked. When we got there and the light was
turned on, what we saw was unbelievable: my brother and
brother-in-law were gripping each other’s throats, eyes closed,
tongues out, growling and howling at each other in a Grotesque
way like dogs locked in combat. My uncle, forcefully using all his
strength, separated them. As we all watched this amazing scene,
and as both of them came to their senses, they looked at us in a
strange and funny way, shivering in fear. They became like
terrified babies. We all exclaimed, “What are you doing? What’s
going on?” Shaking, my brother-in-law said, “We don’t know what’s
going on.” I could sense that the room was filled with the
presence and power of God. All the people were terrified. The room
had a strange and powerful atmosphere. My parents still remember
the feeling. Then both of them looked at me and said, “It’s
you who are doing this!” I said, “No, I am not. It is all being
done because you insulted my Guru; and remember what I told you,
that you will see who He is.” Everyone felt it was true. The two
of them begged forgiveness. I therefore prayed for them, and every
thing immediately became peaceful. (Hindus are a very
superstitious people, even the most intelligent of them, so this
is probably why the Lord used this act to manifest His presence
and point out that the work I was doing was to be seen by them as
ac ceptable). After this my parents said, “Wherever you want to
go, please go, but please do no more of these funny things.” later,
my uncle who had separated the pair of them said that in his sleep
that very night—before the scream was heard— he saw a man passing
by wearing a white robe. As an eye-witness to all that happened
that night, he now believes in the present existence of Jesus
Christ. They know the truth—the reality—but due to their community
fears and the threat to their status they do not want to proclaim
Christ. Through all this, again and again, I could see that what
Jesus said to His disciples was true: “I am with you always, even
to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:20b)
From that point on I was set free to leave, but I stayed at home for a
while to contemplate my path ahead and I started to develop a
satsang group (meaning: “fellowship of the truth”) among my
friends, and many came to believe. Finally, I handed this
responsibility over to a friend and left for my journey of sharing
the Good News. Delhi was next, and there I restored my
relationship with all my good friends. They were thrilled to see
and to hear how the hand of my Eternal Guru, Jesus, delivered me
through all my difficulties. Today I am a changed man. I live in a
spirit of joy, service and lightness. The word of God in the Bible
is all there is for me. It is the foundation of my life, a lamp to
my feet and a light to my path. When I move about India meeting
people, I share the love of Christ with them. Yes, I am
extraordinarily sad to see so many people closed to the gospel, to
see the burning of churches, and to see the extensive and
murderous persecution of Christians and the dangerous misuse of
religion in Indian politics. Yet, I also see the Good News of the
life, purpose and work of Christ penetrating the hearts of
thousands, monthly growing toward millions. Christ is of no
particular culture. His person is universally applicable to all
cultural forms and to the salvation of all souls, and He declares
His supremacy as the only One through whom salvation and real
enlightenment can be attained. He is the crown of Hinduism.
Hinduism has been digging channels. Christ is the living water
that f lows through these channels. He declared, “… let the one
who believes in me drink. Just as the scripture says, From within
him will flow rivers of living water. ” (John 7:38)
I tell you, believe this and your life will be transformed, as
mine has been, as well as the lives of millions of others. For,
“…if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; what is old has
passed away —look, what is new has come” (2 Corinthians 5:17)
Christ, His word and teaching have been with us for two thousand
years since the arrival of his disciple Saint Thomas in Southern
India. Saint Thomas, an eyewitness to Jesus’ ministry, landed on
the shores of Kerala in A.D. and was assassinated in Chennai
twenty years later. Interestingly, the doctrines of our Hinduism
have only been in the West for one hundred and fifty years.
How strange it is that our swamis and sadhus and Buddhist teachers
go to the West and are treated with great kindness and respect,
converting millions to our Eastern spiritual worldview and
practices. Yet, here in India, we burn down churches, beat and
maim followers of Jesus daily, even literally killing them.
Despite this, millions of people including me have acknowledged
Jesus as the Supreme Guru and pay homage at His feet.
I have been exclusively following my guru, Jesus,
for some years now. Every day I have seen his hand at work in
various ways. When I recently visited my parents’ home, my mother
told me something very interesting. Two Hindu sadhus had visited
our home during her period of worry for my future—a time of
concern for the importance of my becoming married, settling down
to a “normal” life and freeing myself from being under the divine
influence of Christ. She asked them to use their power to bring me
back to the “correct” way. They agreed to help. She told me that
by some spirit-means, they saw deeply into the situation, and
surprisingly became angry with her. They said, “Don’t try to stop
him; let him do what he is doing. We see that he is following
a Supreme light, the Divya Jyoti. We have no authority or power
over this light. We can do nothing, nor should we try.” Some days
after hearing this from the sadhus, she told me that she saw in a
dream/vision a very clear image of a tall man passing from the
main gate of our home and walking throughout the whole house. His
face could not be seen, but he was dressed from head to toe in a
white robe and he shone like a fluorescent tube-light. This white
robed person had thus appeared for the second time, first to my
uncle years earlier, and now to my mother. Then she added, “I know
that this was your Guru, Jesus Christ.”
The Guru I worship along with millions of others did not come to establish or
promote any particular religious custom—customs divorced from a
very personal relationship with Himself—or to take you out of your
culture or community, but to reveal the truth and fulfill every
uest of your spiritual heart. As He said, “I have not come to
abolish these things the law but to fulfill them.” (Matthew 5:17)
And, have come so that they you may have life, and may have it
abundantly.” (John 10:10) To all who read this testimony, from
my personal experience, I have found that the Eternal Guru, Jesus
Christ, gives us real life. He is the fulfillment of every human
need. He is the one who quenches the thirst and hunger of every
soul. And He is the one that every human being is actually
seeking, knowingly or unknowingly, for He said, “I am the way, and
the truth and the life,” (John 14:6) Further, Jesus said, “…whoever
drinks some of the water that will give him will never be thirsty
again, but the water that will give him will become in him a
fountain of water springing up to eternal life.” (John 4:13-15) The
main thing to understand about the path of Guru Jesus is that we
receive the gift of salvation totally by grace alone, through
faith alone. It’s not because of our meditation, spiritual
practices, or good deeds, but only through the free gift of His
grace. One thing the Eternal Guru Jesus has clearly said is this:
“Repent [change your mind], for the kingdom of heaven is near.”
(Matthew 3:2) Rather than wanting you to change anything, He wants
to change your heart and for you to believe in Him, since He has a
special saving relationship to the world. Speaking to the
people about the thing of first im portance—the ultimate goal of
life and countering their confusion—Jesus said, “Now this is
eternal life—that they know You, the only true God, and Jesus
Christ, whom You have sent.” (John 7:3)
Now, let me tell you a little story: Early one morning at four
o’clock, a fisherman took his net and went to the riverbank. As he
was walking, it was still dark. Suddenly, his foot stumbled over a
bag. He reached down and thought, “Oh, this is a bag of stones.”
“Good,” he thought. “Since it’s still dark I’ll sit down here and
pass my time throwing the stones into the river.” And he started
throwing the stones one by one. As he threw each stone, he was
enjoying it, throwing them in all sorts of different ways. And the
“plopping” sounds of the stones hitting the water gave him great
pleasure, such that he didn’t recognize that he had almost emptied
the bag. When he was down to the last stone and about to pitch it
into the river, rapidly the sun came up. As he gazed at his last
stone, he began to cry bitterly, and even to scream, “Oh, what
have I done, alas, what have I done? Each of these stones I threw
into the river was a precious pearl! Alas!” Don’t be like
this fisherman and throw away the most precious treasure God has
for you! Sadhu Nityananda
Who Is My Guru?
My father was a renowned
yogi, even though he was also a chief district government
accountant. At times I saw him meditating for hours and hours on
end. He considered his guru, though long dead, to be Shri Shri
Laharimaharaj (guru to the famous yogi Yogananda Paramahansa), and
he deeply followed Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras. I saw people
Brahmin: highest priestly caste created to recite the Vedic
scriptures, perform rituals and teach the people the spiritual
way. Yogi: practitioner of yoga, consisting of various techni ues
to attain union with the divine. There are as many as fourteen
classical forms of yoga, only a few dependent on postural or
breathing techniques. Patanjali sutras: Patanjali was a 2nd
century BC sage who wrote short formulaic statements, or
sutras, on the eightfold path of yoga. coming to him to learn
meditation and asking about yoga and pranayama. One fine day I
asked him my deepest uestion, “Who is my real guru?” He replied,
“I am your guru.” “No,” I told him, “you cannot be my guru,
because you are not a transformed man and I don’t see the perfect
ualities of the True Guru in you.” Many times I had read in the
Indian scriptures words pointing to the True Guru saying, “The
Guru is the one who is the creator, controller, withdrawer of the
universe and is the one who destroys the weeds of ignorance and
sin; to that Guru I salute.” I knew this to mean that only the
Supreme God alone can be the True Guru, one without the slightest
blemish and not simply a self-realized man, an enlightened man, a
self-proclaimed man, or one proclaimed to be guru by another man.
Now I was wondering, “Who is that Guru who Himself is God?” I’d
asked my father and others but I found their answers
unsatisfactory. I became obsessed with wanting to know who this
unknown Guru really was. I often sat with my school friends
discussing this matter of the Guru and the real God, since these
two things were one. Pranayama: breathing techni ues associated
with yogic practice.Many Gods
Unfortunately, there are so many
different gods worshipped in India. The discussion brought up many
qualities of the True Guru, called the sadguru (true guru), yet I
could find no one, nor had I heard of anyone, to match the
required qualities of the Sanatana Guru. Even the great gurus I
had heard of in my country were evidently flawed in character and
far from the standard required by scripture. Since my father was a
yoga master and a Tantric yogi, I asked him, “What should I do?”
He an swered, “I will teach you some Tantric practices, so that
you can be your own guru.” He also told me that if you want to be
perfect in these things you have to have the anointing and the
blessing of one of our gods or goddesses. Therefore, he said that
I should worship the god Durga and told me to chant Durga
Sapusati. This is a mantra. Further, he told me to do it in a
specific style and way for seven days. I started doing just that.
Tantra: a class of practices that worship the goddess Shakti —the
energy of Lord Shiva. Durga: a major figure in the Hindu pantheon
who rides a tiger; slayer of evil; combined power of the gods.
DurgaSapusati: mantra invoking the power of Durga.A Terrifying Encounter
Now, something happened in the midst of all
this. It was a very dangerous and frightening experience. While
sleeping one night during the period of doing that seven-day
practice, I was suddenly awakened, and there, as clear as can be,
was a goddess with the face of a pig, and what a horribly
terrifying face that was! “Amazing,” I thought to myself, “These
thing are real.” This spirit entity was sitting right near my
feet. Seeing that, I was terribly afraid. She spoke to me, saying,
“Come with me, I have come to take you.” I covered my head with
the bed sheet out of fear. My body became very hot. There she was
at my feet, disappearing and appearing all night. I couldn’t sleep
a wink. When I got up in the morning, I was suffering greatly with
severe fever. The following morning I told my father what had
happened. He said, “Stop this immediately; it is not good for
you.” So I stopped, for I was very frightened by the appearance of
this spirit being. That night, I was freed from all my father’s
teaching and advice that I had come to follow. This tantric
practice had only made me more frustrated. And so I decided that
from then onwards I would only lead my ordinary life seeking a
guru and practicing simple meditation. Even so I would still
go onto the rooftop of my house and look into the empty sky to the
dense forest and the lonely mountain range nearby, while
continually crying and weeping aloud, shouting at the top of my
lungs,” There I will go, there I will seek the truth, and there I
will find the True Guru, the true master, the true teacher!” I
would ask, “My God, where is my Guru, who can introduce me to the
truth?” A New Atmosphere
I was eighteen years old at this stage, and was busy
finishing my secondary school education with top
marks—I was a grade “A” student. Proud of my
performance, my father and uncle wanted me to
get the best education in New Delhi. So I arrived
in Delhi, getting admission to the famous Ramjas
College at Delhi University.
The first day I went to the college I was shocked
by the abusive and aggressive college atmosphere
created by the crass language, students flaunting
their sexual activity, drugs, alcohol and even
pistols in some of the students’ possession. I was
depressed. It was so unlike the surroundings I had
come from. There was no place for my thoughts
and beliefs in this type of college atmosphere. The
only thing I wanted to do was to run away.
Yet I had to continue with college, since my
parents had sent me there with a big vision in
mind for me. I soon acquired some friends who
were leaders and seniors in college but who were
actually uite negatively influential people from
rich family backgrounds. “Come with us and enjoy
the juice of living as we do; whatever you want to
do, do it; we are with you,” they’d say. ike iron
f
ilings to a magnet I was drawn to them and their
activities, by now having many girlfriends, drinking
much, fighting, dancing and partaking in other
questionable activities. I had become a different
man than I was before.
During one jam-session program at the college,
some well known actors, actresses and singers had
been invited by the leaders to entertain us at the
college. Here something interesting happened. A
senior girl whom I considered as a sister had a friend
who was a graduate of the college who had come
to the jam session as well. While I was dancing,
her friend came up to me and asked my name. We
swapped addresses and he asked me to visit him.
Then I forgot about this man.
Seek First The Kingdom Of God
But after two weeks
on a Sunday, he knocked on my door and we sat down and talked. He
was a very interesting fellow. He requested that I come with
him to his home. Being free that Sunday, I joined him there. I
entered his fourth-floor apartment, stepped in, and saw many
people sitting there already. They were singing songs, lifting up
their hands. I was amazed. “What are they doing?” I wondered. I
had never seen such a thing. Then, by listening carefully, I could
somewhat make out what they were singing: ee ye first the ing dom
of od and his righteousness.” (Matthew 6:33) Most of the people
gathered there were non Indians. I sat and watched. The meeting
finished, and the people started greeting one another. And then
they started greeting me and I could see the joy on their faces
and the humility and respect in their spirit. By seeing their way
of life, even for a few moments, I was shocked and remembered the
life that I had left much earlier, and started comparing it with
the atmosphere at college. There was something perceptibly
different in these people from what was found in others I had met
before. This strange difference really touched me. One man in the
group came up to me and gave me a book. He said, “Since you are a
newcomer I want to give you this; this is a book about God.” Being
a book lover I took it without any objection. I returned home
and on that same night I attempted to read it, yet something
peculiar occurred. While I was reading, I had difficulty in
understanding what I was reading. It was as if something were
blocking my ability to perceive what was written. I was a regular
and avid reader, so I found it strange that I couldn’t understand
this book. Then a burning desire to know this book overcame me. I
couldn’t properly sleep that night. In the early morning I stood
up, and uickly went to the person who had given me the book, and
explained to him what had happened. I then asked him to please
tell me all that he knew about the book, so that I might
understand it better. A Teacher Emerges
This man then started
telling me a story that was to be found in this book, and at last
I started to understand. He told me of three men who believed in
God and would not bow down before any idol, even though the king
had ordered them to. They refused, and the king was so angry that
he subse uently had them thrown into a fiery furnace. Yet
amazingly, when they were in the fire a fourth person appeared in
the flames and saved them. The man then asked me, “Who is that
fourth person?” I said, “I don’t have any idea about who this
fourth person might be.” He answered by saying, “It was Jesus
Christ.” Then I asked the uestion, “When did this happen?” He
said, “Before Christ was born.” I then asked, “How can that be
possible?” He said, “Jesus Christ is eternal and omnipresent.”
Directly, it reminded me about a specific characteristic of the
Guru that was pointed to in my own scriptures, His being
“omnipresent—the Guru whose presence is everywhere and guides us
to the supreme knowledge; to that Guru I salute.” This is the
second main quality of the Sanatana Guru—the Eternal Guru. I then
realized that this was the Guru I was seeking, so I told this man
to tell me more about this Guru and more about this book. He then
started sharing all the things about this Eternal Guru, Jesus
Christ. Over about a month he told me every story from that book,
which was called the Bible, in order to teach me about the True
Guru’s character, the character that is completely sinless. The
most important part he shared with me was that of the event in
which Jesus washed the feet of his own disciples, something an
Indian guru would never ever do!Recognizing My Guru
Upon hearing
this, I burst into tears. At last the curtain was lifted from my
eyes. I could now read the Bible with full understanding and
comprehension. For more than a month I met with this teacher
regularly, and at the same time a dramatic change was taking place
in my life. I could feel it. I stopped all those meaningless
activities that constituted my college lifestyle. I could see that
this new Guru was not only changing my life, but also restoring my
past yearning for spirituality. The answer to the questions about
the identity and whereabouts of the True Guru that I had so
passionately posed to my father, the yogi, my family and friends
had finally been answered. I could now see the answer to my
questions and prayers summed up in the person of the Eternal Guru,
Jesus Christ. After two months of visiting the teacher, he invited
me to come to a special gathering of the devotees of Jesus Christ.
A visiting lover of Jesus gave the spiritual message at the
meeting, and I was fearful that he might ask me a uestion, so I
sat right in the back row. At the end of the message he said, “I
will pray for you all.” He then guided us to form a circle. As the
prayer started, I felt a tremendous electric like current in my
right leg, and I burst into tears and started to weep loudly. From
my childhood to now this was the most amazing experience that I
have ever felt. I had no idea why I was crying, but one thing I
knew for sure was that I was speaking to Jesus, that I was saying,
“Why, O Eternal Guru, did you withhold yourself from me for so
long? I was seeking you desperately from the early days of my
youth. Now Lover of my soul, come into my heart and quench this
thirst of mine. Be my Lord, be my Guru, be my guide, and accept me
as your child—you are my Savior!” I also confessed all my sins to
the Lord Jesus Christ, my Guru. When I opened my eyes, after about
half-an-hour, I saw and felt people looking at me, comforting me,
putting their hands on me and praying for me. I could feel a
tremendous peace in my heart. I felt light, like a piece of
cotton—so light in myself. The heavy burden that had been kept in
my heart for so long at last went away. It reminded me of Jesus
saying, “Come to me all those who are weary and heavy laden and I
will give you rest,” (Matthew 11:28) and another piece of scripture
when he said, y peace give you.” (John 14:27) This peace is still
with me.Becoming A Disciple
Following this I asked them, “How do
I properly become a disciple of Jesus? What are the reuirements?” They answered, “Just sincerely believe in Jesus in your
heart and be baptized.” And it was so simple, unlike my old
rituals that were so difficult and tedious to do. So now I had
acknowledged Jesus Christ as the Supreme Guru, the Lord and Savior
of my life, and resolutely decided to serve him wholeheartedly
until the day I die. I was very excited after this. I was
overflowing with the joy of salvation and all I wanted to do was
tell others about this wonderful Guru who saved me from the
bondage of sin and changed my life miraculously. I became so
exuberant with joy, running here and there, telling everyone about
Jesus. Then I returned home to tell the good news to my friends
and family. They were all completely shocked and very angry with
me, and they asked me silly uestions like, “Were you bribed with
money or girls to become Christian?” That’s rubbish,” I said,
“it’s nothing like this. I have seen him working in my life. He’s
my Guru; that’s all I know, and you need to know this Eternal Guru
in order to receive new lives for yourselves.” I shared all this
with my very close friends. Some of them became hostile towards
me, but some also believed and saw the miracle of Jesus Christ
and became his followers, and there came a tremendous change in
their lives. When my parents came to know that I was spreading the
good news in my locality they became enraged and forbade me to
leave the house. They demanded that I perform rituals so that my
heart would be changed from the “nonsense.” I was so sad that I
was being prevented from going out into the world so that I could
do the good work.Following The Voice Of God
In spite of all this a voice was continually telling
me, “Leave this house and go. I will show you
the way.” It set me wondering. Then one fine day,
I was watching television in my room and saw a
program showing a famous devotee of Jesus giving
the message from Chennai in South India. A voice
clearly came to me saying, “Go to him.” I decided
to disappear from the house and go to Chennai. All
I had was twelve hundred rupees ($30) and a small
bag. I believed Jesus was with me, and this was
enough. I went along a huge detour via Bombay,
Goa, and Kerala to arrive in Chennai.
Seeing as I was free
from my house, I could now share the love of my Guru freely.
Sometimes I slept by the roadside and at railway stations since
I had long ago run out of money, but the Lord was helping me
through the people I met along the way. While I was in Goa, I went
into a church and started to weep, crying,”Lord, where shall I go
now? I have no money and no place to stay. Why have you called me
out? I am just wandering around aimlessly.” I saw a priest sitting
nearby, so I told him about my situation. He answered me by
saying, “Did not the Master you serve say, Does have dens and the
birds in the sky have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to
lay his head’?” (Matthew 8:20) Upon hearing this, my heart was
touched and I decided not to complain anymore, since my Guru was
such a great “sanyasi” in a certain sense. Clothed In Humility
It was clear the Lord was calling me particularly to this type of
ministry, to wear the clothing of a Sadhu, a Hindu swami or holy
man. It reminded me of what God had similarly called Sadhu Sundar
Orange-clad. Swami: lit, “Lord.” Also used as a title for a
senior member of a Hindu religious order. Singh to do. He had
been a famous Indian Sadhu, a man of God, renowned for being a
follower of Christ alone. It became clear that my people would
understand my way much better in this form. This same priest
referred me to another priest in old Goa. I went there and this
man helped me and took care of me. He was a humble man of God and
he told me that the Lord was telling him that I should go to a
certain place called the “Divine Retreat Centre” in Kerala. I left
for that place immediately by bus.The Lord’s Anointing
Upon arrival in Kerala I stayed for one week. It was very pleasant.
Over a period of four days, I continually learned much about God
and His work, and I could feel Him really teaching me in His ways.
On the fifth day, Friday, during the evening prayer session,
something of the highest significance hap pened—the biggest
miracle in my life. This opened everything up for me even more and
made clear the deeper things of the spiritual world. The preacher
was speaking about the Holy Spirit. He said, “I pray that the Holy
Spirit will come upon you (which Jesus promised to His disciples
to serve as Helper), and that you will receive power, and that you
will be a strong witness of Jesus Christ.” The very moment that
the preacher began to pray, I saw something coming to me from the
stage. It was very hot. When it hit me I lost control and started
screaming, as I seemed covered by a strange f ire that caused
sparkling electric currents on my hands and over my whole body.
Added to it was a powerful “swooshing” sensation. This all was
specifically meant for me and at this moment it all came as an
extreme shock. Yet I knew that Christ Jesus gave it to me, and I
was therefore not afraid. This was the Lord’s anointing: an
anointing by the f ire of the Holy Spirit. When I came to my
senses, I realized that it was as if my body had been drenched by
a bucket of sweat. The people standing in the congregation
comforted me. I felt like a drunken man not able to walk properly.
Somehow I reached my dormitory and fell asleep immediately. It was
9 pm. As I was falling asleep the words “Alleluia, Alleluia”
were automatically coming from my lips. I felt that there was
someone inside me worshipping. After what seemed like seconds, I
opened my eyes and it was morning. I was amazed. I knew this was
the work of the Lord and that I had”
received the Holy Spirit, the Helper from Eternal Guru Jesus,
who would lead me into all truth and accomplish the task that God
has set before me.The Unique Being
As it is written in the Word
of God, the Bible, it says of Jesus, He is the image of the
invisible God, the firstborn over all creation, for all things in
heaven and on earth were created by him all things, whether
visible or invisible, whether thrones or dominions, whether
principalities or powers all things were created through Him and
for Him. He Himself is before all things and all things are held
together in Him. He is the head.…” (Colossians 1:15-18b) Just
thinking about this passage was mind-boggling, as this was the
Person who had fallen upon me. And the passage was the perfect
description of the one and only Eternal Guru, unique, and in a
category entirely of His own. Following this wonderful event, I
left Kerala for Chennai, where I spent almost one year. I met the
evangelical preacher I came to see. He prayed for me and blessed
me. After that I met a most Evangelical: emphasizing salvation
by grace alone, through faith alone in Jesus Christ alone, and his
atoning work on the cross, and the singular authority of scripture
and the importance of biblical preaching and teaching.
understanding fellow disciple of Christ, who knew well the burden
I carried in my heart in wanting to serve the Lord, and he
provided for all my needs. Through his help I was able to make a
visit to all parts of India telling people about the Name and
purposes of Jesus Christ.A Sanyasi Is Born
During my stay in
Chennai, the Lord clearly revealed to me during a period of
fasting that I should live like a “sanyasi” and follow Him in this
form, though living this style of life and wearing saffron robes
only became acceptable to me very slowly, as the Lord further
encouraged me according to His plan. Again, I slowly could see
that this was the appropriate way to approach the people of my
commu nity and background, and the people of my Hindu culture.
Interestingly, my mother confessed to me many years later that
when I was a six-month old child, two passing sadhus commented
that one day I was to grow up to be one as well. The Way of Christ
can be dressed in any cultural clothing, and also be portrayed in
a way that does not water down or compromise any element of His
Gospel and unique teaching that has been made plain in the Bible.
The word “guru” that I use to address Jesus in my culture,
simply means “teacher” in our Hindi language, just as “rabbi” in
Hebrew means “teacher.” In the Bible, Jesus was often addressed as
“teacher” even though He was God in the flesh, which was made
clear by His own declaration saying, “…before Abraham came into
existence, I Am,” (John 8:58) and “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the
first and the last, the beginning and the end” (Revelation 1:8)
Meanwhile, my parents had been desperately looking for me. No one
knew where I was. My parents started stirring up trouble for
Christians in Delhi as well as those in my hometown, in order to
find where I was. The Christians did not know where I was. The
police started looking for me. Some thought I was dead.“Young Sadhu”
As I was praying one day with a map of India in my hand,
the Lord’s voice came to me clearly, saying, “Go to uttaranchal (in
the Himalayas), for there is something there for you.” Immediately
I left and ended up in Nainital at the Sat Tal Protestant
ashram where I met the ashram teacher, ninety-five year old
Acharya Daya Prakash, a mighty fol lower of Jesus Christ in the
Indian cultural style. He warmly welcomed me as “Young Sadhu.” For
some days he taught me how Jesus is the fulfill ment of the Vedic
pilgrimage and how the Hindu scriptures point to Christ. During
this stay, Daya Prakash told me that a group of believers from
Delhi were soon to arrive to run a four-day camp. “What is the
name of this group,” I asked. “All for Christ’ (AFC),” he replied.
I was warmly surprised. This was the same group that introduced me
to the Lord—the same group my father was pestering. I immediately
wanted to run, for I felt they would tell my parents where I was.
However, a word from the Lord came saying, “Do not go anywhere;
meet them.” I obeyed. Two days later in the early morning the AFC
group arrived, and from my window I could see all my friends, the
ones from Delhi and the ones from my hometown that I had
introduced to the person of Jesus. Upon seeing them I started to
cry. Now I understood why the lord had brought me here. As all one
hundred people assembled in the hall for prayer, none of them but
one could recognize me, since I now had a bearded face and
wore different clothing. The person who recognized me shouted,
“Hey, Nitesh is here with us!” They were amazed because their
first prayer point was for knowledge of my safety and where
abouts. With this shout, many of them were brought to tears seeing
the work of the Lord in bringing us together in this way. Meeting
in that mountain ashram, of all places, was all too unbelievable
for us all. It was a miracle. “You must contact your parents
immediately,” they said, because the police and my parents were
threatening them all.House Arrest
They immediately informed my
parents that I was alive and well. And within a day, my brother
and brother-in-law traveled all night to reach me in that ashram.
They insisted I go back home immediately. I felt I should go
because my friends were being given much trouble. They escorted me
home. Immediately after I returned home, they put me in a room and
insisted that I shouldn’t leave, and warned the surrounding people
and railway employees of the town to grab me if I tried to run.
Next, all my relatives started turning up at the house. The one
they thought dead was living. A meeting was called for about
ten of my relatives, some of whom were strong intellectuals. They
started arguing with me, particularly two of them (my brother and
brother-in-law). Their uestion was, “Why are you following Jesus?
Why not other gods and goddesses? Who is behind this work that you
are doing, and why are you traveling across the country so
randomly?” I told them that Jesus is my Guru, that he revealed the
truth to me and that I had found no practical reality to those
gods and goddesses I used to worship. There was no other behind
all this but my God—no one else—and what I was doing was
fulfilling the work that He called me to do. No one could separate
me from my Eternal Guru, Jesus. When they saw that I was firm in
my decision not to turn back, and that they were helpless to
change my mind, both my brother and brother-in-law became very
angry and started abusing me with a whole lot of lies about
Christians and Christ. They told me that if I kept following
Jesus, and since my brother was in the police department, they
would have me and my friends killed! Hearing those words, I was
powerfully inspired by the Holy Spirit, the Helper, to say, “As
you say these words you are accountable for them, and you will see
who Jesus is!”Violence Erupts
After this evening meeting
finished, on that same night, as all the guests were in their
rooms, some thing amazing happened. From the room in which my
uncle, my brother and brother-in-law were sleeping, came a loud
screaming noise. Everyone in the house was shocked and alarmed.
Awakened, they came running to this room thinking someone was
being mercilessly attacked. When we got there and the light was
turned on, what we saw was unbelievable: my brother and
brother-in-law were gripping each other’s throats, eyes closed,
tongues out, growling and howling at each other in a Grotesque
way like dogs locked in combat. My uncle, forcefully using all his
strength, separated them. As we all watched this amazing scene,
and as both of them came to their senses, they looked at us in a
strange and funny way, shivering in fear. They became like
terrified babies. We all exclaimed, “What are you doing? What’s
going on?” Shaking, my brother-in-law said, “We don’t know what’s
going on.” I could sense that the room was filled with the
presence and power of God. All the people were terrified. The room
had a strange and powerful atmosphere. My parents still remember
the feeling. Then both of them looked at me and said, “It’s
you who are doing this!” I said, “No, I am not. It is all being
done because you insulted my Guru; and remember what I told you,
that you will see who He is.” Everyone felt it was true. The two
of them begged forgiveness. I therefore prayed for them, and every
thing immediately became peaceful. (Hindus are a very
superstitious people, even the most intelligent of them, so this
is probably why the Lord used this act to manifest His presence
and point out that the work I was doing was to be seen by them as
ac ceptable). After this my parents said, “Wherever you want to
go, please go, but please do no more of these funny things.” later,
my uncle who had separated the pair of them said that in his sleep
that very night—before the scream was heard— he saw a man passing
by wearing a white robe. As an eye-witness to all that happened
that night, he now believes in the present existence of Jesus
Christ. They know the truth—the reality—but due to their community
fears and the threat to their status they do not want to proclaim
Christ. Through all this, again and again, I could see that what
Jesus said to His disciples was true: “I am with you always, even
to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:20b)Freedom Restored
From that point on I was set free to leave, but I stayed at home for a
while to contemplate my path ahead and I started to develop a
satsang group (meaning: “fellowship of the truth”) among my
friends, and many came to believe. Finally, I handed this
responsibility over to a friend and left for my journey of sharing
the Good News. Delhi was next, and there I restored my
relationship with all my good friends. They were thrilled to see
and to hear how the hand of my Eternal Guru, Jesus, delivered me
through all my difficulties. Today I am a changed man. I live in a
spirit of joy, service and lightness. The word of God in the Bible
is all there is for me. It is the foundation of my life, a lamp to
my feet and a light to my path. When I move about India meeting
people, I share the love of Christ with them. Yes, I am
extraordinarily sad to see so many people closed to the gospel, to
see the burning of churches, and to see the extensive and
murderous persecution of Christians and the dangerous misuse of
religion in Indian politics. Yet, I also see the Good News of the
life, purpose and work of Christ penetrating the hearts of
thousands, monthly growing toward millions. Christ is of no
particular culture. His person is universally applicable to all
cultural forms and to the salvation of all souls, and He declares
His supremacy as the only One through whom salvation and real
enlightenment can be attained. He is the crown of Hinduism.
Hinduism has been digging channels. Christ is the living water
that f lows through these channels. He declared, “… let the one
who believes in me drink. Just as the scripture says, From within
him will flow rivers of living water. ” (John 7:38)A New Creation
I tell you, believe this and your life will be transformed, as
mine has been, as well as the lives of millions of others. For,
“…if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; what is old has
passed away —look, what is new has come” (2 Corinthians 5:17)
Christ, His word and teaching have been with us for two thousand
years since the arrival of his disciple Saint Thomas in Southern
India. Saint Thomas, an eyewitness to Jesus’ ministry, landed on
the shores of Kerala in A.D. and was assassinated in Chennai
twenty years later. Interestingly, the doctrines of our Hinduism
have only been in the West for one hundred and fifty years.
How strange it is that our swamis and sadhus and Buddhist teachers
go to the West and are treated with great kindness and respect,
converting millions to our Eastern spiritual worldview and
practices. Yet, here in India, we burn down churches, beat and
maim followers of Jesus daily, even literally killing them.
Despite this, millions of people including me have acknowledged
Jesus as the Supreme Guru and pay homage at His feet.The Undeniable Guru
I have been exclusively following my guru, Jesus,
for some years now. Every day I have seen his hand at work in
various ways. When I recently visited my parents’ home, my mother
told me something very interesting. Two Hindu sadhus had visited
our home during her period of worry for my future—a time of
concern for the importance of my becoming married, settling down
to a “normal” life and freeing myself from being under the divine
influence of Christ. She asked them to use their power to bring me
back to the “correct” way. They agreed to help. She told me that
by some spirit-means, they saw deeply into the situation, and
surprisingly became angry with her. They said, “Don’t try to stop
him; let him do what he is doing. We see that he is following
a Supreme light, the Divya Jyoti. We have no authority or power
over this light. We can do nothing, nor should we try.” Some days
after hearing this from the sadhus, she told me that she saw in a
dream/vision a very clear image of a tall man passing from the
main gate of our home and walking throughout the whole house. His
face could not be seen, but he was dressed from head to toe in a
white robe and he shone like a fluorescent tube-light. This white
robed person had thus appeared for the second time, first to my
uncle years earlier, and now to my mother. Then she added, “I know
that this was your Guru, Jesus Christ.”One For All
The Guru I worship along with millions of others did not come to establish or
promote any particular religious custom—customs divorced from a
very personal relationship with Himself—or to take you out of your
culture or community, but to reveal the truth and fulfill every
uest of your spiritual heart. As He said, “I have not come to
abolish these things the law but to fulfill them.” (Matthew 5:17)
And, have come so that they you may have life, and may have it
abundantly.” (John 10:10) To all who read this testimony, from
my personal experience, I have found that the Eternal Guru, Jesus
Christ, gives us real life. He is the fulfillment of every human
need. He is the one who quenches the thirst and hunger of every
soul. And He is the one that every human being is actually
seeking, knowingly or unknowingly, for He said, “I am the way, and
the truth and the life,” (John 14:6) Further, Jesus said, “…whoever
drinks some of the water that will give him will never be thirsty
again, but the water that will give him will become in him a
fountain of water springing up to eternal life.” (John 4:13-15) The
main thing to understand about the path of Guru Jesus is that we
receive the gift of salvation totally by grace alone, through
faith alone. It’s not because of our meditation, spiritual
practices, or good deeds, but only through the free gift of His
grace. One thing the Eternal Guru Jesus has clearly said is this:
“Repent [change your mind], for the kingdom of heaven is near.”
(Matthew 3:2) Rather than wanting you to change anything, He wants
to change your heart and for you to believe in Him, since He has a
special saving relationship to the world. Speaking to the
people about the thing of first im portance—the ultimate goal of
life and countering their confusion—Jesus said, “Now this is
eternal life—that they know You, the only true God, and Jesus
Christ, whom You have sent.” (John 7:3)Where Is Your Treasure?
Now, let me tell you a little story: Early one morning at four
o’clock, a fisherman took his net and went to the riverbank. As he
was walking, it was still dark. Suddenly, his foot stumbled over a
bag. He reached down and thought, “Oh, this is a bag of stones.”
“Good,” he thought. “Since it’s still dark I’ll sit down here and
pass my time throwing the stones into the river.” And he started
throwing the stones one by one. As he threw each stone, he was
enjoying it, throwing them in all sorts of different ways. And the
“plopping” sounds of the stones hitting the water gave him great
pleasure, such that he didn’t recognize that he had almost emptied
the bag. When he was down to the last stone and about to pitch it
into the river, rapidly the sun came up. As he gazed at his last
stone, he began to cry bitterly, and even to scream, “Oh, what
have I done, alas, what have I done? Each of these stones I threw
into the river was a precious pearl! Alas!” Don’t be like
this fisherman and throw away the most precious treasure God has
for you! Sadhu Nityananda THE SOLUTION
God sent His son, Jesus, to take upon Himself by His death on the cross everything that separates us from God. Jesus is the manifestation of God’s grace and love, given to us that we may have full access to Him, find full forgiveness, and receive new life with meaning and purpose.THE PROCLAMATION Jesus declared:
God sent His son, Jesus, to take upon Himself by His death on the cross everything that separates us from God. Jesus is the manifestation of God’s grace and love, given to us that we may have full access to Him, find full forgiveness, and receive new life with meaning and purpose.
- “I am the way, and the truth, and the life.” (John 14:6)
- “I am the bread of life.” (John 6:35)
- “I am the true vine.” (John 15:1)
- “Before Abraham came into existence, I am.” (John 8:58)
- “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.” (Revelation 22:13)
- “Come to me all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11:28)
THE PLEA
Each of the storytellers in this booklet received this light. God drew them to Jesus. When they heard about Him, each believed Him and received Him. Now each of them enjoys union with God and He guides their heart, mind and intellect in the right direction. You also can receive Jesus and union with God in your life right now.THE PLAN
Friend, whoever you are and to whatever religion you belong, Jesus wants to come into your life. He said, “Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will dine with him, and he with Me.” (Revelation 3:20) Now, if you will open the door of your heart and read this prayer, I tell you that Jesus will come into your heart and be your Eternal Guru too, to guide you, care for you, love you, and destroy everything that separates you from God—your sin, or the “karmic debt” you may believe in—and give you eternal life with Him in perfection forever.THE PRAYER: Gather your heart and mind, and pray the following:
- Lord Jesus, please forgive all my transgressions. I know You
want me to be united with You in will and purpose. I believe
in You. I believe that You came from heaven to earth to show
the way and reveal the truth. You died for my sins on the
cross to give me full forgiveness, so that I may have life. I
believe that You defeated the power of death by rising again
from the dead and I believe that You live forever and are the
living God. O Lord and Eternal Teacher, accept me as Your
child and be my Guide. Here I am.
- O Lord, thank You for loving me;
- O Lord, hold me in Your arms. Be the light in the dark cave of my heart.
- O Lord, guide my intellect.
- O Lord my God, take me from untruth to the truth;
- O Lord, take me from the darkness to the light;
- O Lord, Eternal Guru, take me from death to life. Let it be so!
- I offer this prayer in Your Name, O Jesus my Lord.
- Thank You Lord!
Thank You lord!
