The Son
The Son
Dramatis personae
THE FATHERTHE SON — JESUS
MARY (MOTHER OF JESUS)
ANGEL
ELIZABETH (MOTHER OF JOHN THE BAPTIST)
JOSEPH (FATHER OF JESUS)
THREE SHEPHERDS
KING HEROD
THREE WISE MEN
TEACHER OF JESUS
STUDENTS
JOHN THE BAPTIST
DISCIPLES OF JOHN THE BAPTIST
DISCIPLES OF JESUS
JUDAS, PETER, PHILIP, THOMAS (OTHER DISCIPLES OF JESUS)
MARY MAGDALENE
KRISHNA
RAMA
BUDDHA
THE CHRIST
Scene 1
(In Heaven.)FATHER: My son, I have an excellent plan. I wish to share it with you. I want you to descend to earth and play the most significant role.
SON: Father, my Father, indeed that is a splendid idea.
FATHER: You know, to work for earth, to work for the transformation of the earth-consciousness, is an unimaginably difficult task.
SON: But Father, I do not want to miss this unique opportunity. Besides, I know pretty well that You, my Father, will inundate my earthly pilgrimage with capacity. Since I have no hesitation whatsoever, Father, I cannot brook any further procrastination.
FATHER (with a broad smile): Son, you will be on earth for thirty-three years!
SON: Only thirty-three years! How, then, am I going to fulfil my task?
FATHER: Son, you can and you shall. Son, on earth some people walk, while others march and still others run. In your case, you will not only run the fastest but also manifest the highest. Son, your body will remain on earth for thirty-three years. But your Consciousness shall guide the earth-consciousness forever and forever. Son, you will tell the world that you are the way and you are the Goal.
SON: Father, you have just thrown me into a sea of confusion.
FATHER: Why, my son? How, my son?
SON: Krishna, Buddha and others have preceded me, Father. And I am sure, after my departure, there will be others to succeed me. Such being the case, how can I tell the world that I alone am the way and the Goal?
FATHER: My son, when I said you, what I actually meant was aspiration. When I said you, what I actually meant was salvation. You embody aspiration, the way. You embody salvation, the Goal. It is you the aspiration and you the salvation who will serve Me, manifest Me and fulfil Me on earth. Son, is My philosophy clear to you now?
SON: More than clear. Needless to say, it is Your Compassion that has made it so clear to me.
FATHER: I am glad that you have understood Me. I am glad that you are going to reveal Me on earth. I am glad that you are going to manifest Me on earth. I am glad that you are going to fulfil Me on earth. Remember that you are My instrument. Nimitta matram bhava savyasachin.
SON: Father, what language are You speaking? It sounds quite strange, yet so charming.
FATHER: Ah son, don’t you know this language? It is Sanskrit. And what I have just said was your brother Krishna’s lofty utterance. He said to his dearest disciple, “O Arjuna, become my mere instrument.” You will also tell your disciples and dear ones to become divine instruments. Son, I tell you something which will fascinate you or, at least, amuse you. During your stay on earth, you will go to that part of the world where scriptures in Sanskrit are being taught. You will learn much from them. You will be in that part of the world for a year. That year in your inner life will be most rewarding.
SON: How strange is Sanskrit! How sweet is Sanskrit! Father, will You kindly repeat what You have just said in Sanskrit?
FATHER: Nimitta matram bhava savyasachin.
SON: Thank You, Father. I know I am just a humble instrument of Yours. That’s all.
FATHER: Son, you know the supreme secret, and that supreme secret is humility. It is your humility that will crown you with the transcendental triumph. Son, you understand Me and I understand you. But the world will misunderstand you. You will give to humanity what you have and what you are: Love, Concern and Compassion in infinite measure. Yet the world will misunderstand you badly. Some unlit, undivine and unthinkable human beings will kill you.
SON: They will kill me! Why? How?
FATHER: Why? Because they are ignorant. How? They will crucify you.
SON: Crucify me? Are you serious, Father?
FATHER: Son, I am. Unfortunately, I am. But son, you know perfectly well that it is only the body that is destroyed, not the soul. The soul is immortal. The soul-bird will naturally fly back to its divine Source when the cage is smashed.
SON: Father, they are such ungrateful people!
FATHER: Son, gratitude has not yet been born on earth, and I do not know if it will ever take birth on earth soil. But you must not think that I have forsaken you at the time of your crucifixion. The human in you will think so, but not the divine in you. Since you are taking human incarnation, you have to act like a human being at times. Otherwise, there will be no game. Otherwise, people will always see a yawning gulf between your life of purity and luminosity and their lives of impurity and obscurity. Noticing this, they will never attempt to transcend their earth-bound consciousness. Light must descend into darkness. Only then can Light transform and illumine darkness. There is no other way. To transform the consciousness of humanity you have to become one with humanity. You have to become part and parcel of humanity. You have to act at times on their own level, according to their limited understanding. My son, there is no other way.
At the end of your journey the human in you will say, “Father, why hast Thou forsaken me?” The divine in you will say, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do!” I assure you, My son, the dying human in you will immediately be comforted by Me and will be well taken care of by Me. The illumining divine in you will not only immortalise you, but will also hasten My full manifestation on earth.
Scene 2
(Mary’s home. Enter an angel.)ANGEL: Mary, Mary, I have a most special message for you from Above.
MARY: Special in what sense?
ANGEL: Special in a divine sense, in an illumining sense.
MARY: Ah, then tell me, do tell me.
ANGEL: Mary, the Lord is growing inside you.
MARY: The Lord?
ANGEL: The Lord of the Universe.
MARY: I don’t believe you. I simply can’t believe my ears. Don’t torture me, for God’s sake!
ANGEL: Am I torturing you, Mary?
MARY: Yes, you are. A torrent of fear is torturing my heart. A volcano of doubt is torturing my mind.
ANGEL: Be not afraid, for that does not become you. Be not wedded to doubt, for neither does that become you, Mary. I will tell you a secret: Infinity you embody; Eternity is your heart; Immortality is your life. Jesus, the son of God, is inside you, Mary. He shall save his people. He shall rule the length and breadth of the world forever. Do you want to know how?
MARY: How?
ANGEL: He will not rule the world with the sword-power. He will rule the world with his heart-power, with his love-power.
MARY: Heart-power and love-power: are they two different things?
ANGEL: No, they are one. Heart is love. Love is heart.
MARY: At last I am really happy. You have given me the supreme message. What can I give you in return?
ANGEL: Nothing. Just believe what I have said.
MARY: I believe you now. I accept your message most gratefully.
ANGEL: Mary, your acceptance of my message is my highest reward. Mary, you are immaculate. You are great. You are divine. Mary, before I leave I give you another piece of good news. Your cousin Elizabeth, too, will have a child.
MARY: Wonderful, wonderful! I shall visit her shortly.
ANGEL: That is a splendid idea, indeed.
(Exit Angel.)
MARY: O Lord, You are giving me Your beloved son. I am an ignorant woman. I know nothing. But I do know that You are all Forgiveness, all Compassion and all Love.
(Mary sings.)
Ah! simple to learn my Supreme’s Message-Light,
Easy to do His glowing and fulfilling Task.
In me now sings and sports His Nectar-Day.
In His Glory’s sky, my Goal and I shall bask.
Scene 3
(Elizabeth’s home. Enter Mary.)ELIZABETH: Mary, Mary, I have heard. But I must not call you Mary anymore. From now on I must call you Mother, Mother of my Lord Supreme. Blessed and unparalleled are you among women. Blessed and unparalleled is your son among men.
MARY: May the divine Mother, Mother of the universe, bless me, my little heart. May Her Universal Consciousness guide me, my humble life. May Her Transcendental Light illumine me, my small world.
ELIZABETH: I assure you, She will. The Mother of the universe will fulfil all your desires, and more.
MARY: Thank you. Thank you. Ah, I forgot to ask you the most important thing. The angel has told me that you too are being blessed with a divine child. Is it true?
ELIZABETH: Yes, it is true. But mine is no match for yours. That does not mean jealousy will take shelter in my heart. No, never shall I allow jealousy to darken my heart’s door. My son shall be the harbinger of your son’s supreme arrival. My son shall tell the world who your son is. My son shall lead the world safely to your son, the Abode Supreme. He is your son, but he will be my Lord. He will be my Supreme. He will be my All.
(Elizabeth sings.)
God is a Man,
I love His Face.
His blue-gold Love,
My Heaven-bound race.
MARY: O God, do grant me three boons. I wish to see my son always the way Elizabeth sees him. I wish to feel my son always the way Elizabeth feels him. I wish to treasure my son always the way Elizabeth treasures him.
Scene 4
(Nazareth. Joseph the carpenter is having a dream. Enter an angel.)ANGEL: Joseph, you are the most fortunate person on earth, Your wife Mary will soon have a child.
JOSEPH: Stop, Angel! What you say is absurd. First of all, I am not yet married to Mary. And if it is true that she is with child, in spite of my deepest love for her I am not going to brave the waves of merciless public criticism by marrying her. After all, who wants to submit himself to wild scandals?
ANGEL: Mary’s child will be a divine child. You must marry her. Since he is the Lord’s beloved son, his divinity can easily set aside all human laws and principles. I warn you, Joseph, do not act like a rank fool. Accept Mary. Marry her. Claim her as your very own. Your son’s name will be Jesus. That means salvation. Her son, who is equally your son, shall be the King of Israel. He shall illumine the entire world.
JOSEPH: I bow to your deep wisdom, Angel. Mary and I shall become one and inseparable. But, you know, I am just a simple man, a sincere man and a humble man.
ANGEL: Joseph, I like your simplicity, I love your sincerity, I adore your humility.
JOSEPH: Angel, I wish to ask you something. Please give me a sincere answer. How often do you see God?
ANGEL: I see God on rare occasions.
JOSEPH: I was under the impression that you saw God daily.
ANGEL: Oh, no. We angels are not so lucky as the cosmic gods. They see God daily.
JOSEPH: What do you and your angel comrades actually do?
ANGEL: We do quite a few things both for God and man. We bring down God’s messages from the cosmic gods and offer them to aspiring human beings. We inspire human beings secretly with deep inspiration and kindle the flame of aspiration in them.
JOSEPH: Tell me clearly, if possible, what you angels actually are.
ANGEL: We are of God’s strong Love and we are for man’s high promise.
JOSEPH: How great you are!
ANGEL: You are wrong, Joseph. Just say how fortunate we are. God consciously appoints us to serve Him in man. Man unconsciously invokes us to show him the way to God’s Transcendental Abode.
JOSEPH: Sorry to change the subject.
ANGEL: That’s perfectly all right.
JOSEPH: Do you really think and feel that my son Jesus will be the King of Israel?
ANGEL: No thinking, no feeling! I clearly see that your son Jesus will be the King of Israel. Something more. He will be the divine Emperor of the whole world. And he will forever rule the earth-consciousness with his love-power. (Joseph folds his hands and bows to the angel. The angel blesses him.) May God, the author of all good, bless your devoted heart.
Scene 5
(A stable in Bethlehem.)JOSEPH: Alas, this place is over-crowded. All the inns and the hotels are full. There is no room for us. You are soon going to be the mother of a child. And, since we believe in the Angel Gabriel, we can unmistakably say that the child will be the Lord of the entire world. However, here we are now beggars, and beggars cannot be choosers. So let us be satisfied with the stable that they have given us to stay in. Alas, here the cattle are kept and here our baby will be born in a day or two. Needless to say, when our baby is born we shall have to lay him in the manger along with the cows and oxen. Indeed, this is a supreme irony of fate — that the Lord of the Universe begins his earthly sojourn with animals and humble creatures. I am really worried.
MARY: Everything will be all right. Don’t bury yourself in unnecessary worries. Our Lord Supreme is always merciful.
Scene 6
(The night is far advanced. Some shepherds are tending their sheep in a field near Bethlehem.)FIRST SHEPHERD: Look, look, dear friends! What a bright and powerful light is in the sky!
SECOND SHEPHERD: Look, look! An angel of the Lord is fast approaching us.
THIRD SHEPHERD: Look, the angel is standing right before us.
THE THREE SHEPHERDS: Alas, some unknown fear is torturing our hearts.
ANGEL: O sweet, simple and sincere shepherds, cast aside your baseless fear. I have come to you with news of great joy. Today and just today, is born the Saviour. He is born in Bethlehem, which is quite near to us. The newborn divine baby is lying in the stable of an inn. He is the Christ, the Lord, the anointed King. Look up and see what my comrade angels are doing.
SHEPHERDS: Ah, they are dancing, praising and singing: Glory to God in the Highest. And, on earth, peace among men, in whom God is well pleased. It is wonderful, wonderful! Let us hurry to Bethlehem and see this wonderful thing.
(Exeunt omnes.)
Scene 7
(King Herod’s Palace.)HEROD: Unbearable! Unthinkable! Impossible! I shall not allow anyone else to be the King. I am the King, the only King of Judea. The priests and scribes have told me that this little baby King is in Bethlehem. I just want to be sure if it is true that he is there in Bethlehem. If he is, then I shall kill him. I shall send him to God. I shall remain King as long as I am allowed to live on this earth.
(Enter the three wise men.)
HEROD (greeting them): I am so happy to see you. I have heard much about you. You three are exceptionally wise men. You have come from the far East. You have studied the stars, and I understand that a star is leading you to the new King. Please go and see the divine child and come back with some information about him. Then I shall personally go and worship him.
(Exeunt the three wise men.)
Scene 8
(Mary and Joseph are in the inn.)MARY: Joseph, I told you not to worry. Now we have a nice room in a big inn. We are no longer in a stable. Here you and I will be able to look after our sweet divine baby quite easily.
JOSEPH: Mary, you were right. You are right. You are always right.
MARY: What you and I need is patience. That’s all.
(Enter the three wise men.)
WISE MEN (bowing to the baby): O King, O Lord of the world, we are not on earth today. We are now in the seventh heaven of delight. No divine gifts have we to offer you. Be pleased to accept our earthly gifts of gold, perfume, frankincense and myrrh.
JOSEPH: O divine guests, please spend this night here.
WISE MEN: Thank you, Joseph. It is most kind of you.
(Mary feeds them. They go to sleep in one corner of the room, Joseph in another corner and Mary and the child in a third corner. After a few moments a divine voice awakens the three wise men.)
VOICE: Go home. Don’t go back to Herod.
(Exeunt the three wise men. An angel appears and awakens Joseph and Mary.)
ANGEL: Joseph, you, your wife and your child must leave immediately for Egypt. Otherwise Herod will soon find your little child here and kill him.
(Mary takes the baby in her arms. Exeunt omnes.)
Scene 9
(Jesus, Mary and Joseph at home in Nazareth.)JESUS: Mummy, Mummy, what is that in the sky?
MARY: That is the moon.
JESUS: The moon! It is so beautiful!
MARY: You are much more beautiful, my child.
JESUS: No, I am not. Mummy, I want to go to the moon and bring it down.
JOSEPH: You don’t have to go to the moon. The moon will come to you.
JESUS: What for?
JOSEPH: To play with you.
JESUS: With me! How nice! (To Joseph.) You know, Daddy, in my dreams I see some most beautiful people. They come and play with me. They love me dearly.
MARY: Do you know who they are?
JESUS: No Mummy, but they like me a lot. They are my best friends.
MARY: They are called angels.
JESUS: Angels, angels! But Mummy, I don’t see them during the day. Where do they hide during the day?
MARY: During the day they hide in the skies.
JESUS: Ah, I shall fly to the skies and catch them.
MARY: You don’t have to fly and catch them. They themselves will come to you. One of them has told me and your father that you are the beloved son of God.
JESUS: What does he mean by that?
MARY: He means that our Lord who is in Heaven loves you most. You are His darling.
JESUS: Am I, am I God’s darling? Then I must go to see Him. Please take me to His House.
MARY: We shall take you to the Temple of the Lord on Mount Moriah tomorrow.
JESUS: Thank you, Mummy. Tomorrow I shall go to see our Lord’s House. Tomorrow I shall see the Lord. Thank you, Mummy, thank you.
Scene 10
(Nazareth. Several years later. Joseph is extremely ill. Mary is nursing him.)JOSEPH: Mary, did you inform Jesus about my illness?
MARY: Yes, I did. Two months ago when sickness was entering into your body I asked an India-bound caravan to inform Jesus about your sickness.
JOSEPH: How long does it take for a caravan to reach India?
MARY: At least three months.
JOSEPH: Alas, even if he has heard about my sickness and even if he has left India…
MARY: It goes without saying that if he had heard about your illness he would have immediately left for home.
JOSEPH: But, my dear, it will take him three long months to reach us. You know quite well that my days on earth are very few.
MARY: No, I do not agree with you. You must stay on earth until our beloved son comes back.
JOSEPH: Who does not want that? But my life-boat is sinking fast. Jesus, my beloved son, my boat is sinking, but your boat will soon ply between the shores of earth’s excruciating pangs and Heaven’s ever-increasing Delight. I shall watch from Heaven with my soul’s boundless pride as your white-red boat sails towards the shores of my ever-transcending Beyond. Jesus, my son!
(Joseph closes his eyes and dies.)
Scene 11
(Benares. A school for religious study. Several students, including Jesus, are seated in a semi-circle.)TEACHER: Today I shall teach you something new. I have already taught you the Chandi and the Yoga Vashishtha. Today I shall start with a new book, the Bhagavad-Gita, the song celestial. The Gita is our Bible. So, dear Jesus, I am sure you have read your Bible. Beginning today, you will be studying our Bible. Jesus, my goodness! What is wrong with you? Why are you so sad and depressed? Is anything wrong with you? Has anything happened?
JESUS: Nothing particular, sir.
TEACHER: Tell me, tell me what is torturing your heart.
JESUS (bursting into tears): I have received news from home that my father has died.
TEACHER: Your father! When? Where?
JESUS: Three and a half months ago my father died. He died in Israel. Sir, you have been extremely kind to me. I am most grateful to you. You have taught me some of the Hindu scriptures with tremendous love and care. But unfortunately, tomorrow I shall have to leave for home.
TEACHER: How will you go back home, my son?
JESUS: I shall go back the way I came. I came to India with a caravan and I shall go back with another caravan. Tomorrow I shall start. I have been in India for about a year. Here everyone has been extremely kind to me. I shall carry with me India’s love, India’s concern, India’s compassion to offer to my people.
TEACHER: Dear son, thousands of students have passed through my hands, but none can come near you. You are a real genius. You are unparalleled. Today you are badly suffering from the loss of your dear father. How I wish I could be of some consolation to you. Ah, a brilliant idea has flashed across my mind. I shall read out a few verses from the Gita.
Vāsāṁsi jīrṇāni yathā vihāya
navāni gṛhṇāti naro ’parāṇi
tathā śarīrāṇi vihāya jīrṇāny
anyāni saṁyāti navāni dehī
(As a man casts off his worn-out garments and puts on new ones, so also the embodied soul casts off the worn-out body and enters into a new form for manifestation.)
Nai ’naḿ chindanti śastrāṇi
nai ’naḿ dahati pāvakaḥ
na cai ’naḿ kledayanty āpo
na śoṣayati mārutaḥ
(Weapons cannot cleave the soul. Fire cannot burn the soul. Water cannot drench the soul. Wind cannot dry the soul.)
Would you like to recite with me?
JESUS: Certainly. I will be happy and grateful if I can join you.
(The teacher and Jesus recite together. The other students listen to them with rapt attention. Jesus’ eyes are beaming with joy.)
JESUS: Sir, I am so grateful to you. These divine words from the Gita have consoled my heart completely.
TEACHER: I have always seen and felt something special in you. Outwardly I have never told it to anyone, but you are my most favourite student. I cherish your sincerity, your humility and your purity. Now Jesus, since you will not be able to study the Gita with me I wish to tell you something which will undoubtedly inspire you. You know that the Gita is the colloquy between the Lord Krishna and his dearest disciple-friend, Arjuna. The Lord taught his disciple something unique. He said God is the real doer. Human beings are mere instruments. Whether we are here on earth or there in Heaven, it is God who acts in and through us. We are mere instruments: Nimitta matram bhava savyasachin.
JESUS: I have heard this before. I have heard this somewhere else. Alas, I can’t recollect it. (After a pause.) Ah, I know! My Supreme Father told me about this mantra just before I left Heaven.
(All the students burst into a roar of laughter.)
A STUDENT (in a mocking manner): His Supreme Father in Heaven! What else? You fool, how can you remember what happened in Heaven? Today you are no longer our Jesus, but the King of Imagination.
TEACHER: You rascals, keep quiet! Hide your ignorance in silence. What is strange about remembering one’s existence in Heaven? You fools have not yet read the Gita. That is why you are behaving like brainless sheep. In the Gita the Lord clearly says that all of us have gone through many, many incarnations. This is not our first and last life. In the Gita the Lord tells Arjuna all about his previous incarnations.
A STUDENT: Our Lord Krishna can do that kind of thing. We believe in Krishna. But for our Jesus, the King of Imagination, to act like our Lord Krishna is absurd.
TEACHER: You fools! Today you are calling my Jesus the King of Imagination. You are making fun of him. I tell you, one day you will come to know who he is. Your King of Imagination will become not only the King of Israel but also the King of the world. My heart tells me that he is not a mortal like us. He is a world-saviour. He is another Krishna.
(Jesus comes and touches the feet of his teacher with utmost humility.)
JESUS: Sir, I am all gratitude.
TEACHER: Today you are touching my feet with all your heart’s humility. In the near future not only I, but the entire world, will touch your feet and worship you.
Scene 12
(John the Baptist alone by the Jordan River.)JOHN: This world is not meant for me. I am sick of this world. I tell people something repeatedly, yet they won’t believe me. They just go on bothering me and harassing me. I tell them that I am not the Messiah. I am not Elijah. I am not the Prophet. They ask me why do I then baptise people? I tell them that I have been commanded by the Lord from Above to baptise. I also tell them that I baptise with water, but soon after me somebody will baptise with the Holy Spirit. I am no match for him. I am not good enough even to untie his sandals.
(Enter some of his disciples.)
DISCIPLE: Master, we just overheard you. You were saying that you are not good enough even to untie his sandals. Who is that great man? Nobody can be higher than you.
JOHN: Children, there can be and there is one higher than me, and he is Jesus. I am just a voice that shouts in the desert. I am trying to make a straight path for the Lord Jesus to travel.
DISCIPLES: Master, you feel anything you want to. You say anything you want to say. It is up to us to believe you or not. You are inferior to none.
JOHN: You impossible fools! Your stupidity constantly pains me. Ah, look, look! He is fast approaching me. There is the Lamb of God. There is the Son of God. There is the one about whom I have been talking all along.
(Enter Jesus.)
JESUS: I wish to be baptised by you, John.
JOHN: O, Jesus, how can I baptise you? I know who you are. You are the Son of God. You are His beloved Son.
JESUS: Let us not break the order. Let us do everything in order. It is by you that I must be baptised. You have recognised me. Therefore, John, you are divinely great. You are making the road ready for me. Therefore you are supremely good. Your mother, Elizabeth, was divinely great and supremely good, too, for she recognised me and inspired my mother immensely even before I was born.
JOHN: O Son of God, you are seeing me and my mother through your own transcendental greatness and universal goodness. I have just one more thing to do on earth and that is to place all my disciples at your feet as I place myself at your feet.
(He touches Jesus’ feet.)
DISCIPLES (shocked): You can touch his feet, but we will not. He may be greater than you in your view, but we will have nothing to do with him. We shall offer you our loyalty constantly. You are our Master, our only Master.
JOHN: You fools. You should be loyal only to the Highest. Only the best should be your Master. And I want to tell you something more. I am not guiding you to someone who is a little better than I. I am leading and guiding you all to the one whose greatness is nothing other than God-greatness, whose goodness is nothing other than God-goodness. I tell you once and for all, to please him is to please God the Father. To have him is to have God the Father. He is Heaven’s most beautiful flower and earth’s most nourishing fruit.
JESUS (smiling at John’s disciples): Your name is the Lord’s ever-illumining and ever-fulfilling Vision. O children of John, I am deeply moved by your unprecedented loyalty to your Master. Your Master has had the Vision of the Ultimate Reality. Needless to say, he will lead, guide and perfect you on your journey to the Transcendental Goal. My heart deeply admires your love for your great Master. My soul sincerely admires your Master for his unflinching love for Truth.
Scene 13
(Jesus and Mary at home.)JESUS: Mother, I beg to be excused.
MARY: Son, you have not done anything wrong. Why do you need my forgiveness?
JESUS: Mother, yesterday at the wedding party I was unnecessarily rude to you. When they ran short of wine you requested me to do something. I was so hostile to you. I said, “Woman, what matters it to you and to me? My hour has not yet come.”
MARY: But you did listen to me, after all. So how can I be displeased with you? My son, you transformed water into wine. What a miracle! Jesus, it was your first miracle. I am sure you will do many more. But this much I tell you, my son, if you are going to perform fifty miracles in the outer world, then rest assured you will perform fifty thousand miracles in the inner world. All your inner world activities, your divine Father in Heaven and my simple soul on earth, will know. Jesus, yesterday at the wedding party I asked the servants to listen to you. Today I ask the whole world to listen to you, and it certainly will.
JESUS: You think too highly of me, Mother.
MARY: Son, your supernatural height is not only far beyond the domain of my experience, but also far beyond my imagination’s flight.
JESUS: I know, Mother of mine. You want only my divinity to come to the fore. I am the sun. You are the moon. I am rising; therefore cheerfully and unconditionally you are going to hide yourself. From now on you have decided to remain in the background. Such is your love for me. Such is your oneness with me. Mother, I may become great one day. But you are good. To me greatness is no match for goodness.
Scene 14
(Jesus and his disciples.)JESUS: Lazarus, my dear friend, you are no more. O soul of Lazarus, to you I offer my heart’s immense gratitude, for it is you who are helping me reveal the Glory of God. Martha, Mary, dear ones, I am coming to your house to revive your dead brother. Children, let us go to Judea.
DISCIPLES: Judea! What for? Have you forgotten that just the other day they wanted to stone you?
JESUS: Don’t worry. I know who I am. This time they will see my light. My dear friend Lazarus died four days ago. My Father wants me to go to Lazarus and revive him.
DISCIPLES: But by this time he is buried. What can you do now?
JESUS: I can do nothing. I have done nothing. I will be able to do nothing. But my Father did, does and will do everything in and through me.
DISCIPLES: Lord, we give glory to you. You give glory to your Father. You stay with your Father. We stay with you, our Father.
JESUS: Amongst you there are still some who do not believe in me. When I revive Lazarus, their belief will grow. I am grateful to Lazarus. I am grateful to the non-believers, for they are helping me to reveal the Lord’s divine Glory on earth. Come, don’t delay. Let us go and bring joy to the bereaved and stricken family.
Scene 15
(Jesus on the Mount. He is rapt in trance. Enter Father. The face of Jesus glows.)FATHER: Son, I wish you to offer a series of aphorisms as special advice to your disciples. Your disciples may ask you for their meanings. Therefore I shall tell you the meanings as well, First, blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.
JESUS: How wonderful is Your advice, Father!
FATHER: It means that the Kingdom of Bliss is for those blessed people who have devoted dedication to their inner and spiritual life and who have nothing to do with pride.
JESUS: I see. Thank You, Father. Next?
FATHER: Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.
JESUS: Wonderful, Father.
FATHER: Son, it means that the true spiritual life of a seeker begins when he has a real sense of loss. His loss is the loss of his inner wealth: peace, joy, love and bliss. This loss creates in him an inner cry which may outwardly be known as mourning. Naturally a seeker of this type will be given back the peace, joy, love and bliss which he is crying to recover.
JESUS: I see. Thank You, Father. Next?
FATHER: Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.
JESUS: Wonderful, Father.
FATHER: Son, it means that if a man has a tremendous sense of superiority, he will lord it over others, but if the same man feels that he is weak and helpless without Me, then he will develop a deep sense of humility. This humility will make him one with all human beings on earth. His universal oneness is the strength that will enable him to claim the earth divinely and supremely.
JESUS: I see. Thank You, Father. Next?
FATHER: Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.
JESUS: Wonderful, Father,
FATHER: Son, it means that purity alone has the capacity to receive and achieve Divinity. A pure heart is a peerless manifestation of My divine Reality.
JESUS: I see. Thank You very much, Father. Next?
FATHER: Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.
JESUS: Wonderful, Father.
FATHER: Son, it means that My divine children are those who aspire for Light and who are surcharged with Light. Light, in the process of its manifestation, becomes the all-nourishing and all-fulfilling Peace.
JESUS: I see. Thank You, Father. Next?
FATHER: If any one strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also.
JESUS: Wonderful, Father.
FATHER: Son, it means that forgiveness is by far the best quality both in Me and in all human beings. If ignorance has struck you once and you have forgiven ignorance, there is no guarantee that it will not strike you again. But if you tell ignorance that if it wants to strike you again you are more than prepared to answer it with your forgiveness-weapon, ignorance comes to realise that your weapon is infinitely stronger than its weapon. Your weapon has Light and spreads Light; whereas its weapon, which is darkness, is all confusion. Remaining in utter and constant confusion, how can it continue to fight against its opponent, Light, which is all-loving and all fulfilling?
JESUS: I see. Thank You, Father, thank You. Next?
FATHER: When you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing.
JESUS: Wonderful, Father.
FATHER: Son, it means that man gets a great sense of satisfaction if he sees that someone is watching while he is giving something to others. The satisfaction that results from a public show immediately creates unnecessary pride. What is pride, if not immediate and total self-destruction?
JESUS: Thank You, Father, thank You. Next?
FATHER: For today it is enough, My son. I am a bit tired. Some other day I will give you more advice.
Scene 16
(Jesus with his disciples.)JESUS: I am a Jew, but the Jews do not accept me. They hate me, even though I came to save them. Such is my fate. Yet I know that the whole world will one day accept me, love me and adore me. I know that I am not for a tiny section of humanity only. I am for the whole of humanity. But those who accept me and claim me as their own are undoubtedly my beloved ones. My days are numbered. I have twelve disciples. Among them, Judas will betray me. He will put me into the hands of the enemy. And then they will crucify me.
(All the disciples are shocked.)
DISCIPLES: Judas! Judas! Judas will betray our Lord!
JUDAS: Impossible, impossible! (Touching Jesus’ feet.) Lord, is there anything that I can do without your knowledge or without your approval or, at least, without your acquiescence? I know, Lord, your words will prove true. But Lord, it seems to me that it is you who have chosen me to play this unthinkable part in your cosmic play.
JESUS (smiles and blesses him): Judas, you are right. True, the world will hate you. But the world does not know that everything is predestined. So Judas, do your part well when your hour strikes.
DISCIPLES: Lord, our hour has already struck. We want to do our part well.
(They all grab Judas and start striking and kicking him.)
JESUS: Stop! Stop, or I shall leave you all immediately! Judas is doing the right thing. His betrayal is predestined. What can he do now? And what can I do now? Only our Father in Heaven knows what is best for Judas and what is best for me and what is best for all of you.
DISCIPLES: We know what is best for us!
(They start striking Judas again.)
JESUS: Stop! Stop! If not, I shall leave you for good!
PETER: Lord, you are great. You are divine. For you it is easy to forgive a filthy betrayer and a scoundrel like Judas. But we are mortals, ordinary human beings. How can we forgive him?
JESUS: Peter, the same way I shall forgive you. Peter, one day you will deny me — not once, not twice, but thrice. Three successive times in one short day!
PETER: Me? Impossible! When? Why?
JESUS: Yes, Peter, it is you and nobody else who will deny me. You think it is impossible. But I tell you, Peter, it is not only possible; it is inevitable. It is all predestined. Do not cry, do not weep, Peter. I loved you most. I shall always love you most. Again, when the hour strikes, it is you who will carry my banner of Truth and unlock my heart’s door so humanity can see my Father’s Light. You love me most dearly. Therefore I wish you to take care of my other disciples who are my lambs, my sheep.
PETER: Lord, I shall. I shall without fail. Lord, you are the Lord of Love. You are the Lord of Compassion. You are the Lord of Forgiveness,
JESUS: No, no. I am just the son of fulfilment. My Father is the Lord of Love. My Father is the Lord of Compassion, My Father is the Lord of Forgiveness.
PHILIP: Lord, will we ever see your Father?
JESUS: Certainly you can. Philip, shall I tell you the supreme truth? He who has seen me has seen the Father, for I and my Father are one.
Children, I wish to tell you a funny story:
The youngest son said: Father is in Heaven.
The middle son said: The Kingdom of Heaven is in your heart.
The eldest son said: I and my Father are one.
To the youngest son, the Father said: Son, thank you for your vision.
To the middle son, the Father said: Son, thank you for your mission.
To the eldest son, the Father said: Son, thank you for your union."
Judas, come here, please.
(Judas goes and sits at the Master’s feet.)
JESUS: Nimitta matram bhava. Be thou a mere instrument.
(Judas sings.)
Today, today, today
Alone with God I stay;
Tomorrow and forever
With His Compassion-Ray.
JESUS: Peter, come here, please.
(Peter goes and sits at the Master’s feet.)
JESUS: Nimitta matram bhava. Be thou a mere instrument.
(Peter sings.)
An ant like me to save
You came into this world of dust and clay.
A beggar like me to love
And give me a role sublime in Your Cosmic Play.
JESUS: Children, be the instruments of the Lord. We are all His instruments. Him to embody we came into the world. Him to reveal we came into the world. Him to fulfil we came into the world.
Scene 17
(Evening. Jesus alone in a small garden.)JESUS: Yes, I have performed miracles and my miracles have been many and varied. I have stilled storms. I have cured physical maladies. I have given sight to the blind. I have even raised the dead to life. But the world will never believe that I consider my miracles to be of secondary importance, to say the least. I came into the world to reveal my Lord, my Father who is in Heaven. If anybody believes in me for my own sake, then he is infinitely greater than those who believe in me only for my miracles. Again, because of the people’s lack of faith, I did not want to perform miracles at Nazareth. It would have served no purpose. To me, each miracle is a manifestation of God’s Power-Light. And if it is not properly accepted it only feeds man’s curiosity; it does not help elevate man’s consciousness at all. Therefore, it is absolutely necessary that God’s Power-Light be well regulated by God’s Wisdom-Height. But who will believe that I have the power to perform miracles in the face of all unbelievers, disbelievers and stark atheists? Alas, nobody understands me. Nobody comes to me to fulfil my Lord in His divine Way.
(Jesus sings.)
None came to me, none came and none shall come.
Only my supreme Beloved came, only He.
I cried for His smile and He, for my selfless love.
Sleepless in me He grows His Vision-Tree.
Scene 18
(Jesus and Mary.)JESUS: Mother, please sing me a song, How I wish I could have a singing voice like yours.
MARY: Son, how I wish I could have an illumining heart like yours.
JESUS: Mother, please sing.
(Mary sings.)
My life began with duty’s pride,
My life shall live with beauty’s light,
My life shall sport with reality’s soul,
My life shall end with Divinity’s Height.
JESUS: Mother, in Heaven I shall miss your stirring voice. In a few days I shall be crucified.
MARY: Oh no, impossible! I shall not allow that to happen. My beloved son, will you not use your divine power to save yourself? Please do it, my son. I shall be so happy, so proud and so grateful.
JESUS: To please you, Mother, I performed my first miracle at the wedding party. I transformed water into wine. To please you again at the end of my journey’s close I shall perform another miracle, the Miracle of miracles. Since my Heavenly Father wants me to come back to Him, I shall have to go back. But three days after my death, I shall appear once again and see you all. This miracle will have no parallel in the history of our Lord’s creation.
So, Mother, Mother of my heart, I shall please you in a different way. I shall not save my body, but I shall prove to the world that I am deathless, that I am eternal. Although the body is perishable, the soul is immortal. This body has played its role. Why keep it on earth any longer? Mother, soon you too will join me in Heaven.
MARY: Shall I? How I wish, son, we could go together.
JESUS: Mother, your hour has not yet struck, but soon it will.
(Enter Mary Magdalene, weeping.)
MAGDALENE: Lord, last night I had a terrible dream, in my dream I saw you being crucified. On the cross you asked for a drink and they gave you some wine. You drank the wine, then bowed your head and said, “It is all finished.” My dream was so vivid. Lord, this dream is ruthlessly tearing at my inner being. My heart is completely broken. Lord, I beg of you, tell me that my dream was all a mental hallucination, with no reality in it.
JESUS: Did you see anything more?
MAGDALENE: Yes, I saw something more. I saw something unbelievable. Three days after your death you appeared before me. I saw you vividly. I ran to tell Peter and your other disciples. Everybody believed me except one disciple.
JESUS: Who was it? Who did not believe you?
MAGDALENE: It was that unfortunate Thomas.
(Enter Thomas.)
THOMAS: Magdalene, I overheard your conversation with the Lord. I, too, had a similar dream. In my dream I saw something more. The Lord, out of his infinite bounty, made me believe him unmistakably and said, “You believe me because you see me. Happy and fortunate are those who believe me without seeing me.”
(Thomas sings.)
With doubt my mind began,
With fear my heart began,
With clay my life began,
All in this shortest span.
JESUS: Excellent, excellent, I never knew that you had such a sweet voice. Thomas, your dream has reality in it in great measure. Magdalene, your dream will soon be transformed into reality. Magdalene, please sing me a song. You have not sung for me for a long time.
(Magdalene sings.)
There was a time when I stumbled and stumbled,
But now I only climb and climb beyond
And far beyond my Goal’s endless Beyond,
And yet my Captain commands: “Go on, go on!”
JESUS: Magdalene, I am well pleased with you. What the Father needs is a heart of purity and you have it in ample measure. A pure heart is a peerless treasure. You heard me saying a few months ago that the pure in heart are blessed, for they will see God. You will see God in me.
MAGDALENE: Lord, I have already seen God in you. Something more, I see you only as God. You are none other than your Heavenly Father. You do everything. But you give Him all the credit. Such is your heart’s magnanimity.
JESUS: Dear Magdalene, you are wrong. My Heavenly Father is the only doer. I am a mere instrument of His.
Nimitta matram
nimitta matram
nimitta matram
nimitta matram
(I am a mere instrument.)
Scene 19
(Heaven. Krishna is playing on his divine flute.)KRISHNA: Ah, Jesus is singing my favourite song on earth. How soulfully he is offering the wealth of my song to mankind. No, I must be totally frank. That song is not mine. I did not compose that song. It was our Father Supreme who composed that song. He taught me that song and I sang it on earth. He taught Jesus the same song and now he is singing it on earth so soulfully and so fruitfully.
Ah, today our Jesus is coming back home. How hard he has worked, especially his last three years on earth. He needs and deserves some rest here in Heaven. (Shouting aloud.) Rama, Buddha, where are you? Come here please. (Enter Rama and Buddha.) Our brother Jesus is coming back today. Father gave me the message this morning.
RAMA AND BUDDHA: Father always tells you everything first. You are His most favourite son.
KRISHNA: Not at all. We all are His most favourite sons. What can poor Father do? Rama, last night you had to put up a brave fight against Satan and the forces of ignorance. Therefore, in the morning you were dead tired. Naturally you had to sleep far into the morning. Father did not want to disturb your sound sleep.
Buddha, you got up very early in the morning and started meditating. You went into your deepest trance. When Father saw you in your usual trance, He did not want to disturb you either. And what was I doing in the morning? I was playing on my flute and reminiscing about my Brindavan lila on earth with my divine Radha and my divine gopis, my totally devoted and completely surrendered devotees. Since I was neither sleeping nor meditating, Father came to me and gave me the message of Jesus’ arrival today.
RAMA AND BUDDHA: Krishna, you are sweetness and concern to all your devotees. To us, your brothers, you are all cleverness and all wisdom. No wonder the world, especially India, has such love for you.
KRISHNA: Brother Rama, Brother Buddha, let us not waste time. Our brother Jesus will soon arrive. His crucifixion has shattered me totally.
BUDDHA: I was simply horrified when I heard about it from Father the other day.
RAMA: When Father told me about Jesus’ crucifixion, I was simply mortified. He has done so much for earth and, in return, earth offers him crucifixion. Earth is not ready for us.
BUDDHA: It seems that earth will never be ready.
KRISHNA: For my sake, for Father’s sake, let us be ready to receive Jesus. Let us make a most beautiful throne for him.
(They make a golden throne. Jesus ascends and appears. They greet him most enthusiastically and place him on the throne. Enter Father.)
FATHER (blessing and embracing Jesus): Jesus, my Jesus.
I saw your suffering face.
I cried and cried.
I felt your forgiving heart.
I smiled and smiled.
I clasped your illumining soul.
I danced and danced.
Editor's note to the first edition
Jesus son of God, avatar of the Western consciousness: Jesus accepted a mortal body so he could reveal man’s immortality. Jesus accepted a man’s consciousness so he could fulfil the divine consciousness. Jesus accepted bodily pain so he could offer the world eternal joy. Jesus accepted betrayal so he could teach the world the meaning of forgiveness.Jesus, the innocent child, took into his mind the darkness of the world and became Light. Jesus, the loving Son, took into his heart the suffering of the world and became Compassion. Jesus, the all-knowing Father, took upon his body the sins of the world and became Salvation. Then he offered his human self — the agonised mind, the betrayed heart, the broken body — at the Feet of God. And he offered his divine self — glowing Light, flowing Compassion, the world-Salvation — at the feet of man.
Jesus was the Cross: God’s Revelation and man’s Illumination. Jesus was the Crucifixion: God’s Self-fulfilment and man’s Self-discovery. Jesus was the Ascension: God’s Compassion-Love and man’s Perfection-dawn.
In this play, a spiritual Master who has established his own inseparable oneness with the Supreme reveals Bethlehem’s Light from the perspective of India’s highest spiritual Vision. With profound beauty and insight, Sri Chinmoy offers his own unique interpretation of the meaning and significance of Jesus’ life.
