In this series
Asato ma sad gamaya; tamaso ma jyotir gamaya; mrtyor ma amrutam gamaya. [Sanskrit]
Oh Lord God Almighty— Lead me from untruth to truth. Lead me from darkness to light. Lead me from death to immortality/life.
Brihadaranyaka Upanishad (1.3.28)
This prayer from the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad, the second part of the Yajurveda, an ancient Sanskrit text, has held great significance to me and served as a steppingstone in my spiritual journey. Reciting this prayer daily became a crucial aspect of my life, and I found the fulfillment of it at the age of 22 when someone gave me a New Testament. In John 14:6, Jesus provided the answer: “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."
Jesus being the Way means that until we tread on that path, we won’t reach God the Father. The two prayers, “Lead me to the truth” and “Lead me to life,” were answered in “I am the truth” and “I am the life.”
I found the answer to the third prayer, “Lead me from darkness to light,” in John 8:12: “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” This light of life keeps us alive and guides us to the divine Light that God embodies.
These verses formed a solid foundation for me to embrace Christ. It brought me immense joy and excitement to realize that the prayers of Vedic rishis and munis (sages and ascetics) from thousands of years ago were answered in Christ Jesus.
While humanity attempts to segregate the world based on religion, scripture, culture, or geography, here we witness complete unity in the Godheadd. Having studied both Hindu scriptures and the Bible, I firmly believe that God is undivided, and any goodness stems solely from God.
All the religious scriptures are seeking the same God. They have all identified God in the same manner—God is a Spirit, God is almighty, God is the light, God is the creator, and so forth, and then they all waited for the mystery to be unfolded. And it was done with the advent of Jesus Christ.
For anybody seeking God, Jesus is the answer to all humanity.
Rajendra Prasad Dwivedi was a staunch Hindu before he read the New Testament and accepted Christ at the age of 22. Today, he ministers among the high caste Hindu Brahmins and is writing a book titled Christ Is the Fulfilment of All Quests. He previously worked in the state education department in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh.
